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Trump immediately fundraises off of historic felony conviction 2024-05-30 21:40:22+00:00 - Donald Trump's campaign quickly fundraised off of his status as a convicted felon. "I'm a political prisoner," a graphic on Trump's campaign website read. President Joe Biden's campaign also fundraised shortly after the verdict was announced. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email. Advertisement Former Donald Trump's campaign sought to immediately capitalize on the fact that he is now a convicted felon. "I'm a political prisoner," a graphic on Trump's campaign site read after a Manhattan jury found him guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in .
Bill Ackman likely to back Donald Trump for president after supporting RFK Jr., Nikki Haley 2024-05-30 21:37:00+00:00 - Bill Ackman, chief executive officer of Pershing Square Capital Management LP, speaks during an interview for an episode of "The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations" in New York, US, on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. Hedge fund executive and billionaire Bill Ackman has signaled to associates that he is likely to support Donald Trump for president over Joe Biden, according to a source familiar with the matter. Ackman previously financed Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign for president and Republican Nikki Haley's failed bid for the White House. Ackman has a net worth of just over $4 billion, according to Forbes. Another source said that Ackman had not made a final decision on whether he's going to endorse Trump. Sources in this story were granted anonymity in order to speak freely about private conversations. A spokesman for Ackman declined to comment. The Financial Times was first to report on Ackman's thinking. If Ackman endorses Trump, he will join a growing crowd of Wall Street executives backing Trump over Biden. Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman recently said in a statement that he would support Trump. Schwarzman's announcement came after the billionaire had said in 2022 that he would search for an alternative to the former president to back during the Republican primary for president. Ackman has been publicly consistent about his dislike for Biden and his policies. In an interview with CNBC in January, Ackman called on Biden, 81, to step down as president due to his age. When asked at the time whether he would vote for Trump over Biden, Ackman said, "I'll make that decision when I have the choice." Ackman's biggest bet so far in this election cycle did not pan out. He gave $1 million in January to a political action committee that supported Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., in a Democratic primary run against Biden, according to Federal Election Commission records. Phillips dropped out of the race in March.
Trump, now a convicted felon, insists he's a 'very innocent man' after landmark verdict 2024-05-30 21:36:03+00:00 - By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview Former President Donald Trump, now a convicted felon, fumed over the verdict in his historic New York hush-money trial on Thursday, insisting that he's "a very innocent man." A Manhattan jury on Thursday found the 77-year-old presumptive Republican presidential nominee guilty on criminal charges related to a hush-money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. "This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt," Trump told reporters in the Manhattan courtroom hallway after a jury found him guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. "We didn't do a thing wrong. I'm a very innocent man," said Trump, who added that the "real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people." Advertisement Trump continued, "This was a rigged decision right from day one, with a conflicted judge who should have never been allowed to try this case. Never. And we will fight for our Constitution. This is long from over." Moments after the landmark guilty verdict was handed down, Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., said in a post on the social media site X, "Such bullshit." Trump is expected to appeal the verdict. Related stories Since Trump was indicted in the hush-money case more than a year ago, he has relentlessly slammed the prosecution as a political "witch hunt." Advertisement Nearly every day of the five-week trial, Trump publicly criticized the Manhattan district attorney office's case against him as well as the presiding judge, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan. Shortly before the hush-money jury began its deliberations on Wednesday, Trump, in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, railed, "KANGAROO COURT! A CORRUPT AND CONFLICTED JUDGE," and again insisted, "THERE WAS NO CRIME." In another post on Wednesday, Trump blasted prosecutors' closing statements, saying, "THE D.A.'s OFFICE WAS ALLOWED TO GO ON WITH 5 HOURS OF BULL…. YESTERDAY. I have no rights against this Crooked Judge's Gag Order!" Moments after jurors started weighing a verdict, Trump told reporters in the courtroom hallway that the case against him was so "rigged" that not even "Mother Teresa" could get acquitted. Advertisement "These charges are rigged. The whole thing is rigged. The whole country's a mess between the borders and the fake elections. And we have a trial like this where the judge is so conflicted he can't breathe," Trump said. The former president added, "Mother Teresa could not beat those charges. But we'll see. We'll see how we do. It's a very disgraceful situation." The verdict in the case follows the first-ever criminal trial of a former American president. Jurors heard testimony from 20 prosecution witnesses, including Daniels and Trump's attorney-turned-nemesis Michael Cohen. Advertisement Prosecutors alleged that Trump falsified 34 business documents throughout 2017, including in his first week as president, when they say he reimbursed Cohen for paying Daniels the hush money. Trump, according to prosecutors, orchestrated the payment to Daniels as part of an illegal conspiracy to influence the 2016 election. The payment was meant to buy Daniels' silence over a sexual encounter the porn star says she had with Trump at a Lake Tahoe hotel suite in 2006 during a celebrity golf tournament, prosecutors said. Trump has denied having sex with Daniels.
Trump guilty on all 34 counts in hush money trial, historic first for a former U.S. president 2024-05-30 21:34:00+00:00 - watch now A New York jury on Thursday found former President Donald Trump guilty of all 34 felony charges of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels by his then-personal lawyer Michael Cohen before the 2016 election. Trump, 77, is the first U.S. president to be convicted of any crime. He faces three other pending criminal cases. His sentencing for the hush money case was scheduled by Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan for July 11 at 10 a.m. ET. That is just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where the twice-impeached Trump is set to be formally confirmed as the GOP's presidential nominee. Trump, who remains free without bail, faces a maximum possible sentence of four years in prison for each count. He is certain to appeal the verdict. The former president was found guilty of falsifying business records which described as legal expenses payments by him and the Trump Organization to Cohen to reimburse that former fixer for the $130,000 payment Cohen personally gave Daniels before the 2016 election. Cohen and Daniels both testified that the money was to prevent her from selling to media outlets her story of having sex with Trump one time in 2006, months after his wife Melania Trump gave birth to their son Barron Trump. Cohen said Trump directed him to pay Daniels to prevent her from damaging his chance of winning the White House in 2016. Trump's demeanor did not change during the reading of the verdict, which came at about 5:05 p.m., after jurors deliberated for fewer than 10 hours over two days. His son Eric Trump looked angry after the jury foreman repeatedly said "guilty" to each count as it was read. "I am a very innocent man," Trump said afterward. "This was a disgrace," he said. "This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt." "The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people and they know what happened here and everybody knows what happened here," Trump said. The campaign of President Joe Biden, in a statement minutes after the verdict, said, "The threat Trump poses to our democracy has never been greater." "In New York today, we saw that no one is above the law," said Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler. "Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain." Former President Donald Trump appears in Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024. Seth Wenig | Via Reuters "But today's verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality," Tyler added. "There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box. Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president." Merchan told the jurors, "I want to thank you very much for your service." "That's a long time to be away from your job, your families, your other responsibilities," the judge said. "I want you to know that I really admire your dedication, your hard work." The verdict came hours after jurors heard readbacks of testimony by Cohen and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, as well as portions of legal instructions they received Wednesday from Merchan.
MongoDB shares sink 23% after management trims guidance 2024-05-30 21:34:00+00:00 - MongoDB stock sank as much as 26% in extended trading on Thursday after the database software maker issued light guidance for the quarter and reduced its forecast for the full fiscal year. Here is how the company did, compared to the LSEG consensus: Earnings per share: 51 cents adjusted vs. 40 cents expected 51 cents adjusted vs. 40 cents expected Revenue: $450.6 million vs. $439.7 million expected MongoDB's revenue grew 22% year over year in the fiscal first quarter, which ended on April 30, according to a statement. Growth slowed for the third consecutive quarter. It was 57% two years ago. The company had a net loss of $80.6 million, or $1.10 per share, compared with a net loss of $54.2 million, or 77 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. Concerning guidance, the company called for adjusted fiscal second-quarter earnings of 46 cents to 49 cents per share, with $460.0 million to $464.0 million in revenue. Analysts surveyed by LSEG were looking for 58 cents in adjusted earnings per share and $470.4 million in revenue. MongoDB trimmed its 2025 fiscal-year forecast, which now stands at $2.15 to $2.30 in adjusted earnings per share and $1.88 billion to $1.90 billion in revenue. That implies 12% growth. Three months ago, the forecast was adjusted earnings per share of $2.27 to $2.49 and revenue of $1.90 billion to $1.93 billion. Analysts had predicted $2.50 in adjusted earnings per share on $1.93 billion in revenue. "We had a slower than expected start to the year for both Atlas consumption growth and new workload wins, which will have a downstream impact for the remainder of fiscal 2025," MongoDB's president and CEO Dev Ittycheria was quoted as saying in the statement. Atlas, MongoDB's cloud-based database service, now accounts for 70% of total revenue. On a conference call with analysts, Ittycheria said macroeconomic conditions factored in to the results, and the company wasn't able to catch up with new business, but the company isn't losing share to competitors. He said the outlook does not represent MongoDB's potential in the long term. The comments came a day after Salesforce indicated that it was seeing deals shrink and take longer to close. Before the after-hours move, MongoDB shares were down 24% this year, trailing the S&P 500 index, which has gained about 10% during the same period. This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
Photos show the final cruise of the USS Leyte Gulf as the US Navy phases out its cruiser fleet 2024-05-30 21:31:01+00:00 - 'A model for maritime teamwork' Lt. j.g. Alescia Austin greets her family as USS Leyte Gulf returns to Naval Station Norfolk. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Manvir Gill Perry commended sailors aboard the Leyte Gulf for completing the vessel's final deployment, calling the crew "a model for maritime teamwork" after conducting multiple drug interdictions alongside the Valkyries helicopter squadron and the Coast Guard. "This is a profound final chapter for one of the Navy's finest ships, and their crew should be proud of all they accomplished," Perry said. Diaz, the commanding officer of Leyte Gulf, echoed the sentiment, recalling the "generations of sailors who have manned the helm" of the storied warship. "This ship is full of history. Each period brings its own far-off journeys, along with generations of Sailors who have manned the helm," Diaz said in a statement. "Our last deployment was full of Sailors who made their own mark on the story of this great warship." "Though our namesake comes from a battle long ago, the US is still performing with a level of combat expertise and professionalism that we've always had as we protect the homeland," he added.
Why the Swedish and Finnish Air Forces are a powerful add to NATO 2024-05-30 21:30:01+00:00 - By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email. Russia's decision to invade Ukraine has had an unintended consequence: a boost to NATO airpower. Fearful of being Russia's next target, Finland joined NATO in 2023, followed by Sweden this March. This means the alliance will be augmented by their advanced aircraft and strategically located airbases. "Finland and Sweden increase NATO's high-end airpower capacity," wrote RAND. Corp researchers Paul Cormarie and John Hoehn in a recent essay for the Modern War Institute at West Point. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. In terms of numbers of aircraft, the new Nordic members would bring a considerable addition to NATO airpower in a conflict with Russia. Sweden currently has about a hundred Gripen jet fighters, while Finland has 62 American-made F/A-18 Hornets. That makes the combined Finnish/Swedish fighter contingent roughly equal to the combat jets of the UK's Royal Air Force and about is only one-third less than the roughly 200 fighter jets apiece flown by France and Germany. Advertisement The new allies bring numerous other advantages to European defense. When former Warsaw Pact states such as Poland joined NATO in the late 1990s, they were equipped with older Soviet jets, such as the MiG-29, that were of limited utility and interoperability to Western air forces. However, Sweden's JAS-39 Gripen is a capable fourth-generation fighter — roughly on a par with models like the F-16 — that fits comfortably with NATO technical standards and doctrine. The rugged Gripen is designed to take off and land from highways if airfields are knocked out and "has modern electric warfare capabilities and high readiness that can perform expeditionary operations — limiting Russia's ability to target aircraft on the ground," the essay said. Finland's F/A-18 Hornets — which used to be the US Navy's standard fighter — are already compatible with NATO air forces. But Finland will soon field an extraordinarily potent air force for a nation of less than 6 million people. It has ordered 64 American-made F-35 stealth fighters, the second-largest F-35 acquisition in Europe, after Britain's. This puts several squadrons of stealth fighters on Russia's northern border, with the potential to penetrate and suppress Russian air defenses, and hit vital targets. A Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Fighter Jet performs a fly-by near Rovaniemi, Finland, May 23, 2024. Staff Sgt. Ian Valley/US Army Sweden and Finland also help NATO simply by the existing. They border Russia and are close to the Baltic States, the small countries likely under the greatest Russian threat. Sweden is also on the Baltic Sea, while Norway borders the Barents, Norwegian and North Seas. Related stories "Geography matters," Cormarie and Hoehn wrote. "Both Finland's and Sweden's proximity allows NATO air forces to stage closer to the Baltics. This reduces logistical constraints and better enables the alliance to sustain air operations, while also increasing aircraft persistence." Advertisement Sweden also possesses a defense-industrial base that can build sophisticated jets. With American and European defense firms struggling to meet surging demand, Sweden's additional manufacturing capacity is a significant boost to NATO's ability to replace losses. "Few other NATO nations have active production lines capable of producing modern fighter aircraft," the essay said. "Of course, this industrial infrastructure is potentially vulnerable to Russian attack in the event of a conflict. But from a Russian perspective, that poses an enhanced dilemma, as commanders must select from a wider range of targets in any initial salvo." Cormarie and Hoehn contrast NATO's situation today with a 2016 RAND wargame — before Sweden and Finland joined the alliance — that concluded Russia could conquer the Baltic States in less than three days. There are questions about whether the game overestimated the Russian military in light of its poor performance in Ukraine. But the simulation did illustrate the difficulty that NATO would face in assembling enough troops and aircraft to defeat an invasion of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which are NATO members. Sweden and Finland's NATO status complicates a Russian effort to conquer the Balitcs. "Finland's accession imposes a dilemma on Russian military planners, forcing them to consider balancing offensive plans in, say, Estonia while considering defensive operations to protect their own borders," Cormarie and Hoehn wrote. Similarly, Sweden's Gotland island — located almost midway in the Baltic, about 60 miles from the Swedish mainland and 80 miles from the Baltic States — provides NATO with an advanced outpost. Advertisement Interestingly, Cormarie and Hoehn see the benefits of Swedish and Finnish airpower as helping to alleviate the strain on U.S. resources now split between the European and Pacific theaters. "The United States would not have to flow its own airpower capabilities — many of which are based back in the United States — into theater as quickly and enables it to deter aggression elsewhere in the world." "Less ambiguity in the Baltic region allows US air forces to commit some capability to deter adversaries from aggression in other theaters—like an opportunistic invasion of Taiwan," the essay said. The new northern European members also allow NATO to project more power into the Arctic, a region that has become increasingly coveted as melting polar icecaps uncover mineral riches and new shipping routes. "This might be an opportunity for NATO to be looking more into the Arctic," Cormarie told Business Insider. "Both Sweden and Finland have forces capable of sustaining the very harsh conditions and maintainers adapted to the weather. Their air forces are vital for this Nordic push, and will become very useful to further deter and defend the increasingly contested arctic space with Russia." Ultimately, Swedish and Finnish airpower give NATO a lot more flexibility to handle a variety of looming scenarios, from a Russian invasion of the Baltic states, to Western intervention in the Ukraine war, to NATO's biggest member — the United States — confronting China over Taiwan. Advertisement "In what matters the most in a coalition fighting a contingency, Finland plus Sweden bring together a lot of fighting capability," Cormarie said. Michael Peck is a defense writer whose work has appeared in Forbes, Defense News, Foreign Policy magazine, and other publications. He holds an MA in political science from Rutgers Univ. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Chipotle insists its portions haven't shrunk, after TikTokers claim they did 2024-05-30 21:25:00+00:00 - Fast-casual Mexican food chain Chipotle is shutting down rumors that there's a way to get servers to fill your burrito with more meat or veggies: film them. TikTok users, including influential food reviewers, have shared images of paltry looking food portions allegedly from Chipotle. The portions they claim are a far cry from the days when the chain would load up customers' plates with enough food to last days. Some of the fast-food sleuths also allege that when they filmed Chipotle workers fulfilling their orders, they received larger portions. Chipotle called the claims false, and said it never instructed workers to serve bigger portions to customers with cameras or phones. "Our intentions are to provide a great experience every time, and our meals have always been completely customizable so guests can vocalize or digitally select their desired portions when choosing from the list of real ingredients," Chipotle chief corporate affairs and food safety officer Laurie Schalow said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. "There have been no changes in our portion sizes, and we have reinforced proper portioning with our employees. If we did not deliver on our value, we want our guests to reach out so we can make it right." It's unclear what type of compensation the company plans to offer to any customers who might feel like they were slighted. TikTok user Keith Lee, who has 16.3 million followers, said in May 3 video that he used to love Chipotle, but lately has been disappointed by the food. The post has more than 2 million views. Lee filmed himself eating a few items from Chipotle's menu, including a bowl in which he struggled to find chicken. He ultimately found just four pieces, which he described as flavorless and cold. TikTok user Drew Polenske chimed in too, addressing the alleged portion-size issue head on. "I speak for everybody when I say I am sick and tired of the Chipotle portion sizes and it needs to change." "You remember peak chipotle. you know how they used to load those bowls up. they would give you enough food to feed a small village," he said. "And now I'll walk into Chipotle, I'll get three grains of rice and a piece of chicken if I'm lucky. I can't do it anymore." He urged people to leave one-star reviews for the company online. Another TikTok user posted a video showing a Chipotle worker fulfilling his burrito order, which appeared to be stuffed to the gills with ingredients. "The rumors are true. I held my phone up at Chipotle and they loaded my burrito," read a line of text in the video. Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol weighed in on the social media trend, dubbed the "Chipotle phone method," telling CNBC he thinks it's "rude to our team members." "We're not going all-you-can-eat, we are going great ingredients, great culinary, great bowls," he added.
The jury found Trump guilty despite the case being so convoluted 2024-05-30 21:18:59+00:00 - A 12-person Manhattan jury found former President Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony counts in what was an enormously risky case to bring, with unfairly high stakes. Let’s be honest with each other. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case was convoluted, and the jury convicting Trump shows that he got lucky in this case. Like some grotesque legal version of Frankenstein’s monster, the case morphed into an amalgamation of all of the cases pending against Trump. The stakes were so high because it appears the so-called hush money case will be the only criminal prosecution pending against Trump that will be tried before an election that might put him back in the White House. Because it’s the first and maybe the only one we’ll see, the Manhattan case, clearly the weakest of the four criminal cases brought against Trump, became a symbol of all of the criminal cases that Trump faces. Like some grotesque legal version of Frankenstein’s monster, the case morphed into an amalgamation of all of the cases pending against Trump. It was at once, according to prosecutors, a documents case and an election interference case. But one case should never have been seen as a referendum on whether the criminal justice system can hold Trump to account. That’s why today’s verdict feels like a catastrophe averted for those who believe in the rule of law and have been screaming from the rooftops that our former president threatens it. Trump should be punished for any criminal acts he committed, no matter if they happened before, during or after he was president. But the federal and state charges that he sought to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power and the other federal indictment that says he unlawfully retained classified documents make better, stronger cases. It’s unfortunate that the case based on the accusation that he paid money to an adult film actress to keep her quiet about an alleged affair in the run-up to the 2016 election may be the only one that’s fully prosecuted. The jury convicted him of all 34 counts despite of how convoluted the case was. Jurors were first asked to find that Trump falsified business records. That is, they were asked to find that when Trump made the payments in question to his fixer Michael Cohen, he was not, in fact, paying Cohen for legal fees as Trump’s documents indicated but repaying Cohen for the hush money payments that Cohen made to Stormy Daniels to stop her from sharing her story of an alleged affair with Trump. But by itself, the falsification of business records is a misdemeanor. So to kick this up to a felony, prosecutors needed jurors to keep clearing hurdles. The second hurdle jurors were asked to clear was to find that Trump falsified those records “with intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof.” While prosecutors didn’t need to prove that this other crime was committed, to win a conviction, they did need to show that the records were falsified with the intent to commit and conceal that crime. So what is that other crime? Here Bragg’s office pointed to a New York state election law that prohibits promoting an “election of any person by unlawful means.” But this prompts the question: What are those “unlawful means?” Which brings up the third hurdle. Prosecutors needed to clearly lay the path for jurors to make their ways across the legal forest to the end of the road: a conviction. But the path they laid out for jurors in this case was neither clean nor tidy. Third, prosecutors pointed to a violation of federal election law as those “unlawful means.” Specifically, prosecutors argued that the payments Cohen made to Daniels should be seen as a contribution to the Trump campaign, which was both over the contribution limit and undisclosed. Prosecutors needed to clearly lay the path for jurors to make their ways across the legal forest to the end of the road: a conviction. But the path they laid out for jurors in this case was neither clean nor tidy. Any one of the other three criminal cases should have been the first to go to trial. But thanks to Judge Aileen Cannon’s foot dragging in the classified documents case, District Attorney Fani Willis’ questionable ethical behavior in the Georgia election interference case, and questions of the scope of presidential immunity in the federal election interference case, we may have just seen the single occasion in which Trump is tried in criminal court. We know that in any criminal case, prosecutors need to prove to all twelve jurors, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant committed criminal behavior. This is a high bar — and it should be. When criminal defendants are convicted, we can take away their liberty. We want to be sure we’re right before we incarcerate someone. Bragg’s office met that burden in this case. Even though the jury did convict him, there are still real legal issues that Trump will bring up on appeal. There may, for instance, be some question as to whether prosecutors can use the violation of a federal law to show actions by “unlawful means” under the New York state law. We could also ask the flip side of this question: Should the alleged violation of a state election law be used against a presidential candidate? The hush money trial may be our only answer to the question of whether the criminal justice system can withstand the behavior of someone like Trump. That’s too bad. It is only one trial, and one trial cannot be a test of the entire criminal justice system. Add to that the fact that this was a complicated and serpentine case that most prosecutors probably wouldn’t have brought at all.
Donald Trump was convicted at trial. Now what? 2024-05-30 21:15:38+00:00 - Donald Trump is now the first former U.S. president to be criminally convicted at trial, on all 34 counts of falsifying business records. What happens now? We wait. Judge Juan Merchan won’t be handing down Trump’s sentence just yet. There will be a future court date for that. Ahead of that sentencing date, both sides will most likely submit filings to the court, making their arguments for what sentence the judge should impose in this historic case. And like any convicted defendant, Trump should be interviewed by the probation department, which generates a pre-sentence report for the judge to consider in making a decision. Merchan has many options in front of him, and incarceration isn’t mandatory. Trump was convicted of falsifying business records in the first degree. While that’s a felony, it’s the lowest level felony in New York state. The options range from a fine up to a prison term of 1 1/3 to 4 years. The reason that that possible prison term is a range instead of a specific number is that this sentence is what's known as “indeterminate” (as opposed to “determinate,” which would be a specific number). Here’s how New York State’s corrections website explains this type of sentencing: An indeterminate sentence is one in which the sentencing court has established the minimum period of imprisonment and maximum term of imprisonment. After an incarcerated individual completes the minimum period of incarceration, they become eligible to appear before the Board of Parole for discretionary release consideration. If the Parole Board grants parole, the incarcerated individual will be subject to a period of community supervision until the completion of their sentence. So even if Trump is sentenced to prison, the amount of time he serves may be relatively slight — though the significance of any time spent behind bars should not be minimized (putting aside whatever special practical accommodations would be made for a former president in this hypothetical scenario). And we should expect any prison sentences on multiple counts to run concurrently (meaning together) as opposed to consecutively. But even if Merchan imposes a prison or jail term, we shouldn’t expect Trump to serve it any time soon. He’s very likely to appeal, and he’d remain free pending the appeal, which is unlikely to be resolved before the November presidential election. With his possible return to the White House hanging over all four of his criminal cases, how it affects this one is another open question. But anyone banking on Trump’s conviction in this case leading to him behind bars in a prison jumpsuit should temper their expectations. Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for weekly updates on the top legal stories, including news from the Supreme Court, the Donald Trump cases and more.
The eyebrow-raising legal theory behind Alvin Bragg’s case against Trump 2024-05-30 21:14:30+00:00 - It took a jury two days to find former president Donald Trump guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, proving that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's somewhat risky approach to the prosecuting the hush money case was a sound choice. Soon after Bragg's office brought the first indictment against Trump in April 2023, three other felony indictments were returned in three other jurisdictions: Florida, Georgia and the District of Columbia. As the cases wound their way through their respective state and federal court systems, the expectation was that Trump’s D.C. federal election interference case would go to trial before any of the others. Many were therefore surprised when it was announced that Bragg’s case would be the first to go. And the (somewhat delayed) scrutiny into the New York election interference case kicked into overdrive. It’s the added element of the “another crime” that raised eyebrows. When the indictment was unsealed in April 2023, it revealed 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, in violation of New York Penal Law, Section 17-152. It’s important to take a minute to digest what the prosecution had to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt: Trump, with the intent to defraud, made (or caused to be made) false entries in an enterprise’s business records, and his “intent to defraud included an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof.” What is the other crime that the prosecution said Trump intended to commit or to aid or conceal the commission of? According to Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass, that would be New York Election Law Section 17-152: “Conspiracy to promote or prevent election. Any two or more persons who conspire to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means.” The Manhattan DA’s office has prosecuted a number of falsification of business records cases. These are usually straightforward, run-of-the-mill paper crimes. Bragg has even referenced them as the “bread and butter” of his office’s white-collar work. But it’s the added element of the “another crime” that raised eyebrows. And this is the heart of the novel legal theory that Bragg chose to employ in this trial. The Washington Post reviewed the New York State Law Reporting Bureau as far back as 2000 for any relevant case law regarding this specific statute. The report found “two entries in which a judge issued legal opinions on the statute. Both were from [Judge Juan] Merchan last year in rejecting Trump’s motions to have the case dismissed.” That’s how rarely Section 17-152 is prosecuted in New York. And that fact makes Bragg’s decision to primarily premise the prosecution of a former president of the United States on that statute even more novel. Bragg is an experienced prosecutor. He graduated from Harvard Law School, clerked for a federal judge, worked in the New York attorney general’s office as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, and was a law professor at New York Law School. While at the SDNY, his case focus was on fraud and money laundering cases, as well as public corruption. He knows his way around the courtroom and is no stranger to Trump prosecutions: He led the team at the AG’s office that successfully prosecuted the Trump Foundation, for which it was dissolved and Trump made to pay $2 million in restitution. Bragg had the right combination of book smarts and street smarts to bring this indictment against Trump, and the wisdom to see this case for what it truly was. In an interview with WNYC, he declared: “The core is not money for sex. ... it’s about conspiring to corrupt a presidential election.” As you may recall, Bragg’s predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., began investigating Trump as far back as 2019. Vance has advised that his investigation began in and around the same time as that of the Southern District of New York. In fact, he says that the SDNY told him to stand down, which he did for over a year. Vance ultimately decided not to prosecute Trump — or any of his confederates — on any charges. One reason: due to concerns about “novel issues around using the false statements statute in connection with committing a crime that violates federal election laws.” Vance did indict, in July 2021, former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Corp. (doing business as Trump Organization) and the Trump Payroll Corp. (doing business as Trump Organization) on, among other offenses, charges of criminal tax fraud, grand larceny and falsification of business records in the first degree. That prosecution resulted in a guilty plea to perjury from Weisselberg and a guilty verdict after trial for the remaining defendants. Initially, Bragg, himself, showed doubts about pursuing a prosecution. Initially, Bragg, himself, showed doubts about pursuing a prosecution. Two top prosecutors, Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz, who were brought in by Vance to run the Trump investigation and stayed on when Bragg took the reins, abruptly resigned in early 2022. Pomerantz, in his resignation letter that was made public, harshly criticized Bragg for his inaction. Pomerantz said in the letter that he believed that Trump was “guilty of numerous felony violations” and that Bragg’s decision not to prosecute Trump was “contrary to the public interest.” Fast-forward 13 months, and Trump was indicted by Bragg. The inside baseball on prosecuting cases is that even if the facts meet all of the elements of the crime, and even if there is a good faith basis to prosecute, that doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t other factors considered before deciding to move forward with a case. Part of that calculation includes a likelihood of success with a jury. In this instance, Bragg and his prosecution team must have considered if there was a chance of jury nullification and if the jury would be able to understand the theory of the prosecution and care enough about this case. With a guilty verdict now reached, I guess we know the answer.
What’s next for Donald Trump after guilty verdict? We already know the answer 2024-05-30 21:11:05+00:00 - What has happened in the course of the Trump hush money trial is absolutely mind-bending, norms-crushing stuff. On Thursday, a jury found former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records. But while there was no way to anticipate this particular verdict, there is plenty about the aftermath of this trial that we all knew, long before a trial even started. And that has everything to do with Trump's habit of twisting the truth and facts for his own political gain. Even with the unprecedented nature of this trial, Trump's potential next move is a relatively easy guess. This is true even though this trial was marked by a number of “firsts,” including its being the first time a U.S. president has ever been tried on criminal charges and the first time a major-party candidate has sat for a criminal trial. The closest America has ever come to this before was with Richard Nixon — although Nixon resigned because other Republicans told him he’d lost the confidence of his fellow party members. In contrast, we've seen very few Republicans stand up to Trump during his two impeachments, during his Jan. 6 insurrection or during his third run at the White House. Yet even with the unprecedented nature of this trial, Trump's potential next move is a relatively easy guess. On the night before the closing arguments, Trump “truthed”: “Can you imagine, a President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in the history of our Country, and who is also the Republican Nominee for President in the upcoming 2024 Election, and leading in all polls against the Democrat Nominee, Joe Biden, is tomorrow going before a Corrupt and Conflicted Democrat Appointed, Acting New York Judge, on a FAKE & MADE UP CASE by a Soros backed failed D.A., and the Judge himself, to see whether or not he will become a common criminal?” Moments after the jury began deliberating, Trump took to his social media platform again, firing off a series of misleading and outright false claims, including the assertion: “I don’t even know what the charges are in this rigged case — I am entitled to specificity just like anyone else. There is no crime!” Notably, Trump typed this even as, as MSNBC’s Hayes Brown pointed out, the jury sat for more than an hour while Judge Juan Merchan provided detailed instructions about what jury deliberations entail. That post was just one of many in which Trump refuted the validity of any pending guilty verdict. Trump, a self-proclaimed wannabe autocrat, has made his own criminal case an attack on the rule of law from the start. It is incredibly dangerous to have someone who is supported by a significant percentage of the American people focus on degrading an important American norm. When Trump calls the justice system “corrupt” and “conflicted,” he undermines one of the central tenets of our rule of law: the right to a fair trial. This explains why Trump effectively attempted to undermine a verdict before it was even passed down. He has sought to damage the institution of our justice system from the start. And he has succeeded in chipping away at its perceived legitimacy, long before any verdict was handed down. A lot of Trump watchers believe that Trump’s main goal in running for president was to afford himself some legal protection. According to Republican Will Hurd, Trump is running for president "because he’s trying to stay out of jail." Trump announced he was running for president ridiculously early, a week after his party underperformed in the midterms. Since then, he has been laser-focused on trying to merge his status as a defendant with his status as a candidate — creating a scenario in which Trump is pitting himself against the Justice Department and the rule of law. Perhaps even more significantly, running for president presented an opportunity to have GOP donors pay his legal bills. Which they did, to the tune of $100 million. Since mid-April, Trump has been sitting in a criminal court listening to everyone from adult film star Stormy Daniels to National Enquirer owner David Pecker testify about their damning experiences with Trump. At times, it seemed as if candidate Trump and his team didn’t help defendant Trump much during the trial. At one point, Trump lawyer Susan Necheles attacked Daniels, saying, “You have a lot of experience making phony stories about sex.” This comment opened the door for Daniels to testify about the sexual relationship she says she had with the Republican front-runner, an unforced error that could have been avoided. A former federal prosecutor, Jim Walden, told The Washington Post, “Whatever else Donald Trump may be — a great businessman, a great reality TV show host, a great politician — he’s a dumb lawyer.” So what happens now? Now that we have a verdict in the case, there’s a good chance Trump will play it as being what he expected, and even wanted. We should expect him to go scorched-earth, because he so often does. We know he will try to weaponize this verdict and craft it into an assault on the rule of law, on the judge and the jury and on New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg. No matter what the outcome, Trump was always going to try to use candidate Trump to help defendant Trump. And any verdict was destined to be molded into his branded narrative of persecution, witch hunts and a fight against the political system. Of that we can be certain.
Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts in hush money trial 2024-05-30 21:10:02+00:00 - Donald Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. He is now the first former U.S. president to be criminally convicted at trial. Trump’s sentencing will happen at a later date, on July 11. Incarceration is not mandatory in this case. For each count, Trump could just be fined or receive a maximum sentence of up to 4 years (though under such a sentence he could still be released in closer to a year). And we shouldn't expect consecutive prison terms on multiple counts. Trump has the right to appeal and would likely remain free pending any appeal. The presumptive GOP nominee has three other (two federal and one state) indictments pending, to which he has pleaded not guilty. Trump is also running for president in an election whose outcome affects when his other trials go forward — and, when it comes to his federal cases in particular, whether they go forward at all. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for weekly updates on the top legal stories, including news from the Supreme Court, the Donald Trump cases and more.
Twitch terminates all members of its Safety Advisory Council 2024-05-30 21:06:00+00:00 - Twitch on Friday will terminate all members of its Safety Advisory Council, according to sources familiar with the situation and documents viewed by CNBC. The council is a resource of nine industry experts, streamers and moderators who consulted on trust and safety issues related to children on Twitch, nudity, banned users and more. The Amazon -owned game-streaming company formed its Safety Advisory Council in May 2020 to "enhance Twitch's approach to issues of trust and safety" on the platform and guide decisions, according to a company webpage. The council advised Twitch on "drafting new policies and policy updates," "developing products and features to improve safety and moderation" and "protecting the interests of marginalized groups," per the webpage. For four years, the group advised the company on "hate raids" on marginalized groups and nudity policies, among other things. But in the afternoon of May 6, council members were called into a meeting after receiving an email that all existing contracts would conclude on May 31, 2024, and that they would not receive payment for the second half of 2024. The council was not made up of Twitch employees, but rather advisors, including Dr. Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center; Emma Llansó, director of the Center for Democracy and Technology's Free Expression Project; and Dr. T.L. Taylor, co-founder and director of AnyKey, which advocates for diversity and inclusion in gaming. "Looking ahead, the Safety Advisory Council will primarily be made up of individuals who serve as Twitch Ambassadors," the email, viewed by CNBC, stated. In a formal notice in the same email, the company wrote, "Pursuant to section 5(a) of the SAC advisor Agreement, we are writing to provide you with notice of termination... This means that the second 2024 payment won't be issued." Twitch Ambassadors are users of the streaming platform "chosen specifically because of the positive impact they've contributed to the Twitch community," according to the company's website. Payment depended on the length of the contract, but council members were paid between $10,000 and $20,000 per 12-month period, according to a source familiar with the contracts. Twitch's decision to end the SAC's contracts comes amid more than a year of belt-tightening and layoffs across the tech industry, especially on safety and ethics teams, which some companies view as cost centers. The cuts come at a time of increased cyberbullying, which has been linked to higher rates of adolescent self-harm, and as the spread of misinformation and violent content collides with the exploding use of AI. A year ago, Twitch laid off about 50 employees responsible for monitoring abusive, illegal or harmful behavior, according to people familiar who spoke with CNBC at the time. The trust and safety team, or T&S as it's known internally, lost about 15% of its staff just as content moderation was seemingly more important than ever. In an emailed statement to CNBC, a Twitch spokesperson said the company has brought in "new council members to offer fresh, diverse perspectives." The spokesperson also said the company has over 180 streamers in its ambassador program, and "with this new format, we'll be able to pull in even more voices and perspectives." Twitch declined to comment on whether the ambassadors would be paid.
Bank of America CEO says U.S. consumers and businesses have turned cautious on spending 2024-05-30 20:58:00+00:00 - U.S. consumers and businesses alike have turned cautious about spending this year because of elevated inflation and interest rates, according to Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan. Whether it’s households or small- to medium-sized businesses, Bank of America clients are slowing down the rate of purchases made for everything from hard goods to software, Moynihan said Thursday at a financial conference held in New York. Consumer spending via card payments, checks and ATM withdrawals has grown about 3.5% this year to roughly $4 trillion, Moynihan said. That’s a sharp slowdown from the nearly 10% growth rate seen in May 2023, he said. “Both of our customer bases that have a lot to do with how the American economy runs are saying, ‘You know what? I’m being careful, slowing things down,’” Moynihan said, referring to consumers and businesses. The slowdown began last summer and is consistent with the “very low growth” environment of the period from 2016 through 2018, he said. Nearly a year after the last Federal Reserve rate increase, consumers and businesses are wrestling with inflation and borrowing costs that remain higher than they are accustomed to. The Fed began efforts to tame inflation by hiking its benchmark rate starting in March 2022, hoping it could slow the economy without tipping it into recession. Many economists believe the Fed is on track to pull off that feat, which has helped the stock market reach new highs this year. But consumers are still grappling with higher prices for goods and services, and that has impacted U.S. companies from McDonald’s to discount retailers as Americans adjust their behavior. Food shoppers are hitting up more store locations in search of deals, according to Moynihan. “They’re going to three grocery stores instead of two, is one of the stats we see,” he said. The now-tepid growth in overall spending is being propped up by travel and entertainment, while “other things have moderated, except for insurance payments,” Moynihan said. Growth in rent payments has slowed, he noted. “We’ve got to keep the consumer in the game in the U.S. economy, because [they’re] such a big part of it,” Moynihan said. “They’re getting a little more tenuous, and that is due to everything going on around them.” The same is true for small- and medium-sized businesses, the Bank of America CEO said. His company is the second-largest U.S. bank by assets, after JPMorgan Chase. Moynihan and other bank CEOs have a bird’s-eye view of the economy, given their coast-to-coast coverage of households and companies. Business owners are saying, ”‘I still feel good about my overall business, but I’m not hiring as much. I’m not buying equipment as fast. I’m not making software purchases as fast,’” Moynihan said. The bank’s economists believe that inflation will take until the end of next year to get under control and that the Fed will begin cutting interest rates later this year, Moynihan said. The U.S. economy will probably grow at around a 2% level, avoiding recession, he added.
Chinese national allegedly made $99 million selling access to Windows home computers 2024-05-30 20:57:00+00:00 - A Chinese national allegedly pocketed roughly $99 million by selling access to millions of home computers around the world — including hundreds of thousands in the United States — to cybercriminals, federal officials say. YunHe Wang, 35, crafted malware used to compromise more than 19 million residential Windows computers worldwide, including nearly 614,000 in the U.S., the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday. From 2014 through July 2022, Wang and others ran a botnet that "facilitated cyberattacks, large-scale fraud, child exploitation, harassment, bomb threats and export violations," Attorney General Merrick Garland stated in a news release. Wang was arrested last week on criminal charges stemming from his deployment of malware and creating and operating a residential proxy service known as "911 S5." The service let cybercriminals bypass financial fraud detection systems to steal billions from financial institutions, credit card issuers and federal lending programs, including more than $5.9 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims in the U.S. during the pandemic, authorities said. The scheme's nearly $100 million in profits allegedly paid for luxury cars, watches and real estate. Wang faces a maximum of 65 years in prison if convicted of charges that include conspiracy to commit computer fraud. The Treasury Department issued financial sanctions against Wang and two others for activities associated with 911 S5, which was taken offline in July 2022 before reemerging as Cloudrouter in October 2023, officials said. To determine if you are a victim of 911 S5 malware, please visit www.fbi.gov/911S5.
Pending home sales in April slump to lowest level since the start of the pandemic 2024-05-30 20:43:00+00:00 - Signed sales contracts on existing homes dropped 7.7% in April compared to March, the slowest pace since April 2020, according to the National Association of Realtors. These so-called pending sales are a forward-looking indicator of closed sales one to two months later. Pending sales were 7.4% lower than in April of last year. Sales were expected to be flat compared to March. Since the count is based on signed contracts, it shows how buyers are reacting to mortgage rates in real time. The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage ended March at around 6.9% and then took off, hitting 7.5% by the end of April, according to Mortgage News Daily. With home prices still climbing and supply very low, leading to increased competition, that jump in rates had a huge effect on sales. “The impact of escalating interest rates throughout April dampened home buying, even with more inventory in the market,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the NAR. “But the Federal Reserve’s anticipated rate cut later this year should lead to better conditions, with improved affordability and more supply.” Sales were down in every region of the country, but they fell hardest in the Midwest and West. The former has some of the most affordable markets in the nation, and the latter has some of the most expensive. “The prospect of measurable home price declines appears minimal. The few markets experiencing price declines will be viewed as second-chance opportunities for buyers to enter the market if those regions continue to add jobs,” Yun added. Perhaps in reaction to the slow sales pace in April, the share of sellers cutting prices in May hit 6.4%, the highest level since 2022, according to a new report from Redfin. The median asking price also dropped for the first time in six months. Active inventory in April was 30% higher than in April 2023, according to Realtor.com, which suggests the summer market could be more active than last year. “Though inventory and prices are moving in a more buyer-friendly direction, lower mortgage rates will be crucial in bringing both buyers and sellers back into the market,” said Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst with Realtor.com.
Fed President John Williams says inflation is too high but will start coming down soon 2024-05-30 20:39:00+00:00 - New York Federal Reserve President John Williams on Thursday said inflation is still too high, but he is confident it will start decelerating later this year. With markets on edge over the direction of monetary policy, Williams offered no clear indication of his position on possible interest rate cuts. Instead, he reiterated recent positions from the central bank that it has seen a “lack of further progress” toward its goals as inflation readings have been mostly higher than expected this year. “The honest answer is, I just don’t know,” Williams said during a Q-and-A session with CNBC’s Sara Eisen before the Economic Club of New York. “I do think that monetary policy is restrictive and is bringing the economy a better balance. So I think at some point, interest rates within the US will, based on data analysis, eventually need to come down. But the timing will be driven by how well you achieve your goals.” Williams called the policy “well-positioned” and “restrictive” and said it is helping the Fed achieve its goals. Regarding potential rate hikes, he said, “I don’t see that as the likely case.” Earlier this year, markets had expected aggressive rate cuts from the Fed this year. But higher-than-expected inflation readings have altered that landscape dramatically, and current pricing is pointing to just one decrease, probably in November. “With the economy coming into better balance over time and the disinflation taking place in other economies reducing global inflationary pressures, I expect inflation to resume moderating in the second half of this year,” Williams said. “But let me be clear: Inflation is still above our 2% longer-run target, and I am very focused on ensuring we achieve both of our dual mandate goals.” For nearly a year, the Fed has been in a holding pattern, keeping its benchmark borrowing rate between 5.25% and 5.5%, the highest in more than 23 years. The Fed is seeking to keep the labor market strong and bring inflation back to its 2% target. Most inflation indicators are near 3% now, and a key reading from the Commerce Department is due Friday. Inflation as measured through the Fed’s preferred yardstick — the personal consumption expenditures price index — is expected to come in at 2.7% for April, according to the Dow Jones estimate. Williams said he expects PCE inflation to drift down to 2.5% this year on its way back to 2% in 2026. “We have seen a great deal of progress toward our goals over the past two years. I am confident that we will restore price stability and set the stage for sustained economic prosperity. We are committed to getting the job done,” he said.
'Hacks' season finale on HBO Max is an ode to power couples 2024-05-30 20:34:14+00:00 - Older women are hot. Power is hot. And “Hacks,” the acclaimed Max series that airs its season three finale Thursday, is extraordinary because it mines these lesbian truisms in a nuanced portrayal of intergenerational relationships. Often overlooked in popular culture, intergenerational relationships between women are not necessarily sexual but, as we see with the show’s main characters Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), they can be profoundly life-changing. Mirror scenes, reversals and recursive language are the clearest representations of how the show’s central relationship grows and deepens. “Hacks,” which tells the story of the unlikely partnership between a standup comedy legend and an aspiring comedy writer both in need of a career refresh, refrains from peddling the trite feminist fallacy of seeking to neutralize or shun power differences to establish an equal relationship. Rather, in Deborah and Ava’s relationship, power is a generative force, not only in transforming their respective careers, but also each other as people. It is also, as countless shippers of “Avorah” know, erotic. By Audre Lorde’s definition, “creative energy empowered” and “our most profoundly creative source.” From season one to season three, mirror scenes, reversals and recursive language are the clearest representations of how the show’s central relationship grows and deepens from a cold and even antagonistic employer-employee connection into a kind of intimate mutual mentorship. The pilot episode has Ava — desperate for a job after being “canceled” for an offensive tweet about a senator’s closeted son — going to Las Vegas to interview with Deborah, whose casino act is stagnating. Neither woman initially sees the value in working together and the two, so defensive against the possibility of a connection, quickly begin hurling insults at each other. “The last thing on Earth I want to do is move to the desert to write lame jokes for an old hack!” Ava shouts before heading out the door. But Deborah, so stimulated by the fiery exchange, chases Ava in her car — literally, to the end of the driveway. After batting different versions of the aforementioned failed joke back and forth, they land at a good punchline (“He’s been in the closet so long, he s---- mothballs.”) And a partnership is forged. This “creative energy empowered,” to return to Lorde, is precisely the generative, erotic power that bridges Deborah’s and Ava’s differences and disagreements and that helps each of them expand their power and creativity beyond their individual capacity alone. Ava often describes this metaphorically as climbing a mountain and not resting on the crest of a hill — she knows Deborah loves the climb. In the fifth episode of season two, Deborah, exhausted from a what feels like a futile road tour, wonders if she should just retire while she’s “on top.” Ava tenderly says, “Back in Vegas, you were on top, but I think that was just a hill. Now you’re climbing a mountain.” Deborah is grateful for this reframing. They are simply better together. It would be naïve, however, to construe their relationship — or any meaningful relationship, for that matter — as free from conflict. Part of their productivity, and their growth, comes from the tension, the fights and the seemingly insurmountable differences between them. Ava yearns for a closeness, a familiarity, that is foreign and even uncouth to Deborah, who is of a different generation in which vulnerability is a professional liability, especially for women and especially for women in comedy. At the same time, Ava, greener than Deborah in life and profession, is living with a different, more protracted, understanding of time. “You know, your whole life, you say, ‘One day,’” Deborah tells Ava during a memorable episode in season three. "‘One day, I’ll do this. One day, I’ll accomplish that.’ And the magic of ‘one day’ is that it’s all ahead of you. But for me, ‘one day’ is now. Anything I want to do, I have to do now, or else I’ll never do it.” In perhaps a nod to the commonality and celebrity of intergenerational lesbian relationships, Ava is more than a little bit in love with Deborah. Yet, in perhaps a nod to the commonality and celebrity of intergenerational lesbian relationships, Ava is more than a little bit in love with Deborah. Her infatuation plays out variously in scenes that, even without lesbian spectacles, are extremely gay — from fantasizing about Deborah while in bed with another person to countless scenes of them texting each other furiously, often in bed (albeit in different beds). Ava even asks, via text, the sine qua non lesbian dating question: “What time were you born? I wanna look at your birth chart to see what houses your planets are in.” This trope, with romantic interests physically separated but connected by phone, is typical of rom-coms like “When Harry Met Sally,” Megan Garber reminds us. To be in love in the 21st century, as evinced by “Avorah,” means you can never put your phone down. Ava is so heartbroken after Deborah fires her at the end of season two that she needs to go into months of therapy — therapy with her girlfriend, Ruby, who is frustrated by what is to her a “toxic” relationship. (“She slapped you. She sued you!” Ruby shouts. Ava whimpers, “I said that stuff when I was mad at her! I’m so sorry, you just don’t get it.”) But Deborah doesn’t fire Ava because of failure, she fires Ava because she knows their attachment will hold Ava back. “I told you, you’re just like me,” Deborah notes, brushing Ava’s hair behind her ear. “Get your own mountain to climb.” In season three, however, we finally see that the attachment is more than one-sided. Deborah has crested on another hill of success after the release of her DVD special. But it’s not just that she needs Ava to climb her professional mountain. “You got in my head!” she yells at Ava, after leaving an exclusive party of her legendary peers. “They said some crap about bisexuals, and I couldn’t let it go.” There is a complexity to Deborah’s emotions in this scene. She’s a little angry, a little frustrated but also a little appreciative. She continues, “Before you, I was perfectly content being a gorgeous Vegas comic, doing my thing, making tons of money. And then you come along, and you make me want more for myself. And it’s just f-------- annoying!” The “more” here, juxtaposed to the line about “making tons of money,” is not about financial aspirations. It’s about Deborah’s personhood, her dignity and her determination to realize her dreams. Her growth is even noticeable to Marty, the CEO of the Palmetto Casino where Deborah used to perform (as well as her former lover). “Over these past couple of years,” he says to Ava, “she’s really changed. And I’m pretty sure that’s right about the time you showed up, kid.” Relationships don’t have to last forever to have a lasting impact. In fact, they can’t last forever, by virtue of our mortality — which is increasingly on Deborah’s mind. We certainly don’t know what the future of “Avorah” will be — so far, the series has not been renewed for a fourth season. But this modern odd couple has already illustrated a powerful truth: The promise of any relationship is this expansion, of expanding our capacity to imagine and then to become the people of our dreams. “A hack is someone who does the same thing over and over,” Ava is quoted in a New Yorker profile on Deborah, in the penultimate episode of season three. “Deborah is the opposite. She keeps evolving and getting better.”
Medline recalls 1.5 million bed rails linked to deaths of 2 women 2024-05-30 20:14:00+00:00 - Meet the Philadelphia health care company connecting seniors with caregivers who share their culture Meet the Philadelphia health care company connecting seniors with caregivers who share their culture 02:23 Medical supply company Medline Industries is recalling some 1.5 million portable adult bed rails across the U.S. and Canada, following two reports of entrapment deaths associated with the products. The recall impacts two models of Medline's "Bed Assist Bars." According to a Thursday announcement from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, users of these bed rails can become entrapped within the bed rail itself or between the product and the side of a mattress when it's attached to a bed. This poses "a serious entrapment hazard and risk of death by asphyxiation," the CPSC noted. To date, the Commission added, Medline has received two reports of entrapment deaths associated with the recalled Bed Assist Bars in the U.S — involving a 76-year-old woman who died in an Iowa senior nursing facility in 2019 and a 87-year-old woman who died at a South Carolina residential care facility in 2023. One additional injury in the U.S. has also been reported, according to Health Canada's Thursday announcement. No injuries or incidents in Canada were reported to Medline as of Monday, Health Canada noted. Medline has received two reports of entrapment deaths associated with the recalled Bed Assist Bars in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Adult portable bed rails have been the subject of several recalls over the years in response to reports of injuries and deaths linked to the products marketed as safety devices. An estimated 69,000 adults were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for rail-related injuries from 2003 to 2019, according to the CPSC. Among those incidents, 260 cases involved adult portable bed rails, including 247 fatalities, according to a July 2020 CPSC briefing paper. The Fed agency in 2023 issued mandatory safety standards aimed at reducing the risk of entrapment and other potential fatal injuries that could occur as a result of use of the products. Medline sold about 1.5 million of the now-recalled Bed Assist Bars from July 2009 through March 2024 in the U.S. — through its own websites and major retailers online, including Amazon and Walmart. They cost between $32 and $64. More than 5,500 were additionally sold in Canada between February 2013 and March 2024. The recalled bed rails, which were manufactured in China, can be identified by two model numbers: MDS6800BA and MDS6800BAH. The recalled bed rails, which were manufactured in China, can be identified by two model numbers: MDS6800BA and MDS6800BAH. The model number can be found next to the letters "REF" on the label on the product. Consumer Product Safety Commission The CPSC and Health Canada urges consumers in possession of these products to stop using them immediately — and contact Medline to request a refund. The Associated Press reached out to Northfield, Illinois-based Medline for statement Thursday.