British Columbia’s chief coroner Lisa Lapointe says she’s a hopeful person, but she is leaving her office frustrated and disappointed. Angry, even, with drug overdose deaths expected to hit record levels this year....
The crash happened around 6:30 a.m. when the driver of a 2009 Honda Civic tried to outrun deputies from the Zavala County Sheriff’s Office and attempted to pass a semi truck, the state Department of Public Safety said. The Civic collided with a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox, which caught fire....
Salaam was chosen as the Democratic candidate in June’s primary election and ran unopposed in Tuesday’s race to represent a central district in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood....
Ivanka Trump was intimately involved in running her father’s business.
In particular, prosecutors say she took the lead on negotiating and securing financing with Deutsche Bank for properties including Trump Doral Golf Resort in Miami, Trump Chicago and the Old Post Office in Washington DC.
The interest rates on the loans were low because they required a personal guarantee from Trump and evidence of his liquidity and net worth.
Hence, prosecutors argue, Trump’s annual statement of financial condition were central to those loans and saved him more than $100m (£81.4m).
Donald Trump’s testimony was that the banks didn’t care about his statements, which he said included a “worthless clause” disclaimer.
Former NY federal prosecutor Kristy Greenberg says that Ivanka’s testimony could contradict that assertion.
She expects Ivanka will be asked many questions about her conservations with the banks and her family that led to securing those low rates.
The prosecution starts with some easy questions, asking Ivanka Trump to recap her work history in regards to the Trump Organization.
She says that she briefly worked for a prominent New York City developer before joining “our family business”.
She says she "cut my teeth on various elements of the business”.
She rose through the company as she "proved myself… and was given more responsibilities”.
Ivanka eventually became an executive vice president like her brothers Eric and Don Jr, but left the Trump Organization role in 2017 when she joined her father in the White House.
As they did with her brothers, the attorney general’s office is showing Ivanka a series of emails meant to bolster their case. They ask if she recognises them.
Her responses so far have been variations on “I don’t recall” this email, or that she only recognises them because prosecutors showed them to her a year ago.
It’s a variation on Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump’s defence that they could not recall being involved with the matters under scrutiny by the AG’s office.
Prosecutors just showed Ivanka Trump a 2011 email she wrote to a person named Andy Beal of Beal Bank, with the subject line “Doral" - the golf club that Donald Trump built near Miami.
Ivanka acknowledged a few minutes ago she was very involved in the project.
She writes in the email that “my father” will send you “his most recent financial statement” by mail.
It’s likely prosecutors are trying to show she had knowledge of the statements of financial condition. These are documents they allege were fraudulently inflated to secure more favourable loans.
But Ivanka said the conversations were “brief” and did not proceed too far. She couldn’t remember if Beal had requested her father’s financial documents.
She seems to be choosing her words quite carefully - answering, for the most part, slowly and thoughtfully. She has punctuated some of her answers with a smile.
She is sitting upright with hands in her lap - looking attentively at whoever is speaking or at presented documents.
It’s a marked difference from her father’s testimony on Monday, when the former president was combative with the judge and prosecution team
Lou Solomon of the attorney general’s office is now showing a 2011 document with proposed terms of a loan from Deutsche Bank for the Doral golf course project in Florida.
The Trumps were seeking a personal wealth management loan, which comes with more favourable rates than commercial real estate loans.
The document states that Donald Trump is the guarantor for the proposed loan, and and that he had to maintain a minimum net worth.
Prosecutors then show an email from Ivanka Trump to then-Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg and others about the loan rates.
She wrote: “It doesn’t get better than this”.
Ivanka tells the court that she did not specifically recall writing or sending that email.
Under questioning, she also said she didn’t recall the proposal, or whether she thought it was good.
We’re still going over the terms of the Deutsche Bank loan to the Trumps for their Doral golf course and the emails that went back and forth at the Trump Organization about it.
The bank had proposed a covenant that required Donald Trump to maintain a minimum net worth of $3bn (£2.4bn) to get the loan.
Prosecutors are showing emails from within the Trump Organization, that Ivanka Trump was involved in, discussing what net worth terms they could accept.
One Trump Organization lawyer voiced a concern that the $3bn number was a “problem”.
The prosecution’s Lou Solomon asks whether Ivanka was aware that Trump’s 2011 statements of financial condition said he was worth $4bn.
She responds, no.
The Trump Organization ultimately proposed a $2bn net worth covenant; the final loan turned out to hold Donald Trump to $2.5bn.
Lou Solomon of the attorney general’s office has led Ivanka Trump through a series of questions aimed at determining whether she had involvement with her father’s statements of financial conditions - the balance sheets at the heart of the case.
Ivanka once again refers to her earlier testimony to prosecutors rather than actual memories. She replied that she assumed he would have such documents but didn’t recall working on them.
Eventually Judge Engoron prods the prosecutors to be more specific about which financial documents they’re discussing.
Did you have any roles in preparing Donald J Trump’s statements of financial condition? Solomon asks.
“Not that I’m aware of,” she replies.
Did she ever rely on the valuations reflected on the statements of financial condition?
“Not that I’m aware of.”
Did you ever review any of Donald J Trump’s statements of financial condition before they were finalised? Solomon asks.
We’re back from a short break and the prosecutors are turning to term sheets for refinancing for the Trump Hotel in Chicago, which had both a hotel and commercial component.
The prosecution are now showing an email between Rosemary Vrablic - a former Deutsche Bank managing director - and Ivanka Trump. It’s about a Trump property in Chicago.
It reveals revised pricing for lower interest rates following a meeting. (It’s not specified if the meeting was between Vrablic and Ivanka.)
The email shows Ivanka writing “you are the best”, and later: “We all appreciate it”.
When asked about the exchange, Ivanka says she does not recall - but acknowledges she can see on the email where this is said.
In her absence, the lawyers are arguing with the judge about whether some of the evidence being shown is outside the statute of limitations.
Judge Engoron keeps overruling the Trump team’s objections that they are. He’s using the break to explain his reasoning - that deals done in the past carry significance for future financials.
Chris Kise, Donald Trump’s lawyer, disagrees.
The prosecution also spells out their justifications for showing the documents leading up to the Deutsche Bank loans in this case.
Lou Solomon - of the prosecution - says they’re showing them as part of their case that the Trumps “induced Deutsche Bank to make loans they should not make at those rates”.
Ivanka Trump has returned to court and taken the stand once more, after stepping away while the judge and lawyers argued about the relevance of some of the prosecution’s questioning.
“Sorry to have kept you in the dark,” the judge says to Ivanka as she returns.
The judge also briefly pokes fun at Kise - one of Donald Trump’s lawyers .
Kise had spoken about the Trump Organization’s remodel of the Old Post Office in Washington, DC, claiming the company turned a “hulking relic” into a “world-class facility”.
“You’re starting to sound like your client,” Engoron said, a reference to the former president, who spent much of his testimony on Monday boasting about his real estate.
There’s just been a bit of an awkward moment here in court, between Donald Trump’s lawyer Chris Kise, prosecutor Lou Solomon, and Judge Engoron.
Solomon says he’s getting agitated that Ivanka Trump can’t seem to “recall” anything specific he asks about.
He says she can remember facts about Trump properties like his hotels, “but she has not answered one of my questions”.
Kise steps in to defend his client’s daughter, before the judge eventually says it might not be a good idea to have this conversation in front of the witness, Ivanka.
I’ve been curating the BBC feed, choosing not to add much of the “analysis” portions, but this one adds a bit to our understanding …
Ivanka Trump, through her demeanour, is trying hard to look like a cooperative witness.
She’s smiling brightly, being courteous to the judge and court staff, and answering questions in an even tone.
At one point early in questioning, she joked that she couldn’t remember a call because it happened when she was nine months pregnant with her first child - more than 12 years ago.
But for such a high-ranking executive, her sudden amnesia on the stand is coming off as a calculated attempt to not give prosecutors any more ammunition.
Even when she’s presented with evidence, she says it doesn’t refresh her memory.
An eight-foot-tall bronze statue of a late Native American leader known for preserving cultural dances now stands surrounded by trees in a historic park outside of California’s state Capitol building, replacing a statue of a Spanish missionary that protesters toppled it in 2020....
This week, Sen. Percy Downe went public with his views amid a downward trend in the polls, economic unease and rumour mills churning about potential Liberal leadership contenders readying to replace him....
Time is running out on high school, yet millions of students aren’t showing up to class every day. When they do make it, untold numbers are so consumed with their troubles that they struggle to learn. Others have disappeared from school altogether....
The 35-year-old New York lawmaker has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of crimes including laundering funds to pay for his personal expenses, illegally receiving unemployment benefits and charging donors’ credit cards without their consent....
Neo-nazis and far right wingnuts have 2 brain cells, and if any one of those scumbags could see beyond their noses they’d know they’re too stupid to have any power.
Proof comes from watching the GOP flush America down the toilet.
Speaking with a member of a whistleblower group, McConnachie predicted a fiery reaction when his minister at Innovation, François-Philippe Champagne, would get briefed on the report....
Now in his late 50s, he’s an overdose survivor who has beaten back his demons. But his past has taken a toll on his body, leaving his back bent at an impossible angle, and surgery out of reach....
The fires started around 1700 GMT and were caused by Israeli shells containing white phosphorous being launched across the border, Abdalla Mousawae, head of the Tyre Regional Center of Lebanese civil defense, told Reuters....
It’s not Jewish people in general. It’s Bibi and his Zionist followers, whether they be part of the military or settlers killing Palestinians for their land.
Boston city workers began to clear tents Monday morning near the troubled intersection of Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue as part of an effort to enforce a new encampment ban across the city.
B.C.'s chief coroner exits, frustrated and disappointed with government's response to toxic-drug crisis (www.cbc.ca)
British Columbia’s chief coroner Lisa Lapointe says she’s a hopeful person, but she is leaving her office frustrated and disappointed. Angry, even, with drug overdose deaths expected to hit record levels this year....
Truck driver who caused deadly Broncos crash loses latest bid to stay in Canada (www.winnipegfreepress.com)
Non-Paywall Article
8 dead in crash after police chased a suspected human smuggler, Texas officials say (apnews.com)
The crash happened around 6:30 a.m. when the driver of a 2009 Honda Civic tried to outrun deputies from the Zavala County Sheriff’s Office and attempted to pass a semi truck, the state Department of Public Safety said. The Civic collided with a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox, which caught fire....
One of the exonerated 'Central Park Five' wins New York City Council seat (www.reuters.com)
Salaam was chosen as the Democratic candidate in June’s primary election and ran unopposed in Tuesday’s race to represent a central district in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood....
Investigation disproves Israel claim of Hamas tunnel under Gaza hospital (www.aljazeera.com)
Robot Kills Man After Mistaking Him for Box of Vegetables (www.theguardian.com)
Trump fraud trial live updates: Ivanka testifies at New York court - BBC News (www.bbc.com)
Live reporting on Ivanka Trump’s testimony from the BBC
California unveils Native American monument at Capitol, replacing missionary statue toppled in 2020 (apnews.com)
An eight-foot-tall bronze statue of a late Native American leader known for preserving cultural dances now stands surrounded by trees in a historic park outside of California’s state Capitol building, replacing a statue of a Spanish missionary that protesters toppled it in 2020....
Canadian ethics watchdog opens investigation into allegations of Uyghur forced labor within fashion retailer Zara Canada’s supply chain (feddit.de)
Cross-posted from: feddit.de/post/5407040...
'Wish him all the best,' Trudeau dismisses Liberal loyalist saying party would benefit from new leader (www.ctvnews.ca)
This week, Sen. Percy Downe went public with his views amid a downward trend in the polls, economic unease and rumour mills churning about potential Liberal leadership contenders readying to replace him....
Inmate Whose Infection Got So Bad She Needed Part of Her Skull Removed Awarded Nearly $1M - The Messenger (themessenger.com)
At 15, he is defending his home and parenting his sister. One young man's struggle to stay in school (apnews.com)
Time is running out on high school, yet millions of students aren’t showing up to class every day. When they do make it, untold numbers are so consumed with their troubles that they struggle to learn. Others have disappeared from school altogether....
US House defeats move to expel Republican George Santos (www.reuters.com)
The 35-year-old New York lawmaker has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of crimes including laundering funds to pay for his personal expenses, illegally receiving unemployment benefits and charging donors’ credit cards without their consent....
Climate's 'Catch-22': Cutting pollution heats up the planet (www.reuters.com)
– Well this sucks –...
Neo-Nazis and the Far-Right Are Trying to Hijack Pro-Palestine Protests (www.vice.com)
Neo-Nazis are showing up at protests in an attempt to push anti-Jewish conspiracy theories and tropes into the mainstream.
The hidden culprit driving America’s apocalypse of boarded-up storefronts is the banks (www.businessinsider.com)
Whistleblowers secretly recorded civil servant slamming 'outright incompetence' at federal green fund (www.cbc.ca)
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Long-term opioid users suffer with crumbling bones, brain injuries and little hope of treatment (www.cbc.ca)
Now in his late 50s, he’s an overdose survivor who has beaten back his demons. But his past has taken a toll on his body, leaving his back bent at an impossible angle, and surgery out of reach....
Why it's getting harder for Doug Ford to sidestep blame for Greenbelt scandal (www.cbc.ca)
cross-posted from: lemmy.ca/post/8449032...
Wildfires erupt in southern Lebanon, civil defense blames Israeli shells (www.reuters.com)
The fires started around 1700 GMT and were caused by Israeli shells containing white phosphorous being launched across the border, Abdalla Mousawae, head of the Tyre Regional Center of Lebanese civil defense, told Reuters....
‘They’re throwing us out’: Boston begins clearing encampment at Mass. and Cass (www.wgbh.org)
Boston city workers began to clear tents Monday morning near the troubled intersection of Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue as part of an effort to enforce a new encampment ban across the city.