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Trump lashes out from the witness stand at judge, NY attorney general as he testifies in fraud trial

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:55:30 GMT

By JILL COLVIN, MICHAEL R. SISAK, JENNIFER PELTZ and ERIC TUCKER (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump defended his wealth and business on Monday, tangling from the witness stand with the judge overseeing his civil fraud trial and denouncing as a “political witch hunt” a lawsuit accusing him of dramatically inflating his net worth.Trump’s long-awaited testimony about property valuations and financial statements was punctuated by personal jabs at a judge he said was biased against him and at the state attorney general, whom he derided as a “political hack.” He proudly boasted of his real estate business — “I’m worth billions of dollars more than the financial statements” — and disputed claims that he had deceived banks and insurers.“This is the opposite of fraud,” he declared. Referring to New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat whose office brought the case, he said, &...

Rashida Tlaib defends pro-Palestinian video as rift among Michigan Democrats widens over war

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:55:30 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan has received widespread criticism for a video she posted over the weekend that was deemed offensive to the Jewish community by some, but she said her critics should focus less on the words she used than on saving civilian lives in the Middle East. “My colleagues are much more focused on silencing me — the only Palestinian American voice in Congress — than they are on ending the horrific attacks on civilians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank right now,” Tlaib said in a statement sent Monday to The Associated Press. “Instead of attacking me and distorting my words, they should listen to their constituents and call for a cease-fire to save innocent lives.”She was responding to calls from national and Michigan Democrats asking her to take down a video posted Friday, which includes a clip of demonstrators chanting “from the river to the sea.” Tlaib also said in the video “we will remember in 2024” before text appears statin...

Nevada high court postpones NFL appeal in Jon Gruden emails lawsuit until January

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:55:30 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Nevada Supreme Court has pushed back to Jan. 10 the date for oral arguments in a contract interference and conspiracy lawsuit filed against the NFL by former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden. Postponement of the hearing, originally scheduled for Tuesday, came at the request of attorneys for who cited a scheduling conflict.Lawyers for neither side responded to email messages Monday about the schedule change.The league wants the court to reverse a state court judge’s decisions in May 2022 letting Gruden’s lawsuit proceed and not to order out-of-court talks that could be overseen by Commissioner Roger Goodell.Gruden accuses the league of improperly leaking racist, sexist and homophobic emails that Gruden sent when he was an ESPN announcer to force him to resign from the Raiders in 2021.Gruden’s emails went from 2011 to 2018 to former Washington Commanders executive Bruce Allen and were found amid emails the league obtained during an investigation into...

Zara Canada being investigated by ethics watchdog over alleged links to forced labour

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:55:30 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s corporate ethics czar says it has launched a fact-finding investigation into allegations that Zara Canada Inc. is working with companies that use forced labour in China.The Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise says its investigation into the apparel company stems from allegations made by 28 civil society organizations.The organizations alleged in June that Zara Canada has supply relationships with three Chinese companies identified as using or benefitting from the use of Uyghur forced labour.The ombudsperson says Zara Canada has denied the allegations and said the complaint is inadmissible because the alleged human rights abuses do not arise from its operations. The ombudsperson added Zara Canada declined mediation, saying it does not have a commercial relationship with any factory in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.Zara is the eighth company the ombudsperson has investigated for using Uyghur forced labour in its supply chain. Other companie...

Quebec English universities promise to offer more French if tuition hike is scrapped

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:55:30 GMT

MONTREAL — Quebec’s English-language universities say they will ensure that more out-of-province students graduate with a knowledge of French if the government doesn’t double their tuition.The heads of McGill, Concordia and Bishop’s universities made the proposal to Quebec Premier François Legault and Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry during a meeting in Montreal today.They were convened to the meeting after the government recently announced it would increase tuition for out-of-province students to $17,000 from around $9,000 as a way to protect French.Concordia University president Graham Carr described today’s meeting as “constructive” and said he and his colleagues were told the government would respond soon.In an email to university staff, Concordia University said the plan would include a compulsory French course for out-of-province students, as well as other programs intended to help them integrate into Quebec’s culture and labour ...

Mexico’s Zapatista rebel movement says it is dissolving its ‘autonomous municipalities’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:55:30 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Zapatista indigenous rebel movement in southern Mexico said in a statement posted Monday it is dissolving the “autonomous municipalities” it declared in the years following the group’s 1994 armed uprising.The Zapatistas led a brief rebellion to demand greater Indigenous rights, and since then have remained in their “autonomous” townships in the southern state of Chiapas, refusing government aid programs.In the statement, dated “November” and signed by rebel Subcommander Moises, the group cited waves of gang violence that have hit the area of Chiapas that borders Guatemala, but did not say whether that was a reason for dissolving the townships. The area held by the Zapatistas includes areas near the border. There is also a possibility the changes may be related to the upcoming 2024 presidential election. The movement has run candidates in the past.“In upcoming statements, we will describe the reasons and the processes involved in taking this decision,” th...

Book Review: Tess Gerritsen writes an un-put-downable spin on espionage novels with ‘The Spy Coast’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:55:30 GMT

Maggie Bird just wants to relax into a quiet retirement, raising chickens in the cold little town of Purity, Maine. Even in these remote woods, though, trouble manages to find her. She’ll have to face her past if she has any hope of staying alive.Spy novel meets travelog with a murder mystery in “The Spy Coast,” Book 1 of the new “Martini Club” series. Engrossing from the get-go, Tess Gerritsen’s prose is undeniable — a true professional at sucking you right into the story.When a young spy shows up dead outside Maggie’s home, her friends immediately jump to action, recalling their former lives as CIA operatives. They may be in their 60s now, but these retirees are more than capable, exasperating Officer Jo Thibodeau. While the young police chief’s involvement in the case is an annoying obstacle for Maggie, she can’t help but be beguiled by this woman who reminds her of her former self. Jo’s constant run-ins with the self-named Martini Club promise her character will have a las...

Who was Muhlaysia Booker? Here’s what to know after the man accused of killing her pleaded guilty

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:55:30 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — A man charged in the 2019 fatal shooting of a transgender Dallas woman about a month after she was beaten in a separate attack that was caught on video was sentenced Monday to 48 years in prison.Kendrell Lyles, 37, entered a guilty plea to murder just before jury selection was set to begin in his trial in the death of 22-year-old Muhlaysia Booker.Booker had been shaken but resolute when she spoke at a rally held for her after several men beat her following a minor traffic accident. She told supporters then: “This time, I can stand before you, whereas in other scenarios, we are at a memorial.” The violence that befell Booker in her short life exemplifies threats faced by transgender people, and especially Black transgender women, across the U.S. Booker told police that the people who attacked her after the traffic accident used homophobic slurs. Authorities haven’t publicly revealed a motive for her killing but have said it was unrelated to the earlier assault.Tex...

Questions emerge over CTU president's Indiana property tax claim

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:55:30 GMT

CHICAGO — The head of the Chicago Teachers Union has claimed a home in South Bend, Indiana as her primary residence for the past sixteen years, according to documents reviewed by WGN Investigates.Indiana officials tell WGN Investigates they are removing the homestead exemption and may seek back taxes. In 2007, while she was a Chicago Public Schools teacher, Stacy Davis Gates requested a homestead property tax exemption in her hometown of South Bend that continues to this day. MORE FROM WGN INVESTIGATES: Lawsuit seeks to block dispensary from opening in old Rainforest CaféRecords show she checked a box confirming the house was her principal place of residence.  During roughly the same time period she also owned a home in Chicago on which neither she nor her husband sought a homeowner’s exemption.The Illinois Secretary of State’s office says Stacy Davis Gates didn’t seek a driver’s license here until December 2021, as her public profile and union leadership roles increa...

Trump testimony in New York fraud case wraps after chaotic day court: Live updates

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:55:30 GMT

Former President Trump clashed frequently with the judge overseeing his New York fraud trial as the former president spent hours on the witness stand in Manhattan on Monday.Trump's highly anticipated testimony grew chaotic, with the judge asking Trump's attorney to take control of his client. The former president also ticked off his political grievances from the witness stand, to which the judge responded that the court hearing was "not a political rally."The trial puts Trump's long storied career as a real estate mogul and business executive in major jeopardy. At stake are Trump's business licenses and the potential for him to lose control of some of his most famed properties. Follow below for live updates from The Hill's Ella Lee in New York.