While most people are dying to get their hands on tickets to The Rolling Stones’ upcoming Hackney Diamonds tour, future King of England Prince William needs a bit of an incentive.
The British magazine Hello! reports that at the Tusk Conservation Awards in London on November 27, William got to chatting with Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. The rocker subsequently told the mag, “We were talking about the tour and I said ‘Come on, you’ve got to come out on tour!’ And we were talking about the new album and everything.”
But Ronnie said the prince had a condition before he’d agree to attend, noting, “William said [he would] if we could get Taylor Swift there.”
Wood said that when he informed William that Taylor had previously duetted with Stones frontman Mick Jagger — she joined the Stones onstage in 2013 and he joined her onstage in 2015 — William replied, “I’m there, then.”
The Stones Tour ’24 Hackney Diamonds, sponsored by AARP, kicks off Sunday, April 28, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, and wraps Wednesday, July 17, at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California. A presale for AARP members runs from Wednesday, November 29, to Thursday, November 30, with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday, December 1, at 10 a.m. local time. A complete list of dates can be found at therollingstones.com.
(BURLINGTON, Vt.) — One of the three students of Palestinian descent shot during an attack in Vermont spoke out in a text message read to his Brown University classmates during a vigil for him that turned raucous at the Ivy League campus, saying, “I am but one casualty in this much wider conflict.”
Hisham Awartani, a 20-year-old junior at Brown University, who was the most seriously injured victim in Saturday’s shooting in Burlington, Vermont, issued a text message that was read on his behalf at the Monday night vigil held for him at the Providence, Rhode Island, school campus.
“It’s important to recognize that this is part of a larger story. This hideous crime did not happen in a vacuum,” Awartani, a U.S. citizen who was raised in the West Bank, wrote in the text message. “As much as I appreciate every single one of you here today, I am one casualty in this much wider conflict.”
The message was read at the vigil by a Brown University professor of Palestinian studies, the Providence Journal newspaper reported.
Awartani’s mother, Elizabeth Price, told ABC News on Monday that her son, who is studying mathematics and archaeology, remains hospitalized with a bullet lodged in his spine, and that doctors are unsure if he will be able to walk again.
“Had I been shot in the West Bank, where I grew up, the medical services that saved my life here would likely have been withheld by the Israeli army. The soldier who shot me would go home and never be convicted,” Awartani wrote in the message. “I understand that the pain is so much more real and immediate because many of you know me, but any attack like this is horrific, be it here or in Palestine.”
Awartani’s message added, “This is why when you say your wishes and light your candles today, your mind should not just be focused on me as an individual, but rather as a proud member of the people being oppressed.”
The shooting occurred Saturday evening near the Burlington home of Awartani’s relative, where he and two of his best friends — Tahseen Ahmed, a student at Trinity College in Connecticut, and Kinnan Abdalhamid, a pre-med student at Haverford College in Connecticut — were visiting for the Thanksgiving break, their families said.
The suspect, 48-year-old Jason James Eaton of Burlington, a former Boy Scout assistant scoutmaster, was arrested on Sunday and charged with three counts of second-degree attempted murder. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf by his attorney.
A motive for the shooting remains under investigation and officials said they are looking at the possibility of it being a hate crime.
The three students were shot while walking in the neighborhood near the University of Vermont. The students were speaking Arabic and two were wearing kaffiyehs, or traditional Palestinian headscarves, when they were attacked, according to police.
The shooting came amid a rise in Islamophobic and antisemitic hate incidents and attacks across the county since Hamas terrorists launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, and Israeli forces retaliated with a bombing campaign and ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
During Monday night’s vigil, an address by Brown University President Christina Paxson was interrupted by students yelling demands that the university divest from Israel.
“Although we don’t know the details yet, it is horrific that the mere fact that Hisham and his friends were simply being who they are, proud Palestinians, wearing kaffiyehs, speaking in Arabic, that may be what prompted the shooting. Sadly, we can’t control what happens around the world and across the country. We’re powerless to do everything we’d like to do. But there’s so much that we are doing and continue to do,” Paxson said before being drowned out by chants of “Shame! Shame! Shame!”
Charli XCX is engaged to The 1975 drummer George Daniel. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, November 28, Charli shared a batch of photos featuring her and Daniel embracing, as well a picture of an engagement ring in its box. In the caption, she wrote, “charli xcx and george daniel f****** for life!!!”
We’ve had Ariana Grande‘s “Santa Tell Me” for almost a decade. The pop star celebrated the nine-year anniversary of her Christmas song over on TikTok. Ari posted a clip filled with bloopers from the track’s music video shoot from back in 2014. “tis the season!” she captioned the video, alongside hearts and a face emoji shedding a single tear. “almost ten years ago.”
The music video for Dove Cameron‘s “Sand” is here. The single is from the first volume of her two-part debut album, Alchemical: Volume 1, which releases December 1. On a molten lava-covered landscape, Dove plays the piano as she sings the haunted ballad. She is later joined by a dancer, who holds her close as they perform together.
It appears Travis Kelce bought Taylor Swift a custom basketball jersey from his alma mater, the University of Cincinnati. This news comes from Nancy Ross, a sewing operator at Koch Sporting Goods. She posted the jersey to her Facebook page. “Well today I received the order for [Travis] Kelce,” her caption read. “UC Jorden [sic] men’s basketball jerseys sets for him and his brother and two friends, and of course his girl.” Taylor’s jersey is emblazoned with her lucky number 13, of course.
Dua Lipa is returning to The Tonight Show. The Grammy winner will sit down with Jimmy Fallon for the Monday, December 4, show.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Embattled Republican Rep. George Santos remained defiant Tuesday afternoon ahead of a looming expulsion vote on the House floor — saying he didn’t care about the procedural move that triggered another push to oust him.
Rep. Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California, filed a privileged resolution on the House floor Tuesday to expel Santos following a scathing report from the House Ethics Committee that alleges the New York congressman “placed his desire for private gain above his duty to uphold the Constitution, federal law, and ethical principles.”
Garcia’s move means House leaders must now schedule a vote on it within two legislative days.
“Look, you all want a soundbite. It’s the third time we are going through this. I don’t care,” Santos said on Capitol Hill Tuesday afternoon. “I was sent here by the people of the Third District of New York. I represent them. The political class in Washington, D.C., if they want to send me home, if they think this was a fair process, if they think this is how it should be done, and if they’re confident that this is a constitutional way of doing it — God bless their hearts,” Santos said.
Santos, who has survived two other expulsion efforts, said he would not turn to his colleagues for support.
“This is the third time we’ve gone through this. I didn’t do it the first time I didn’t do it the second time. I’m not going to do it the third time. It’s not a good use of my time,” he said.
Garcia spoke on the House floor alongside Rep. Dan Goldman, a Democrat from New York, who joined on as co-lead in the effort.
“The time has finally come to remove George Santos from Congress. If we’re going to restore faith in government, we must start with restoring integrity in the U.S. House of Representatives. It is essential for the American people to have Representatives they can trust and who don’t build their careers on deceit and falsehoods. We have once again forced an expulsion vote on the House floor because enough is enough,” Garcia wrote in a statement.
Goldman wrote in a statement that “Santos is an admitted liar, fraud, and cheat, and the recent Ethics Committee report confirms what we’ve long known: George Santos is wholly unfit for public office.”
This is Garcia’s own resolution — not the same one that House Ethics Committee Chairman and Republican Rep. Michael Guest filed earlier this month. The resolution from Rep. Guest has not been filed yet as privileged.
Rep. Garcia previously forced the House to vote to expel Santos back in the spring. Then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy referred Rep. Garcia’s resolution to the House Ethics Committee at the time — avoiding a full floor vote.
Earlier this month, the House Ethics Committee released a report that contained damning details about how Santos allegedly used campaign dollars for his own personal enrichment — including things such as Botox treatments, trips to Atlantic City, designer goods and purchases on the website OnlyFans, known for its adult content. Investigators said their monthslong probe of the New York congressman, who is also facing separate federal charges, revealed a “complex web of unlawful activity.”
The threshold to expel a member is high — two thirds of the chamber would have to vote in favor of removal.
A growing number of House Republicans who did not vote to remove Santos earlier this month said they want him expelled following the scathing report from the House Ethics Committee.
Santos himself said he expects to be expelled.
“I know I’m going to get expelled when this expulsion resolution goes to the floor,” he said last week during a conversation on X Spaces. “I’ve done the math over and over, and it doesn’t look really good.”
On Monday, ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott asked Santos if he is planning to resign amid the expulsion battle.
“I’m not resigning, I have not spoken to anyone [about] resigning,” Santos said.
Santos said Tuesday that members want him to resign.
“They can keep doing this,” Santos said. “But my message to them is: put up or shut up.”
Santos has pleaded not guilty to 23 federal charges. He called the bipartisan report a “politicized smear” and has said he will not run for reelection in 2024, but plans to finish out the rest of his term.
Santos said Tuesday afternoon that Congress should be focusing on fixing inflation and border security instead of censuring and expelling members.
“If this building, if this city put in the effort to fixing our country the same way that they put on expelling me, we’d be in a better place,” Santos said. “But this place is littered in political theater and the American people are the ones paying the price.”
Kylie Morgan is hitting the road in 2024 for the spring run of her headlining Making It Up As I Go Tour. The trek kicks off February 29 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and will wrap up in Indianapolis, Indiana, on May 11. Tickets go on sale Friday, December 1, at 10 a.m. CT.
George Strait has rolled out a new 2024 calendar and Christmas ornament. You can grab them for yourself or your loved ones now at George’s merch store.
Riley Green, Patty Loveless and The War and Treaty have been added to the All for the Hall benefit concert lineup. The Keith Urban and Vince Gill-hosted event will take place Tuesday, December 5, at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. For the full list of performers and tickets, visit bridgestonearena.com.
Some of David Bowie’s handwritten lyrics have sold for big bucks at auction.
The BBC reports that a lyric sheet featuring the work-in-progress writings for the classic tracks “Rock n Roll Suicide” and “Suffragette City,” both from 1972’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardustand the Spiders from Mars, sold at Omega Auctions for almost $113,000.
The sheet came with a note explaining that the original owner received the pages from Bowie at Trident Studio. It had previously been on display at London’s Victoria & Albert museum.
This isn’t the first time Bowie’s handwritten lyrics have been auctioned off for a hefty sum. Omega previously sold the handwritten lyric sheet to the 1972 classic “Starman,” which went for almost $258,000.
While appearing on The View, Chris Evansrevealed he’s heard rumors that Marvel Studios has been thinking about getting the original Avengers back together.
But what he hasn’t heard is his phone ringing.
While on the chat show promoting Jinx, the pet food company he’s partnered with, Evans shared a laugh with co-host Sara Haines — who, incidentally, is a small part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, thanks to an appearance in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
“You know, I always see those reports, too, and it’s news to me. I think every couple months, someone says that they’re getting [Robert] Downey, and [Chris] Hemsworth, and Scarlett [Johansson], and everyone’s coming back.”
But he doesn’t know anything beyond the rumors: “No one’s spoken to me about it. And look, I would never say never, but I really — I’m very protective. It’s a very precious role to me, so it would have to be just right.”
Thanks to some creative use of time travel, viewers learned Evans’ Steve Rogers/Captain America got to live the life he’d missed with his love Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) at the close of Avengers: Endgame.
He passed the Captain America mantle — and shield — to his pal Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie).
Aside from Cap getting his happy ending, Endgame was the literal end for Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and Downey’s Tony Stark/Iron Man.
But in the comic book world, people nearly never stay dead.
All that said, Evans noted there are “so many things” he misses about the character — “It’s just intrinsically cool being a superhero” — but he’s also missing his co-stars, “some of my best friends in the world,” as well as the crew he’s worked with over multiple films.
Marvel Studios is owned by ABC News’ parent company Disney.
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York in a $250 million civil lawsuit that could alter the personal fortune and real estate empire that helped propel Trump to the White House.
Trump, his sons Eric Trump and and Donald Trump Jr., and other top Trump Organization executives are accused by New York Attorney General Letitia James of engaging in a decade-long scheme in which they used “numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation” to inflate Trump’s net worth in order get more favorable loan terms. The trial comes after the judge in the case ruled in a partial summary judgment that Trump had submitted “fraudulent valuations” for his assets, leaving the trial to determine additional actions and what penalty, if any, the defendants should receive.
The former president has denied all wrongdoing and his attorneys have argued that Trump’s alleged inflated valuations were a product of his business skill.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Nov 28, 4:20 PM EST
For 3rd time, defense asks for directed verdict
Defense attorney Christopher Kise requested Judge Engoron issue a directed verdict at the conclusion of testimony from Deutsche Bank managing director Dave Williams — marking the third time the defense has asked the judge to stop the proceedings and decide the case in their favor.
“Was an event of default ever declared by Deutsche Bank on the loans to the Trump Organization?” defense attorney Jesus Suarez asked Williams at the end of Williams’ testimony.
“No,” Williams replied, prompting Kise to jump up and make his request.
“This witness has again testified the bank conducted its own due diligence” and was not defrauded by Trump’s statements of financial condition, Kise argued.
“This is a subjective exercise. There isn’t a right answer. There isn’t an ‘Ah-ha, you picked the wrong number,'” Kise said. “The bank is in a relationship whose job it is to make these determinations. It’s not the attorney general’s job to insert herself into a private transaction ten years later.”
Judge Engoron took the defense’s motion under advisement but signaled he was unmoved.
“The mere fact that the lenders were happy doesn’t mean the statute wasn’t violated,” Engoron said.
Kevin Wallace, an attorney for the state, took issue with the Kise’s analysis of the testimony.
“The witness did not say none of this matters. The witness said he expects clients to tell the truth,” Wallace said.
Nov 28, 2:19 PM EST
Trump easily met Deutsche Bank loan requirements, banker says
Deutsche Bank did its own due diligence to estimate Trump’s net worth, landing on a figure that differed from Trump’s reported net worth by over $2 billion — but the difference didn’t concern the bank, according to testimony from managing director Dave Williams.
Trump reported a net worth of nearly $5 billion in 2013, according to documents shown at trial. The bank’s own Valuation Services Group produced an estimate of only $2.6 billion, a difference that Williams described as “not unusual or atypical.”
“My reaction was probably pretty measured,” Williams said about learning that the bank determined that Trump’s net worth was nearly half the estimate provided by Trump. “We are expected to conduct due diligence and verify information to the extent that is possible.”
Even with Deutsche Bank’s lower estimate, the former president easily met the bank’s $100 million net-worth requirement for high-net-worth individuals, according to Williams.
“He reported both a net worth and investable assets well in excess of our minimum requirements,” Williams said, confirming that the bank set the interest rate for Trump’s commercial loans between 2%-2.5%.
The testimony also appeared to bolster Trump’s arguments that his lenders did their own due diligence, diminishing the importance of his statements of financial condition that are at the center of the case.
Nov 28, 12:16 PM EST
Trump never risked defaulting on loan covenants, banker suggests
Deutsche Bank managing director Dave Williams downplayed the possibility that Donald Trump could have defaulted on the net-worth covenants included in his loans.
While both parties agree that Trump never defaulted on his loans, New York Attorney General Letitia James alleges that had Trump accurately reported the value of his assets, he could have risked defaulting on a loan covenant that required he maintain a net worth of $2.5 billion.
Defense attorney Jesus Suarez pushed back on that allegation by asking Williams about the severity of a covenant default — i.e., breaching the terms of the loan — compared to a payment default triggered by a missed payment.
“Generally speaking, a payment default is a more material default than a covenant default,” Williams said. “It speaks definitively to the repayment of the loan.”
Williams described a loan covenant as a “guardrail,” and suggested that breaching the covenant would have brought Trump back to the negotiating table to adjust the loan terms.
Williams also reiterated that he was not aware of any loan or covenant defaults by Trump.
James is expected to request a fine of nearly $400 million for Trump’s allegedly ill-gotten gains, including over $140 million based on the potential interest she says was lost by Deutsche Bank. By proving that the loan agreements were lawful, Trump’s lawyers could significantly lower the fine Trump faces.
Nov 28, 11:44 AM EST
Net worth is subjective, banker says
The managing director of Deutsche Bank, which was Trump’s primary lender in the 2010s, testified that it would be impossible for the bank to calculate their client’s net worth with mathematical certainty.
“I don’t believe that is possible,” said Dave Williams, testifying for the defense. “I think an individual’s net worth as reported is largely subjective, or subject to the use of estimates.”
The assertion bolsters a recurring theme of the defense’s case — that determining the value of Trump’s assets was less of a science than an art form.
Williams said that, regardless of what Trump reported, Deutsche Bank made more conservative estimates about the value of his assets.
“I think it’s a difference of opinion. We expect clients provide information to be accurate. At the same time, it’s not an industry standard that these financial statements are audited,” Williams said.
Nov 28, 9:24 AM EST
Deutsche Bank executives to testify for defense
A day after Trump lawyer Chris Kise asserted that the only person who believes the former president committed fraud in his business transactions is New York Attorney General Letitia James, that claim will face a key test over the next two days as Trump’s lawyers call four executives from Deutsche Bank, Trump’s primary lender at the time of the alleged conduct.
Trump’s lawyers claim that the executives will prove that the bank would have still done business with Trump despite his inflated claims about his assets.
“They’re skipping over the part where they have to establish that the gains are ill-gotten, meaning that the loans would not have been issued in the first place or that the terms would have been different,” Kise said in November during an argument for a directed verdict.
James, however, says that the banks lost millions in potential interest based on Trump’s inflated valuations.
Nov 27, 6:52 PM EST
Trump Organization VP returns to witness stand
Trump Organization Vice President Patrick Birney returned to the witness stand to describe his role preparing Trump’s statement of financial condition between 2016 and 2021.
“Every new year, I would just copy and paste the spreadsheet from the year before,” Birney said, testifying this time for the defense.
Birney largely testified about the spreadsheets of supporting data he prepared, as well as the supporting data he cited from year to year.
Court was adjourned for the day following Birney’s testimony. He is set to return to the witness stand later this week after the court hears from witnesses from Deutsche Bank.
Nov 27, 5:59 PM EST
Trump exec disputes independent monitor’s findings
Trump Hotels chief operating officer Mark Hawthorn disputed an August 2023 report from the Trump Organization’s independent monitor that said the company continued to provide incomplete information to lenders.
Hawthorn had earlier testified that the monitor never communicated that they “uncovered fraud or any irregularities.”
State attorney Andrew Amer confronted Hawthorn with the letter from the Trump Organization’s independent monitor Barbara Jones flagging inconsistencies.
“Were you aware that Judge Jones had identified such inconsistencies?” Amer asked.
“Yes,” Hawthorn answered — but said that he stood by his initial statement that the monitor never uncovered fraud, claiming that the flagged issues were consistent with accounting practices.
“Did the monitor accuse the Trump Organization of disseminating false and misleading information?” defense attorney Clifford Robert asked on redirect examination.
“No,” Hawthorne said.
Trump defense attorney Chris Kise used the disagreement about the monitor’s findings to renew his request to question Jones, which Judge Engoron denied earlier in the afternoon.
“What the monitor thinks is clearly and squarely at issue,” Kise said, describing the Trump Organization’s issues as “minor accounting discrepancies which happen in a large corporation all the time.”
“Every time you talk, there’s a campaign speech,” Engoron quipped following Kise’s lengthy argument.
Engoron ultimately stood by his initial ruling, but said he would allow Kise to present cases, if they exist, supporting the defense’s right to call the monitor.
“I will decide what reports mean and what implications there are,” Engoron said about the monitor’s findings.
Nov 27, 3:44 PM EST
Donald Trump to return to witness stand in December
Defense lawyers plan to call Donald Trump as their final witnesses in the former president’s civil fraud trial.
Asked to confirm the final witnesses for the defense’s case, defense attorney Chris Kise said that Trump is likely to testify on Dec. 11.
“I think we can make that work,” Kise said, adding that Trump’s exact schedule might change.
Eric Trump will also return to the witness stand on Dec. 6, according to Kise.
Those dates might change if Judge Engoron limits testimony from any of the remaining witnesses.
State attorney Kevin Wallace said that the New York attorney general may present a “minimal” rebuttal case.
Nov 27, 2:43 PM EST
Judge blocks testimony from independent monitor
Judge Arthur Engoron blocked the defense team’s plan to call the Trump Organization’s independent monitor, describing the last-minute change to the defense’s witness list as “untimely” and “inappropriate.”
The judge’s ruling came after defense lawyer Clifford Robert announced the plan to call former federal Judge Barbara Jones and her associate to testify for the defense.
Before Engoron issuing his ruling from the bench, attorneys from both sides appeared to privately meet with the judge in his chambers.
“I hereby preclude their testimony,” Engoron said from the bench, regarding Jones and her associate.
Engoron said that he determined that Jones and her staff are effectively “arms of the court” and thus cannot be called to testify.
He also expressed concern that Jones’ testimony could create conflicts of interest that force her to step away from her role overseeing the Trump Organization’s finances.
Nov 27, 2:27 PM EST
Defense plans to call Trump Organization’s independent monitor
Donald Trump’s lawyers plan to call former federal Judge Barbara Jones — who has served as the Trump Organization’s independent monitor since 2022 — as a witness for the defense case, according to defense attorney Clifford Robert.
Jones was installed as the firm’s independent monitor last November at the request of New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Though Jones was not originally included in the defense’s witness list, Robert flagged the change to the court near the end of the direct examination of Trump Hotels chief operating officer Mark Hawthorn.
Hawthorn testified that he has regularly met with Jones since her appointment, and that the two have a transparent and cooperative relationship.
“We believe everything they deemed as an objection we have responded to diligently and very accurately,” Hawthorn said. “No one from that team has ever communicated to us that they have uncovered fraud or any irregularities.”
Jones, however, wrote in an August 2023 report that the Trump Organization provided “incomplete” information and did not consistently provide necessary certifications to lenders, prompting Judge Engoron to chastise the defendants in his summary judgment order.
“Even with a preliminary injunction in place, and with an independent monitor overseeing their compliance, defendants have continued to disseminate false and misleading information while conducting business,” Engoron wrote.
Robert did not provide a timeline for when Jones might testify, and state attorney Andrew Amer reserved a right to object to the defense team calling Jones as a witness.
Nov 27, 1:53 PM EST
Threats against clerk are ‘just part of the game,’ said Trump lawyer
In their filing this morning arguing against the trial’s limited gag order, Trump attorneys Clifford Robert, Chris Kise, and Alina Habba downplayed Trump’s connection to the threats against Judge Engoron and his clerk, and argued that they do not justify the gag order’s limit on Trump’s constitutional right to free speech.
The arguments appeared to be foreshadowed by remarks made to reporters earlier this month by Habba, who has been a forceful voice for the former president both in and out of court.
“The president has never threatened her safety,” Habba said of Engoron’s clerk. “This is a high profile case, and unfortunately, this is what comes with it. There is not a day that I don’t get a threat. It’s just part of the game.”
“If she had a real threat, she should get off the bench and stop having her photograph taken, but she hasn’t done that,” Habba added.
Nov 27, 12:54 PM EST
Trump’s lawyers disavow threats against judge, clerk
Donald Trump’s lawyers, in a court filing this morning, doubled down on their criticism of the trial’s limited gag order while distancing Trump and his co-defendants from what they called the “vile and reprehensible” threats against Judge Arthur Engoron and his principal law clerk.
In a filing arguing against the limited gag order, defense lawyer Clifford Robert said that the attacks — which he said Trump neither condoned nor directed — do not justify the gag order’s unconstitutional restraint on Trump’s free speech.
“Respondents’ sole cognizable justification for the Gag Orders is that an unknown third party may react in a hostile or offensive manner to Petitioners’ speech,” Robert wrote.
While Robert characterized the threats as “disturbing, derogatory, and indefensible,” he argued that it could not be proven that Trump’s Truth Social post on Oct. 3 — which prompted the limited gag order prohibiting statements about the judge’s staff — led to an increase in threats. Trump and his lawyers have never called for violence, condoned the attacks, or encouraged threatening behavior, Robert said.
The threatening behavior “merits appropriate security measures,” Robert wrote. “However, it does not justify the wholesale abrogation of Petitioners’ First Amendment rights in a proceeding of immense stakes to Petitioners,” which Robert argued has been “compromised by the introduction of partisan bias on the bench.”
Nov 27, 11:58 AM EST
Eric Trump asked hotel exec to revamp firm’s outdated bookkeeping
Eric Trump needed help with the Trump Organization’s finances after the company’s chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg was removed from his role following his indictment in 2021, according to Trump Hotels executive Mark Hawthorn.
According to Hawthorn’s testimony, the company relied on an outdated and inefficient approach to bookkeeping, including authorizing only three individuals — Weisselberg, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump — to write checks for the Trump Organization until as late as 2021.
Weisselberg signed most of the company’s disbursements, leaving Eric and Don Jr. in uncharted waters once Weisselberg was removed, Hawthorn said.
“He had a stack of checks [on his desk] to sign that was very high,” Hawthorn recalled regarding a summer 2021 meeting during which he said Eric Trump requested Hawthorn’s help applying his experience running Trump’s hotel division.
“Mark, how do you do this in the hotel division?” Eric asked, according to Hawthorn.
“We don’t do it like this,” Hawthorn said he replied.
The meeting, according to Hawthorn, prompted him to begin an effort to revise the Trump’s Organization’s bookkeeping policies to replicate his work in Trump’s hotel division, which he ran as its chief operating officer. Following Eric Trump’s request, he imposed a standardized paperless approach to bookkeeping, so entities could be compared on an “apples to apples basis,” Hawthorn testified.
Nov 27, 9:26 AM EST
Trump Organization execs to return to witness stand
Two current Trump Organization executives are scheduled to return to the witness stand today as part of the defense’s case as the trial resumes following the Thanksgiving holiday.
Mark Hawthorn, Trump Hotels’ chief financial officer, initially testified for the state’s case in October. State attorney Andrew Amer used his testimony as an opportunity to highlight that the Trump Organization had a qualified accountant who could have worked on Trump’s statement of financial condition, instead of the top executives who had less accounting experience.
“If any of them had asked you to work with them on preparing Mr. Trump’s statement of financial condition, would you have had the knowledge and experience to do so?” Amer asked.
“Yes,” Hawthorn responded, adding he was never asked to assist with preparing the statements that are at the center of the attorney general’s case.
Patrick Birney, an assistant vice president at the Trump Organization who also testified in October, offered some of the only testimony that supports the attorney general’s allegation of a conspiracy to inflate Trump’s net worth.
“Did Allen Weisselberg ever tell you that Mr. Trump wanted his net worth on the statement of financial condition to go up?” state attorney Eric Haren asked Birney.
“Yes, I think that happened in Allen Weisselberg’s office,” Birney said, prompting an objection from Trump’s lawyers.
Nov 22, 5:28 PM EST
Judge, clerk subjected to daily threats, official says in gag order filing
An attorney for Judge Arthur Engoron also filed in support of the gag order in Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial, arguing that violent threats have increased since the gag order was lifted.
The limited gag order, which prohibited Donald Trump and his attorneys from publicly commenting about Engoron’s staff, was issued by the judge last month after Trump posted about the judge’s law clerk on social media. Judge David Friedman of the appellate division’s First Department stayed the order on Thursday, citing constitutional concerns over Trump’s free speech rights.
Engoron’s filing includes a report from Charles Hollon of the Judicial Threats Assessment Unit of the New York State Court System’s Department of Public Safety. According to the report, Engoron and his principal law clerk, Allison Greenfield, have been inundated with credible, violent and antisemitic threats since Trump began criticizing Greenfield.
“The threats against Justice Engoron and Ms. Greenfield are considered to be serious and credible and not hypothetical or speculative,” Hollon wrote in the report.
Greenfield has been the victim of daily doxing of her personal email address and phone number, receiving dozens of calls, emails and social media messages daily, according to Hollon. Approximately half the harassing messages have been antisemitic, according to Greenfield.
In the report, Hollon wrote that Engoron was the subject of credible threats before the trial had started, but Trump’s Oct. 3 Truth Social post directed at Greenfield exponentially increased the number of threats directed at her.
The report included multiple examples of voicemails that were left on the telephone in Engoron’s chambers.
Hollon said the messages have created an “ongoing security risk” for Engoron, his staff and family, but that the gag order had been effective in lowering the number of threats.
“The implementation of the limited gag orders resulted in a decrease in the number of threats, harassment and disparaging messages that the judge and his staff received,” Hollon said in the report. “However, when Mr. Trump violated the gag orders, the number of threatening, harassing and disparaging messages increased.”
Engoron’s lawyer, Lisa Evans, said the threats detailed in Hollon’s affirmation justify the gag order, which functions as a reasonable limit on free speech.
“The First Amendment does not prohibit courts from limiting speech that threatens the safety of the court’s staff,” Evans wrote.
Trump’s reply to the filing is due on Nov. 27, after which the First Department will decide whether to fully lift the gag order.
Nov 22, 4:53 PM EST
NY AG argues for limited gag order in court filing
A lawyer for New York Attorney General Letitia James, in a court filing Wednesday, argued in favor of maintaining the judge’s limited gag after an appeals court temporarily lifted the order last week.
The limited gag order, which prohibited Donald Trump and his attorneys from publicly commenting about Judge Arthur Engoron’s staff, was issued by the judge last month after Trump posted about the judge’s law clerk on social media. Judge David Friedman of the appellate division’s First Department stayed the order on Thursday, citing constitutional concerns over Trump’s free speech rights.
James’ court filing Wednesday alleges that Trump and his lawyers continue to harass Engoron’s law clerk “as part of an improper tactic to disrupt trial and undermine the proceedings.”
James said the gag order is a necessary and “exceedingly limited restraint” to protect Engoron’s staff, and Trump’s lawyers failed to prove that attacks on judicial staff during a trial are protected by the First Amendment.
“A speedy denial is necessary to ensure the safety of [the] Supreme Court’s staff and the integrity and the orderly administration of the proceedings through the end of the trial,” James wrote, describing Trump’s attacks as “extraordinary and dangerous.”
Arguing that Trump has engaged in a “pattern” of attacking civil servants involved in proceedings against him, James cited his attacks on the former lieutenant governor of Georgia, as well as officials in his federal election interference case. She also mentioned Trump’s renewed attacks against the clerk over the last week since the gag order was lifted, including calling for her prosecution, sharing an article suggesting she engaged in drug use, and describing her as “crooked and highly partisan.”
Trump’s lawyers have defended such attacks as constitutionally protected speech and argued that Engoron failed to articulate how the attacks present a “clear and present danger” to the clerk.
Trump personally sued Engoron last week using a provision of state law called Article 78, which is generally used to challenge New York government agencies. Trump unsuccessfully attempted to use an Article 78 proceeding on the eve of the trial to delay the proceeding; however, his most recent attempt successfully resulted in a temporary stay of the gag order.
Trump’s reply to the filing is due on Nov. 27, after which the First Department will decide whether to fully lift the gag order.
Nov 21, 3:27 PM EST
Court adjourns for extended Thanksgiving break
After two days of testimony for the defense, former Trump Organization controller Jeff McConney stepped off the witness stand.
Judge Arthur Engoron then adjourned court until Monday.
When court resumes after the Thanksgiving break, the defense plans to call two Trump Organization executives, followed by several Deutsche Bank employees.
(MADERA, Calif.) — A California teenager missing since last week was found dead in an orchard and two suspects have been arrested in her slaying, including her ex-boyfriend who was caught after allegedly leading police on a chase, according to authorities.
The remains of 19-year-old Melanie Stephanie Rios Camacho were located in an orchard in an agricultural area of Madera County in Central California on Monday and positively identified as the missing woman, according to Madera County Sheriff’s Department.
The discovery of the remains came after Camacho’s mother reported her missing on Friday when she didn’t return home Thursday night, according to the sheriff’s department.
“To the family of Melanie, we are deeply sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, especially as we approach Melanie’s 20th birthday, which would’ve been this Friday,” Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue said during a news conference Monday.
Camacho, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office, was last seen alive around 10:15 p.m. local time on Thursday, when she left her job at an Auto Zone in the city of Madera, according to the sheriff’s office.
The teenager’s mother told police she received a text message from her around 11 p.m. Thursday and that her daughter said she was planning to meet a friend after work, the sheriff’s office said.
When detectives contacted the friend Camacho was supposed to join, they learned the teenager never met that night, according to authorities. Instead, the friend told detectives that Camacho was planning to meet with an ex-boyfriend to either give or receive something from him, the sheriff’s office said.
Around 8:45 a.m. on Saturday, sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of a car fire on the outskirts of Madera. Sheriff’s officials said the vehicle, a 2014 white Nissan Altima, belonged to Camacho.
While investigating the fire, police encountered a witness who described seeing a blue Ford Mustang in the area. The driver appeared to pick someone up near the burning car and drive away, according to the sheriff’s office.
Detectives obtained security video from the area where the car was torched and noticed a 2018 blue Ford Mustang in the footage at the time of the fire, the sheriff’s office said.
“The witness witnessed a blue Ford Mustang with a black hood pass his location on the street with one person inside, turn around near the vehicle that was on fire and then return to his location with two persons inside,” Pogue said.
The registered owner of the Mustang, 22-year-old Jose Lopez Hernandez of Madera, was contacted for questioning Sunday night and detectives obtained a search warrant for his home, according to authorities.
“Information obtained during the service of the warrant led detectives to an area of Avenue 20 west of Highway 99. There, they discovered human remains believed to belong to Melanie,” according to the sheriff’s office statement.
Sheriff’s officials did not disclose the manner of Camacho’s death.
During the investigation, detectives identified 24-year-old Vicente Alexandro Jasso, the ex-boyfriend Camacho recently broke up with, “as the primary suspect in Melanie’s death,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Around 6:30 a.m. Monday morning, sheriff deputies spotted Jasso in Madera driving a minivan registered to him, but when they attempted to pull the suspect over, he allegedly led them on a three-city chase, the sheriff’s office said. California Highway Patrol officers involved in the chase eventually blew out the suspect’s car tires with a spike strip they placed in its path.
Jasso allegedly got out of the minivan and ran to a nearby neighborhood, where he was tracked down with the help of a law enforcement helicopter crew and arrested.
Joe Madril told ABC station KFSN in Fresno that the suspect was captured in his yard.
“I heard a helicopter outside. So, I went outside, and the helicopter was circling overhead. Then I heard on the bullhorn said, ‘You’re surrounded. Put your hands up,'” Madril said. “As I looked over, I saw a guy coming out from between the shrubs here in my backyard.”
During the chase, sheriff’s deputies observed the driver throwing items from the vehicle that turned out to be the personal belongings of Camacho, including her driver’s license, the sheriff’s office said.
Jasso was charged with murder and Lopez-Hernandez was charged with accessory to murder. Both were being held Tuesday without bail at the Madera County Jail.
