(WASHINGTON) — A monthslong stretch of progress in the fight against inflation will face another test on Thursday when a U.S. government agency releases fresh data on price increases.
Inflation has cooled for three consecutive months, reversing a surge in prices that took hold at the outset of 2024.
Price increases have slowed significantly from a peak of more than 9%, but inflation remains more than a percentage point higher than the Fed’s target rate of 2%.
Economists expect consumer prices to have increased 3.1% over the year ending in June. That figure would mark a modest slowdown from the 3.3% rate recorded a month prior.
Despite the cooldown of prices in recent months, the Federal Reserve has opted to keep its benchmark interest rate highly elevated. The Fed Funds rate remains between 5.25% and 5.5%, matching its highest level since 2001.
A further reduction of inflation could heighten pressure on the Fed to move forward with a set of interest rate cuts that the central bank forecasted late last year.
Speaking to House members in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell touted “modest further progress” in the fight to slow price hikes over recent months.
Still, he added, the Fed will not lower interest rates until it has “gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2%.”
While the economy has proven resilient this year, recent performance suggests that high interest rates have begun to slow activity.
A jobs report released on Friday showed that the economy added a robust 206,000 jobs in June. However, downward revisions for hiring over the previous two months brought the three-month average to its lowest level since January 2021. The unemployment rate has ticked up this year from 3.7% to 4.1%.
Economic output has slowed markedly at the outset of 2024, though it has continued to grow at a solid pace.
Interest rate cuts would lower borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, potentially triggering a burst of economic activity through greater household spending and company investment.
But the Fed risks a rebound of inflation if it cuts interest rates too quickly, since stronger consumer demand and higher wages could lead to an acceleration of price increases.
On the other hand, recent data suggesting an economic slowdown heightens the risk of keeping interest rates too high for too long, since the borrowing costs could ultimately tip the economy into a recession.
The Fed is guided by a dual mandate to keep inflation under control and maximize employment. Addressing lawmakers at the Capitol on Wednesday, Powell said recent progress in the fight against inflation has allowed the central bank to bring greater attention to its role in employment.
“Elevated inflation is not the only risk we face,” Powell told lawmakers on Wednesday.
If the Fed opts to lower interest rates “too late or too little,” he added, it could “unduly weaken economic activity and employment.”
(NEW YORK) — A fourth juror in the Karen Read trial has come forward to report that the jury found her “not guilty” of second-degree murder and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, attorneys wrote in court documents.
Read’s attorneys are asking the judge to dismiss the two counts when the case goes to trial again.
“There was no manifest necessity for a mistrial as to those counts, and therefore the Double Jeopardy protections of the federal and state Constitutions require that those counts not be retried,” Read’s defense attorney Alan Jackson wrote in court documents.
Judge Beverly Cannone declared the mistrial on July 1 after the jury informed her that they were deadlocked. Read’s attorneys have since filed a motion to dismiss the case.
Officer suspended
Damning testimony during Read’s trial led to the suspension of Massachusetts State Police Officer Michael Proctor. Trial testimony revealed Proctor was communicating with Canton Police Officer Kevin Albert during the investigation ahead of Read’s murder trial.
Albert is the brother of Brian Albert, who hosted the party at the house where John O’Keefe’s body was found outside. The Canton Police Department had recused itself from the investigation due to the Albert brothers’ connection to the case.
Kevin Albert was also placed on paid administrative leave, according to WCVB-TV. The Canton Police Department did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for July 22.
In this Aug. 17, 2014 file photo, a demonstrator holds a sign reading, “Dont Shoot”, with a picture of Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Mo. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The mother of Michael Brown — who was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer in 2014 sparking protests around the county — gave testimony to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) to review the case of her son’s killing in a public hearing on Wednesday.
Lezley McSpadden, Brown’s mother, joined nonprofit organization Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and Howard University on a Zoom conference to petition the IACHR to recommend for United States prosecutors to criminally litigate Brown’s killing. Lawyers from the U.S. State Department and the Department of Justice also attended the hearing.
“The PTSD is overwhelming. I do have three remaining children. I was very scared and nervous to let them out of my sight for weeks after Mike was killed,” McSpadden said. “I received tons and tons of threatening letters. It got so bad where my lawyers had to look through my mail before I looked through it.”
The 10-year anniversary of Brown’s death is Aug. 9. Legal charges were never issued for Brown’s killing.
“We will undoubtedly hear from the state a litany of all the things they have done to address the scourge of racist police violence in this country over the last 10 years, some of which I commend them for doing,” Kerry Kennedy, with RFK Human Rights, said at the conference. “Is it enough when more people were killed by police in 2023 than any other previously recorded year? The answer is no.”
Brown, an 18-year-old Black teenager, was unarmed when Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson police officer at the time, shot and killed him on Aug. 9, 2014. The shooting ignited weeks of protests, riots, looting and arson in Ferguson.
“We are deeply saddened by this event and by similar events across our nation, and this event serves as another reminder that we must do more to prevent such tragedies,” Thomas Hastings of the State Department said during the conference. “While we do not intend to discuss or debate the details of what took place on August 9, 2014, it was a devastating event that led to the loss of life of a young man.”
The incident contributed to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, as national protests over police brutality evoked Brown’s name among other Black Americans who died in police encounters, such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
“Hands up, don’t shoot,” a reference to claims that Brown had his hands up and voiced his surrender to the officer before being shot, became a rallying cry around the nation for those advocating against police brutality. The DOJ later determined in an investigative report that it could not confirm Brown capitulated to the officer before he was shot and killed.
“Federal statutes would require the government to prove that Officer Wilson used unreasonable force when he shot Michael Brown, Jr, and that he did so willfully,” Kristen Clarke of the DOJ said on Wednesday. “Willfully would mean proving that he shot Mr. Brown, knowing it was wrong and knowing it was against the law to do so. After a careful and exhaustive review of all available evidence the Justice Department in 2015 determined that the evidence did not establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer violated the applicable federal criminal civil rights statute.”
A St. Louis County grand jury declined to press charges against Wilson in 2014. He resigned from the police force soon after.
The U.S. Justice Department also chose not to indict the former officer in March 2015 due to witness accounts and evidence that claimed Brown attacked Wilson.
Brown’s family received a $1.5 million settlement in 2017 after they filed a lawsuit against the city of Ferguson.
“He never had a job, he never learned how to drive,” McSpadden said. “He was just beginning his life. So that was his first free summer to be a kid before he branched over into being a man. But he was robbed of it.”
The IACHR stated a report will be published outlining its findings on the case and issuing recommendations to the U.S. government.
(EUGENE, Ore.) — Police in Oregon have recovered more than 4,000 stolen Lego sets valued at over $200,000 in a massive bust following a three-month investigation, authorities said.
The seizure happened on July 3 at approximately 12:30 p.m. when authorities from the Springfield Police Department in Eugene, Oregon, served a warrant to 47-year-old Ammon Henrikson, the owner of “Brick Builders,” accusing him of knowingly purchasing new and unopened Lego sets that had been stolen from other local retail stores, according to a statement from the Springfield Police Department released on Tuesday.
“In several instances, suspects stole hundreds of dollars’ worth of Lego sets and then immediately went to the Brick Builders store to exchange the stolen items for cash: most often at a fraction of their actual retail value,” authorities said in their statement announcing the bust. “When interviewed, some suspects advised that Brick Builders’ staff knew the sets had recently been stolen. Officers learned that many of the suspects were utilizing the money they received to buy and use illegal drugs.”
Partnering with loss prevention investigators from Target, Fred Meyer, Barnes & Noble and Walmart to confirm that Henrikson was purchasing sets that were stolen from them, the Springfield Police Department ended up recovering 4,153 Lego sets with a total value of more than $200,000, police said.
The three-month investigation by the Springfield Police Department uncovered evidence that Henrikson was “knowingly purchasing new, unopened sets of Legos that had been stolen from local retail stores,” according to authorities.
“We all feel the impact of organized retail theft through the increasing cost of items we buy for our families,” said Police Chief Andrew Shearer. “Recognizing this, SPD’s Crime Reduction Unit, with the support of our retail partners, works diligently to hold accountable those who make the choice to engage in or support retail theft. SPD is proud of the work of our officers, and we are committed to the pursuit of those behind these crimes in our community.”
Henrikson has since been charged with organized retail theft and theft by receiving. Police are asking for anybody with further information related to contact SPD at 541.726.3714 or police@springfield-or.gov and the investigation is currently ongoing.
(DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.) — A 14-year-old boy was bitten by a shark Wednesday in Daytona Beach, Florida, local authorities said.
The teen, who was visiting from Missouri, was bitten on his left foot while standing in knee-deep water, according to the Volusia County Beach Ocean Rescue.
He was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The incident marks the fourth shark bite reported in Volusia County just this month.
On Monday, another 14-year-old boy was bitten on the right calf during a junior lifeguard camp at Ponce Inlet. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening lacerations, according to Aaron Jenkins, the deputy chief of Volusia County Beach Safety.
Witnesses said the shark was a blacktip, which is common in the area, he said.
A 21-year-old man visiting from Ohio was bitten on the foot on July 4 while playing football in knee-deep water. He also received non-life-threatening injuries, Jenkins said.
“Felt like my foot was being stabbed,” the 21-year-old victim, Connor Baker, said. “Tried as fast as I could to just get to shore.”
The following day, on July 5, a 26-year-old man from Sarasota, Florida, was bitten on the foot while wading in an inner tube in about five feet of water. His injuries were also non-life-threatening, Jenkins said.
(NEW YORK) — More than 150 million people were under heat alerts coast-to-coast Wednesday afternoon as temperatures soared into the triple-digits in the West and hot, humid weather in the East and South made it feel like it was over 100 degrees.
A historic heat wave that has gripped the nation for days continued Wednesday as places like Las Vegas topped the 110-degree mark for the eighth consecutive day. Fresno, California, is expected to surpass 105 degrees Wednesday afternoon for the eighth straight day, according to the National Weather Service.
Las Vegas, which recorded its highest temperatures ever on Sunday when it reached 120 degrees, broke another weather record on Wednesday. The city experienced its fifth straight day of temperatures reaching 115 or above, beating its old mark of four consecutive days of such high heat set in 1940 and tied in 2005.
Sin City could also break its record of 10 consecutive days of 110 degrees or higher by the end of this week. The temperature in Las Vegas is forecast to climb to a blistering 118 degrees on Thursday, 115 on Friday and 112 on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
Elsewhere in the West, an excessive heat warning has also been issued for Phoenix, Arizona, where the high is forecast to be 113 degrees on Wednesday afternoon, and 115 on Thursday and Friday.
Salt Lake City, Utah, is forecast to reach 102 degrees on Wednesday afternoon, 105 degrees on Thursday and 104 on Friday. Boise, Idaho, is expected to hit 107 degrees on Wednesday afternoon before dipping to 106 on Thursday and back to 107 on Friday, according to the weather service.
Once again, the hottest place in the nation Wednesday was Death Valley, California, where the temperature shot up to 123 degrees at 2 p.m. local time from 99 degrees at 5 a.m. The high for Wednesday in Death Valley’s Furnace Creek area is forecast to hit 127.
The all-time record high for Death Valley is 134 degrees set in July 1913, according to the National Weather Service.
On the East Coast, Philadelphia, in particular, has been scorching hot lately. On Tuesday, the City of Brotherly Love experienced its eighth straight day of high temperatures at or above 95 degrees. Normally, Philadelphia averages seven days for the whole summer when the temperature hits 95 or above.
On Wednesday afternoon, it was 93 degrees in Philadelphia.
Factoring in the heat index, which includes high humidity, Philly was expected to feel more like 105 degrees on Wednesday afternoon, while Washington D.C. was expected to feel like 109 degrees and Raleigh, North Carolina, like 108 degrees, according to the weather service.
Wednesday evening could bring a much-needed break from the sweltering conditions as showers and thunderstorms move across the Great Lakes and into the Northeast.
A tornado watch is also in effect until 9 p.m. ET Wednesday for parts of Pennsylvania, New York and Vermont.
(NEW YORK) — A passenger is seeking $1.5 million in damages from JetBlue after she allegedly sustained severe burns from “scalding hot” tea served during a period of turbulence, according to a complaint.
According to the complaint, filed on June 24, the “dangerously hot cup of tea” was allegedly served to Tahjana Lewis while there was “ongoing turbulence” with the “fasten seat belt” sign turned on. The complaint claims this decision was “dangerous and hazardous” given the conditions at the time.
The alleged incident occurred on May 15 aboard Flight 2237 traveling from Orlando, Florida, to Hartford, Connecticut, according to the complaint. Lewis, the plaintiff, claimed she was seated in the row directly behind the passenger who ordered the drink on this flight, the complaint states.
Lewis reportedly suffered from “severe” and “disfiguring” burns on her upper chest, breasts, legs, left buttocks and right arm, with “disfigurement and scarring on all five burn-affected regions,” according to the complaint.
“That’s gross negligence,” Lewis’ attorney, Edward Jazlowiecki, told ABC News regarding JetBlue’s purported decision to serve drinks during what he called “serious” turbulence. “Absolutely gross negligence.”
JetBlue did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.
The complaint claims that JetBlue served this beverage “at a temperature that was unreasonably and dangerously hot beyond what is accepted in the food service industry or airline industry.”
Jazlowiecki also said JetBlue “should have done something to assuage [Lewis’] pain.” He claimed the crew did not ask if there were doctors on board, didn’t divert or make an emergency landing, and that they “didn’t offer her much help until she got off the plane.”
According to Jazlowiecki, Lewis experienced second-degree and possibly third-degree burns, and she will likely have to get skin grafting. He said she went to the emergency room immediately after the flight and consulted a skin specialist.
In addition to becoming “sore and partially disabled,” the complaint claims that Lewis became limited in her ability to work and suffered from emotional damages.
Jazlowiecki also said Lewis was traveling alone with her 5-year-old daughter and that this incident was “extremely traumatic” for the child to witness.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden is facing a critical point in his reelection bid as Democratic calls for him to exit the 2024 race continue to mount despite his efforts to shut them down.
A poor debate performance against Donald Trump reignited questions about Biden’s age and fitness to carry out his campaign and serve another four years. Biden has defiantly insisted he is staying the course, telling lawmakers this week he is not going anywhere.
Trump, who has kept a relatively low-profile as anxious Democrats publicly and privately air concerns, returned to the campaign trail on Tuesday with a rally in Florida.
Here’s how the news is developing:
9:39 PM EDT White House confirms time Biden will speak to media Thursday
President Joe Biden will take questions from the media on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET, his first press conference since the controversy over his candidacy erupted following his debate performance.
Biden has had fewer pressers with the media than his predecessors and the last time he took questions solo was back in November 2023.
The upcoming press briefing is being held at the Washington Convention Center, where Biden will spend a third day at the 2024 NATO Summit.
Jul 10, 2024, 7:35 PM EDT First senator joins growing calls for Biden to drop out
Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont called for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race in a Washington Post op-ed published Wednesday evening.
Welch is the first Senate Democrat to officially call for Biden to step aside.
“I understand why President Biden wants to run. He saved us from Donald Trump once and wants to do it again. But he needs to reassess whether he is the best candidate to do so. In my view, he is not,” Welch wrote.
“I deliver this assessment with sadness. Vermont loves Joe Biden. President Biden and Vice President Harris received a larger vote percentage here than in any other state. But regular Vermonters are worried that he can’t win this time, and they’re terrified of another Trump presidency,” he said.
Jul 10, 2024, 6:47 PM EDT Ninth Democrat calls for Biden to withdraw from the race
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., became the ninth Democrat to call on Biden to end his reelection bid.
Blumenauer, a senior member of the House Ways and Means and Budget committees, commended the president for his accomplishments, claiming in a statement released Wednesday that Biden “will be recorded in history as the most successful president in the last 50 years.”
However, the congressmen added that, in his mind, “We will all be better served if the president steps aside as the Democratic nominee and manages a transition under his terms.”
“The next six months will be critical in the implementation of President Biden’s landmark accomplishments that will define his legacy for generations to come. He should devote his energy and undivided attention to issues of war and peace, the climate crisis, and rebuilding and renewing America,” Blumenauer said, in part.
Jul 10, 2024, 6:39 PM EDT AFL-CIO calls on Democrats to unite behind Biden
The AFL-CIO for the second time in a week put out a statement in support of President Joe Biden after unanimously voting to reaffirm their support for the Biden-Harris ticket, saying that they are the “most pro-union administration in our lifetimes.”
The union, which endorsed the Biden-Harris campaign in June 2023, urged Democrats to support Biden saying, “The labor movement is united behind President Biden and Vice President Harris. We urge his party and the American people to join us.”
“The message from today’s meeting couldn’t have been clearer: Right now, it’s time to come together around a vision of a country where everyone has a fair shot with a living wage, affordable health care, retirement security, and time to do the things we love like spending time with family and friends and pursuing our interests and passions. These are fundamental to, as the president reiterated to our meeting, building the economy from the bottom up and the middle out, not the top down,” the AFL-CIO Executive Council said in a statement.
Jul 10, 5:46 PM EDT Newsom says he won’t challenge Harris, reiterates support for Biden
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was again asked about the future of President Biden’s campaign and whether he’d challenge Vice President Kamala Harris if she took the ticket during a news conference on the ongoing wildfires Wednesday.
Newsom stood by comments he made in 2023 when he said he would not run against Harris.
The governor reiterated that he is still backing Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee.
“I think I’ve had 100 media outlets asking the same question, and I think that I’ve amply answered my support for the president and the support I saw on the ground was demonstrable,” he said.
Newsom said he didn’t read the full comments that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave on MSNBC where she said, “It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run.”
He also said he had not read George Clooney’s New York Times op-ed that called on Biden to bow out.
Jul 10,4:48 PM EDT Morale ‘very low’ at White House as staff frustrated by Clooney op-ed: Source
Morale “is very low in the building,” a person who works regularly with senior level White House staff told ABC News Wednesday.
Some in President Joe Biden’s inner circle, including senior adviser Anita Dunn and chief of staff Jeff Zients, are said to be very frustrated and upset by George Clooney’s op-ed in the New York Times in which he calls on Biden to step aside, the source said.
The donor class is also deeply divided, a Democratic adviser told ABC News.
Although small donations continue to pour in and the very largest donors are doubling down, the huge swath of donors in the middle are holding back, according to the adviser. That group of donors, which gives anywhere from five to eight figures, are on pause, which is very damaging since they’re a major part of the donor ecosystem, the adviser said.
This adviser adds that the hand-wringing in the meantime has been very harmful to the campaign.
Another Democratic fundraiser says while a strong performance at the solo press conference Thursday could help the situation, many donors believe the crisis around Biden just won’t go away.
The doubts raised by members of Congress, the comments from Nancy Pelosi, and the op-ed from George Clooney are all fueling a flurry of discussions among donors about what to do if Biden drops out.
-ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang
Jul 10, 3:33 PM EDT Biden to hold one-on-one interview with NBC’s Lester Holt
President Joe Biden will hold a one-on-one interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt Monday, the network announced.
This will mark the second TV interview Biden has held since last month’s presidential debate.
Holt will interview Biden earlier in the day while he’s in Austin, Texas, and the full interview will air at 9 p.m. ET, the network announced.
Jul 10, 3:24 PM EDT Republican presses top officials on Biden’s mental fitness
In back-to-back House Financial Services Committee hearings with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, both regular, annual hearings on their agency’s policies, Republican Mike Lawler of New York redirected from questions about inflation and tariffs on Russia to ask each official about their personal interactions with the president.
Yellen said she wouldn’t describe the content of her meetings with the president or say when she last met with him because it was “private,” but she called Biden “extremely effective.”
“The president is extremely effective in the meetings that I’ve been in with him, that includes many international meetings that are multi hour, like his meetings with President Xi [Jinping of China],” she said.
“Madam secretary, have there been any discussions among Cabinet secretaries about invoking the 25th Amendment?” Lawler asked.
“No,” Yellen said resolutely. The 25th Amendment states that the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet can together remove power from the president if he or she is incapacitated.
Powell, asked by Lawler if he’s “noticed any mental or cognitive decline” in meetings with the president, said “no.”
But Powell noted that he’d only interacted with the president twice in the last two years — once for a meeting and once to shake his hand at a state dinner, which Powell said was normal for presidents and Federal Reserve chairs, given the independence of the agency.
-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett
Jul 10, 3:23 PM EDT Concern over Biden’s future grows among Democratic senators
Multiple Senate Democrats spoke candidly with ABC News about concerns they have about Biden’s viability and said they want to continue discussions about the best path forward.
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he is worried about “an existential threat to the country if Donald Trump wins,” and added “every day is critical” as Biden weighs his path forward.
“I have confidence in Joe Biden doing what’s right for America. What he believes is right for America is to defeat Donald Trump and he’ll be a pretty good judge of whether that will be possible,” Blumenthal said. “We can all advise him we can raise concerns ultimately the decision is his and I am going to continue to raise concerns but I do think we need to ultimately unify because the existential threat here is Donald Trump.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, associated himself with the comments of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi made on MSNBC Wednesday, in which she appeared to leave the door open for the president to step aside.
“I thought Speaker Pelosi nailed it pretty well this morning,” Whitehouse told ABC News. He repeatedly avoided answering additional questions about whether Biden should resign before reiterating his support for Pelosi’s comments.
Although Sen. Dick Durbin told ABC News Durbin he was “very concerned” about Biden’s chances, he added that he’s always known the race would be close.
“I believe we wage the right campaign and make a point of what we’ve achieved under this president we will see him reelected,” Durbin said.
Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who expressed worries about Biden’s future during a closed-door meeting among Senate Democrats Tuesday, told ABC News he was hearing legitimate concerns from voters.
“My job is to listen to them my job is to go to hearings like this to fight for lower drug prices to fight for Ohio workers,” Brown said.
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin and Rachel Scott
Jul 10, 2:07 PM EDT 8th House Democrat calls on Biden to step aside
New York Rep. Pat Ryan, a moderate Democrat, is now calling on Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee.
“Trump is an existential threat to American democracy; it is our duty to put forward the strongest candidate against him,” Ryan wrote on X. “Joe Biden is a patriot but is no longer the best candidate to defeat Trump. For the good of our country, I am asking Joe Biden to step aside — to deliver on his promise to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders.”
Ryan is the eighth House Democrat to publicly call on Biden to step aside.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Jul 10, 2:03 PM EDT Biden gives a fist pump when asked about Pelosi’s comments
Despite her remarks, Biden suggested he still has Pelosi’s support to continue his reelection campaign.
“Is Nancy Pelosi still behind you?” Biden was asked after taking a family photo with NATO leaders.
The president didn’t say anything, but flexed his arm and fist in the air.
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Jul 10, 1:58 PM EDT Debate over future of Biden’s candidacy continues
After a day of closed-door Democratic meetings where lawmakers appeared to be absorbing the sober reality that Biden would stay as the party’s presumptive nominee, new comments on Wednesday stirred fresh debate on Biden’s viability and path forward.
First, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was noncommittal on whether she wanted Biden to continue to run despite Biden insisting repeatedly that he had decided to stay in the race.
“It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run,” Pelosi said on MSNBC. “We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short.”
Then, George Clooney, in a stinging New York Times op-ed, said Biden should step aside.
“It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010,” Clooney wrote. “He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”
(ATLANTA) — A federal bankruptcy court judge said on Wednesday he is leaning toward dismissing Rudy Giuliani’s bankruptcy case after two former Georgia election workers Giuliani defamed agreed it would be the best way for them to collect at least part of a $148 million judgment against the former New York City mayor.
Dismissal would remove the shield surrounding Giuliani’s assets and allow the election workers — Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss — and other creditors to pursue his money in the courts.
It would also allow Giuliani to appeal the defamation judgment.
Giuliani filed for bankruptcy in December 2023 after a jury ordered him to pay nearly $150 million to Freeman and Moss for defaming them with false accusations that the mother and daughter committed election fraud while the two were counting ballots in Georgia’s Fulton County on Election Day in 2020.
The bankruptcy judge signaled he would rule Friday during another hearing.
Court records showed that Giuliani has less than $100,000 cash and a dwindling retirement account. Earlier this month he was disbarred in New York over his “false and misleading” statements about the 2020 election.
He also faces criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
(WASHINGTON) — Michael Cohen asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to revive his lawsuit accusing former President Donald Trump and some Trump administration officials of retaliating against him when he sought release from federal prison.
Cohen served time after a federal judge in Manhattan sentenced him in 2018 to three years in prison for various crimes, including campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress. He was released to home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic but sent back to prison after he balked at a condition of his release that required him to waive his ability to criticize Trump, who was president at the time. Cohen had been writing a book critical of Trump.
A judge eventually allowed Cohen to serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement. However, a judge tossed out his lawsuit against the former president, and in January, a panel of appellate judges declined to revive it.
“Thus, as it stands, this case represents the principle that presidents and their subordinates can lock away critics of the executive without consequence. That cannot be the law in the country the Founders created when they threw off the yoke of the monarch,” Cohen’s petition to the Supreme Court said.
