Victoria Fox's Blog, page 249
April 4, 2023
After outcry, Jill Biden’s office says White House invitation is for LSU women’s team
Enlarge this image First Lady Jill Biden takes a her seat before the start of the NCAA Women’s Final Four championship basketball game between LSU and Iowa Sunday, April 2, 2023, in Dallas. Tony Gutierrez/AP
Tony Gutierrez/AP
It’s customary for the winner of the NCAA women’s basketball championship to receive an invitation to visit the White House. But earlier this week, first lady Jill Biden was all in to host both Louisiana State University and the University of Iowa following Sunday’s game — even though LSU won.
Now, the first lady has walked back her apparent dual invitation, following lots of negative reactions across social media and television. A particularly strong objection came from LSU star player Angel Reese, who called the dual invite “A JOKE” in a tweet.
During an event on Monday at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver, Biden congratulated both teams — praising them on their performance and highlighting Iowa’s sportsmanship.
“I know we’ll have the champions come to the White House; we always do. So, we hope LSU will come,” the First lady said. “But, you know, I’m going to tell Joe I think Iowa should come too, because they played such a good game.”
A JOKE. https://t.co/9SiOKQNqbj
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) April 3, 2023
But Vanessa Valdivia, press secretary for the first lady, later clarified Biden’s comments on Tuesday morning, tweeting that the comments “were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes.” (The Office of the First Lady of the United States did not immediately respond to NPR’s separate request for comment about her remarks.)
“[The first lady] looks forward to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House,” Valdivia added.
President Joe Biden tweeted Tuesday that he’s also looking forward to welcoming the LSU women’s basketball team to the White House — with no mention of Iowa.
News of the first lady’s comments on the dual White House invitation came on the heels of a viral moment between Reese and Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark.
During Sunday’s tournament game, Reese —who transferred from the University of Maryland last fall — celebrated the Tigers’ lead against the Hawkeyes by making a hand gesture popularized by wrestler John Cena, titled “You Can’t See Me.”
The moment instantly went viral, as sports commentators and fans criticized Reese for what they perceived as an “unsportsmanlike” move toward Clark.
In a historic first, former President Donald Trump is charged with 34 felony counts
Enlarge this image Former President Donald Trump sits with his defense team in a Manhattan court on Tuesday. Seth Wenig/AP
Seth Wenig/AP
Former President Donald Trump was charged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday with 34 felony counts of falsification of business records in the first degree.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The criminal charges — a historic first against a sitting or former president — are the culmination of an investigation into hush-money payments that Trump paid prior to the 2016 election to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair.
Trump and his allies have called the charges politically motivated.
The charges were made public days after a Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump.
“Under New York state law, it is a felony to falsify business records with intent to defraud, intent to conceal another crime,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a news conference after Trump’s arraignment. “That is exactly what this case is about: 34 false statements made to cover up other crimes. These are felony crimes in New York State no matter who you are. We cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct.”
Trump was seen entering a Manhattan courtroom for his arraignment at 2:28 p.m. ET, and left the courtroom at 3:25. Trump was not handcuffed when he entered the room, and did not speak when he exited. Trump was seen in photos seated at the defendant’s table in the courtroom, in between his lawyers Joe Tacopina and Susan Necheles. New York police officers stood behind the table.
“Today’s unsealing of the indictment shows that the rule of law died in this country,” Tacopina said outside the courthouse. “If this man’s name was not Donald J. Trump there is no scenario we’d all be here today.”
The case’s background
The charges allege that, beginning in mid-2015, Trump orchestrated a scheme with others to influence the 2016 presidential election. They allegedly identified and bought negative claims about him to suppress their publication to boost his electoral prospects. By doing this they allegedly violated election laws and made false entries in the business records of various entities in New York. They also allegedly took steps that mischaracterized, for tax purposes, the true nature of the payments made in the scheme.
The charges also allege that in or about October or November 2015, the owner of the National Inquirer tabloid learned that a former Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell information regarding a child that Trump had allegedly fathered out of wedlock. At the owner’s direction, his publishing company negotiated and signed an agreement to pay the former doorman $30,000 to acquire exclusive rights to the story. The company then allegedly falsely characterized this payment in its records. It bought the information from the former doorman without fully investigating his claims — and later concluded that it was not true — but the owner directed that the deal take place because of his agreement with Trump and his lawyer.
The indictment includes a separate $150,000 payment to another woman who allegedly had an intimate relationship with Trump. Former Playboy model Karen McDougal is not named in the charges but she has talked openly about that experience in interviews.
The case against Trump stems from a 2018 guilty plea by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, who admitted to making illegal campaign contributions in the form of buying women’s silence about their alleged relationships with Trump. He said that in 2016, he paid $130,000 to silence Daniels, who claimed she had an affair with Trump.
Cohen got the money from a home equity line of credit. He arranged to be reimbursed over the course of the next year by Trump.
The monthly checks, totaling $420,000, were identified as a “retainer” payment for Cohen. Some came from the Trump trust, but others were signed by Trump himself, from what Cohen said was his personal account. Falsifying business records could be a felony under New York law, if it was done in furtherance of another crime, such as a campaign finance violation. Cohen said he even discussed the checks with Trump inside the Oval Office at the White House.
Trump and his allies have questioned Cohen’s credibility. But at his news conference, DA Bragg said his investigators obtained texts, emails, contemporaneous phone records and testimony from multiple witnesses — information that would emerge at trial.
The next court date is Dec. 4. The prosecution said it hoped to have trial in January 2024; the defense asked for the spring of 2024.
Trump is the frontrunner in the Republican presidential field ahead of the November 2024 election.
What Trump’s arraignment means for his 2024 election bid
Enlarge this image Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower in New York on Tuesday. Bryan Woolston/AP
Bryan Woolston/AP
Fresh off a historic arraignment, former President Donald Trump is still very much running to regain office in 2024. This is the lay of the land for the weeks and months ahead.
Who is he? A former U.S. president, a famed businessman, and someone currently facing trial for criminal charges (you know the story by now).
Today, he surrendered himself to a New York criminal court, where he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts.
Enlarge this image As supporters of the former president protest at Collect Pond Park, NYPD place barricades separating anti-Trump protestors from supporters. José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR
José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR
What’s the big deal? Well, there’s plenty to say about the significance of a former U.S. president facing criminal charges. But there are two main factors playing out here in real time: one is legal, and one is political, but both will help give some clarity about how Trump’s political aspirations may fare in 2024 and beyond.
Speaking to Morning Edition, NPR’s senior political correspondent Domenico Montanaro has some analysis on the politics of it all:
On how the trial is impacting his campaign efforts:
We’ve seen this show before with Trump. He’s been impeached twice. It didn’t really change anything. Not much moves the needle when it comes to Trump’s base, and he’s trying to capitalize here. He’s been raising money off of this. His campaign says Trump has raised more than $7 million in the few days after the indictment. He’s predictably making a pretty big show of it.
On support from fellow Republicans:
It’s really put them in a box. Trump has really gotten them to line up lockstep behind him. Republicans on Capitol Hill mostly blasted this New York prosecutor [Alvin Bragg]. They’re echoing Trump’s language that this is politically motivated. Now, it’s not everyone in the Republican Party. We’ve seen a thin slice speak out against Trump, but very few. We had one new candidate get in the race who denounced Trump, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. He says the criminal investigations against Trump, when taken together, are very serious and that Trump should not be running.
On trials impacting Trump’s odds in 2024:
There are three entities conducting four investigations — this one in New York, two by the federal government, one in Georgia related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. But take this for context about how Trump is doing with Republicans. Sarah Longwell is a Republican pollster. She runs these focus groups of Republican voters, and she found, for the first time this past week, that no one in the focus group said that they would vote for DeSantis — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — over Trump. So Trump really does appear to be strengthening his grip on the base.
Enlarge this image Supporters of the former president protest at Collect Pond Park on the morning of Trump’s surrender at the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building in Manhattan, New York. José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR
José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR
What next? Well, like Domenico said, this is one of several criminal investigations Trump is facing. Here are the others:
There are a pair of investigations from the U.S Department of Justice: One into Trump’s handling of classified documents after the end of his term as president; and another into his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.There’s also the investigation in Georgia, which centers on the actions of Trump and his allies after the 2020 presidential election, as they pressured state officials to undo his loss in the peach state.On those 34 felony counts, the prosecution said it hoped to have a trial in January 2024. The defense has asked for spring of 2024.Learn more:
Follow the live blog for the blow-by-blow of the historic dayEven if Trump gets a mug shot, we may not see it. Here’s why What happens after Trump’s indictment? Here are some of the logistical considerationsBlac Chyna Adds New Title to Her Résumé After Receiving Her Doctorate
Blac Chyna just reached a new milestone.
The model, also known as Angela Renée White, recently revealed that she obtained a doctorate degree from the Sacramento Theological Seminary and Bible College earlier this year.
“On January 17, 2023 I got my Doctorate of Liberal Arts from Sacramento Theological Seminary and Bible College,” she wrote in an April 3 Instagram post. “Doctor Angela Renee White.”
Along with the announcement, Chyna shared a photo of herself proudly displaying her diploma next to a photo of her two kids: 10-year-old son King Cairo Stevenson, whom she shares with ex Tyga, and 6-year-old daughter Dream Kardashian, whom she shares with ex Rob Kardashian.
The academic achievement is one of the many life updates the 34-year-old has shared lately, including revealing that she was baptized last year.
“I was reborn on my birthday 5-11-22,” Chyna wrote on Instagram March 23 alongside a photo from the ceremony. “God is Good.”
April 3, 2023
Bridesmaids cause uproar on TikTok after cutting their dresses during wedding
Dresses just don’t have cut that for them.
A video of bridesmaids making risky alterations to their dresses during the wedding has TikTok users divided.
TikToker Emma.league posted a video of herself and the other bridesmaids at the wedding party cutting off their long pink dresses, with the superimposed text reading, “When all the bridesmaids decided that we were going to cut our dresses after the reception started.”
The video, posted in late February, has been viewed more than 12 million times and has nearly 700,000 likes on the social media app.
Many initially wondered (and hoped) if the bride knew they were making the changes.
“Please tell me the bride knew and was ok with this,” one user wrote, to which Emma replied that she knew and was ok with them doing it. changes.
Doubling down to assure users they’ve avoided a major bridezilla disaster, a video showed the bridesmaids dancing and enjoying the reception with the bride after the snap, but the comments section wasn’t so ready to let slip in last-minute changes.
“I would be livid – the end result looks shitty,” one user commented.
The women were seen laughing as they cut their dresses. TikTok/emma.league
Emma commented that the bride was aware they were making the changes.TikTok/emma.league“These are actually pretty dresses – I wouldn’t have cut mine. I used the dress for a photoshoot and then sold it,” another user wrote, criticizing the women’s choice to cut the dresses.
“Wild and crazy bridesmaids stole the bride’s attention with crazy antics,” one user wrote, calling out the women.
“I’ll be the bride paying for their dresses because I’m not forcing anyone to buy theirs. So I would be pretty annoyed,” another commented.
The bridesmaids danced and took pictures with a cheerful bride after the cut.TikTok/emma.league
The alterations caused no problems on the bride’s big day.TikTok/emma.leagueWhile some were shocked and upset by the last-minute changes, others praised the ingenuity of the women.
“That’s such a smart idea. No one ever wears their bridesmaid dress again anyways,” one TikToker user commented.
“The literal version of ‘you can cut it short and wear it again,’ another wrote with the laughing crying emoji.
“I actually said the other day that if my wedding dress bothers me at night, I’ll take some scissors and cut it myself,” another joked, sympathizing with the bridesmaids.
Not all news on the site expresses the point of view of the site, but we transmit this news automatically and translate it through programmatic technology on the site and not from a human editor.
Jon Tester tries to harden his stance on the Chinese spy balloon
Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) – who previously claimed that the Chinese spy balloon that President Joe Biden allowed to fly over the United States “does not endanger our national security – now says it will “continue to hold the Biden administration accountable.” on his handling of the ball.
Biden allowed the Chinese spy balloon to roam the country for several days before finally shooting it down on February 4.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) then nominated Tester, who is up for re-election next year, to lead a Senate investigation into the US Department of Defense’s handling of these Chinese spy balloons.
On Monday, NBC News reported that the Chinese spy balloon “was able to gather intelligence on several sensitive U.S. military sites, despite efforts by the Biden administration to prevent it from doing so,” citing two current senior U.S. officials and a former senior Biden administration official. .
One of the military sites the spy saloon flew over was Malmstrom Air Force Base in Tester’s home state of Montana.
“We knew from the beginning that China’s invasion of our airspace was no accident,” Tester said. said in response to the NBC News report. “There is nothing more important than protecting America, and I will continue to hold the Biden administration accountable to ensure the freedom and privacy of Montanans are protected.”
We knew from the start that China’s invasion of our airspace was no accident. There is nothing more important than protecting America, and I will continue to hold the Biden administration accountable to ensure the freedom and privacy of Montanans are protected.https://t.co/Qj3ppgitr8
— Senator Jon Tester (@SenatorTester) April 3, 2023
However, just days after the US military shot down the Chinese spy balloon, Tester said CNN’s Jake Tapper said it “does not endanger our national security”.
SHOW: @jontester claims China’s spy balloon ‘does not endanger our national security’ and goes on to say ‘I don’t think the public will ever get the answers’ when asked what information the balloon was collecting pic.twitter.com/UFcPCoaDHL
— Philip Letsou (@philipletsou) February 9, 2023
Tapper asked Tester if he felt there was no military threat coming from the balloon after receiving a classified intelligence briefing on the matter.
“I’m much more comfortable with explaining what they’ve collected”, Tester replied. “Let me put it this way, it does not endanger our national security.”
Tester also said he doesn’t know if the American public will ever receive answers from the intelligence community about the spy balloon.
“One of the Pentagon officials you hear from said it could be days or weeks before all the debris is recovered from the ocean,” Tapper said. said. “When will the public get answers about what specifically this balloon was doing and what was collected?”
“I don’t know if the public will ever get the answers. It will depend on the intelligence community, but I will say this, there are a lot of smart guys working in our military and in our Intel”, tester said. “They’ll collect it, they’ll put it back together, they’ll reverse engineer it and they’ll know exactly what they were doing, but it’s probably going to take time.”
Watch: Tester: China’s spy balloon ‘compromises’ US security
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter .
Not all news on the site expresses the point of view of the site, but we transmit this news automatically and translate it through programmatic technology on the site and not from a human editor.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Caterina Scorsone Recounts Horrific Ordeal of House Fire
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Caterina Scorsone has shared how she and her three children escaped a fire that destroyed their home and killed their four pets.
“A few months ago my house burned down,” the actor wrote in an Instagram post on Monday. “As my kids were getting ready for bed and finishing bath time, smoke started seeping through the grout around the tub. When I looked down the hallway, a river of black smoke thick had already formed and filled the house.
Scorsone said she ‘had about two minutes’ to get her daughters – Lucky, 3, Paloma, 6, and Eliza, 10 – out of the house, ‘and we escaped with fewer shoes on our feet’ .
“Unfortunately, we have lost our four pets. We are still sitting with this loss, but we are lucky to be able to love them at all, ”she wrote.
She shared a photo carousel of the rubble left behind, memories of the house and their pets.
Scorsone, who shares daughters with ex-husband Rob Giles, grew up in Toronto, Canada but later moved to Southern California. She plays Dr. Amelia Shepherd in the hit medical drama, which is mostly shot in Los Angeles.
She said she posted her post to celebrate the community that helped her afterward.
“This is a love letter to the amazing people who showed up and the amazing ways they did,” she wrote. “Thank you firefighters and investigators (thank you Trey!) Thanks to my neighbor who responded to our frantic knocking on her door.”
She also thanked the parents at her children’s school who sent toys and books, her friends at “Grey’s Anatomy” for sending clothes and supplies, her sisters who came to the aid, and her team.
“What we’ve learned is that the only thing that matters is the people (and beings) you love. The only thing that matters is the community. We wouldn’t be here without him and we are so grateful. Thank you,” she wrote.
Scorsone’s Amelia Shepherd, the younger sister of Patrick Dempsey’s Derek Shepherd, is chief of neurosurgery at Gray Sloan Memorial in “Grey’s Anatomy”. She joined the series in 2010 during the show’s seventh season.
The Huffington Gt
Not all news on the site expresses the point of view of the site, but we transmit this news automatically and translate it through programmatic technology on the site and not from a human editor.
Australia bans TikTok from federal government devices
Enlarge this image A sign up page for the application TikTok is shown on a cell phone in front of a screen with logos for the company in Sydney, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Rick Rycroft/AP
Rick Rycroft/AP
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia has become the last of the “Five Eyes” security partners to ban the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from its federal government’s devices.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement Tuesday that based on intelligence and security agencies’ advice, that ban would come into effect “as soon as practicable.”
The so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partners — the United States, Canada, Britain and New Zealand — have taken similar steps.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese technology company Bytedance and has long maintained that it does not share data with the Chinese government. It is carrying out a project to store U.S. user data in Texas, which it says will put it out China’s reach.
The company also disputes accusations it collects more user data than other social media companies, and insists that it is run independently by its own management.
The European Parliament, European Commission and the EU Council, the 27-member bloc’s three main institutions, have also imposed bans on TikTok on staff devices. Under the European Parliament’s ban, which took effect last month, lawmakers and staff were also advised to remove the TikTok app from their personal devices.
India imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, including the messaging app WeChat, in 2020 over privacy and security concerns. The ban came shortly after a clash between Indian and Chinese troops at a disputed Himalayan border killed 20 Indian soldiers and injured dozens.
In early March, the U.S. gave government agencies 30 days to delete TikTok from federal devices and systems. The ban applies only to government devices, though some U.S. lawmakers are advocating an outright ban.
China has lashed out at the U.S. for banning TikTok, saying it is an abuse of state power and is suppressing companies from other countries.
More than half of the 50 U.S. states also have banned the app from official devices, as have Congress and the U.S. armed forces.
An ex-aide to Maryland’s former governor is dead after a manhunt, lawyer says
Enlarge this image Roy McGrath, chief executive officer of the Maryland Environmental Service, speaks during a news conference at the State House in Annapolis, Md., on April 15, 2020. Pamela Wood/AP
Pamela Wood/AP
BALTIMORE — A former Maryland political aide wanted on corruption charges died Monday after he was wounded while being confronted by law enforcement agents, his lawyer said, following a manhunt that was launched when the man failed to appear for trial.
Attorney Joseph Murtha said the FBI confirmed Roy McGrath’s death to him. He added that it was not immediately clear if McGrath’s wound was self-inflicted or came during an exchange of gunfire with agents.
The FBI had said earlier that McGrath, once a top aide to a former Maryland governor, had been hospitalized following an agent-involved shooting, but declined to elaborate.
William Brennan, an attorney for McGrath’s wife, Laura Bruner, also confirmed the death and said she was “absolutely distraught.”
According to an email earlier from FBI Supervisory Special Agent Shayne Buchwald in Maryland, McGrath was wounded during “an agent-involved shooting” around 6:30 p.m. in a commercial area on the southwestern outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee. Buchwald said McGrath was taken to a hospital.
Further details, including how McGrath was wounded and what led up to it, were not immediately released. The shooting was under investigation.
“The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously,” said Buchwald, who declined to confirm that McGrath had died.
McGrath, 53, served as chief of staff to former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. He was declared a wanted fugitive after his disappearance, and the FBI has said he was considered an international flight risk.
In a statement, Hogan said he and his wife, Yumi, “are deeply saddened by this tragic situation. We are praying for Mr. McGrath’s family and loved ones.”
Murtha called the death “a tragic ending to the past three weeks of uncertainty” and said his client always maintained his innocence.
After McGrath failed to appear at Baltimore’s federal courthouse on March 13, Murtha said he believed McGrath, who had moved to Naples, Florida, was planning to fly to Maryland the night before. Instead of beginning jury selection, a judge issued an arrest warrant and dismissed prospective jurors.
McGrath was indicted in 2021 on accusations he fraudulently secured a $233,648 severance payment, equal to one year of salary as the head of Maryland Environmental Service, by falsely telling the agency’s board the governor had approved it. He was also accused of fraud and embezzlement connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses. McGrath pleaded not guilty.
McGrath resigned just 11 weeks into the job as Hogan’s chief of staff in 2020 after the payments became public.
If convicted of the federal charges, he would have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years for each of four counts of wire fraud, plus a maximum of 10 years for each of two counts of embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits.
The UConn Huskies beat San Diego State to claim its 5th men’s basketball championship
Enlarge this image Connecticut guard Jordan Hawkins celebrates after the men’s national championship college basketball game against San Diego State in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Houston. Brynn Anderson/AP
Brynn Anderson/AP
The University of Connecticut Huskies won its fifth NCAA men’s basketball championship in school history Monday night, after a 76-59 defeat over the San Diego State University Aztecs.
The Huskies won in convincing fashion, becoming just the fifth team since the NCAA bracket expanded in 1985 to win all six tournament games by double-digits on the way to a championship.
And while San Diego State overcame a 14-point deficit in the semifinals, the Aztecs could never complete a comeback against the Huskies.
UConn previously won championships in 1999, 2004, 2011 and 2014. The school was favored going into Monday night’s title game, averaging coring 8.6 points more per game than San Diego’s 71.5.
The school’s fifth title for its men’s team ties it with Duke and Indiana. UCLA has 11 men’s titles, the University of Kentucky has eight and North Carolina has six.
With Monday night’s win in Houston, four of UConn’s five men’s championships have been won in the state of Texas.
For San Diego State, it was the university’s first championship game appearance.
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