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Trump and Teddy Roosevelt: Lost in the Badlands

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Judge Orders Release of $5.8 Million Trump Owes E. Jean Carroll

The New Republic

2 hours ago

Judge Orders Release of $5.8 Million Trump Owes E. Jean Carroll

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the release of the $5.8 million that President Trump owes E. Jean Carroll. After the Supreme Court declined last week to hear Trump’s appeal of Carroll’s successful defamation case against him, the president has made excuses and tried to get out of paying her. Trump has already provided the money through a fund set up during the appeals process. However, the interest has grown since then, raising the total sum past the initial $5 million verdict. Shortly after Judge Lewis Kaplan issued his ruling, Trump appealed the decision.In 2023, a jury found that Trump sexually abused Carroll in 1996 in a Manhattan department store, and defamed her after she went public with her story. The jury ordered $5 million in damages, and Trump put the sum, plus interest, in a court-controlled account shortly after losing the case. Still, Trump insisted that he didn’t know Carroll and accused her of political and financial motives, and continued to defame her by claiming she fabricated her story. That repeated defamation resulted in another lawsuit that Trump lost, with a jury awarding Carroll $88.3 million.Carroll is still awaiting payment from a man notorious for many years for not paying his bills. He’s pulling out all of the stops to avoid paying funds that he already deposited, and that are a tiny fraction of his net worth thanks to his successful efforts to use the presidency to enrich himself. Trump can’t admit when he’s lost, whether in court or at the ballot box, and he likes to hoard his ill-gotten gains. This story has been updated.

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Old Trump trick may help him get away with stiffing E. Jean Carroll

Alternet.org

2 hours ago

Old Trump trick may help him get away with stiffing E. Jean Carroll

Even though President Donald Trump has been ordered to pay more than $5 million to E. Jean Carroll, the woman he was found liable for sexually abusing in 1996, the Republican politician is using an old trick — filing frivolous litigation — to try to wriggle out of his legal responsibilities.After U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan denied President Donald Trump's latest legal filing to delay paying E. Jean Carroll, “Trump's attorneys filed a notice of appeal, previewing an effort to stop the $5.77 million disbursement by pleading with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit,” wrote Law and Crime’s Colin Kalmbacher on Wednesday. He explained that Trump has technically exhausted his legal options, having gone through the lower courts all the way up to the Supreme Court, but is prolonging the action in the hope he can delay paying what he owes Carroll.“In a memo for the plaintiff, Kaplan argued the high court's denial of Trump's petition for a writ of certiorari was ‘a final outcome that, as the Parties agreed and this Court expressly ordered, entitles Carroll to 'collect any moneys owed by Defendant to Plaintiff,’” Kalmbacher wrote. “Not so, says Trump in his Tuesday filing.”Kalmbacher explained that “to hear Trump tell it, Carroll's request to disburse the funds misreads a three-pronged section of the stipulation agreement as a disjunctive series of events, wherein one condition being met will allow the defamation verdict award to be unlocked and paid out.” In order to get around that, Trump is arguing that Carroll can only access the more than $5 million owed to her after “the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issues a mandate, the Supreme Court declines the case, and the Supreme Court issues a final order, according to Trump. And, though all of those events occurred, Trump quickly filed a petition for rehearing with the nine justices.”He continued, “Adding a further wrinkle, Trump's petition for rehearing refers to another case between himself and Carroll — and could very well form the basis for the nation's high court to eventually reconsider.”In her lawsuits against Trump, Carroll argued that he defamed her by denying an incident in which he sexually abused her inside a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in 1996. Trump has since tried to discredit Carroll and her lawyer by claiming she knowingly misrepresented that her legal fees were being covered by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Notably, he has never alleged that Carroll perjured herself by saying that Trump sexually forced himself on her in the dressing room."But here's the thing: you notice how they're not going after her about the substantive testimony she provided about the sexual assault that she was victimized by Trump, right?" prominent lawyer Katie Phang recently observed. "They're not going after that. They're not going after the underlying facts of what she has alleged happened to her at the hands of Donald Trump. That is the tell."

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With Iran ceasefire "over," Trump shifts to battle for Hormuz

Axios

3 hours ago

With Iran ceasefire "over," Trump shifts to battle for Hormuz

The White House is preparing for what could become a multi-day or even multi-week exchange of fire with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.The length and severity of the new campaign hinge entirely on Tehran's next moves, U.S. officials tell Axios.Why it matters: A war that began with the goal of degrading Iran's missile capabilities and destroying what remained of its nuclear program has evolved into an open-ended fight over the world's most important energy chokepoint.A U.S. official said the current escalation could last a day or two, a week or a month, depending on whether Iran continues its attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz."We're going to slap them a bit so they understand we're not f*cking around," the U.S. official said.Driving the news: Diplomacy has stalled for now, and military pressure is back at the center of President Trump's strategy.Trump said Wednesday the 60-day ceasefire outlined in the memorandum of understanding (MOU) was "over" after an exchange of fire triggered by Iranian attacks on commercial ships.The U.S. then launched a second round of strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, including attacks on infrastructure targets inside Iran for the first time in months.Iran retaliated with attacks on U.S. bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, while insisting it would not back down from its claim to control the strait.Shortly after, Trump signaled the U.S. was ready to de-escalate, telling reporters on Air Force One that Iranian officials had "called a little while ago" and "want to make a deal."It was unclear what call Trump was referring to, and Iranian officials did not immediately confirm any direct outreach."I just don't know if they're worthy of making a deal. I don't know that they're going to do honor the deal," Trump added. "They're sort of crazy, to be honest."The other side: Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, accused the U.S. of "bullying and breaking promises" and warned that the strait would only reopen on Tehran's terms."If you strike, you'll get hit," Ghalibaf wrote on X. "The Strait of Hormuz will only open with 'Iranian arrangements,' not American threats."The big picture: Reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restoring freedom of navigation for commercial ships has become a central goal for the Trump administration, mainly to stabilize global energy markets.For Iran, maintaining control over the strait has become a key objective in any deal to end the war.The issue was a central provision in the U.S.-Iran MOU, and conflicting interpretations of the strait clauses are now causing the deal to unravel.The MOU requires Iran to allow safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz. But soon after it was signed, Iranian officials accused the U.S. of violating the deal by routing ships through a southern lane near the Omani coast without Tehran's approval.Between the lines: U.S. officials say the White House believes it has more room to escalate because hundreds of oil tankers have managed to leave the Gulf through the strait in recent weeks.That has eased concerns inside the administration that a renewed clash would immediately trigger a major oil price spike, the officials said.Behind the scenes: A U.S. official claimed the current escalation stems from frustration among more radical elements inside Iran's fractured leadership who believe the MOU has not delivered real benefits for Tehran.Iran saw its leverage in Hormuz slipping as hundreds of ships transited through the southern route close to the Omani coast, the official said.Despite U.S. sanctions waivers, Iran struggled to sell oil because financial institutions would not approve transactions and countries were reluctant to rely on temporary waivers.No Iranian frozen funds have been released because Iran has not yet taken nuclear steps required by the agreement.The framework agreement the U.S. brokered between Israel and Lebanon made the Lebanon portion of the MOU unnecessary, the official said.What to watch: "Part of the Iranian leadership was not happy about all of those things," the U.S. official said."They started shooting and we decided it's time to slap them back hard. It's a process. We have patience. If we don't feel we're getting the deal we want, we are not going to do it."The bottom line: Vice President Vance said Wednesday the U.S. position is simple: the Strait of Hormuz must remain open."If they try to close it down, there's going to be a response from the American military," Vance said."They can either follow it, or they can have exactly what happened to them last night. It's just going to keep on happening until they open up that lane and stop shooting at ships."

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U.S. announces new strikes on Iran as Trump declares the ceasefire over

Politics - CBSNews.com

3 hours ago

U.S. announces new strikes on Iran as Trump declares the ceasefire over

The U.S. military announced new strikes against Iran on Wednesday, marking the second straight night of fighting and the worst escalation since talks began to end the war. President Trump also escalated his rhetoric, declaring the ceasefire over. Ed O'Keefe reports.

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US military resumes Iran strikes as Trump ramps up rhetoric

The Hill News

3 hours ago

US military resumes Iran strikes as Trump ramps up rhetoric

The U.S. military resumed strikes against Iran on Wednesday, aiming to further decimate its ability to disrupt maritime traffic, hours after President Trump threatened to unleash a “big attack” on the country. “At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their…

Center

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Trump Admin Launches Probe Into H-1B Visa Fraudsters Stealing Jobs From Americans

The Federalist

3 hours ago

Trump Admin Launches Probe Into H-1B Visa Fraudsters Stealing Jobs From Americans

The invesitgation aims to further President Trump's goal to end foreign violence on American soil and return jobs to the American people.

Far Right

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Clip of Trump's blunder-filled summit unsettles MS NOW: 'Something deeply wrong with him'

Raw Story

4 hours ago

Clip of Trump's blunder-filled summit unsettles MS NOW: 'Something deeply wrong with him'

MS NOW's Nicolle Wallace opened her show Wednesday by rattling off what President Donald Trump had just told the world — the Iran ceasefire is over, all trade with Spain is cut off, and, in her recounting, "Japan is now apparently an Islamic republic."She was reacting to Trump's rounds of news conferences at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where the president mixed up Iran and Japan, claiming "111 missiles" had been fired at a U.S. aircraft carrier by the "Islamic Republic of Japan." Moments earlier, seated beside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump had gestured to him and asked reporters if they had a question for "President Putin." He also called TikTok "tic tac," branded Iran's leaders "scum," and declared the ceasefire over.Wallace was briefly left speechless as she played the clip, then unloaded with a withering verdict dripping in sarcasm."Marco Rubio is going to have to start standing next to him and translating. But unsurprisingly, Donald Trump's incomprehensible, unhinged, embarrassing, uninformed, me, me, me display there in his approach to geopolitics has had an effect. It appears to have finally exasperated and exhausted European leaders' patience," she said.Her guests went further.Michael McFaul, the former U.S. ambassador to Russia, said such moments would once have been treated as international crises but now draw a shrug. Atlantic staff writer Tom Nichols, a professor emeritus at the Naval War College, offered the bleakest read."It's almost like we have a relative in the room, and there's something deeply wrong with him, and we've all agreed to not talk about it," Nichols said. "But there is something deeply wrong with him. His friends know it. His critics know it. His staff, I'm sure, knows it. The world knows it. World leaders know it. And most importantly, our enemies know it, which is why they don't take him seriously." Nichols argued the real danger wasn't the viral gaffes, but that Trump made claims about an active war no one could parse. Wallace tied it to a broader shift, citing New York Times reporting that European leaders have decided to stop humoring the president and push back.

Far Left

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Iran hit by round of U.S. strikes after Trump gives ‘mixed messaging’ on scope of military conflict

NBC News Politics

5 hours ago

Iran hit by round of U.S. strikes after Trump gives ‘mixed messaging’ on scope of military conflict

The U.S. military launches new strikes against Iran after President Trump suggested the ceasefire is “over." NBC News' Monica Alba, Brian Cheung, Courtney Kube and “Cosmopolitics” podcast host Elise Labott join Meet the Press NOW to discuss the state of the war.

Center Left

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Trump and Teddy Roosevelt: Lost in the Badlands

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Trump and Teddy Roosevelt: Lost in the Badlands

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