Author: Reporter

“F” for felony: How Trump’s strategy of lies, denial, and attack could hurt him at sentencing

Donald Trump has had plenty to say since his hush money trial conviction in New York. He has claimed the case was rigged, incorrectly linked President Joe Biden to the state prosecution, called the star witness against him a “sleazebag” and said the judge was a “devil” and “highly conflicted.” What he hasn’t done is utter any variation of the words that might benefit him most come sentencing time next month: “I’m sorry.” It is a truism of the criminal justice system that defendants hoping for lenient treatment at their sentencing are expected to take responsibility for their actions,...

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Guilty Verdict: Trump’s criminal conviction prompts election-year strategic debate among Democrats

Inside his Delaware headquarters, President Joe Biden’s campaign is signaling it will incorporate Donald Trump’s recent felony conviction as a core element of the Democratic incumbent’s reelection message. But in nearby battleground Pennsylvania, a state that could decide control of Congress and the presidency this fall, Democrats are far from certain that Trump’s criminal record matters to voters at all. “It’ll have an effect, but a fairly small effect,” former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said of Trump’s recent 34 felony convictions in the New York hush money case. “I don’t think we can count on it. We’ve got to...

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Flag Day: How the American holiday celebrating an enduring national symbol was born in Wisconsin

Each June, the people of Waubeka venerate perhaps the nation’s most enduring symbol, celebrating Flag Day, a holiday that escapes the notice of many Americans. But this unincorporated Wisconsin town about 35 miles north of Milwaukee takes the day seriously. After all, it lays claim to being the birthplace of Flag Day, thanks to a tenacious teacher in a one-room schoolhouse. Here are some things to know about the obscure flag-waving holiday. WHAT IS FLAG DAY? Flag Day commemorates June 14, 1777, when the Continental Congress determined the composition of the nation’s banner: “Resolved, That the flag of the...

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Survivors of Sandy Hook shooting have mixed emotions about graduating without their classmates

Like graduating seniors everywhere, members of Newtown High School’s class of 2024 expect bittersweet feelings at their commencement ceremony, excitement about heading off to college or careers and sadness about leaving their friends and community. But about 60 of the 330 kids graduating on June 12 will also be carrying the emotional burden that comes from having survived one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history and knowing many former classmates will not get to walk across the stage with them. Twenty of their fellow first graders and six educators were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on...

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Infowars assets could be liquidated to pay part of $1.5B restitution Alex Jones owes Sandy Hood families

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is seeking court permission to convert his personal bankruptcy reorganization to a liquidation, which would lead to a sell-off of a large portion of his assets to help pay some of the $1.5 billion he owes relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Jones and his media company, Free Speech Systems, both filed for bankruptcy reorganization after the Sandy Hook families won lawsuits against him for his repeatedly calling the 2012 shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut, a hoax on his Infowars programs. But Jones and...

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K-pop and trash balloons: Bizarre psychological warfare raises tensions between both Koreas

Mammoth South Korean loudspeakers blaring BTS music. Large North Korean balloons carrying manure, cigarette butts and waste batteries. Small South Korean civilian leaflets slamming North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Day after day, the Cold War-style yet bizarre campaigns continue at the heavily fortified border of the rivals who have not had any serious talks for years. “At this point, both Koreas are trying to pressure and deter each other with politically symbolic actions,” Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said. “The problem is that neither side wants to be seen as backing down, and tensions...

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