Post by t-bob on Aug 10, 2022 12:04:27 GMT -5
On the Grill: Former President Donald Trump faces questioning today by the New York Attorney General as the investigation into his family business nears its end.
Of course, he’s not happy. He wrote on his Truth Social account, “In New York City tonight. Seeing racist N.Y.S. Attorney General tomorrow, for a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. history!” He said, “My great company, and myself, are being attacked from all sides. Banana Republic!”
Attorney General Letitia James and her lawyers are investigating whether Trump and his company inflated the value of his hotels, golf clubs, and other assets in order to obtain loans. Lawyers have already questioned Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr.
Republicans Object: Republican politicians are screaming “foul” after the FBI search of Donald Trump’s Florida home.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a rising power in the party, accused the Biden administration of “weaponizing” the Justice Department against a political opponent.
Ohio Rep. Mike Turner and the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, demanded “an immediate briefing” by FBI Director Christopher Wray “regarding the national security risk that allegedly rose to the level of ordering a raid on the residence of a former president.” Others also condemned the FBI and Justice Department action.
FBI agents searching at Mar-a-Lago were looking for classified documents Trump may have taken from The White House when he left. The law says all records must be left for preservation at the National Archives. Trump reluctantly returned 15 boxes in January, but evidently there were more.
Andrew McCarthy theorizes in The New York Post, a pro-Trump publication, that, “The Justice Department obviously used the storage of what may be classified information as a pretext to obtain a warrant so it could search for what it is really looking for: evidence that would tie Trump to a Capitol riot offense – either a violent crime, such as seditious conspiracy to forcibly attack a government installation (which is highly unlikely), or a non-violent crime, such as conspiracy to obstruct the January 6 joint session of Congress to count electoral votes, or conspiracy to defraud the government.”
The War Zone: In fighting around a Ukrainian nuclear power plant that’s become a Russian fortress, a missile barrage killed at least 13 Ukrainian civilians and wounded 11 others. The Russians are reported to have fired 80 Grad rockets on a residential neighborhood and administrative buildings leaving 1,000 people without gas.
In another action, one person was killed and others were injured when large explosions rocked the area of a Russian military airbase in the annexed Crimean peninsula. The Russian defense ministry said the blasts were caused by detonated aviation ammunition. They didn’t make clear whether it was an accident, or the result of a Ukrainian attack.
Meanwhile, Russia has taken control of the internet in occupied territories, The NY Times reports. The Russians have blocked access to Ukrainian news sites as well as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. All internet traffic in those areas is being routed through Russian web hubs. Ukrainians in occupied areas are now cut off from any independent news as well as normal social connections with the outside.
Net Ball: Tennis star Serena Williams says she plans to retire from professional sport after the US Open. Williams is about to turn 41 and said she wants another child. She has one daughter and won a title while pregnant.
Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most for players both male and female. She was just 17 when she won her first at the US Open in 1999. She said in her announcement on the Vogue website, “I’ve been reluctant to admit that I have to move on from playing tennis. It’s like a taboo topic. It comes up, and I start to cry.”
The Obit Page: Judith Durham, the lead vocalist of the 1960s Australian band The Seekers, whose soprano voice rang out the hit singles “Georgy Girl” and “I’ll Never Find Another You,” has died in Melbourne. She was 79. --- Lamont Dozier, the songwriter crucial to driving the 1960 hits of Motown Records as part of the Holland-Dozier-Holland writing and production team, has died at 81. Together, the trio created as many as 80 hits that reached the top 40. They include Martha and the Vandellas (“Heat Wave,” “Jimmy Mack”), the Four Tops (“Bernadette,” “I Can’t Help Myself”) and the Supremes (“You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Baby Love”).
The Spin Rack: A Massachusetts truck driver who killed seven motorcyclists in a 2019 collision after taking heroin, fentanyl and cocaine was acquitted of manslaughter by a jury that took three hours to deliberate. Lawyers for Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 26, argued that the lead biker, Albert “Woody” Mazza Jr., was drunk and lost control of his motorcycle, sliding in front of Zhukovskyy’s truck. --- Three weeks after their marriage and just days after the end of their honeymoon, actor Ben Affleck and singing star Jennifer Lopez announced that they are spending less time together. According to Hollywood Life, they say they believe separating for periods will strengthen their bond.
Of course, he’s not happy. He wrote on his Truth Social account, “In New York City tonight. Seeing racist N.Y.S. Attorney General tomorrow, for a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in U.S. history!” He said, “My great company, and myself, are being attacked from all sides. Banana Republic!”
Attorney General Letitia James and her lawyers are investigating whether Trump and his company inflated the value of his hotels, golf clubs, and other assets in order to obtain loans. Lawyers have already questioned Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr.
Republicans Object: Republican politicians are screaming “foul” after the FBI search of Donald Trump’s Florida home.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a rising power in the party, accused the Biden administration of “weaponizing” the Justice Department against a political opponent.
Ohio Rep. Mike Turner and the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, demanded “an immediate briefing” by FBI Director Christopher Wray “regarding the national security risk that allegedly rose to the level of ordering a raid on the residence of a former president.” Others also condemned the FBI and Justice Department action.
FBI agents searching at Mar-a-Lago were looking for classified documents Trump may have taken from The White House when he left. The law says all records must be left for preservation at the National Archives. Trump reluctantly returned 15 boxes in January, but evidently there were more.
Andrew McCarthy theorizes in The New York Post, a pro-Trump publication, that, “The Justice Department obviously used the storage of what may be classified information as a pretext to obtain a warrant so it could search for what it is really looking for: evidence that would tie Trump to a Capitol riot offense – either a violent crime, such as seditious conspiracy to forcibly attack a government installation (which is highly unlikely), or a non-violent crime, such as conspiracy to obstruct the January 6 joint session of Congress to count electoral votes, or conspiracy to defraud the government.”
The War Zone: In fighting around a Ukrainian nuclear power plant that’s become a Russian fortress, a missile barrage killed at least 13 Ukrainian civilians and wounded 11 others. The Russians are reported to have fired 80 Grad rockets on a residential neighborhood and administrative buildings leaving 1,000 people without gas.
In another action, one person was killed and others were injured when large explosions rocked the area of a Russian military airbase in the annexed Crimean peninsula. The Russian defense ministry said the blasts were caused by detonated aviation ammunition. They didn’t make clear whether it was an accident, or the result of a Ukrainian attack.
Meanwhile, Russia has taken control of the internet in occupied territories, The NY Times reports. The Russians have blocked access to Ukrainian news sites as well as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. All internet traffic in those areas is being routed through Russian web hubs. Ukrainians in occupied areas are now cut off from any independent news as well as normal social connections with the outside.
Net Ball: Tennis star Serena Williams says she plans to retire from professional sport after the US Open. Williams is about to turn 41 and said she wants another child. She has one daughter and won a title while pregnant.
Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most for players both male and female. She was just 17 when she won her first at the US Open in 1999. She said in her announcement on the Vogue website, “I’ve been reluctant to admit that I have to move on from playing tennis. It’s like a taboo topic. It comes up, and I start to cry.”
The Obit Page: Judith Durham, the lead vocalist of the 1960s Australian band The Seekers, whose soprano voice rang out the hit singles “Georgy Girl” and “I’ll Never Find Another You,” has died in Melbourne. She was 79. --- Lamont Dozier, the songwriter crucial to driving the 1960 hits of Motown Records as part of the Holland-Dozier-Holland writing and production team, has died at 81. Together, the trio created as many as 80 hits that reached the top 40. They include Martha and the Vandellas (“Heat Wave,” “Jimmy Mack”), the Four Tops (“Bernadette,” “I Can’t Help Myself”) and the Supremes (“You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Baby Love”).
The Spin Rack: A Massachusetts truck driver who killed seven motorcyclists in a 2019 collision after taking heroin, fentanyl and cocaine was acquitted of manslaughter by a jury that took three hours to deliberate. Lawyers for Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 26, argued that the lead biker, Albert “Woody” Mazza Jr., was drunk and lost control of his motorcycle, sliding in front of Zhukovskyy’s truck. --- Three weeks after their marriage and just days after the end of their honeymoon, actor Ben Affleck and singing star Jennifer Lopez announced that they are spending less time together. According to Hollywood Life, they say they believe separating for periods will strengthen their bond.