New York AG pushes back on Trump's 'extraordinary' request to stay $464M fraud judgment

March 20, 2024, 3:00 PM ET

Trump's lawyers say he is unable to secure a bond for the judgment.

Trump's attorneys claim 'difficulties' in securing bond for civil penaltiesFormer President Donald Trump is facing "insurmountable difficulties" in obtaining a bond to satisfy the $464 million civil fraud judgment, his attorneys said in appellate court filing.Bebeto Matthews/AP

New York Attorney General Letitia James is pushing back on Donald Trump's "extraordinary" request for a stay of his $464 million civil fraud judgment, arguing theformer president's recent request was unreliable, procedurally improper and based on a flawed premise. (How would she know that?)

"There is nothing unusual about even billion-dollar judgments being fully bonded on appeal," Senior Assistant Solicitor General Dennis Fan said in a filing this morning. "Defendants object to a possible 'fire sale' if they were to sell assets to generate cash to use as collateral for a bond or as a deposit —but the alternative would be to shift the risk of executing on defendants' illiquid assets to OAG."

Earlier this week, Trump's lawyers argued that the former president is unable to secure a bond for the judgment – having been rejected by over 30 insurance companies – due to its size and his need to post properties as collateral.

The AG argued that the former president has failed to demonstrate his effort to secure a bond using properties as collateral, suggesting the issue is a product of Trump's doing because his "holdings are not nearly as valuable as defendants claim."

"Defendants supply no documentary evidence that demonstrates precisely what real property they offered to sureties, on what terms that property was offered, or precisely why the sureties were unwilling to accept the assets," the filing said. "As far as the Court can infer, sureties may have refused to accept defendants' specific holdings as collateral because using Mr. Trump's real estate will generally need 'a property appraisal' … and his holdings are not nearly as valuable as defendants claim."

If Trump is unable to secure a single bond for the $464 million judgment, James said the former president could attempt to secure multiple smaller bonds – "$100 or $200 million apiece" – or consent to have his real-estate interests held by the Supreme Court to satisfy the judgment.

"The use of real estate as collateral for an appeal bond is hardly impossible as a general matter," the filing said.

In response to the filing, Trump's attorney Chris Kise described the AG's move as a "brazen abuse of power."

"The Attorney General's latest filing demonstrates her continued willingness to misrepresent the facts and misconstrue applicable law in her political crusade against President Trump. Today's missive does not even bother to cite New York case law," Kise said. "The Attorney General also includes a baseless, malicious, and defamatory assault on an individual who had no role in any of the transactions or matters at issue. This brazen abuse of power will continue until some judicial officer musters the courage to say 'enough.' Until then, the damage to the New York business community and to the rule of law is irretrievable."

The AG's filing criticized Trump's attempt to introduce two affirmations from both Trump Organization General Counsel Alan Garten — who James alleged was "personally involved in the fraudulent and illegal conduct that gave rise to the judgment in this case" – and Trump's broker Gary Giulietti. James characterized the two affirmations as "unreliable."

"The affirmation from Gary Giulietti does not disclose that he was an expert witness for defendants at trial or that Supreme Court found Mr. Giulietti's trial testimony to lack credibility," the filing said. "Moreover, Mr. Giulietti has a 'personal financial interest in the outcome of the case,' because his company earns commission from the Trump Organization, including $1.2 million in 2022."

A spokesperson for the Trump Organization described the Attorney General's claims about the Garten affirmation as "reckless, unethical and sanctionable."

"The Court made no such finding. The AG's gross misstatement is reckless, unethical and sanctionable," the spokesperson told ABC News.…

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/new-york-ag-pushes-back-trumps-extraordinary-request/story?id=108309706

(I hope she knows there is a place called hell, and the lake of Sacred fire for the second death. Extinquished forever.)

==US reportedly considering plea deal offer for Julian Assange

But lawyers for WikiLeaks founder say they have been ‘given no indication’ Washington will change approach in espionage case==

Julian Borger

A black-and-white print-out image of a white man, with the American flag superimposed over his mouth, and a woman blurred in the background holding a protest sign.

The US government is reported to be considering a plea deal offer to Julian Assange, allowing him to admit to a misdemeanor, but his lawyers say they have been “given no indication” Washington intends to change its approach.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the US justice department was looking at ways to cut short the long London court battle of the WikiLeaks founder against extradition to the US on espionage charges for the publication 14 years ago of thousands of classified US documents related to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

The report said a plan under consideration would be to drop the current 18 charges under the Espionage Act, if Assange pleaded guilty to mishandling classified documents, a misdemeanor offence. Assange would be able to enter the plea remotely from London and would likely be free soon after the deal was agreed to, as he has already spent five years in custody in the UK.

However, Assange’s legal team said they were not aware of any change in the prosecution strategy.

One of Assange’s defence attorneys, Barry Pollack, said in a statement: “It is inappropriate for Mr Assange’s lawyers to comment while his case is before the UK high court other than to say we have been given no indication that the Department of Justice intends to resolve the case and the United States is continuing with as much determination as ever to seek his extradition on all 18 charges, exposing him to 175 years in prison.”

The high court is expected to decide in the next few weeks whether to grant Assange a further right to appeal his extradition. Assange, who is being held in the high-security Belmarsh prison, was said to be too ill to go to the Royal Courts of Justice to attend the most recent hearing there last month.

If the two judges rule against him, he will have exhausted all UK options to challenge the extradition, and the sole remaining avenue open to him would be the European court of human rights, which could order the UK not to go ahead with the extradition until the court has heard the case. If that fails, Assange could be taken to the US within a few days.

Assange’s extradition would be politically difficult for the Biden administration, particularly in an election year. The previous Democratic administration, under Barack Obama, ultimately decided not to charge Assange because of fears that doing so would infringe first amendment rights guaranteeing freedom of the press.

In 2019, the Trump administration pressed ahead with charges under the 1917 Espionage Act, seeking to differentiate conventional journalism from Assange’s actions, which provided a platform for the publication of leaked secret documents, and which prosecutors allege he knew would put lives in jeopardy.

In a hearing on Assange’s permission to appeal in February, his defence lawyers argued he could be targeted by US state agencies for “extra-legal attack elimination” if he were extradited, particularly given “the real possibility of a return of a Trump administration”.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/mar/20/julian-assange-wikileaks-plea-deal

EPA issues landmark rules to curb auto emissions, bolster EVsFO

The EPA has finalized the rules limiting auto tailpipe emissions from cars, SUVs and pickups, as part of a push to accelerate the U.S. transition to electric vehicles.

Why it matters: Transportation is the largest source of domestic greenhouse gas emissions, with light duty vehicles being the largest source within this category.

Driving the news:The new rules follow a proposal issued in April, and come as challenges to Biden administration auto standards are already underway. They set emissions rules for light-duty vehicles including cars, SUVs and light trucks for model years 2027-2032

In some ways, it is less stringent than the initial plan.

Biden administration officials told reporters the final rules provide more flexibility, including a slower ratcheting up of emissions limits, but gets to the same end goal as the proposal after feedback the EPA received to the proposed rules.

Between the lines: The rules do not mandate that automakers transition their fleets over to sell more EVs by a certain date. But with tighter emissions curbs, manufacturers are likely to favor more EVs to comply with the rules.

The new rule allows manufacturers to include hybrid EVs and plug-in hybrids for meeting the requirements, in addition to battery-powered EVs.

A fact sheet given to reporters shows that during 2030-2032 manufacturing years, carmakers may choose to produce 30% to 56% of new light duty vehicle sales as battery electric vehicles, with the rest consisting of a mix of other clean vehicle technologies.

The rule would still allow for the production and sale of gasoline-powered vehicles.

By the numbers: The original proposal did not include plug-in hybrids, and would have allowed carmakers to produce up to 67% of the light and medium-duty vehicle fleets during the 2030-2032 period as battery electric cars.

In finalizing the rule, EPA and the White House are touting the health and climate benefits.

The agency calculates that over its lifetime, the regulations would cut 7 billion tons of U.S. carbon emissions, equivalent to a year's worth, from all sources.

It would also provide $100 billion of annual net benefits to society, including $13 billion in annual health benefits, EPA determined.

Estimates show that consumers would save money by buying a new vehicle based on lower maintenance costs and avoided gas purchases.

Yes, but: The rule comes as EV sales growth appears to have slowed, with consumers opting for cheaper hybrids and plug-in models.

Zoom out: It also lands in the midst of a presidential campaign in which EVs have become a contested issue, with former President Donald Trump's campaign criticizing a Biden EV "mandate."

In general, opponents of the rule portray it as restricting consumer choice to vehicles the public does not want to buy.

The rule, a centerpiece of the Biden administration's climate goals, is likely to be immediately challenged in Congress, and end up in litigation.

What they're saying: "Moderating the pace of EV adoption in 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030 was the right call because it prioritizes more reasonable electrification targets in the next few (very critical) years of the EV transition," said John Bozzella, President and CEO, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, in a statement.

"These adjusted EV targets – still a stretch goal – should give the market and supply chains a chance to catch up," he said.

"It buys some time for more public charging to come online, and the industrial incentives and policies of the Inflation Reduction Act to do their thing."

National climate advisor Ali Zaidi touted increasing customer choices when it comes to lower emissions vehicles. "From plug-in hybrids to fuel cells to fully electric, drivers have more choices today," he said in a statement.

"Since 2021, sales of these vehicles have quadrupled and prices continue to come down. This growth means jobs, and it means we are moving faster and faster to take on the climate crisis."

What's next: In the next few weeks, the Department of Transportation is expected to finalize new emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles such as buses and freight-carrying trucks.

https://www.axios.com/2024/03/20/epa-emissions-electric-vehicles

Lankford, post border battle, launches Senate GOP leadership bid(are you kidding?)

Al Weaver

Wed, March 20, 2024 at 11:28 AM EDT

Sen. James Lankford (Okla.), the Republican who helped write a compromise border security bill later tanked by former President Trump and other members of his party, announced Wednesday he will run for the No. 5 spot in Republican leadership.

Lankford, who has served in the upper chamber for nearly a decade, will run to become the Senate GOP conference’s vice chair, a post that is being vacated by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.). Capito is running to move up a spot to become the Senate GOP policy chair.

“The Senate Republican Conference Vice Chair plays a vital role in serving Republican Senators and their staff as they communicate the conservative policy ideas that make our nation stronger,” Lankford said in a statement. “As Senators, we were elected to do hard things and to solve problems by doing the right thing, the right way. It is my desire to serve our Conference in every way I can as we work together to solve the challenges our nation faces.”

“I will personally ask each of my colleagues for their support in the days ahead and look forward to discussing with them ways we can work together to serve the nation,” he added.

The news comes more than a month after Lankford’s made his most prominent foray into the public sphere by negotiating the bipartisan border security package alongside Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.). The bill died a very quick death after conservatives in the upper chamber backed by Trump, now the presumptive GOP nominee for president, rallied against it hours after it was released.

However, Lankford has remained in good standing with the conference and is the only member of the conference to announce a bid for the post.

His announcement also means all five leadership positions have candidates.

Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) are running to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) atop the conference; Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) is in pole position to become the GOP whip; and Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) are seeking to become the Senate GOP conference chair, the No. 3 position.(all the traitors to America)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/lankford-post-border-battle-launches-152829141.html

Bannon To Soft Republicans: "When Are You Gonna Start Dominating The Conversation"

6:36

https://rumble.com/embed/v4hw72c/?pub=4

Bannon: "Joe Biden And His Family Are A Bunch Of Low Life Scum"Ample evidence to move to impeachment.

28:58

https://rumble.com/embed/v4hwh9u/?pub=4