Daily Archives: December 22, 2023

The U.S. Supreme Court rejects special counsel Jack Smiths request to fast-track a ruling on whether presidential immunity protects former President Donald Trump from being prosecuted for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, likely delaying the federal trial. One day after Donald Trumps former lawyer Rudy Giuliani filed for bankruptcy in an effort to shield himself from a jurys verdict that he must pay two Georgia election workers $148 million for his false claims about them, other lawsuits against the former New York mayor continue to push forward. Heres the latest on the legal cases facing those who sought to overturn the election.

Supreme Court rejects Jack Smiths request to quickly rule on presidential immunity question

Key players: United States Supreme Court, special counsel Jack Smith, JudgeTanya Chutkan

On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request by Smith to fast-track a decision on whether presidential immunity protected Trump from prosecution in the case that alleges he defrauded the United States with his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, the Associated Press reported.

The courts decision not to immediately rule on that question puts the March 4 start date for Trumps federal trial in jeopardy.

The justices did not offer reasons for rejecting Smiths request.

Judge Chutkan, who ruled Trump was not protected by presidential immunity in the case, had paused the trial proceedings until the appeals process played out.

The issue is already being reviewed by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, with oral arguments scheduled for Jan. 9, but Smith sought to speed things along by making his risky request to the high court.

In his request, Smith noted that an appeal of the D.C. Circuits ruling might not reach the Supreme Court before its summer recess.

Trumps lawyers had asked the court to slow down the process.

Why it matters: Trump has been working to delay the start of the criminal and civil trials he faces until after the 2024 presidential elections. A Yahoo News/YouGov poll released this week offers one reason why: If convicted of a serious crime, Trumps support with voters would plummet.

Dominion, Smartmatic and others press ahead with lawsuits against Giuliani

Key players: Former Trump lawyerRudy Giuliani, Georgia election workers RubyFreeman and Shaye Moss, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, voting machine manufacturer Dominion, voting technology company Smartmatic, Hunter Biden,attorneyRobert Costello,bankruptcy expert Eric Snyder

When Giuliani filed for bankruptcy Wednesday in the wake of a jurys verdict that he was required to pay Freeman and Moss $148 million for his false claims that they had manipulated votes in the 2020 election in Georgia, he listed up to $500 million in liabilities and only between $1 and $10 in assets.

As Business Insider notes, those liabilities include the amounts being sought from the former New York mayor in lawsuits brought by Smartmatic, Dominion, the presidents son Hunter and others.

Dominions effort to hold Rudy Giuliani accountable will move forward, a company spokesperson told Business Insider regarding the lawsuit that seeks damages of more than $1.3 billion.

Smartmatic is suing Giuliani and Fox News for $2.7 billion for their false election claims.

Hunter Biden is suing Giuliani for an unspecified amount for allegedly hacking into his digital devices.

Costello is suing Giuliani for $1.4 million in unpaid legal bills.

After Giuliani repeated his false claims against Moss and Freeman, the pair filed a second suit Monday against the former mayor.

While Giuliani may not have the financial resources to pay those who have sued him, bankruptcy will not shield him from paying what he does have, experts say, because he purposefully broke civil laws.

If you owe somebody money and you get a judgment, you can get rid of that in the bankruptcy, Snyder, chairman of the bankruptcy practice at Wilk Auslander, told Business Insider. But if the judgment comes from certain things like fraud, breach of your duties, intentional torts then you cant get rid of them.

Why it matters: As he heads into bankruptcy proceedings amid multiple civil lawsuits and a forthcoming criminal trial in Fulton County, Ga., Giulianis answers about his financial condition and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election will be under scrutiny even more than they already have been.

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A recording of a Nov. 17, 2020, telephone call surfaces in which former President Donald Trump is heard pressuring two Michigan officials not to certify his election loss to Joe Biden. Trumps former lawyer Rudy Giuliani files for bankruptcy one day after a federal judge ruled he must immediately pay two Georgia election workers the $148 million defamation judgment determined by a Washington jury. In paperwork filed Thursday with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York, Giuliani lists assets between $1 million and $10 million, and debts between $100 million and $500 million.

Captured on tape: Trump pressured Wayne County canvassers to withhold certification of 2020 election

Key players: RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Michigan Republican canvassersMonica Palmerand William Hartman, special counselJack Smith, former Michigan Democratic canvasser Jonathan Kinloch

The Detroit News obtained an audio recording of a Nov. 17, 2020, phone call in which Trump pressured Palmer and Hartman to withhold their signatures to an official document so as to block the certification of Bidens victory in the swing state.

Trump, according to the News, told the two they would look terrible if they signed the documents, despite the fact that they had already voted to certify the legitimate results.

McDaniel, a native of Michigan, told the two canvassers: If you can go home tonight, do not sign it. We will get you attorneys.

Trump added: Well take care of that.

Audio recordings of the conversation were made by someone present for the conversation between Trump, McDaniel, Palmer and Hartman, the News reported.

Neither Palmer nor Hartman went on to sign the document certifying Bidens victory.

As part of his case against Trump, Smith has focused on the former presidents efforts to erase his 154,000-vote defeat in Michigan.

Its just shocking that the president of the United States was at the most minute level trying to stop the election process from happening, Kinloch said when asked about the call.

Why it matters: Along with Trumps infamous phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which the former president asked Raffensperger to find enough votes to overturn his loss to Biden, the newly revealed recording with Michigan officials will help Smith establish Trumps direct involvement in what he alleges was a plot to defraud the United States.

Giuliani files for bankruptcy after judge orders immediate payment of $148 million defamation judgment

Key players: Former Trump lawyerRudy Giuliani, District Judge Beryl Howell, Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss

One day after Howell ordered Giuliani to immediately pay Moss and Freeman a $148 million defamation judgment stemming from his assertions that the two women had helped rig the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia, Giuliani filed for bankruptcy in New York, Reuters reported.

In paperwork submitted to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, Giuliani said he had assets of between $1 million and $10 million, but that he owed between $100 and $500 million, including the $148 million owed to Moss and Freeman.

Giulianis filing also lists Hunter Biden as a creditor, but did not specify the amount of money he owed the presidents son. Hunter Biden sued Giuliani in September for violating his privacy.

In Wednesdays ruling, Howell suggested Giuliani was not being truthful about his finances in an effort to avoid paying out the two election workers.

Such claims of Giuliani's financial difficulties no matter how many times repeated or publicly disseminated and duly reported in the media are difficult to square with the fact that Giuliani affords a spokesperson, who accompanied him daily to trial, Howell wrote.

On Monday, Moss and Freeman filed another lawsuit against Giuliani to keep him from repeating his election lies.

Why it matters: Giuliani still faces steep legal bills in Georgia, where he is charged with 11 felonies in the plot to overturn the 2020 election results. The jurys verdict, awarding Freeman and Moss $148 million after being defamed by Giuliani, is also one more example of the courts dismissing Trumps election falsehoods. Trump continues to promote those baseless claims and, in at least one case against him, plans to push them as a defense strategy.

Setting up an appeal before the highest court in the land, the Colorado Supreme Court issues a landmark ruling to remove former President Donald Trumps name from state ballots based on its reading of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Lawyers for Trump seek to block Northwestern University marketing professor Ashlee Humphreys from testifying in the second defamation lawsuit brought by columnist E. Jean Carroll. Days after winning a $148 million civil judgment against former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Shaye Moss file another lawsuit against him to keep him from repeating his false claims against them. Here is the latest legal news involving the man who hopes to win reelection to the White House in 2024.

Colorado Supreme Court blocks Trump from appearing on ballot

Key players: Colorado Supreme Court, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)

In a 4-3 ruling Tuesday, the court voted to remove Trump from presidential primary ballots, the Associated Press reported.

The decision was based on its reading of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which bars those who have engaged in insurrection from holding office.

A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, the ruling states.

But the court also stayed its ruling until Jan. 4, giving Trumps lawyers time to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme court in the case brought by CREW on behalf of Colorado voters.

A lower court judge had ruled that while Trump had engaged in an insurrection stemming from his actions to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss to Joe Biden, it was not clear that Section 3 applied to the presidency.

The Colorado Supreme court ruled that it did.

Other state courts are also hearing 14th Amendment challenges to Trumps inclusion on ballots.

Why it matters: The U.S. Supreme Courts ruling will ultimately settle the question of whether Trump is entitled to seek the presidency again following his actions leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol building.

Trump looks to block key witness from testifying

Key players: Former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll, Judge Lewis Kaplan, Trump lawyer Michael Madaio, Northwestern University marketing professor Ashlee Humphreys, former Trump lawyerRudy Giuliani, Georgia election workers Ruby Freemanand Wandrea Shaye Moss

In a court filing last week, Trumps lawyers asked Kaplan to exclude Humphreyss testimony from the second defamation case brought by Carroll, the Daily Beast reported.

In May, during the first civil case brought by Carroll, Humphreys testified about the financial damage Trumps alleged sexual assault and defamation had done to the writers reputation. A jury concluded that Trump had indeed sexually assaulted Carroll and awarded her $5 million.

Humphreys was also a witness in the defamation trial of Giuliani brought by Georgia election workers Freeman and Moss, testifying last week regarding damages. The jury in that case ordered Giuliani to pay Freeman and Moss $148 million.

In their filing last week, Trumps lawyers faulted the methodology used by Humphreys to calculate financial damages.

The damages estimations in her initial report are egregiously inflated (to the tune of millions of dollars), utilize methods which ascribe harm in an unreliable and incorrect manner; and do not accurately reflect the actual harm to plaintiffs reputation, Madaio wrote in the filing.

Following the first judgment, Trump again attacked Carrolls credibility, leading her to file another lawsuit. The second defamation trial is scheduled to begin on Jan. 15.

Why it matters: In two high-profile cases involving Trump, juries have been persuaded that Humphreyss estimates on damages are sound, and largely adhered to them in reaching the $5 million judgment against the former president.

Giuliani sued again by Georgia poll workers following $148 million judgment

Key players: Former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman andShaye Moss

Days after a Washington jury ordered Giuliani to pay Freeman and Moss $148 million in damages for defaming them with false claims about their role in the 2020 presidential election, the pair filed a new lawsuit Monday against the former New York mayor, Bloomberg reported, to keep him from repeating his false assertions.

Defendant Giulianis statements, coupled with his refusal to agree to refrain from continuing to make such statements, make clear that he intends to persist in his campaign of targeted defamation and harassment, the new lawsuit states. It must stop.

On Monday, Giuliani was interviewed on Newsmax, and was asked if he still believed his allegations that the two women manipulated votes that contributed to Trumps loss in Georgia.

If I showed you the evidence right now, and I think youve played it on your air, people would see that what I said was absolutely true, Giuliani responded.

Giuliani declined to testify during the case, despite earlier claims that he would present evidence that proved his claims. He has vowed to appeal last weeks verdict.

Why it matters: Like Trump in the E. Jean Carroll case, Giuliani has stood by his claims despite losing a defamation judgment, setting up follow-up lawsuits.

An appeals court on Monday rejects a bid by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to have his Georgia election interference case moved to federal court. Lawyers for former President Donald Trump go on the offensive Monday, issuing a filing with Georgia Judge Scott McAfee asking that the charges against the former president be dropped because they violate his core political speech. In the federal election interference case, meanwhile, Trumps lawyers ask an appeals court to reconsider their ruling last month that let stand a gag order that prohibits Trump from speaking about witnesses, prosecutors and courtroom staff, saying the ruling conflicts with decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court. Here are the latest legal developments involving the man who hopes to return to the White House in 2024.

Appeals court rejects Meadowss bid to move case to federal court

Key players: Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis

On Monday, a three-judge appeals court panel rejected an attempt by Meadows to have his case in Georgia moved to federal court, Reuters reported.

In their ruling the judges wrote that the events giving rise to this criminal action were not related to Meadows official duties.

Meadows, who had appealed a ruling by a district court that refused to allow him to move his case to federal court, has argued that he could not be tried in state court because the actions he undertook to overturn the 2020 election results were part of his official federal duties.

Willis has charged Meadows with two felonies: violation of the Georgia RICO Act and solicitation of violation of oath by public officer.

Why it matters: Mondays ruling affirms the lower courts decision and makes Meadowss chances of a successful appeal less likely.

Trump asks judge to dismiss invalid charges

Key players: JudgeScott McAfee, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, Trump attorneys Steve Sadow and Jennifer Little

In a filing on Monday, Trumps lawyers asked McAfee to dismiss the election interference charges against him because they violated his core political speech,the Guardian reported.

"Because the claim the 2020 election was rigged and stolen is protected by First Amendment when it is made in a public speech, it is equally protected by the First Amendment when it is made to government officials in an act of petitioning or advocacy," Sadown and Little wrote in the filing.

The First Amendment not only embraces but encourages Trumps request to Raffensberger to find enough votes to overcome PresidentBidens margin of victory, the filing states.

Willis has charged Trump with 13 felony counts for his role in a scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Why it matters: As with the attempt to have federal election interference charges dropped on grounds of presidential immunity, Trumps lawyers are seeking to use the First Amendment as a blanket protection from prosecution. McAfee will have to decide whether Trumps words in the Georgia case were simply expressing an opinion or were directing a conspiracy that violated state laws.

Trump asks federal appeals court to reconsider gag order decision

Key players: JudgeTanya Chutkan, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals

On Monday, Trumps lawyers asked a court of appeals panel to reconsider its decision to leave in place a partial gag order on the former president issued by Chutkan, or to allow arguments on the issue to be heard by the full court, CNN reported.

The 22-page filing states that the gag order imposed on Trump conflicts with decisions of the Supreme Court and other Circuits and therefore requires consideration from the full court.

Trumps lawyers also requested that the gag order be lifted until the court decides on the matter.

Last month, a three-judge court of appeals panel ruled unanimously that the bulk of Chutkans order barring Trump from talking about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and their family members could stand.

Why it matters: As Mondays filing shows, if at first Trumps lawyers dont succeed, they will try, try again. They have been successful in forcing Chutkan to pause the proceedings in the case while they pursue an appeal that argues that presidential immunity protects Trump from being prosecuted for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

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Trump legal news brief: Giuliani files for bankruptcy after judge rules he must immediately pay $148 million for election ... - Yahoo News

JERUSALEM (AP) The Israeli military campaign in Gaza, experts say, now sits among the deadliest and most destructive in recent history.

In just over two months, the offensive has wreaked more destruction than the razing of Syrias Aleppo between 2012 and 2016, Ukraines Mariupol or, proportionally, the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II. It has killed more civilians than the U.S.-led coalition did in its three-year campaign against the Islamic State group.

The Israeli military has said little about what kinds of bombs and artillery it is using in Gaza. But from blast fragments found on-site and analyses of strike footage, experts are confident that the vast majority of bombs dropped on the besieged enclave are U.S.-made. They say the weapons include 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bunker-busters that have killed hundreds in densely populated areas.

With the Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpassing 20,000, the international community is calling for a cease-fire. Israel vows to press ahead, saying it wants to destroy Hamas military capabilities following the militant groups Oct. 7 cross-border rampage that triggered the war, in which it killed 1,200 people and took 240 others hostage.

The Biden administration has quietly continued to supply arms to Israel. Last week, however, President Joe Biden publicly acknowledged that Israel was losing international legitimacy for what he called its indiscriminate bombing.

Heres a look at what is known so far about Israels campaign on Gaza.

HOW MUCH DESTRUCTION IS THERE IN GAZA?

Israels offensive has destroyed over two-thirds of all structures in northern Gaza and a quarter of buildings in the southern area of Khan Younis, according to an analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by Corey Scher of the CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University, experts in mapping damage during wartime.

The percentage of damaged buildings in the Khan Younis area nearly doubled in just the first two weeks of Israels southern offensive, they said.

That includes tens of thousands of homes as well as schools, hospitals, mosques and stores. U.N. monitors have said that about 70% of school buildings across Gaza have been damaged. At least 56 damaged schools served as shelters for displaced civilians. Israeli strikes damaged 110 mosques and three churches, the monitors said.

Israel holds Hamas responsible for civilian deaths by embedding militants in civilian infrastructure. Those sites also shelter multitudes of Palestinians who have fled under Israeli evacuation orders.

Gaza is now a different color from space. Its a different texture, said Scher, who has worked with Van Den Hoek to map destruction across several war zones, from Aleppo to Mariupol.

HOW DOES THE DESTRUCTION STACK UP HISTORICALLY?

By some measures, destruction in Gaza has outpaced Allied bombings of Germany during World War II.

Between 1942 and 1945, the allies attacked 51 major German cities and towns, destroying about 40-50% of their urban areas, said Robert Pape, a U.S. military historian. Pape said this amounted to 10% of buildings across Germany, compared to over 33% across Gaza, a densely populated territory of just 140 square miles (360 square kilometers).

Gaza is one of the most intense civilian punishment campaigns in history, said Pape. It now sits comfortably in the top quartile of the most devastating bombing campaigns ever.

The U.S.-led coalitions 2017 assault to expel the Islamic State group from the Iraqi city of Mosul was considered one of the most intense attacks on a city in generations. That nine-month battle killed around 10,000 civilians, a third of them from coalition bombardment, according an Associated Press investigation at the time.

During the 2014-2017 campaign to defeat IS in Iraq, the coalition carried out nearly 15,000 strikes across the country, according to Airwars, a London-based independent group that tracks recent conflicts. By comparison, the Israeli military said last week it has conducted 22,000 strikes in Gaza.

WHAT TYPES OF BOMBS ARE BEING USED?

The Israeli military has not specified what it is using. It says every strike is cleared by legal advisers to make sure it complies with international law.

We choose the right munition for each target so it doesnt cause unnecessary damage, said the armys chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

Weapons experts have been able to draw conclusions by analyzing blast fragments found on-site, satellite images and videos circulated on social media. They say the findings offer only a peek into the full scope of the air war.

So far, fragments of American-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) bombs and smaller diameter bombs have been found in Gaza, according to Brian Castner, a weapons investigator with Amnesty International.

The JDAM bombs include precision-guided 1,000- and 2,000-pound (450-kilogram and 900-kilogram) bunker-busters.

It turns earth to liquid, said Marc Garlasco, a former Pentagon defense official and a war crimes investigator for the U.N. It pancakes entire buildings.

He said the explosion of a 2,000-pound bomb in the open means instant death for anyone within about 30 meters (100 feet). Lethal fragmentation can extend for up to 365 meters (1,200 feet).

In an Oct. 31 strike on the urban refugee camp of Jabaliya, experts say a 2,000-pound bomb killed over 100 civilians.

Experts have also identified fragments of SPICE (Smart, Precise Impact, Cost-Effective) 2000-pound bombs, which are fitted with a GPS guidance system to make targeting more precise. Castner said the bombs are produced by the Israeli defense giant Rafael, but a recent State Department release first obtained by The New York Times showed some of the technology had been produced in the United States.

The Israeli military is also dropping unguided dumb bombs. Several experts pointed to two photos posted to social media by the Israeli Air Force at the start of the war showing fighter jets stocked with unguided bombs.

IS THE STRATEGY WORKING?

Israel says it has two goals: destroy Hamas and rescue the 129 hostages still held by militants.

Eleven weeks into the war, Israel says it has destroyed many Hamas sites and hundreds of tunnel shafts and has killed 7,000 Hamas fighters out of an estimated 30,000-40,000. Israeli leaders say intense military pressure is the only way to free more hostages.

But some families of hostages worry that the bombing endangers their loved ones. Hostages released during a weeklong cease-fire last month recounted that their captors moved them from place to place to avoid Israeli bombardment. Hamas has claimed that several hostages died from Israeli bombs, though the claims could not be verified.

The level of destruction is so high because Hamas is very entrenched within the civilian population, said Efraim Inbar, head of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, a think tank. He also said intense bombardment of Hamas tunnels is needed to protect advancing Israeli ground forces from attacks.

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Israel's military campaign in Gaza seen as among the most destructive in recent history, experts say - Yahoo News

The chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Georg Btzing, has criticized Pope Francis' stance on the war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza as not being clear enough.

"Yes, I too am sometimes puzzled by this art of equidistance," Btzing told the Sddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

Although Btzing said that he is aware the Vatican is keen to keep all channels of dialogue open, there are situations in which such restraint is not appropriate, the Catholic bishop said.

"When I think of Ukraine and [the Hamas attacks on] October 7, I think the criticism of the Holy Father is justified: He does not speak clearly enough about who the attacker was and where the causes of this horrific suffering lie," he said.

On October 7, Hamas militants and other extremist groups carried out the worst massacre in Israel's history. About 1,200 people were killed and another 240 were taken hostage, some of whom were released during a brief truce.

Israel has since launched massive airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, followed by a ground offensive that began in late October, in which more than 20,000 Palestinians are said to have been killed so far.

Btzing also reiterated his stance on Germany's right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

"Being Catholic and an AfD supporter at the same time does not go together for me," he said.

The growing strength of the far-right AfD in Germany, which has traditionally been on the fringes of German politics, has raised alarm among many who view the party as extremist, anti-democratic and xenophobic.

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German bishop Btzing criticizes pope over Ukraine and Israel stance - Yahoo News

President Biden and former President Donald Trump are tied at 44% apiece among registered voters heading into the 2024 election year, according to the final Yahoo News/YouGov poll of 2023.

The survey of 1,533 U.S. adults, which was conducted from Dec. 14 to Dec. 18, represents a reality check at a time when the press has been far more focused on Bidens vulnerabilities than Trumps. In fact, it is Trump's underlying problems including his criminal trials and unpopular plans that may pose the bigger electoral risk in next years election, the results suggest.

Its true, for instance, that Bidens long-standing lead over Trump in the Yahoo News/YouGov poll faded this fall after averaging about 4.5 percentage points between March and August. Yet Trump has not been able to capitalize on Bidens meager job-approval rating currently 37% approve, 57% disapprove among all Americans to expand his appeal and pull ahead.

Instead, Trumps support among registered voters has remained at 44% or lower.

Last month, when Bidens support dipped to 42%, that was enough to give Trump a narrow edge (within the margin of error). Now Biden has ticked back up, and the two candidates are again level. While other national polls have shown larger swings, the Yahoo News/YouGov survey portends a very close campaign (consistent with the last two presidential elections) if Biden and Trump face off again in 2024.

Even when voters are offered the choice of another candidate in addition to Biden and Trump an option that 12% select the two presidents remain tied at 41%, implying that third-party bids are unlikely to upend the fundamental dynamics of the contest.

What might change the race, however, is a Trump criminal conviction.

Large majorities of Americans continue to say that the charges on which Trump has been indicted and for which he is likely to stand trial next year represent serious crimes, including taking highly classified documents from the White House and obstructing efforts to retrieve them (63%); conspiring to overturn the results of a presidential election (66%); and attempting to obstruct the certification of a presidential election (64%). In each case, only about one in five Americans say these are not serious crimes.

Asked, then, how they might vote if Trump is convicted of a serious crime in the coming months, registered voters say they would prefer Biden by a 7-point margin in that scenario, 46% to 39%. Trumps support (previously 44%) immediately falls by 5 percentage points.

Among potential Republican primary voters registered voters who identify as Republicans or Republican-leaning independents the decline is even steeper: a full 15 percentage points, from 56% to 41%. Without a criminal conviction, Trumps primary support is more than double the combined backing of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (15%) and former United Nations ambassador and onetime South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (10%), his two leading challengers for the GOP nomination. With a criminal conviction, DeSantis (21%) and Haley (16%) combine to come within 4 points of Trump.

While neither of these results should be seen as a prediction of what might happen in the event of an actual conviction, they do suggest that such a conviction something unprecedented in the history of U.S. presidential politics would at least have the potential to complicate Trumps campaign.

Meanwhile, Americans are not buying the arguments from Trumps legal team that all former presidents are immune from federal prosecution for crimes allegedly committed while in office (57% not immune, 21% immune) or that Trumps trials should take place after the 2024 general election (61% before, 21% after). Even potential Republican primary voters are relatively divided on presidential immunity (42% immune, 32% not immune) and the proper timing of Trumps trials (37% before Election Day, 42% after Election Day).

Another risk for Trump in 2024 is rising voter awareness regarding his plans for a second term.

Recent reporting and remarks from the former president have focused on some of the more unusual policies he intends to implement if reelected. For now, most voters arent paying close attention to each candidates agenda. But the new Yahoo News/YouGov poll suggests that Trumps platform might prove to be particularly unpopular once the 2024 campaign gets underway in earnest.

For example, just 19% of Americans favor and 60% oppose the idea that Trump might replace tens of thousands of federal workers whose politics dont align with his. Just 27% favor and 49% oppose the idea that Trump might order the Justice Department to investigate and criminally charge [his] political adversaries. Just 29% favor and 53% oppose the idea that Trump might send troops into big U.S. cities to enforce public order. Only about a third of Americans want Trump to appoint a real special prosecutor to go after Biden and his family (34%) or round up millions of undocumented immigrants and detain them in government camps while they wait to be deported (35%). Even the most popular Trump policy on the list using the U.S. military to attack drug cartels in Mexico only reaches 40% support.

In keeping with these numbers, far more Americans say they disapprove (49%) than approve (36%) of Trumps recent comments about being a dictator on Day One of his second term but not after that because were closing the border, and were drilling, drilling, drilling.

Nearly half (48%) say Trump would be more of a dictator than previous presidents, while only 18% say he would be less of a dictator, and 23% say he would be about the same. (The poll was taken prior to Trumps statement that immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country.")

To be sure, Biden plagued by concerns about his age, the economy and the war in Gaza remains vulnerable. But the numbers dont show that Democrats would automatically fare better with a different nominee. When registered voters are given alternative Democrats to choose from, neither California Gov. Gavin Newsom (who trails Trump 41% to 45%) nor Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (who trails Trump 41% to 44%) performs as well as the president.

Likewise, Bidens support among potential Democratic primary voters (68%) over his actual challengers self-help author Marianne Williamson (4%) and Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips (3%) has grown by 4 points since last month, and a majority now say they prefer Biden (51%, up from 46% in November) over someone else (35%) for the nomination.

As a semi-incumbent himself, Trumps position among Republicans is equally commanding: 59% of potential GOP primary voters support him in a hypothetical one-on-one matchup against DeSantis (25%), while a full 70% support him against Haley (19%).

The bottom line is that a 2020 rematch is looking more likely than ever. But while Bidens weaknesses have been well-publicized ahead of 2024, Trumps may be underestimated.

____________

The Yahoo News survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,533 U.S. adults interviewed online from Dec. 14 to Dec. 18, 2023. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondents most recent answer given prior to Nov. 1, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (33% Democratic, 27% Republican). Respondents were selected from YouGovs opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S. adults. The margin of error is approximately 2.8%.

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Poll: Trump is tied with Biden for now but criminal trials and unpopular plans pose risks for 2024 - Yahoo News

NEW YORK (AP) Rudy Giuliani filed for bankruptcy on Thursday, acknowledging severe financial strain exacerbated by his pursuit of former President Donald Trump's lies about the 2020 election and a jurys verdict last week requiring him to pay $148 million to two former Georgia election workers he defamed.

The former New York City mayor listed nearly $153 million in existing or potential debts, including almost $1 million in state and federal tax liabilities, money he owes lawyers, and many millions of dollars in potential judgments in lawsuits against him. He estimated he had assets worth $1 million to $10 million.

Giuliani had been teetering on the brink of financial ruin for several years, but the eye-popping damages award to former election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Shaye Moss pushed him over the edge. The women said Giulianis targeting of them after Republican Trump narrowly lost Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden led to death threats that made them fear for their lives.

Ted Goodman, a political adviser and spokesperson for Giuliani, said in a statement that Giuliani's decision to seek bankruptcy protection should be a surprise to no one because no person could have reasonably believed that Mayor Giuliani would be able to pay such a high punitive amount.

The Chapter 11 filing will give Giuliani the opportunity and time to pursue an appeal, while providing transparency for his finances under the supervision of the bankruptcy court, to ensure all creditors are treated equally and fairly throughout the process, Goodman said.

But declaring bankruptcy likely wont erase the $148 million verdict. Bankruptcy law doesn't allow for the dissolution of debts that come from a willful and malicious injury inflicted on someone else. A judge said Wednesday that Freeman and Moss could start pursuing payment immediately, saying any delay could give Giuliani time to hide assets.

This maneuver is unsurprising, and it will not succeed in discharging Mr. Giulianis debt to Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, their lawyer, Michael Gottlieb, said.

After the verdict, Giuliani repeated his stolen election claims, insisted he did nothing wrong and suggested hed keep pressing his claims even if it meant losing all his money or going to jail. His rhetoric prompted Freeman and Moss to sue him again this week.

The Dec. 15 verdict was the latest and costliest sign of the mounting financial toll incurred by the 79-year-old Giuliani, a one-time Republican presidential candidate and high-ranking Justice Department official once heralded as Americas Mayor for his calm and steady leadership after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Once swimming in cash as a globetrotting security consultant, Giulianis money woes intensified amid investigations, lawsuits, fines, sanctions and damages related to his work helping Trump try to overturn the 2020 election.

Among his potential debts, he listed lawsuits brought by two voting machine manufacturers who say he and others defamed them with claims of a stolen election.

A lawyer for Giuliani, Adam Katz, suggested at an August court hearing in one of those cases that Giuliani was close to broke, and unable to pay a number of bills, including a $12,000 to $18,000 tab for a company to search through his electronic records for evidence.

In court papers rebuffing voting machine-maker Smartmatics demand for an accounting of his finances, Giulianis lawyers disclosed that he was so hard up for money that he solicited third-party donations to pay a prior $300,000 bill to the electronic discovery firm.

In September, Giulianis former lawyer Robert Costello sued him for nearly $1.4 million in unpaid legal bills. Giuliani claimed he never received them. The case is pending.

Costello represented Giuliani from November 2019 to this past July in matters ranging from an investigation into his business dealings in Ukraine, which resulted in an FBI raid on his home and office in April 2021, to investigations of his work in the wake of Trumps 2020 election loss.

Investigators noted Giulianis dwindling finances in court papers unsealed this week from the 2021 raid, raising his need for money as possible motivation for his interest in aiding a Ukrainian official. Citing bank records and other information, they said Giuliani had gone from having about $1.2 million in the bank and $40,000 in credit card debt in January 2018 to about $288,000 in cash and $110,000 credit debt in February 2019. Giuliani was never charged with a crime as a result of that investigation.

Giulianis other lawsuits, which he listed as potential liabilities, include one brought against him by Bidens son Hunter, who alleges Giuliani was responsible for the total annihilation of his digital privacy by accessing and sharing his personal data from his laptop computer.

Giuliani is also being sued by a woman who said she worked for him. She alleges he owed her nearly $2 million in unpaid wages and coerced her into sex. Another lawsuit involves a man who claims Giuliani defamed him after he slapped the ex-mayor on the back at a supermarket. Giuliani has denied the womans claims and has asked for the mans lawsuit to be thrown out.

In August, Giuliani was indicted with Trump and others in Georgia on charges he acted as Trumps chief co-conspirator in a plot to subvert Bidens victory. He was also described as a co-conspirator but not charged in special counsel Jack Smiths federal election interference case against Trump.

Giulianis bankruptcy filing did not detail his assets or add to what is already known about how hes been making money in recent years.

Giuliani hosts a daily radio show in New York City and a nightly streaming show on social media. On social media, hes pitched various products, including wares sold by election denier Mike Lindell. He also has hawked autographed 9/11 shirts for $911 and has appeared on Cameo, a service where celebrities record short videos for profit. Giuliani was charging $325 for his greetings, though a recent check shows theyre temporarily unavailable."

After his Georgia indictment, he directed social media followers to the website of his legal defense fund. To save money, Giuliani has represented himself in some legal matters.

In July, Giuliani put his Manhattan apartment up for sale. He was initially asking $6.5 million for the three-bedroom residence a block from Central Park, but that might have proved a bit steep. Three months later, he trimmed his ask to $6.1 million. The apartment still hasnt sold.

In September, Trump hosted a $100,000-a-plate fundraiser for Giuliani at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club. Giulianis son, Andrew, said the event was expected to raise more than $1 million for Giulianis legal bills.

Andrew Giuliani also said that Trump had committed to hosting a second fundraiser for the former mayor at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, though that doesnt appear to have happened.

___

Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington contributed to this report.

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Rudy Giuliani files for bankruptcy days after being ordered to pay $148 million in defamation case - Yahoo News

Joe Biden exchanged emails with his son Hunters business associate 54 times while he was serving as vice president, and some of the messages were sent around the time the elder Biden was traveling to Ukraine and his son was working for a Ukrainian gas company, according to records released by House Republicans.

A White House spokesperson declined to comment but pointed to statements by House Democrats that Hunter Bidens business associate, Eric Schwerin, worked as Joe Bidens financial adviser from 2009 to 2017 and helped him file his tax returns. Schwerin did not respond to requests for comment.

The records released describe the dates of the emails and who exchanged them, but do not include the messages themselves. NBC News has not reviewed the contents of the emails.

All told, then-Vice President Biden emailed Schwerin 35 times before and after his 2014 trips to Ukraine. Five emails were exchanged just prior to a trip by Vice President Biden to Ukraine on June 7, 2014, and 27 emails were sent from the end of June to a second trip to Ukraine by Biden on Nov. 21, 2014.

The bulk of the communication occurred in the lead-up to and following an agreement for Hunter Biden to serve on the board of the Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma.

Earlier this year, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said in a news release that Schwerin told House Ways and Means Committee staff in a March interview that the elder Biden was not involved in the business of his son or any of his relatives.

Raskin said Schwerin stated that he was not aware of any involvement by President Biden in the financial conduct of the Presidents relatives businesses, much less any transactions into or out of the then-vice presidents bank account related to business conducted by any Biden family member.

The email disclosures were part of law enforcement records released by House Republicans following the testimony of IRS whistleblower Joseph Ziegler. This month, Ziegler provided the documents to the House Ways and Means Committee in conjunction with a sworn affidavit. The committee, which also heard the testimony of a second IRS whistleblower, Gary Shapley, is led by Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo.

Ziegler told Congress that there were multiple emails found with Hunter Biden and his business associates but the investigative team was unaware at the time that then-Vice President Biden used an alias in his private emails.

Hunter Biden earned nearly $1.2 million from Burisma in 2014, according to emails contained on a copy of his hard drive and obtained by NBC News. In their recent tax indictment of Biden, federal prosecutors alleged he made over $1.4 million from 2016 to 2019, when Bidens engagement with the Ukrainian firm ended.

Biden is scheduled to be arraigned on misdemeanor and felony federal tax charges in Los Angeles in early January. After his indictment last week, Bidens attorney Abbe Lowell said in a statement, After five years of investigating with no new evidence and two years after Hunter paid his taxes in full the U.S. Attorney has piled on nine new charges when he had agreed just months ago to resolve this matter with a pair of misdemeanors.

Bidens addition to Burismas board as head of legal affairs was reported in a news release in May 2014. At some point from May to December 2014, Burisma allegedly paid a bribe to a Ukrainian official to help stop a joint British-U.S. money-laundering investigation into Burismas top executive, according to a State Department email that quotes a Ukrainian prosecutor.

Former President Donald Trump has falsely claimed that Joe Biden helped oust a Ukrainian prosecutor, Victor Shokin, when he was prosecuting Burisma. Multiple U.S. officials testified to Congress that Shokin was forced out in a joint American and British effort because he himself was corrupt.

Hunter Biden later wrote in his 2021 book, "Beautiful Things: A Memoir," that few of his business deals brought tangible results. He said he wasnt desperate before he landed a position on the board of Burisma in 2014 but that the money was helpful and that it came at a fortuitous time.

He said it meant he didnt have to work hard to find clients, the most time-consuming part of my work drilling twenty dry wells to finally hit pay dirt, and that it allowed him to spend more time with his dying brother, Beau.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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Records released by House Republicans show that Joe Biden repeatedly emailed Hunter Biden's business associate ... - Yahoo News

Ukrainian defenders shot down three Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers in the south of Ukraine on Dec. 22, the commander of the Air Force Mykola Oleshchuk has reported on Telegram

The aircraft were destroyed at around noon. Oleshchuk called it a response to a nighttime "message" from the Russian military written on one of its downed kamikaze drones.

Read also: Aftermath of Russian drone attack on Kyiv photo report

"They wrote on it: Die, b**ches," Oleshchuk said.

"Great idea! Here is our answer to you! Eternal flight, brothers!" Oleshchuk wrote.

Su-34 aircraft are carriers of guided bombs and X-59 missiles, which Russians are using to attack Kherson Oblast and other regions of Ukraine.

According to the Ukrainian militarys General Staff, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost 324 warplanes and helicopters.

Russia is thought to have had 155 Su-34s before it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. More than 20 of them were reported shot down by Ukraine before todays losses.

Read also: Photos of drone attack aftermath on military airfield in Russia

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

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Ukrainian forces shoot down three Russian Su-34 fighter jets on southern front - Yahoo News

A man found guilty in a 1975 murder has spent what the National Registry of Exonerations calls the longest prison sentence on a wrongful conviction. Glynn Simmons, now 71 years old, was named a suspect in an armed robbery that left the clerk of a liquor store in Edmond, Okla. dead, according to the National Registry of Exonerations.

A witness to the incident and a patron who was shot but survived both told the police they couldnt make out who the robbers were. However, somehow Simmons ended up getting swept into a lineup and was charged with both robbery and capital murder.

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The ruling makes Simmons eligible for up to $175,000 in compensation from the state for wrongful conviction and opens the door for a federal lawsuit against Oklahoma City and law enforcement involved in Simmons arrest and conviction, defense attorney Joe Norwood said Wednesday.

Compensation, though, is likely years away, Norwood said and Simmons is currently living on donations while undergoing treatment for cancer that was detected after his release from prison.

Oklahoma law states that the maximum compensation an exonerated person can receive is $175,000. However, democratic state Rep. Cyndie Munson is behind a bill to change that to $50,000 for every year they spent in prison, per KOCO News. So far, 35 states have implemented this into law.

Until the bill becomes law, Mr. Simmons is living off GoFundMe donations which have now reach up to over $100,000, surpassing his goal of $50,000. Simmons plans to use the funds to put a roof over his head, clothes on his back, food and pay for the medical treatments he needs for liver cancer.

I plan to use my remaining time to help others who are still stuck where I was. We need to fix this system so that what happened to me will never happen to anyone else, ever again! Simmons donation page reads.

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Texas sent a plane with more than 120 migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border to Chicago in an escalation of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's busing operation that has given more than 80,000 migrants free rides to Democratic-led cities across the country since last year.

The first flight, which Abbott's office said left from El Paso and arrived Tuesday, was arranged a week after Chicago's city council took new action over the busloads of migrants that have drawn sharp criticism from Mayor Brandon Johnson. The city has said bus operators began trying to drop off people in neighboring cities to avoid penalties that include fines, towing or impoundment.

Bus operators could now face tougher penalties in Chicago for not unloading new arrivals at a designated location or failing to fill out city paperwork. Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said Wednesday that the flights were the result of Johnson targeting migrant buses from Texas.

The flight took off a day after Abbott signed a new law this week that would allow police in Texas to arrest migrants who illegally cross the border, ratcheting up a series of aggressive measures the state has taken in protest of President Joe Biden's immigration policies.

Until President Biden steps up and does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue taking historic action to help our local partners respond to this Biden-made crisis, Mahaleris said.

The White House criticized the flight and accused Abbott of using migrants for politics.

Yet again, Governor Abbott is showing how little regard or respect he has for human beings, White House spokesperson Angelo Fernndez Hernndez said in a statement. This latest political stunt just adds to his tally of extreme policies which seek to demonize and dehumanize people.

More than 23,000 migrants have been sent to Chicago on buses as part of Abbott's border mission known as Operation Lone Star, according to the governor's office.

The multibillion-dollar operation has also included stringing razor wire along the frontier, installing buoy barriers in the Rio Grande and deploying more officers. On Tuesday a federal appeals court ordered the Biden administration to temporarily halt cutting the concertina wire on the border while a legal challenge plays out.

Johnson's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the flights to his city.

Concerns have arisen about the living conditions and medical care provided for asylum-seekers arriving in Chicago, spotlighted by the death last weekend of a 5-year-old boy living at a temporary shelter for migrants.

___

Associated Press reporter Acacia Coronado contributed.

___

A previous version of this story was updated to correct that the first flight arrived in Chicago on Tuesday.

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Texas begins flying migrants from southern border to Chicago. The 1st plane carried over 120 people - Yahoo News

Donald Trumps lawyers are trying to prevent an expert witness from testifying in his upcoming defamation trial against writer E. Jean Carroll. In a fun twist, the expert witness is the same woman who helped set massive damages for Rudy Giuliani.

A federal judge ruled in September that Trump is liable for defaming Carroll in 2019 and owes her monetary damages. The exact amount will be set during the trial, which will begin in January.

Trumps lawyers filed a motion on Wednesday asking presiding Judge Lewis Kaplan to bar Ashlee Humphreys, a Northwestern University marketing professor who analyzes social media trends, from testifying against the former president next month.

In the court documents, lawyer Michael Madaio argued that the damages estimates Humphreys had previously submitted were too high.

The damages estimations in her initial report are egregiously inflated (to the tune of millions of dollars), utilize methods which ascribe harm in an unreliable and incorrect manner; and do not accurately reflect the actual harm to plaintiffs reputation, Madaio wrote.

Madaio took particular issue with the fact that Humphreys had initially included estimates for alleged damage caused by three different comments Trump made. Carroll is no longer suing over one of those statements, but Madaio argued Humphreys had not adjusted her estimate accordingly.

Carrolls lawyer hit back Monday, pointing out that Humphreys had indeed accounted for the change in estimated damages in a supplemental report.

Trump is understandably desperate to get rid of Professor Humphreys, Roberta Kaplan (no relation to the judge) wrote in a filing asking to reject Trumps request. That Professor Humphreys recently testified in another case that resulted in a $108 million defamation verdict likely adds to Trumps sense of urgency.

Kaplan was referring to the defamation case against Giuliani. The former Trump lawyer was found liable in August for defaming Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. On Friday, Giuliani was ordered to pay the women a whopping $148 million in damages.

Humphreys testified against Giuliani on December 13, the same day Trumps lawyers filed the motion to bar her from appearing at the Carroll trial. Her testimony was pivotal in determining the exact amount of damages he owed.

Humphreys is no stranger to Carrolls case against Trump. The Northwestern professor already testified in Carrolls first defamation lawsuit against the former president. In May, a jury unanimously found Trump liable for sexual abuse and battery against Carroll in the mid-1990s and for defaming her in 2022 while denying the assault. He was ordered to pay her $5 million in damages, based on Humphreyss estimates.

Carrolls second lawsuit is for comments Trump made in 2019, when he said she made up the rape allegation to promote her memoir. Judge Kaplan ruled that since Trump has already been found liable for sexual abuse, his 2019 comments are by default defamatory. Carroll is now seeking up to $12 million in damages, based on Humphreyss recommendation.

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Donald Trump Is Running Scared - Yahoo News