After having its hottest summer on record, Phoenix saw an unprecedented and sustained heat wave during parts of September through mid-October. read more
North Korea has shipped 1,500 special forces troops to Russia's far east for training and acclimatizing at local military bases and will likely be deployed for combat in the war in Ukraine, South Korea's spy agency said on Friday. read more
Former President Donald Trump said he will meet with media mogul Rupert Murdoch and urge him not to allow negative ads against the Republican nominee or provide airtime to his critics on Fox News in the final stretch before Election Day. read more
Felons in Nebraska who have completed their sentences can register to vote and participate in the Nov. 5 general election, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. read more
Sports broadcasting network ESPN faces a proposed fine for using emergency alert service (EAS) attention sounds without authorization -- again, apparently.
Details of how Israel's purported preparations for Iran attack leaked, explained
www.upi.com
... A team of independent bloggers in the Middle East who purportedly spread classified documents detailing Israel's plans for a strike against rival Iran have explained how the information leaked.
On Friday, the self-described "news aggregator" Middle East Spectator shared documents appearing to have originated from the U.S. intelligence community on Telegram. UPI has reviewed the documents but has not been able to verify their authenticity.
The documents were marked as "top secret" and appear to have come from the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which generates intelligence from satellite and aerial imagery.
Markings on the documents indicate that they required special handling to protect data provided by a contributing foreign government, Israel, and could only be shared with America's "Five Eyes" allies - Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. ...
"We are independent journalists and are not tied to any government entity or organization," Middle East Spectator said in a post, hitting back at claims in American media that the collective has ties to Iran.
Middle East Spectator shared that one of its acquaintances had received the documents from an anonymous source on Telegram who refused to identify themselves after they first appeared in a private Telegram group with just 7,000 members. ...
New footage of North Korean troops in Russia sparks concerns: Are they headed for Ukraine?
economictimes.indiatimes.com
... Synopsis
Russia-Ukraine War: Recent reports confirm that North Korea has deployed approximately 1,500 soldiers to Russia for military training, with plans to send up to 12,000 troops to support Moscow's efforts in the Ukraine conflict. This development highlights the deepening military alliance between North Korea and Russia, raising concerns about further escalation in the ongoing war. ...
... Trump is Again trying to Pay Stormy Daniels Hush Money: MSNBC ...
Yeah ...
Trump sought new NDA from Stormy Daniels this year, documents show
www.cbsnews.com
... In late July, a lawyer for former President Donald Trump asked the adult film star Stormy Daniels to sign an agreement promising not to speak about her "interactions" with Trump or question "his suitability as a candidate for president," documents provided to CBS News by Daniels' attorney Clark Brewster show.
In exchange, according to the documents, he offered her a financial incentive -- a reduction in the amount Trump would accept to settle legal fees related to a defamation lawsuit. The agreement would have essentially silenced Daniels from speaking about Trump in the lead up to the 2024 election.
It was an extraordinary demand that came only eight weeks after Trump was convicted of 34 felonies related to a plot to cover up a nondisclosure agreement Daniels signed days before the 2016 presidential election in exchange for $130,000. Daniels claimed she had a sexual encounter with Trump years before, which Trump denies.
MSNBC reported the NDA demand on Wednesday night, citing letters sent to Brewster from a lawyer for Trump. Brewster provided the letters to CBS News on Thursday.
Another view...
NBC's former chief marketer: "I helped create a monster" by promoting Trump
www.axios.com
... Why it matters: The NBC reality competition show hosted by Trump depicted him as a tough, business-savvy boss and made him a household name long before his political ambitions led him to Washington.
- - - "I want to apologize to America. I helped create a monster," John Miller wrote in the piece published by U.S. News & World Report.
What he's saying: Miller, who retired in 2022 following a 40-plus year tenure with NBC, said the image the network promoted of the then-businessman Trump was "highly exaggerated."
- - - Miller noted Trump's several bankruptcies, saying the signature boardroom where he fired contestants was a set "because his real boardroom was too old and shabby for TV."
- - - He also noted the now-former president's tendency to hyperbolize, saying he often called the show "America's No. 1 TV show" despite ratings showing otherwise.
- - - "Exaggerating ratings is one thing, but spreading falsehoods about relief work of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, about immigrants eating cats and dogs, about the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, about him winning the 2020 election or countless other lies is far more dangerous," Miller wrote.
- - - He criticized what he called Trump's "questionable judgment," highlighting his pitch to have Black competitors compete against white ones on the show. ...
More from the article...
... The Constitution was uncovered two years ago at a historical plantation once owned by Samuel Johnston, who was the North Carolina governor at the time the document was written. ...
Hayes Plantation
en.wikipedia.org
... Hayes Farm, also known as Hayes Plantation, is a historic plantation near Edenton, North Carolina that belonged to Samuel Johnston (1733"1816), who served as Governor of North Carolina from 1787 to 1789. Johnston became one of the state's first two United States Senators, serving from 1789 until 1793, and served later as a judge until retiring in 1803. Samuel Johnston died in 1816 at "the Hermitage," his home near Williamston in Martin County, N.C.
The residence known as Hayes was completed by his son, James Cathcart Johnston, a year after Samuel's death. There are numerous other structures on the property, some predating the Hayes house itself, including the Hayes Gatehouse, which James Johnston lived in prior to the construction of the Hayes house. ...
@#2 ... It's like ...
imo, it is more like: Musk 2028, or Musk 2032.
But, can he run for that office?
Or will he be a shadow president to his puppet in the Oval office?
I wish I knew.
But he has money. Lots of money.
And he seems to be using that money to return fmr Pres Trump back to the Oval office.
Trump gets a whopping $220 million from three billionaires to win US Elections
economictimes.indiatimes.com
... In the final stretch of the 2024 United States election, three billionaires"Elon Musk, Miriam Adelson, and Dick Uihlein"have channeled an aggregate sum of $220 million into groups supporting Donald Trump.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla, donated $75 million to a pro-Trump committee from July to September. His donations are part of his ongoing public support for the former president. ...
So, let me see if I understand this...
Fmr Pres Trump appealed, eventually to SCOTUS, about immunity.
SCOTUS sits on the appeal (for months?) apparently wanting to delay.
SCOTUS mostly decided in his favor, and instructed Judge Chutkan to examine the case and decide what parts are subject to immunity.
Judge Chutkan, following SCOTUS' order, asked for briefs.
SC Smith following her order, submitted a brief containing a lot of evidence.
The Judge then released a redacted version of the brief, effectively giving fmr Pres Trump just what he asked for when he started his appeal based upon immunity.