#New York judge canceled Trump's business licenses

[ausetkmt]

Watch "New York AG's office alleges Trump inflated his net worth by $2.2 billion"

This case went before a judge in New York state today and Donald Trump was found guilty of inflating his assets over the course of 20 years

The judge has ordered Trump's business licenses and certificates canceled

Looks like Trump's options are running out

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Rob Rogers, http://TinyView.com :: @Rob_Rogers

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

October 2, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

The trial of former president Trump, his oldest sons, two associates, and the Trump Organization began today in Manhattan. Jose Pagliery, political investigations reporter for The Daily Beast, noted that the presiding judge, New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, started with a reference to Friday’s rainstorm that flooded New York City, saying: "Weeks ago, I said we would start today 'come hell or high water.’ Meteorologically speaking, we’ve had the high water."

New York Attorney General Letitia James launched the investigation in 2019 after Trump fixer Michael Cohen testified before Congress that Trump had been engaging in fraud by inflating the value of his property. Last week, Justice Engoron issued a partial decision establishing that the organization and its executives committed fraud. Engoron canceled the licenses under which the organization’s New York businesses operated, provided for those businesses to be dissolved, and provided for an independent monitor to oversee the company. 

With that major point already established, the trial that began today will establish how much of the ill-gotten money must be given up, or “disgorged,” by the defendants and whether they falsified records or engaged in insurance fraud in the process of committing fraud. James has asked for a minimum of $250 million in disgorgement, along with a ruling permanently prohibiting Trump and his older sons from doing business in New York, and a five-year ban on commercial real estate transactions for Trump and the organization. 

Trump is attending the trial in person, likely because, as Pagliery noted, he cited this trial as the reason he couldn’t show up for two days of depositions in his federal case against Michael Cohen. If he didn’t show up, he would be in contempt of court. So he is there, but his goal in all his legal cases seems to be to play to the public, where his displays of victimization and dominance have always served him. 

He has already said it is “unfair” that he isn’t getting a jury trial in New York, but his lawyers explicitly said they did not want one, possibly because a bench trial gives Trump a single judge to attack rather than a jury. Today, his lawyer Alina Habba, who along with her law firm and Trump has been fined close to $1 million by a federal judge for filing a frivolous lawsuit, gave a fiery opening statement aimed at “the American people” rather than the judge. When the court broke for lunch, Trump went straight to reporters to rail at the prosecutors holding him to account.

Historian Lawrence Glickman noted that the press is emphasizing Trump’s anger at the proceedings as if a defendant’s anger matters, but it is starting to feel as if bullying and bluster to get away with breaking the rules is not as effective as it used to be. Legal analyst Lisa Rubin notes that this case is a form of “corporate death penalty” that strikes at his wealth and image, both of which are central to his identity and to his political power.

And it is not just Trump; another case announced on Friday suggests the era of real estate crime is ending. The Department of Justice announced that a California real estate executive had pleaded guilty the previous day to a multi-year scheme that looked a lot like the one Trump’s organization is charged with: fraudulently inflating the value of real estate holdings of a Michigan company in order to defraud lenders. 

“My office will not hesitate to prosecute those who lie in order to engage in financial crimes, regardless of the titles they may have,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Dawn N. Ison.

The drive for the impartial application of the rule of law is showing up among the Democrats, as they seek to illustrate the difference between them and the Republicans. New Jersey Democratic senator Bob Menendez is insisting that the federal indictment against him and his wife for bribery, fraud, and extortion in exchange for helping Egypt is a political smear campaign, but more than half of Democratic senators have called on him to resign. 

Trump is increasingly being held to account by former staff, as well. In the wake of his attacks on former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, Trump’s former chief of staff Marine Corps General John Kelly went on the record today with Jake Tapper of CNN, confirming a number of the damning stories that emerged during Trump’s presidency about his denigration of wounded, captured, or killed military personnel as “suckers” and “losers,” with whom he didn’t want to be seen. 

Kelly called Trump: “A person that has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is all about. A person who cavalierly suggests that a selfless warrior who has served his country for 40 years in peacetime and war should lose his life for treason—in expectation that someone will take action. A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law…. There is nothing more that can be said,” he added. “God help us.”

The confirmation of Trump’s attacks on wounded or killed military personnel will not help his political support. After reading Kelly’s remarks, retired Army Major General Paul Eaton, a key advocate for veteran voting, released a video he recorded more than two years ago when he first heard the stories about Trump’s attack on the military. “Who could vote for this traitor Trump?” he asked on social media. In the video, Eaton urges veterans to “vote Democratic,” because “our country’s honor depends on it.” 

That Trump is concerned about his ebbing popularity showed tonight when his campaign released a statement demanding that the Republican National Committee cancel all future debates and focus on Trump’s evidence-free allegations that the Democrats are going to steal the 2024 election. If it refuses, the statement says, it will just show that national Republicans are “more concerned about helping Joe Biden than ensuring a safe and secure election.” 

Popular pressure against the extremism of the Republican Party showed up today when Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recused himself from participating in a case related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Thomas’s wife, Ginni, was a staunch supporter of Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and in the past, Thomas had voted on related cases nonetheless. Today’s case involved John Eastman, formerly one of Thomas’s law clerks. 

There were interesting signs today that the tide seems to be turning against the MAGA Republicans elsewhere, too. In an op-ed in the New York Times, former South Carolina representative Bob Inglis told his “Fellow Republicans: It’s Time to Grow Up.” He expressed regret for his votes in 1995 to shut down the government and in 1998 to impeach President Bill Clinton, and for his opposition to addressing climate change on the grounds that if Al Gore was for it, Republicans should be against it. 

But he had come to realize that “the fight wasn’t against Al Gore; it was against climate change. Just as the challenge of funding the government isn’t a referendum on Speaker McCarthy; it’s a challenge of making one out of many—E pluribus unum—and of bringing the country together to do basic things.” He called on Republicans to remember that we must face the huge challenges in our future together: language that echoes President Joe Biden, who has been making that pitch since he took office. 

The fight over funding the government has contributed to growing pressure on the extremists. The chaos in the Republican Party as the factions fought each other with no plan to fund the government until McCarthy finally had to rely on the Democrats for help passing a continuing resolution was a sign that the extremists’ power is at risk. 

Today, there was much chafing over the threats of Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to challenge Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, and he actually did it this evening, although it is not clear that he has the votes either to remove McCarthy or to prevent his reelection as speaker. What is clear is that Gaetz is forcing a showdown between the extremists and the rest of the party, and while such a showdown is sure to garner media attention, it is unlikely to leave the extremists in a stronger position.

Indeed, when he left the floor after making the motion to vacate the chair, some Democrats laughed.

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[tangledndark]

Judge Gives Trump Organization the Corporate Death Penalty | DCReport.org

[arpov-blog-blog]

...."Judge Arthur Engoron issued the warning after Trump threw his hands up in frustration and conferred with his lawyers during real estate appraiser Doug Larson’s second day of testimony, according to The Associated Press (AP).

Kevin Wallace, a lawyer with the state attorney general’s office, requested that Engoron ask the defense to “stop commenting during the witness’s testimony,” noting that Trump’s comments were audible on the witness side of the room. Engoron then asked everyone to keep their voices down, “particularly if it’s meant to influence the testimony,” the AP reported.

The admonition came during Trump’s second bout attending his sprawling fraud trial in person. He was also in attendance for the start of the trial earlier this month, where his frustration similarly dictated the proceedings.

The former president often grumbled, scowled or threw his hands up before exiting to deliver fiery stump speeches in the courthouse hallways. When that rage manifested in attacks on court staff on Truth Social, Engoron issued a limited gag order barring Trump or other parties in the case from posting or speaking about his employees.

Trump has called the trial a ���witch hunt” and lambasted both Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James for their roles in the case. He has denied any wrongdoing.

James sued Trump, the Trump Organization and Trump’s two adult sons — Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump — last year, claiming they engaged in decades of fraud by falsely inflating and deflating the value of their assets to receive lower taxes and better insurance coverage. James’s office is asking for $250 million in financial penalties and a ban on Trump and his children serving as officers or directors of New York companies.

Before the trial even began, Engoron found that James had proved the crux of her case, ruling that Trump and his co-defendants were liable for fraud. The decision stripped some of Trump’s business licenses and increased the likelihood he might lose control of some of his famed properties — the same ones that catapulted him to fame, television success and eventually the White House.

Trump’s legal team appealed the ruling and asked for a stay in both the decision and the trial until an appeals court could hear their case. The New York appellate division declined to stay the trial and most of the ruling, but did halt the cancellation of Trump’s business licenses.

The fraud trial, which is expected to run through December, is the first of a slew of trials Trump will encounter next year as he continues his bid for the White House as the top GOP presidential primary candidate. Trump faces a combined 91 charges across four criminal cases and is a party in more than a half-dozen civil lawsuits."

[truck-fump]

<b>Trump's</b> Fraud Case Requires Highly Qualified Receiver - The Real Deal

New Post has been published on https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/09/29/trumps-fraud-case-requires-highly-qualified-receiver/&ct=ga&cd=CAIyGjUzM2UwMTY5ZmFhZTIwMGQ6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AOvVaw06nEqQRSHc5j9zwj5Ws022

Trump's Fraud Case Requires Highly Qualified Receiver - The Real Deal

A judge will let Attorney General Letitia James cancel Trump Organization’s business licenses and manage Trump’s highest-profile properties.

[pscottm]

Judge Gives Trump Organization the Corporate Death Penalty | DCReport.org

[savetopnow]

2018-04-05 21 TECH now

TECH

Ars Techica

Cavitation dilemma resolved in knuckle-cracking model

CEO says Facebook will impose new EU privacy rules “everywhere”

Tragic YouTube shooting casts new light on creators’ “adpocalypse” complaints [Updated]

Bay Area: Join us 4/11 to discuss the tech boom and the fate of democracy

Porous silk fiber traps heat, hides a rabbit from IR camera

Buzzfeed Tech

People Couldn’t Log In To Tinder To Cancel Their Dates Because Of Facebook

Facebook Now Says Cambridge Analytica Accessed Up To 87 Million People's Data

Nasim Aghdam Opened Fire On YouTube Because She Was "Upset" With Its Policies And Practices

This Country Said It Would Punish Journalists For Writing Fake News But Changed Its Mind

Grindr Is Letting Other Companies See User HIV Status And Location Data

CNet

Jimmy O. Yang talks Silicon Valley, Mike Judge and his book - CNET

2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE550e: Where plug-in means performance - Roadshow

Apple Watch data said to provide clues in murder trial - CNET

It's Star Trek First Contact Day! Here's how to party - CNET

Facebook faces Australian government privacy investigation - CNET

Clean Technica

What Changed In The Electric Vehicle Industry In Quarter 1, 2018?

What Changed In The Solar Energy Industry In Quarter 1, 2018?

Maine Auto Dealer Blasts Trump & EPA As States Gear Up For Legal Challenges

French Utility Company EDF Plans Energy Storage Push

Denmark’s Largest Space Project, The ASIM Climate Observatory, Has Arrived At The International Space Station

Hacker News

News is bad for you – and giving up reading it will make you happier

We work for Google. Our employer shouldn't be in the business of war

Well-capitalized startup seems talented engineers

Fixed security exploit in Google’s search engine

Why Jewish History Is So Hard to Write

Mashable

A librarian discovered the secret codes used by elderly library-goers

Sarah Lacy just built something for the 'most badass people in America': working moms

Cat has delightfully surprised reaction to meeting owner 1/4 mile away from home

There's a whole meme community that doesn't think Mark Zuckerberg is human

Prince Harry gets the meme treatment, is officially internet royalty

Motherboard

Startups Want to Use the Blockchain to Take Our Data Out of Uber's Hands

Mark Zuckerberg: 'It Was My Mistake' Facebook Compromised Data of 87 Million Users

License Plate Surveillance Company Attacks Nonprofits For Filing FOIA Requests

Indonesia Calls State of Emergency After Giant Oil Spill Catches Fire

Around 10,000 Black Holes Are at the Center of the Galaxy, Study Says

New York Times Technology

A Quick Online Divorce for $60? Not So Fast, Denmark Says

Trilobites: How Do You Count Endangered Species? Look to the Stars

As Spotify Goes Public, Sony Cashes In

Facebook Says Cambridge Analytica Harvested Data of Up to 87 Million Users

YouTube Attacker’s Complaints Echoed Fight Over Ad Dollars

Recode

Financial Times CEO John Ridding explains how to make people pay for media

Full transcript: Former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett on Recode Decode

YouTube vowed to increase security after the attack — but that’s a tough task on tech campuses

Mark Zuckerberg will testify before U.S. lawmakers in two separate hearings next week

Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook hasn’t felt ‘any meaningful impact’ in its usage or business in the wake of its privacy scandal

Reddit Technology

Survey Finds Only One out of 7500 Websites is Running A Mining script

Facebook confirms it spies on your Messenger conversations.

Citing 'Don't Be Evil' Motto, 3,000+ Google Employees Demand Company End Work on Pentagon Drone Project

Facebook said the personal data of most of its 2 billion users has been collected and shared with outsiders

Jeff Bezos Has Lost $16 Billion Since Donald Trump Started Tweeting About Amazon

Reuters Technology

Man City find their perfect match with Tinder deal

Kremlin calls Facebook's removal of Russian media accounts censorship

Telefonica comes out on top in 1.4 billion pound UK spectrum auction

Uber to suspend service in Greece after new legislation

Facebook says data leak hits 87 million users, widening privacy scandal

Slashdot

1.1.1.1: Cloudflare's New DNS Attracting 'Gigabits Per Second' of Rubbish

YouTube Will Increase Security At All Offices Worldwide Following Shooting

One of Estonia's First 'e-Residents' Explains What It Means To Have Digital Citizenship

Microsoft Touts Breakthrough In Making Chatbots More Conversational

Facebook Is Changing the Way It Stores Call, Text History

TechCrunch

Singapore-based smart lock maker Igloohome raises $4M

Australia latest to open probe into Facebook data scandal

‘The end of my VC career’ — Stefan Glaenzer quits Passion Capital to clear way for third fund

Alibaba is preparing to invest in Grab

Highlights and audio from Zuckerberg’s emotional Q&A on scandals

The Next Web

Valve says its Linux-powered Steam Machines aren’t dead yet

Binance delists Mayweather-shilled cryptocurrency Centra Token (CTR)

How AI and machine learning are redefining cybersecurity

9 reasons why Amsterdam is the best place on Earth if you work in tech

Facebook confirms it spies on your Messenger conversations

The Verge

Unsplash, tech’s favorite stock image site, now has an iOS app

YouTube will increase security at all offices worldwide following shooting

Spotify claims it actually had a better Weeknd than Apple Music

Mark Zuckerberg says he is a ‘power user of the internet’

Jay and Silent Bob are coming to virtual reality, whether you’re ready or not

WSJ Tech

Trump Bashes Amazon but Government Relies on It

South Korea Detains Cryptocurrency Executives on Embezzlement Allegations

YouTube Shooting Highlights Frustration Among Some 'Creators'

Spotify's Slump Raises Questions About Listing Process

China Threatens U.S. Cars, Planes and Soy in Response to Trump

Wired

The Politics of ‘Black Panther’ Are What Make It Great

You Know, for Kids

The Life Issue

‘The Sky Is Yours’ Combines Dragons and YouTube

The Uber Crash

[ausetkmt]

Watch "N.Y. attorney general sues Trump for business fraud"

One year later this case was a slam dunk for attorney general Letitia James. A judge in New York state ruled today September 27th 2023 that Donald Trump committed massive fraud over 20 years in over declaring his assets values

Congrats to da Leticia James

[turkeymonkey33-blog]

The Driver’s Side” – News From The Motorist’s Perspective

Compiled by Otto Mobile

Your transportation related headlines for Wednesday, October 24th, 2018

CHICAGO, CHICAGOLAND, ILLINOIS HEADLINES

PLEASE HELP: Police Trying To Identify Elderly ‘John Doe’ Found Near Lake In Uptown – CWB Chicago

The Total Taxpayer Bill For Pointless Dan Ryan, Lake Shore Drive, And Kennedy Expressway/O’Hare ‘Protest’ Marches/Con-Artist-Conga-Lines Is Over $500,000 – Chicago Sun-Times

Parking Ticket Writing Stabilizes; Vehicles Getting Booted Drops By 10.5 Percent – Chicago Sun-Times

Surge-Pricing Ends For Meters Near Wrigley; Experiment Didn’t Meet Revenue Goals – Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Clerk To Establish 4-Month Vehicle City Sticker To Try To Get More Compliance – Chicago Tribune

Protecting Parking Spots For The Handicapped: Every Police Force Needs An Officer Hill – Chicago Tribune

The 9 Illinois Cities With The Fastest Commute – Chicago Now

A Warning For Chicago — How Road Diets Are Starving Small Businesses – Press-Enterprise

Crooked Rahm Blames Everyone Else For His Miserable Failures On Biking, Transit — Wants To Tax Drivers To Pay For More Poorly Planned Pet Projects – Chicago Tribune

DuPage County Voters To Weigh In On Per-Mile Driving Tax – Illinois Policy Institute

In Transit: Road Test Failure Raises Questions For Suburban Senior. Here Are Some Answers – Chicago Daily Herald

Hotel Worker Union Sues City For Allegedly Prohibiting Strikers From Making Obnoxious, Loud Street Noise – Chicago Tribune

While Working On O’Hare Tunnel Project, Musk Announces Opening Date For California Hyperloop Test Tunnel – Crain’s Chicago Business

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle And States Attorney Kim Foxx’s ‘COOK COUNTY CARJACKAPALOOZA’ — Teens Charged After North Side Carjacking – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago, CWB Chicago; Pilsen Carjacking Leads To Man, 29, Getting Shot, Police Say – Block Club Chicago; New Cameras, License Plate Readers Will Combat North Side Carjackings – Loop North News; Letter: Time To Get Tough On Carjackers – Chicago Sun-Times

Cops Getting Closer To North Side Catalytic Converter Thieves, But No Arrests Yet – CWB Chicago

Edgewater: College Student Charged With Running Over, Killing 93-Year-Old Woman – CWB Chicago

Another Uber Fake: Convicted Murderer Charged With His Second Armed Robbery, Kidnapping In River North – CWB Chicago

Street Crime Surges In River North, Mag Mile, Streeterville, Downtown – CWB Chicago, CWB Chicago

Chicago Police Recover Stolen Car, But Then It’s Stolen Again In Front Of District Station – Chicago Tribune

Cars Broken Into 3 Times On West Loop Block – Block Club Chicago

Fire Scorches Three Cars In West Town Alley: This Is A Loss For Us – Chicago Tribune

Series Of Vehicles Damaged, Ransacked Throughout West Garfield Park This Month – Chicago Sun-Times

Robber Targeting Taxi Drivers In Park Manor – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago

Police: Series Of Garage Burglaries Reported In Hegewisch – Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Based Truck Maker Caterpillar Gets In Electric-Car Business With Fisker Investment – L.A. Biz

Alderman Rejects Two-Tower Plan For Chicago Spire Site Over Traffic Access, Other Issues – Crain’s Chicago Business

Tone Deaf Taxpayer Leeches At Active Transportation Alliance Think They Have Public Support For More Taxpayer Funded Bike Boondoggles, Even Though Only 1 Percent Of Chicagoans Commute By Bike – Active Transportation Alliance

Once Again, Transit Boondoggle Supporters Use Misguided Arguments About ‘Racism,’ To Justify Throwing Taxpayer Dollars At Foolish Projects – Chicago Streetsblog

Hearing Today On Lawsuit Seeking To Block Obama Center From Jackson Park, Along With The $200M Taxpayer Funded Road Destruction For The Obama Sledding Hill – CBS 2 Chicago; Judge Says He Won’t Let Suit Against Obama Presidential Center Drag On – Chicago Tribune; As Hurdles Mount For Obama Presidential Center, Worry And Anxiety Grow On South Side – Chicago Tribune; South Side Residents Push For Community Benefits Agreement In Fear Of Gentrification After Obama Center Opening – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago; Woodlawn Residents Push For Anti-Displacement Ordinance Amid Fears Over Obama Library – Block Club Chicago; Alternative Obama Center Designs Revealed Ahead Of Court Hearing – Curbed Chicago; Double Standard For Protecting Park Land On North Side Versus South Side – Chicago Now; City Controls Key Land For Redevelopment Near Obama Presidential Center – Chicago Tribune

Logan Square Anti-Gentrification March Draws 500 People: Fight Today, Vote Tomorrow – Block Club Chicago

Chicago Rent Control On The Ballot – Chicago Reader; Why It Will Be A Disaster For Illinois

The City Says There Are 5,540 Homeless People In Chicago. Advocates Disagree – Chicago Tribune

An Event Venue Proposal Near The 606 In Bucktown Draws Concern From Neighbors Over Parking, Litter, Noise – Block Club Chicago

Amazon Go Store To Open In Illinois Center – Chicago Tribune

CWB Chicago Reports On Ongoing Divvy Bike Theft Problem – CWB Chicago, CWB Chicago

Scooter Company Bird Has Eye On Chicago – Crain’s Chicago Business; A Warning For Chicago — Bird Scooters Pose Hazard For Pedestrians – National Motorists Association Blog

Chicago Needs Counter-Drone Program, Top Mayoral Aide Tells Aldermen – Chicago Sun-Times

Man’s Leg Amputated After He’s Run Over By CTA Bus – Chicago Sun-Times

Rahm Wants More Traffic Clogging CTA Bus Lanes, Like The Loop Link Lanes That Have Been An Utter Traffic Flow Failure – Block Club Chicago

Rahm Wants To Let Even More Connected Developers Dump Parking Problems Along Streets With CTA Bus Service – Block Club Chicago

CTA Will Test Transit Information Screens On Buses – Chicago Sun-Times

CTA-Owned Parking Lot Near Logan Square Monument Could See Huge New Development – Block Club Chicago

How Wheelchair-Friendly Is Chicago – CBS 2 Chicago

Woman Sexually Assaulted While Walking From Bus Stop: Police – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago

Armed Robberies Reported Aboard CTA Red Line At Belmont Early Wednesday – CWB Chicago

CTA Cancels Vintage Train Cars For Anniversary Of City’s First Transit Line – Chicago Tribune

How Did The Red Line Get Under The Chicago River – Block Club Chicago

Intersex Activists Plan L Train Takeover For Intersex Awareness Day – Block Club Chicago

Big Construction Weekend Coming On Metra BNSF Line – Chicago Daily Herald

Person Struck By Metra Train In Downers Grove – Chicago Sun-Times

Naperville Residents Are Waiting 7 Years For A Metra Parking Permit As Officials Brainstorm Fix – Chicago Tribune

The Grid: Exploring The Greektown Neighborhood – Chicago Sun-Times

19th Century Superior Street Row Houses Threatened With Demolition – Loop North News

On Second Try, Committee Oks Registry To Protect Murals From City Graffiti Crews – Chicago Sun-Times

Arts In The Dark Parade Celebrates Halloween, Chicago-Style On State Street – Chicago Sun-Times

New Group Targets Overlooked Stretch Of Chicago River – Chicago Tonight

We Don’t Need Additional Barriers To Stop Asian Carp From Reaching Great Lakes – Chicago Sun-Times

Evanston Street Cleaning Parking Fines May More Than Double – Evanston Now

Evanston Plans To Revamp Free Holiday Parking Deal – Evanston Now

Preservation Panel Rejects Demolition For Historic Sheridan Road Mansion – Evanston Now

How Arlington Heights Is Hoping To Make Downtown Parking Better – Chicago Daily Herald

Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner’s Salt Order Violates State Code – Northwest Herald

Algonquin Township Trustees Reject Road District’s Request To Transfer Money For Legal Fees – Northwest Herald

Letter — Route 53 Workzone Near Woodfield Mall Is Tragedy In Waiting – Chicago Daily Herald

Is It Time To Lift Flossmoor’s Notorious Parking Ban On Pickup Trucks? Voters Weigh In Next Month – Chicago Tribune

For Some Wisconsin Voters, Road Quality Is A Major Concern – Wisconsin Public Radio

Teen At Wheel Of SUV Before Mag Mile Crash: Officials – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago

School District Hires Alleged Shooter In Road-Rage Incident – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago

Driver Runs Into Knife-Wielding Man, Killing Him: Police – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago

Tried To Lure Boy With Candy Near Logan Square School During Recess, Police Say – Block Club Chicago

Man Gets 12 Years For Robbing Rideshare Driver At Gunpoint In Glen Ellyn – Chicago Sun-Times

Algonquin Police Search For 2 Suspects In Store Robbery, Carjacking – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago

Mom Who Crashed Into Aurora Pond, Left Child In Car Considers Plea Deal – Chicago Daily Herald

CHIRAQ REPORT — 2 Killed, 1 Hurt In Shooting, Crash On I-57 – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago; River North: Two Vehicle Related Shootings In 30 Minutes Overnight – CWB Chicago

Vehicle Crashes Into Hyde Park Produce, Injures Customer – Chicago Sun-Times

Truck Catches On Fire On Dan Ryan; Expressway Briefly Shut Down – Chicago Sun-Times

NATIONAL AND WORLD HEADLINES

Opinion — How Drunk Is Too Drunk to Drive – Governing

No Front License Plate? Fix It Or Face A Hefty Fine – Orange County Register

Why The Vision Zero War On Cars Ignores The History Of Failure With Efforts To Control Transportation Choice – National Motorists Association Blog

Red Light Camera Financial Information Goes Public – The Newspaper

Texas School Bus Chief Busted In Photo Enforcement Scandal – The Newspaper

Gas Price National Average Down Two Weeks In A Row – Gas Buddy Blog

Will Californians Strike A Blow For Lower Taxes And Gasoline Prices – The Hill

New York AG Sues Exxon Mobil, Says Company Downplayed Climate Change Risks – The Hill

Trump Admin Approves Arctic Offshore Oil Drilling Project Off Alaska’s Coast – The Hill

The Saudi Oil Weapon And The Energy Market: What Investors Need To Know – Nightly Business Report; Saudi Energy Minister: No Intention Of 1973-Style Oil Embargo – The Hill; Saudi Arabia Shows Need To End Addiction To Middle Eastern Oil – The Hill; Dem Senator Calls For Ban On Saudi Arabian Oil Imports – The Hill

Why Not To Bet On A $1 Trillion Infrastructure Deal – Politico

Report: One-Third Of Major U.S. Urban Roads Deteriorated, Work Backlog Growing As Traffic Increases – Equipment World

With Colorado Fracking Measure, Battle Over Oil And Gas Comes To A Head – Governing

In Governors’ Races, Potholes and Pipes Become Major Issues – Governing

NADA Study: No Sign of the Personal Vehicle Ownership Apocalypse – NADA

Dealers Hopeful New Mobility Options Mean New Revenue Streams, Study Shows – Forbes

How Car Subscription App Fair Wants To Disrupt The Market For Car Loans Using Subscriptions – CNBC

Car Owners Want Full Access To Their Data – Auto Connected Car

What Your Car Knows About You — And Who It’s Telling – WTOP 103.5 FM Washington DC

Bring Out Your Dead: Sedans, Ford Dominate Discontinued Vehicles Of 2019 – Chicago Tribune — Photo Gallery

Is Auto Safety All About Profit – National Motorists Association Blog

How Technology Has Shifted The Way We Buy Cars – National Motorists Association Blog

Ford Starts Us Production Of The Ranger Pickup For The First Time In Years – Nightly Business Report

Ford Hires New China Chief To Tackle Daunting Turnaround Task – Reuters

Ford Seeks A Different Kind Of Green In Reusing Michigan Plant – Auto Blog

Ford To Use New Miracle Material To Make Cars Quieter – Motor Authority

Ford Expects Us To Trust Its V-to-V Communication With Life And Death Decisions – Top Speed

Prices For Used Harley Bikes Are Near Historic Lows, But Not For Long – Nightly Business Report; Harley-Davidson Sales Plunge After Trump Said He Would Back Boycott – The Hill

University: Truck Pollution Research Cited By EPA Was Not Accurate – The Hill

California: Tougher Rules To Curb Vehicle Pollution – Capitol Weekly

GM Recalls Raft Of Cadillac, Chevy, And GMC Vehicles Over Noncompliant Seatbelts – The Car Connection

BMW To Recall 1.6 Million Vehicles Worldwide Over Fire Risk – CNBC

156,000 Mazda Cars And Crossover Suvs Added To Takata Airbag Recall – The Car Connection

Tesla Slips Several Spots In Consumer Reports Reliability Ranking – CNBC

Twitter Locks Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Account After Bizarre Posts – Telegraph

Are We Really Ready For RoboCars – National Motorists Association Blog

Autonomous Vehicles Have Some Regulatory Roadblocks To Navigate – Gov Tech

Self-Driving Car Industry Needs Better Metrics, USDOT’s Kan Says – Bloomberg

Safety Is No Argument for Robocars – Institute Of Electrical And Electronics Engineers

Cities Have Taken The Lead In Regulating Driverless Vehicles – City Lab

Latest Intel Study Finds People Expect Self-Driving Cars To Be Common In 50 Years – Business Wire

Mobileye Opens Up Driverless Tech As Tie-Up With Intel Deepens – Yahoo Finance

Nvidia Delivers Its Self-Driving Car Safety Report To The Feds – The Verge

Federal Regulator Halts Florida Tests Of Self-Driving School Shuttle – The Hill

Ford’s Self-Driving Cars Are First To Hit D.C. Roads – Mashable

GM’s Self-Driving Car Reportedly Has Trouble Recognizing Pedestrians – Engadget

Uber And Toyota Team Up In Race For Driverless Cars – Hermann Herald

Lyft Acquires Blue Vision Labs To Elevate Its Moves In Self-Driving – Crunchbase

Nissan Digging Deep Into Human Behavior For Autonomy – Ward’s Auto

Mapping Every Driverless Car Crash In California So Far – Tech

New Jersey Lawmakers Consider Rules, Urge Task Force For Driverless Cars – Law

Ohio Leaders Want To Be At The Forefront Of Driverless Tech. Here’s What They’re Doing – Dayton Daily News; Autonomous Shuttle Tech Gets Test Run In Ohio – Curbed

If You’re In Arlington, Texas, Then You’ll Want To Catch A Ride From One Of Drive.Ai’s Self-Driving Vans – The Sitch

University Of Minnesota Research Shows How Roads Can Be Greener With Driverless Vehicles – Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Mazda To Accelerate Electrification – The Japan News

VW’s Electrify America To Install EV Chargers Along The Ohio Turnpike – Engadget

Truck Makers Rev Up For Rollout Of Electric Big Rigs – Reuters

Are Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles Safe – Hybrid Cars

Uber Planning Fleet Of Food Delivery Drones – The Hill

Uber Plans To Go All-Electric By 2025 In London – The Hill

Uber Eats To Reach 70 Percent Of U.S. Population By Year’s End – Chicago Tribune

Uber’s Revolutionary Software May Be A Double-Edged Sword – The Hill

Uber Sees Itself As The Next Potential Amazon But Others See It As The Next Yahoo – Vanity Fair

Is Uber The Enemy Or Ally Of Public Transit – City Lab

Uber To Offer $10 Off Ride To The Polls On Election Day – The Hill

Lyft Partnering With Latino Activist Group To Take Voters To Polls After Only Polling Station Moved – The Hill

Meet Lyft’s First Head Of Social Impact And Its First Sustainability Director – Green Biz

Lyft Has a New $300 Monthly Subscription Plan — Here’s How It Works – Travel And Leisure

Skip Over Traffic? Soon This Personal Helicopter Could Come To Crowded Cities – USA TODAY

In Swipe At Amazon, Target To Offer Free Two-Day Shipping For Holiday Season – The Hill; Walmart, Battling Amazon, Extends Free Two-Day Shipping Offer To Third-Party Items – Chicago Tribune

Christmas Wish For UPS: A Better Holiday Shipping Season – Chicago Tribune

Vintage Plane Crashes Onto Cal. Freeway – CBS 2 Los Angeles

North Carolina Police Officer Fatally Shoots Black Motorist – TIME

Kitten Found Glued To Oregon Road, Rescued By Man Driving To Work – Fox News

What Are Replacement Engines and When to Buy One – National Motorists Association Blog

Wife Uses Parking Brake, Husband Gets Mad, Motormouth Suggests Second Opinion – Chicago Tribune

Skip Scooters Get A Latch So They Don’t Junk Up The Sidewalks – WIRED

Electric Scooters Are Fun, But Nobody Knows What To Do With Them Yet – Vice

Is The NYC Subway Headed For Doom – Commune

China Opens World’s Longest Sea Bridge And Tunnel To Connect Hong And Macau To Mainland China – ABC News

France OKs Congestion Pricing To Reduce Traffic Jams – Automotive News

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Source: http://theexpiredmeter.com/2018/10/the-drivers-side-news-from-the-motorists-perspective-808/

[tangledndark]

Judge Gives Trump Organization the Corporate Death Penalty | DCReport.org

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The Driver’s Side” – News From The Motorist’s Perspective

Compiled by Otto Mobile

Your transportation related headlines for Wednesday, October 24th, 2018

CHICAGO, CHICAGOLAND, ILLINOIS HEADLINES

PLEASE HELP: Police Trying To Identify Elderly ‘John Doe’ Found Near Lake In Uptown – CWB Chicago

The Total Taxpayer Bill For Pointless Dan Ryan, Lake Shore Drive, And Kennedy Expressway/O’Hare ‘Protest’ Marches/Con-Artist-Conga-Lines Is Over $500,000 – Chicago Sun-Times

Parking Ticket Writing Stabilizes; Vehicles Getting Booted Drops By 10.5 Percent – Chicago Sun-Times

Surge-Pricing Ends For Meters Near Wrigley; Experiment Didn’t Meet Revenue Goals – Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Clerk To Establish 4-Month Vehicle City Sticker To Try To Get More Compliance – Chicago Tribune

Protecting Parking Spots For The Handicapped: Every Police Force Needs An Officer Hill – Chicago Tribune

The 9 Illinois Cities With The Fastest Commute – Chicago Now

A Warning For Chicago — How Road Diets Are Starving Small Businesses – Press-Enterprise

Crooked Rahm Blames Everyone Else For His Miserable Failures On Biking, Transit — Wants To Tax Drivers To Pay For More Poorly Planned Pet Projects – Chicago Tribune

DuPage County Voters To Weigh In On Per-Mile Driving Tax – Illinois Policy Institute

In Transit: Road Test Failure Raises Questions For Suburban Senior. Here Are Some Answers – Chicago Daily Herald

Hotel Worker Union Sues City For Allegedly Prohibiting Strikers From Making Obnoxious, Loud Street Noise – Chicago Tribune

While Working On O’Hare Tunnel Project, Musk Announces Opening Date For California Hyperloop Test Tunnel – Crain’s Chicago Business

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle And States Attorney Kim Foxx’s ‘COOK COUNTY CARJACKAPALOOZA’ — Teens Charged After North Side Carjacking – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago, CWB Chicago; Pilsen Carjacking Leads To Man, 29, Getting Shot, Police Say – Block Club Chicago; New Cameras, License Plate Readers Will Combat North Side Carjackings – Loop North News; Letter: Time To Get Tough On Carjackers – Chicago Sun-Times

Cops Getting Closer To North Side Catalytic Converter Thieves, But No Arrests Yet – CWB Chicago

Edgewater: College Student Charged With Running Over, Killing 93-Year-Old Woman – CWB Chicago

Another Uber Fake: Convicted Murderer Charged With His Second Armed Robbery, Kidnapping In River North – CWB Chicago

Street Crime Surges In River North, Mag Mile, Streeterville, Downtown – CWB Chicago, CWB Chicago

Chicago Police Recover Stolen Car, But Then It’s Stolen Again In Front Of District Station – Chicago Tribune

Cars Broken Into 3 Times On West Loop Block – Block Club Chicago

Fire Scorches Three Cars In West Town Alley: This Is A Loss For Us – Chicago Tribune

Series Of Vehicles Damaged, Ransacked Throughout West Garfield Park This Month – Chicago Sun-Times

Robber Targeting Taxi Drivers In Park Manor – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago

Police: Series Of Garage Burglaries Reported In Hegewisch – Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Based Truck Maker Caterpillar Gets In Electric-Car Business With Fisker Investment – L.A. Biz

Alderman Rejects Two-Tower Plan For Chicago Spire Site Over Traffic Access, Other Issues – Crain’s Chicago Business

Tone Deaf Taxpayer Leeches At Active Transportation Alliance Think They Have Public Support For More Taxpayer Funded Bike Boondoggles, Even Though Only 1 Percent Of Chicagoans Commute By Bike – Active Transportation Alliance

Once Again, Transit Boondoggle Supporters Use Misguided Arguments About ‘Racism,’ To Justify Throwing Taxpayer Dollars At Foolish Projects – Chicago Streetsblog

Hearing Today On Lawsuit Seeking To Block Obama Center From Jackson Park, Along With The $200M Taxpayer Funded Road Destruction For The Obama Sledding Hill – CBS 2 Chicago; Judge Says He Won’t Let Suit Against Obama Presidential Center Drag On – Chicago Tribune; As Hurdles Mount For Obama Presidential Center, Worry And Anxiety Grow On South Side – Chicago Tribune; South Side Residents Push For Community Benefits Agreement In Fear Of Gentrification After Obama Center Opening – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago; Woodlawn Residents Push For Anti-Displacement Ordinance Amid Fears Over Obama Library – Block Club Chicago; Alternative Obama Center Designs Revealed Ahead Of Court Hearing – Curbed Chicago; Double Standard For Protecting Park Land On North Side Versus South Side – Chicago Now; City Controls Key Land For Redevelopment Near Obama Presidential Center – Chicago Tribune

Logan Square Anti-Gentrification March Draws 500 People: Fight Today, Vote Tomorrow – Block Club Chicago

Chicago Rent Control On The Ballot – Chicago Reader; Why It Will Be A Disaster For Illinois

The City Says There Are 5,540 Homeless People In Chicago. Advocates Disagree – Chicago Tribune

An Event Venue Proposal Near The 606 In Bucktown Draws Concern From Neighbors Over Parking, Litter, Noise – Block Club Chicago

Amazon Go Store To Open In Illinois Center – Chicago Tribune

CWB Chicago Reports On Ongoing Divvy Bike Theft Problem – CWB Chicago, CWB Chicago

Scooter Company Bird Has Eye On Chicago – Crain’s Chicago Business; A Warning For Chicago — Bird Scooters Pose Hazard For Pedestrians – National Motorists Association Blog

Chicago Needs Counter-Drone Program, Top Mayoral Aide Tells Aldermen – Chicago Sun-Times

Man’s Leg Amputated After He’s Run Over By CTA Bus – Chicago Sun-Times

Rahm Wants More Traffic Clogging CTA Bus Lanes, Like The Loop Link Lanes That Have Been An Utter Traffic Flow Failure – Block Club Chicago

Rahm Wants To Let Even More Connected Developers Dump Parking Problems Along Streets With CTA Bus Service – Block Club Chicago

CTA Will Test Transit Information Screens On Buses – Chicago Sun-Times

CTA-Owned Parking Lot Near Logan Square Monument Could See Huge New Development – Block Club Chicago

How Wheelchair-Friendly Is Chicago – CBS 2 Chicago

Woman Sexually Assaulted While Walking From Bus Stop: Police – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago

Armed Robberies Reported Aboard CTA Red Line At Belmont Early Wednesday – CWB Chicago

CTA Cancels Vintage Train Cars For Anniversary Of City’s First Transit Line – Chicago Tribune

How Did The Red Line Get Under The Chicago River – Block Club Chicago

Intersex Activists Plan L Train Takeover For Intersex Awareness Day – Block Club Chicago

Big Construction Weekend Coming On Metra BNSF Line – Chicago Daily Herald

Person Struck By Metra Train In Downers Grove – Chicago Sun-Times

Naperville Residents Are Waiting 7 Years For A Metra Parking Permit As Officials Brainstorm Fix – Chicago Tribune

The Grid: Exploring The Greektown Neighborhood – Chicago Sun-Times

19th Century Superior Street Row Houses Threatened With Demolition – Loop North News

On Second Try, Committee Oks Registry To Protect Murals From City Graffiti Crews – Chicago Sun-Times

Arts In The Dark Parade Celebrates Halloween, Chicago-Style On State Street – Chicago Sun-Times

New Group Targets Overlooked Stretch Of Chicago River – Chicago Tonight

We Don’t Need Additional Barriers To Stop Asian Carp From Reaching Great Lakes – Chicago Sun-Times

Evanston Street Cleaning Parking Fines May More Than Double – Evanston Now

Evanston Plans To Revamp Free Holiday Parking Deal – Evanston Now

Preservation Panel Rejects Demolition For Historic Sheridan Road Mansion – Evanston Now

How Arlington Heights Is Hoping To Make Downtown Parking Better – Chicago Daily Herald

Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner’s Salt Order Violates State Code – Northwest Herald

Algonquin Township Trustees Reject Road District’s Request To Transfer Money For Legal Fees – Northwest Herald

Letter — Route 53 Workzone Near Woodfield Mall Is Tragedy In Waiting – Chicago Daily Herald

Is It Time To Lift Flossmoor’s Notorious Parking Ban On Pickup Trucks? Voters Weigh In Next Month – Chicago Tribune

For Some Wisconsin Voters, Road Quality Is A Major Concern – Wisconsin Public Radio

Teen At Wheel Of SUV Before Mag Mile Crash: Officials – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago

School District Hires Alleged Shooter In Road-Rage Incident – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago

Driver Runs Into Knife-Wielding Man, Killing Him: Police – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago

Tried To Lure Boy With Candy Near Logan Square School During Recess, Police Say – Block Club Chicago

Man Gets 12 Years For Robbing Rideshare Driver At Gunpoint In Glen Ellyn – Chicago Sun-Times

Algonquin Police Search For 2 Suspects In Store Robbery, Carjacking – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago

Mom Who Crashed Into Aurora Pond, Left Child In Car Considers Plea Deal – Chicago Daily Herald

CHIRAQ REPORT — 2 Killed, 1 Hurt In Shooting, Crash On I-57 – WBBM AM 780 News Radio Chicago; River North: Two Vehicle Related Shootings In 30 Minutes Overnight – CWB Chicago

Vehicle Crashes Into Hyde Park Produce, Injures Customer – Chicago Sun-Times

Truck Catches On Fire On Dan Ryan; Expressway Briefly Shut Down – Chicago Sun-Times

NATIONAL AND WORLD HEADLINES

Opinion — How Drunk Is Too Drunk to Drive – Governing

No Front License Plate? Fix It Or Face A Hefty Fine – Orange County Register

Why The Vision Zero War On Cars Ignores The History Of Failure With Efforts To Control Transportation Choice – National Motorists Association Blog

Red Light Camera Financial Information Goes Public – The Newspaper

Texas School Bus Chief Busted In Photo Enforcement Scandal – The Newspaper

Gas Price National Average Down Two Weeks In A Row – Gas Buddy Blog

Will Californians Strike A Blow For Lower Taxes And Gasoline Prices – The Hill

New York AG Sues Exxon Mobil, Says Company Downplayed Climate Change Risks – The Hill

Trump Admin Approves Arctic Offshore Oil Drilling Project Off Alaska’s Coast – The Hill

The Saudi Oil Weapon And The Energy Market: What Investors Need To Know – Nightly Business Report; Saudi Energy Minister: No Intention Of 1973-Style Oil Embargo – The Hill; Saudi Arabia Shows Need To End Addiction To Middle Eastern Oil – The Hill; Dem Senator Calls For Ban On Saudi Arabian Oil Imports – The Hill

Why Not To Bet On A $1 Trillion Infrastructure Deal – Politico

Report: One-Third Of Major U.S. Urban Roads Deteriorated, Work Backlog Growing As Traffic Increases – Equipment World

With Colorado Fracking Measure, Battle Over Oil And Gas Comes To A Head – Governing

In Governors’ Races, Potholes and Pipes Become Major Issues – Governing

NADA Study: No Sign of the Personal Vehicle Ownership Apocalypse – NADA

Dealers Hopeful New Mobility Options Mean New Revenue Streams, Study Shows – Forbes

How Car Subscription App Fair Wants To Disrupt The Market For Car Loans Using Subscriptions – CNBC

Car Owners Want Full Access To Their Data – Auto Connected Car

What Your Car Knows About You — And Who It’s Telling – WTOP 103.5 FM Washington DC

Bring Out Your Dead: Sedans, Ford Dominate Discontinued Vehicles Of 2019 – Chicago Tribune — Photo Gallery

Is Auto Safety All About Profit – National Motorists Association Blog

How Technology Has Shifted The Way We Buy Cars – National Motorists Association Blog

Ford Starts Us Production Of The Ranger Pickup For The First Time In Years – Nightly Business Report

Ford Hires New China Chief To Tackle Daunting Turnaround Task – Reuters

Ford Seeks A Different Kind Of Green In Reusing Michigan Plant – Auto Blog

Ford To Use New Miracle Material To Make Cars Quieter – Motor Authority

Ford Expects Us To Trust Its V-to-V Communication With Life And Death Decisions – Top Speed

Prices For Used Harley Bikes Are Near Historic Lows, But Not For Long – Nightly Business Report; Harley-Davidson Sales Plunge After Trump Said He Would Back Boycott – The Hill

University: Truck Pollution Research Cited By EPA Was Not Accurate – The Hill

California: Tougher Rules To Curb Vehicle Pollution – Capitol Weekly

GM Recalls Raft Of Cadillac, Chevy, And GMC Vehicles Over Noncompliant Seatbelts – The Car Connection

BMW To Recall 1.6 Million Vehicles Worldwide Over Fire Risk – CNBC

156,000 Mazda Cars And Crossover Suvs Added To Takata Airbag Recall – The Car Connection

Tesla Slips Several Spots In Consumer Reports Reliability Ranking – CNBC

Twitter Locks Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Account After Bizarre Posts – Telegraph

Are We Really Ready For RoboCars – National Motorists Association Blog

Autonomous Vehicles Have Some Regulatory Roadblocks To Navigate – Gov Tech

Self-Driving Car Industry Needs Better Metrics, USDOT’s Kan Says – Bloomberg

Safety Is No Argument for Robocars – Institute Of Electrical And Electronics Engineers

Cities Have Taken The Lead In Regulating Driverless Vehicles – City Lab

Latest Intel Study Finds People Expect Self-Driving Cars To Be Common In 50 Years – Business Wire

Mobileye Opens Up Driverless Tech As Tie-Up With Intel Deepens – Yahoo Finance

Nvidia Delivers Its Self-Driving Car Safety Report To The Feds – The Verge

Federal Regulator Halts Florida Tests Of Self-Driving School Shuttle – The Hill

Ford’s Self-Driving Cars Are First To Hit D.C. Roads – Mashable

GM’s Self-Driving Car Reportedly Has Trouble Recognizing Pedestrians – Engadget

Uber And Toyota Team Up In Race For Driverless Cars – Hermann Herald

Lyft Acquires Blue Vision Labs To Elevate Its Moves In Self-Driving – Crunchbase

Nissan Digging Deep Into Human Behavior For Autonomy – Ward’s Auto

Mapping Every Driverless Car Crash In California So Far – Tech

New Jersey Lawmakers Consider Rules, Urge Task Force For Driverless Cars – Law

Ohio Leaders Want To Be At The Forefront Of Driverless Tech. Here’s What They’re Doing – Dayton Daily News; Autonomous Shuttle Tech Gets Test Run In Ohio – Curbed

If You’re In Arlington, Texas, Then You’ll Want To Catch A Ride From One Of Drive.Ai’s Self-Driving Vans – The Sitch

University Of Minnesota Research Shows How Roads Can Be Greener With Driverless Vehicles – Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Mazda To Accelerate Electrification – The Japan News

VW’s Electrify America To Install EV Chargers Along The Ohio Turnpike – Engadget

Truck Makers Rev Up For Rollout Of Electric Big Rigs – Reuters

Are Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles Safe – Hybrid Cars

Uber Planning Fleet Of Food Delivery Drones – The Hill

Uber Plans To Go All-Electric By 2025 In London – The Hill

Uber Eats To Reach 70 Percent Of U.S. Population By Year’s End – Chicago Tribune

Uber’s Revolutionary Software May Be A Double-Edged Sword – The Hill

Uber Sees Itself As The Next Potential Amazon But Others See It As The Next Yahoo – Vanity Fair

Is Uber The Enemy Or Ally Of Public Transit – City Lab

Uber To Offer $10 Off Ride To The Polls On Election Day – The Hill

Lyft Partnering With Latino Activist Group To Take Voters To Polls After Only Polling Station Moved – The Hill

Meet Lyft’s First Head Of Social Impact And Its First Sustainability Director – Green Biz

Lyft Has a New $300 Monthly Subscription Plan — Here’s How It Works – Travel And Leisure

Skip Over Traffic? Soon This Personal Helicopter Could Come To Crowded Cities – USA TODAY

In Swipe At Amazon, Target To Offer Free Two-Day Shipping For Holiday Season – The Hill; Walmart, Battling Amazon, Extends Free Two-Day Shipping Offer To Third-Party Items – Chicago Tribune

Christmas Wish For UPS: A Better Holiday Shipping Season – Chicago Tribune

Vintage Plane Crashes Onto Cal. Freeway – CBS 2 Los Angeles

North Carolina Police Officer Fatally Shoots Black Motorist – TIME

Kitten Found Glued To Oregon Road, Rescued By Man Driving To Work – Fox News

What Are Replacement Engines and When to Buy One – National Motorists Association Blog

Wife Uses Parking Brake, Husband Gets Mad, Motormouth Suggests Second Opinion – Chicago Tribune

Skip Scooters Get A Latch So They Don’t Junk Up The Sidewalks – WIRED

Electric Scooters Are Fun, But Nobody Knows What To Do With Them Yet – Vice

Is The NYC Subway Headed For Doom – Commune

China Opens World’s Longest Sea Bridge And Tunnel To Connect Hong And Macau To Mainland China – ABC News

France OKs Congestion Pricing To Reduce Traffic Jams – Automotive News

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Source: http://theexpiredmeter.com/2018/10/the-drivers-side-news-from-the-motorists-perspective-808/

[maryturck]

  Caricature used under Creative Commons license

  Trump says undocumented immigrants are flooding into the country to take advantage of DACA. Except that in real life, DACA was only available to young immigrants who were here for at least five years before 2012. He clearly does not know what he is talking about—and doesn’t care.

In other news: One district court rules that a lawsuit against the administration’s DACA decision can continue; another requires USCIS to give asylum seekers clear direction on time limits for applying; social media accounts and extreme vetting; and real people’s individual stories, including deportation of Minnesota Somalis.

Venting on Immigration, Trump Vows ‘No More DACA Deal’ and Threatens Nafta (New York Times, 4/1/18)

“‘NO MORE DACA DEAL’?!!” Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota wrote on Twitter. “You were never doing a DACA deal. Your actions gave you away: cancelling DACA with no plan, making racist comments about Black/Brown immigrants, ejecting several by bipartisan deals. You didn’t fool anybody.”

Trump’s Easter morning Twitter tirade was probably triggered by a Fox news segment about this story: A huge caravan of Central Americans is headed for the US and no one in Mexico dares to stop them (Buzzfeed, 3/30/18)

“For five days now hundreds of Central Americans — children, women, and men, most of them from Honduras — have boldly crossed immigration checkpoints, military bases, and police in a desperate, sometimes chaotic march toward the United States. Despite their being in Mexico without authorization, no one has made any effort to stop them.

“Organized by a group of volunteers called Pueblos Sin Fronteras, or People Without Borders, the caravan is intended to help migrants safely reach the United States, bypassing not only authorities who would seek to deport them, but gangs and cartels who are known to assault vulnerable migrants.”

Social media screening and extreme vetting

14 million visitors to U.S. face social media screening (New York Times, 3/30/18)

“Last September, the Trump administration announced that applicants for immigrant visas would be asked for social media data, a plan that would affect 710,000 people or so a year. The new proposal would vastly expand that order to cover some 14 million people each year who apply for nonimmigrant visas.

“The proposal covers 20 social media platforms. Most of them are based in the United States: Facebook, Flickr, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Myspace, Pinterest, Reddit, Tumblr, Twitter, Vine and YouTube. But several are based overseas: the Chinese sites Douban, QQ, Sina Weibo, Tencent Weibo and Youku; the Russian social network VK; Twoo, which was created in Belgium; and Ask.fm, a question-and-answer platform based in Latvia.” 

Hand over my social media account to get a U.S. visa? No, thank you. (The Guardian, 3/31/18)

“The government doesn’t need to ask for people’s social media handles in order to vet them. Bar China, perhaps, the US is the world’s most powerful surveillance state – thanks, largely, to Obama’s expansion of the government’s surveillance powers. This new proposal has nothing to do with national security. It’s about cracking down on free speech.

“If you’re planning a trip to the US you are probably going to start thinking twice about criticising Trump online now. It’s a warning to the world to watch how you talk about the US if you ever want to set foot in the place.

“And while this new proposal may be directed at visitors, it also sends a message to residents and citizens that you ought to watch what you say online.” 

U.S. to require would-be immigrants to turn over social media handles (CNN, 3/29/18)

“According to notices submitted by the State Department on Thursday, set for formal publication on Friday, the government plans to require nearly all visa applicants to the US to submit five years of social media handles for specific platforms identified by the government — and with an option to list handles for other platforms not explicitly required.

“The administration expects the move to affect nearly 15 million would-be immigrants to the United States…” 

Other extreme vetting measures have already begun.  State Department enhances vetting of skilled immigrants (Detroit News, 4/1/18)

“Still, businesses have noticed a change.

“We’ve got employees that are going through the process, who have gone through such a level of scrutiny and interrogatory that is unprecedented,” said Dean Garfield, president of the Information Technology Industry Council, which advocates for H1B visas and has had one of its own workers have to move back overseas because of delays in approving the requisite visa.” 

In other news

Citing Trump’s ‘racial slurs,’ judge says suit to preserve DACA can continue (New York Times, 3/29/18)

“One might reasonably infer,” Judge Garaufis wrote, “that a candidate who makes overtly bigoted statements on the campaign trail might be more likely to engage in similarly bigoted action in office.”

District Court Issues Favorable Nationwide Ruling on Behalf of Thousands of Asylum Seekers (American Immigration Council, 3/28/18)

“A federal district court judge in Washington State ruled today that the federal government’s failure to notify asylum seekers that they must apply for asylum within one year of arriving in the United States violated their right to due process and ordered the government to provide such notice….

“In addition, the Court ordered Defendants to accept as timely any asylum application from a class member filed within one year of receiving such notice. Finally, the Court ordered the government to create a uniform, procedural mechanism to ensure that all class members have a meaningful opportunity to file their asylum applications in a timely manner.” 

Real people, real stories

Man freed after wrongful conviction only to be taken into custody by immigration authorities (Chicago Tribune, 3/29/18)

“In the two decades since Ricardo Rodriguez was convicted of murder, he has maintained his innocence.

“This week, the Cook County state’s attorney agreed to drop the case against him amid allegations that a discredited police detective manipulated witnesses.…

“Before he was sent to prison for a 1995 murder, Rodriguez was a lawful permanent resident. His status was revoked when he was convicted, his attorneys said. Now he faces the possibility of being deported despite being freed.”

Deported U.S. Army veteran wins fight for U.S. citizenship (NBC, 3/29/18)

“A deported veteran who launched a health clinic for other deported veterans in Tijuana, Mexico, has been granted citizenship in the United States.

“Hector Barajas-Varela was deported 10 years ago. On Thursday, in uniform and surrounded by supporters and fellow deported veterans, Barajas-Varela received the news from the Department of Homeland Security.

“Barajas-Varela was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and arrived in the U.S. with his parents when he was 7. He grew up in the United States and enlisted in the Army in 1995.”

He spoke out against Somalia’s terrorist groups. Now ICE has deported him there. (The Intercept, 3/31/18) Minnesotan Guled Muhumed, was one of the planeload of deportees in last year’s aborted deportation attempt. On Thursday, Muhumed and other Somalis were again loaded on a plane bound for Somalia. Before he left, The Intercept interviewed him and tells his story:

“In interviews this week, Muhumed recounted his experiences in West Texas, and the terror he has been living through, faced with the serious possibility of being separated from his wife and children and dropped off in a war-ravaged nation that he has not seen since he was a child.

“Muhumed also described the anguish of watching mistakes he made when he was a young man come back around more than a decade later to wreak havoc on his adult life. As a high school administrator and youth counselor, Muhumed spearheaded a program in his community to turn refugee children, particularly young Somalis, away from drugs, crime, and radicalism. He has spoken out publicly against the terrorist groups that wield considerable power in Somalia, making the fact that the U.S. government has treated him like some sort of national security threat, while working hard to drop him off on the very turf where those groups operate, all the more ironic and terrifying.”

She fled LIberia’s civil war 24 years ago. Now Trump wants her to go back. (Guardian, 4/1/18) Trump’s order ending DED will separate Magdalene Menyongaro and her daughter.  

“Gabrielle Gworlekaju, 16, is a sophomore in high school in Minnesota, a cheerleader and an A student. She wants to pursue a career in medicine and, in about a year’s time, she’ll begin the process of choosing a university.

“There’s one person she leans on more than most for advice in such decisions – her mother, Magdalene Menyongaro, 48, who came to the US from Liberia 24 years ago, fleeing the country’s civil war. ”

Manhattan church shields Guatemalan woman from deportation (New York Times, 3/28/18)

“The strategy can work. Of the 39 immigrants who sought public sanctuary nationally in 2017, nine were granted reprieves from deportation, according to a database kept by the organization. Of the 12 who have sought sanctuary in 2018, six have gotten reprieves.”

April Fool tweets again Trump says undocumented immigrants are flooding into the country to take advantage of DACA. Except that in real life, DACA was only available to young immigrants who were here for at least five years before 2012.

[wbwest]

New Post has been published on WilliamBruceWest.com

New Post has been published on http://www.williambrucewest.com/2017/06/02/west-week-ever-pop-culture-review-6217/

West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 6/2/17

Whoo boy! This is gonna be a controversial one this week, but I’ve got some stuff to get off my chest.

First up, there was controversy surrounding the new Wonder Woman film (in theaters now!). Theater chain Alamo Drafthouse announced women-only screenings for the film, where proceeds would go to women’s charities, including Planned Parenthood. Originally planned to be 5 screenings at the Austin and Brooklyn locations, tickets sold out instantly and more screenings were added. According to Alamo, the screenings were meant to be a celebration of “Girl Power”, and were only open to those who identified as women. Now, this isn’t the first time Alamo has done special screenings, as they have screenings for active military members, as well as for children with special sensory needs.  I’ve also heard other explanations, like the screenings give women a safe space to watch the film without having it mansplained to them the entire time. But, of course, the social media shitstorm started. A lot of folks who might be considered Men’s Rights Activists felt that this was discrimination, and that they should retaliate with all-male screenings of the next Star Wars movie.

As Twitter was dead over the holiday weekend, I tweeted that the backlash to the screening was stupid, but the screening itself is also kinda stupid. Now, hear me out: I see both sides of the issue here. Alamo wanted to make a fun exclusive event to celebrate the release of a movie starring a female superhero. That doesn’t happen every day, so it was a cause to celebrate. I’m not “butthurt” over the idea. That said, Alamo had to know they’d get this kind of reaction, as this kind of thing is somewhat of a slippery slope. “How is it a slippery slope, Will?” So glad you asked! Let’s, for a moment, propose a different kind of screening. Let’s say it was a Black Only screening of Get Out. I mean, it had a similar pedigree in that it was a Black horror/suspense film from a Black director – something that also doesn’t happen every day. You’d better believe people would have a problem with that! Sure, it could be spun as a celebration “for the culture”, meant to foster community and whatnot, but White people would shit ALL the bricks! So, as this has been great publicity for both Wonder Woman and Alamo Drafthouse, they knew exactly what they were doing when they set out to do this. In the long run, this isn’t gonna hurt Alamo or Wonder Woman one bit, but let’s not act like this was some kind of altruistic celebration of sisterhood. This was Shrewd Marketing 101.

See? I toldja this would be a controversial one, and I’m just getting started!

Let’s visit the world where Hollywood and politics intersect. You see, comedienne Kathy Griffin posted a photo of herself holding what was meant to be Donald Trump’s severed head. AND PEOPLE LOST THEIR MINDS! Trump, himself, even took time off from golfing and nudging his way to the front of photo ops to tweet about it, saying that it had affected his 11 year-old son, Barron, who apparently thought the photo was real. The backlash was strong against Griffin, who apologized hours later, but still ending up losing her Squatty Potty endorsement, as well as her CNN New Year’s Eve gig with Anderson Cooper. A lot of people seem to be in agreement of the backlash, but I’m gonna take a different approach: I don’t think the photo was that bad.

There are so many things to unpack here, so bear with me as I try to navigate through all of it. Societies have a history of burning politicians in effigy as a form of protest so, while extreme, how is this any different? Had she actually decapitated the man, and was brandishing his severed head on social media as some sort of trophy, that would’ve been too far. Like it or not, this was “art”, and you don’t really get to judge art. It can make you uncomfortable but at least it triggered some sort of opinion or emotion, which means it did its job.

I also feel like this is a situation where folks are more upset by the messenger than the message. Kathy Griffin isn’t taken seriously. We’ve put her in this box along with Andy Dick and several other unpredictable, slightly unstable comedians who at one time did a stint on an NBC sitcom. We don’t expect anything “deep” from her, because we’ve already written her off. She knows this, as she’s in on the joke. I mean, her reality series was called My Life On The D-List, so she knows she’s not a top-tier celebrity. Still, she has a team behind her, as everyone in Hollywood does, and they all decided that this was something she was going to do. Maybe she felt it’d just blow over because of her lessened celebrity status, or maybe it’s doing just what she thought it would. A friend and I were talking about it the other night, and he’s the one who made me realize it was the messenger we were blaming here. After all, if Samantha Bee had done this, liberals would be creaming their jeans about how daring and smart it was. Why? Because that’s what people expect of her. Griffin made the simple mistake of veering out of her lane, and that’s how we got to where we are now.

Now, let’s look at the photographer, Tyler Shields, whose work tends to push boundaries like this. For him, this was just another Tuesday photoshoot, and this isn’t the first time that Griffin has worked with him. I mean, just look at some of his work above. He likes weird shit, but again, it’s art and we don’t really get to police it.

Meanwhile, there’s the whole thing about Barron thinking the photo was real. That poor, poor boy. To quote Hank Hill, “That boy ain’t right”, and the family either refuses to acknowledge it or is dealing with it in secret. On the one hand, I guess I have to commend the fact that we’ve “grown” to the point of saying “Kids are off limits”, but I find it convenient that we’re adopting that stance now. Where was that when comedians were calling little Chelsea Clinton a “dog” every chance they got? Where was that when Sasha and Malia had to see the stuff folks said about them and their family? It’s a shame that Barron doesn’t know the difference between a photo and reality but, as one Tweeter put it, it wouldn’t be an issue if Donald actually lived with his son. But I digress. I think this whole thing has been blown way out of proportion to dominate the news cycle. After all, last weekend it was looking like Jared Kushner was in the hot seat, and then next thing you know, it’s Kathy Griffin this, and covfefe that.

Where to next? Oh yeah, remember Mary Kay Letourneau? She was one of the first stories of teachers sleeping with their students to hit the news. Back in the late 90s, Letourneau fell in love with her student, 12 year old Vili Fualaau, and ended up getting impregnate by him. She was convicted of child rape, served 3 months in jail, and THEN got caught having sex with Fualaau in her car just two weeks after her release. And she got pregnant again. She served 6 years that time, but married Fualaau when she got out. And they lived happily ever after…until May 9th of this year, when Fualaau filed for legal separation from Letourneau. Now 33, perhaps Letourneau simply got too old for him at 55. But the plot thickens! Yesterday, that bastion of journalistic integrity, The New York Post, reported that the separation was really just something of a scam. You see, Fualaau wants to get a license to sell pot, but he knows they’ll do a background check before granting it to him, and it wouldn’t look good to be married to a registered sex offender. He claims they’re still in love and this is just a business arrangement. So, while he awaits his pot license, he’s working as a DJ in Washington state. Too bad she couldn’t fuck some ambition into him all those years ago! Fun fact: one of Letourneau’s brothers is a foreign policy adviser to the president. He’s clearly been doing a heck of a job lately!

Still here? OK, then let’s talk about some pop culture stuff. Someone at NBC must’ve read my Upfronts post, as they just announced changes that perfectly mirror my suggestions. This Is Us will no longer be moving to Thursday, and will stay put on Tuesday nights. Meanwhile, the comedies planned for Tuesday, Superstore and The Good Place, are moving to Thursday to join Will & Grace and Great News for a 2-hour comedy block. This is how it alway should’ve been, and I’m not quite sure what’s going on at NBC. From the cancellation/uncancellation of Timeless to this new schedule scramble, it makes you wonder who’s at the wheel over there. Still, I think these are smart moves, so hopefully they’ll work out in the long run.

The hardest working man in Hollywood, Ryan Seacrest, is developing a new show. Best.Cover.Ever. will air on YouTube and will feature people singing cover songs, vying for the chance to sing a duet with the original artist of the song they sang. Hosted by Ludacris, the show will feature Demi Lovato, Jason Derulo, and Backstreet Boys to start out. Contestants are asked to upload videos of covers of “Trumpets”, “Confident”, and “As Long As You Love Me”. The artists will each choose two finalists, who will be the contestants actually featured on the show. The winner gets to duet with the original artist for an exclusive YouTube performance. It’s an interesting concept, and it requires a partnership with a streaming service to work, but I’m still not sure it’s going to be successful. I’m also surprised that it’s not on YouTube Red, where they can charge for it. After all, nobody really talks about the offerings on YouTube Red, but this is the kind of thing that could get folks talking and maybe boost subscriptions. I’m a sucker for “As Long As You Love Me”, so I’ll be keeping tabs on this just to see how it fares.

Major news in the world of pop music this morning, as will.i.am confirmed that Fergie has left the Black Eyed Peas to focus on her solo career. The news isn’t exactly a surprise, as last week it was announced that she was leaving the band’s label, Interscope, to start her own label, Duchess Music, over at BMG. It’s still a pretty big deal, though, as she’s been with the band for the past 15 years. Still, I feel like their time has come and gone. They showed up, gave the world a suitable soundtrack replacement for Jock Jams, and left their mark. However, will.i.am says they’re still together, recording new music to celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band. To be honest, I thought they were gonna be done in 2008, when they released The E.N.D., but it proved successful enough, with the hits “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling”, that they just kept trucking along. Now there are rumors swirling that Nicole Scherzinger might replace Fergie in the group, which would be her third time in a group, after Eden’s Crush and The Pussycat Dolls. I swear, Scherzinger must have a tail or something, because there’s some sort of defect that’s preventing a label from being able to package her as a solo act. Always a bridesmaid…Anyway, let’s pour one out for The Duchess and her tenure with Your Grandma’s Favorite Rap Group.

Netflix founder and CEO Reed Hastings recently said that he felt Netflix should be canceling more shows. In his mind, they have too many hits, which results in creators taking fewer chances and not “swinging for the fences”. The successful shows are basically taking real estate from potential new hits. Now, it being the internet, there’s no “real estate”, per se, but it’s still marketing dollars, bandwidth, etc. It used to be that you could count on a Netflix series getting at least 2 seasons, but they just killed that with the cancellation of The Get Down after its first season. Yesterday, they followed the trend and canceled the sci fi series Sense8 after its second season just debuted last month. If the axe is swinging, I’m worried about the shows that aren’t generating a ton of buzz right now, like F is for Family and the adaptation of Dear White People. Kind of a weird problem to have, though: too much success might be making them complacent. It’ll be interesting to see how this affects the Marvel shows, as well as the Netflix perennials like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black.

There was a scary moment last weekend at Phoenix Comicon, when police arrested a man who reportedly had three handguns, a shotgun, knives, pepper spray, and throwing stars, and had a reminder on his phone that said “Kill JDF.” That’s right, folks – his plan was to kill the Greatest Power Ranger of All Time, Jason David Frank, as well as some police officers. Sidebar: can you imagine being so absentminded that you need to set a phone reminder to make sure you remember to murder your target?! Anyway, the reason police were able to capture 31 year old Mathew Sterling was because he had told his plan to some chick on social media, who then tipped off the police. Anyway, JDF continued with the convention as if nothing had happened, claiming that he wasn’t going to let fear govern his life. Meanwhile, the convention cracked down on prop weapons and banned them from the show. In fact, if you were getting your Saba or Dragon Dagger swords signed by JDF that weekend, he was posting on social media that you would have to leave them in their boxes. This has caused other conventions to look at their own weapons policies, so look for some changes coming up on the con circuit.

Song of the Week

This week, I give you “You Look Good”, but Lady Antebellum. This is just such a funky song, and could’ve been a contender for Song of the Summer had they waited a bit longer to release it. Anyway, it’s like the 2017 offspring of Santana and Rob Thomas’s “Smooth”. I really dig it, and I think you will, too.

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

Hailee Steinfeld is in talks to star in the Transformers spinoff, Bumblebee

After 14 years off the air, MTV is bringing back the MTV Beach House this summer

WGN America has canceled slavery drama Underground after 2 seasons

There are reports that Steven Spielberg is gearing up for an Animaniacs reboot

Fresh off the recently canceled Powerless, Vanessa Hudgens was announced as a judge on the upcoming season of So You Think You Can Dance

Scott Pelley is out as the anchor of CBS Evening News, and will return to 60 Minutes in a full-time capacity

A Sin City TV series is in the works

Universal is reportedly interested in Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for the role of The Wolfman in their Dark Universe franchise

Speaking of Dark Universe, I called it last week: Warner Bros may sue Universal over the Dark Universe title. According to official documents, however, it appears Universal may have had the name first.

Charlie Heaton, of Stranger Things fame, is reportedly up for the role of Cannonball in the X-Men spinoff, New Mutants – which is now supposedly going to be a straight horror movie. Um, OK…

Speaking of New Mutants, Fox continues to mine Netflix shows, as 13 Reasons Why‘s Henry Zaga has been cast as Sunspot

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor have split after 18 years together

The Ludacris-hosted Fear Factor reboot premiered on MTV this week

Tiger Woods was arrested for a DUI, even though he had no alcohol in his system and was found passed out in his car. He says it was the result of mixing prescription drugs, but the whole thing sound fishy

Sharknado 5: Global Swarming will premiere August 6th on SyFy, guest starring Charo, Fabio, Tony Hawk, and Chris Kattan. This thing is one Ted Lange appearance away from becoming a Love Boat reboot

Thanks to an article on Slate, we now know to pronounce the “T” in Gal Gadot’s name.

I had absolutely no desire to see Wonder Woman. While she was my favorite part of of Dawn of Justice, I just wasn’t jazzed about the idea of her starring in a World War I period piece. I mean, we already got that movie, and it was called Captain America: The First Avenger (before you history buffs come out of the woodworks, I know that movie was set in WWII: War Harder). I wasn’t looking forward to DC’s lackluster attempt at a retread of that. So, imagine my surprise when I found myself in the theater on opening night. And then imagine my surprise when the movie ended, and I realized that I LOVED it!

It might be premature to say that Warner Bros has finally righted the DCEU ship, but Wonder Woman is definitely a step in the right direction. My buddy Chad predicted that it would be the new gold standard in comic book movies, and while I don’t think it quite achieves that, it’s definitely the gold standard for the DC Universe. It’s one of the rare comic book movies where I left and didn’t really have any issues with plot holes. It was such a joy to watch, thanks to the acting of Gal Gadot. First of all, she’s so goddamn beautiful that it should be illegal for the camera to be trained on her for prolonged periods of time. Seriously, I thought I was gonna have a seizure like those kids did from that Pokémon episode back in ’99. She does such a great job playing  up Wonder Woman’s sweet naiveté about “Man’s World”, but is also a commanding presence during the battles. It’s funny how when she was cast, we were all saying “She’s too small to be Wonder Woman”, but watching her onscreen, all those doubts slip away.

Now, as much as I loved it, it’s not a perfect film. It deftly straddles the line between “suspension of disbelief” and just plain hokey, but it sort of feels like a 90s comic book movie in that way. And while Patty Jenkins may have directed it, Zack Snyder’s fingerprints are ALL OVER IT (as he co-wrote it with Allan Heinberg). I swear, I think about 60% of it was pure green screen, as I sat there thinking to myself, “This is on a soundstage. That is on a soundstage. Oh, that’s definitely a sound stage.” At points (especially during the final act), it shifts into that “Snydervision” that most of the DCEU movies are in, where it just becomes a copper-tinted music video.

Plus, I’m still not sure about the shared universe nature of the DCEU. While Marvel has almost flawlessly built their world over the course of many films, it just feels so forced with the DC movies. Whereas the MCU feels organic, the DCEU feels copycat. The framing device of the movie is meant to sort of further that idea of a shared universe, but I’m not sure it works. To be honest, I’d probably enjoy it more if I knew nothing about Dawn of Justice or the fact that she’ll pop up in Justice League later this year. She’s strong enough to stand on her own, and the rest of the disappointing DCEU almost taints her.

All that said, it’s really a great cinematic debut for the character, and young girls finally have their own big screen hero. Not to give too much away, but as the film starts, Diana is a wide-eyed little girl, and I could see so much of the audience connecting with that. I thought of my own daughter, and the fact the she now has her own hero. I think that will mean a lot to folks. As far as I’m concerned, scrap Justice League and the rest of the solo films on DC’s slate, and rush Wonder Woman 2 into production stat! For these reasons, Wonder Woman had the West Week Ever.

[topinforma]

New Post has been published on Mortgage News

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melania-trump-could-make-millions-for-her-brand-as-flotus-lawyer

WASHINGTON — First lady Melania Trump has said little about what she intends to do with her prominent position. But in new court documents, her lawyers say that the “multi-year term” during which she “is one of the most photographed women in the world” could mean millions of dollars for her personal brand.

While the new documents don’t specifically mention her term as first lady, the unusual statement about her expected income drew swift condemnation from ethics watchdogs as inappropriate profiteering from her high-profile position, which is typically centred on public service.

U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attend the 60th Annual Red Cross Gala at Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida on Feb. 4. (Photo: Carlos Barria/Reuters)

The statement came Monday in a libel lawsuit the first lady re-filed in a state trial court in Manhattan. Mrs. Trump has been suing the corporation that publishes the Daily Mail’s website over a now-retracted report that claimed she once worked as an escort. In the filing Monday, Mrs. Trump’s lawyers argued that the report was not only false and libelous, but also damaged her ability to profit off her high profile and affected her business opportunities.

Mrs. Trump “had the unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as an extremely famous and well-known person, as well as a former professional model, brand spokesperson and successful businesswoman, to launch a broad-based commercial brand in multiple product categories, each of which could have garnered multi-million dollar business relationships for a multi-year term during which plaintiff is one of the most photographed women in the world,” the lawsuit said.

The products could have included apparel, accessories, jewelry, cosmetics, hair care and fragrance, among others, the suit says. The first lady is seeking compensatory and punitive damages of at least $150 million.

‘Unprecedented, clear breach’

Richard Painter, who advised former President George W. Bush on ethics, said the language in the lawsuit shows Melania Trump is engaging “in an unprecedented, clear breach of rules about using her government position for private gain. This is a very serious situation where she says she intends to make a lot of money. That ought to be repudiated by the White House or investigated by Congress.”

Painter is part of a group of attorneys suing the president for an alleged violation of a constitutional clause that prohibits presidents from receiving foreign gifts or payments.

In response to questions from The Associated Press, Charles Harder, Mrs. Trump’s attorney, said “the first lady has no intention of using her position for profit and will not do so. It is not a possibility. Any statements to the contrary are being misinterpreted.”

Harder did not respond to a follow-up question about what the lawsuit means by “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“She’s not talking about the future. She’s talking about earning money now.”

To Painter and others, there is no ambiguity.

“She’s not talking about the future,” Painter said. “She’s talking about earning money now.”

Scott Amey, general counsel of the Washington watchdog Project on Government Oversight, said it is “another example of the first family blurring the line between public service and private business interests.”

Melania Trump has not stepped away from her brand, according to business documents.

As of Tuesday, she was listed in New York filings as the CEO of Melania Marks Accessories Member Corp, the holding company of Melania Marks Accessories LLC, both of which remain active. Those companies managed between $15,000 and $50,000 in royalties from her accessories lines, the Trumps’ May 2016 financial disclosure filing shows.

A third company, Melania LLC, was also still active, though the Trumps had listed it as having less than $1,000 in value and producing less than $200. Two other of Mrs. Trump’s companies tied to skincare products were shut down last week, according to business filings in Delaware. Both were listed in the May 2016 financial disclosure as having little to no value or income.

U.S. President Donald Trump walks with his wife Melania Trump on the tarmac after he arrived on Air Force One at the Palm Beach International Airport. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Amey said a more ethical course would be for all members of the first family to halt their business activities while Trump is president. A spokeswoman for the first lady did not respond to a request for comment.

Melania Trump previously sued Mail Media Inc. in Maryland, but a judge earlier this month ruled the case was filed in the wrong court. The lawsuit is now filed in New York, where the corporation has offices.

Mrs. Trump also had sued blogger Webster Tarpley for reporting the unsubstantiated rumours. Trump filed the lawsuit in Maryland after both Tarpley and the Daily Mail issued retractions.

On Tuesday, Melania Trump’s attorneys said they’d settled the Maryland case against Tarpley after he apologized and agreed to pay “a substantial sum as a settlement.”

Previous scrutiny over marketing

Melania Trump’s marketing has drawn scrutiny before.

On Inauguration Day, the official White House biography for Melania Trump originally referenced her jewelry collection, which it noted was sold on the home-shopping channel QVC. By the next day, that bio had been edited and simplified to say that she had “launched her own jewelry collection.”

President Donald Trump continues to financially benefit from his global business empire, breaking from past practice. Previous presidents and their families have divested from business interests and placed their holdings in a blind trust, although there is no legal requirement to do so.

Trump handed daily management of the real estate, property management and licensing to his adult sons and a longtime Trump Organization employee.

__

Associated Press writers Randall Chase in Dover, Del., and Chad Day in Washington contributed to this report.

MORE: Business Video Video Melania Trump Donald Trump Melania Trump Melania Trump Designers Melania Trump Personal Brand Flotus First Lady First Lady Melania Trump Trump Brand Melania Trump Lawsuit

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