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Conor McGregor Regrets Cheating on Dee Devlin, Thanks Family For SupportSpecial Counsel Jack Smith on Monday moved to dismiss the federal cases against US President-elect Donald Trump -- including one for election subversion -- citing an official policy of not prosecuting a sitting president. Trump, 78, was accused of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden and mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House, but neither case ever came to trial. Smith, in a filing with the district judge in Washington presiding over the election case, said it should be dropped in light of the long-standing Justice Department policy of not indicting or prosecuting a sitting president. He cited the same reasoning in withdrawing his appeal of a ruling by a district judge, a Trump appointee, who dismissed the classified documents case earlier this year. Smith asked District Judge Tanya Chutkan to dismiss the election interference case "without prejudice" -- leaving open the possibility it could be revived after Trump leaves office four years from now. The special counsel paused the election interference case this month after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 presidential election. "The Government's position on the merits of the defendant's prosecution has not changed," Smith said in the filing with Chutkan. "But the circumstances have." "It has long been the position of the Department of Justice that the United States Constitution forbids the federal indictment and subsequent criminal prosecution of a sitting President," Smith said. "As a result this prosecution must be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated." In a separate filing, Smith said he was withdrawing his appeal of the dismissal of the classified documents case against Trump but pursuing the case against his two co-defendants, Trump valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said the cases were "empty and lawless, and should never have been brought." "Over $100 Million Dollars of Taxpayer Dollars has been wasted in the Democrat Party's fight against their Political Opponent, ME," he said. "Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before." Trump is accused of conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding -- the session of Congress called to certify Biden's win, which was violently attacked on January 6, 2021 by a mob of the then-president's supporters. Trump is also accused of seeking to disenfranchise US voters with his false claims that he won the 2020 election. The former and incoming president also faces two state cases -- in New York and Georgia. He was convicted in New York in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels on the eve of the 2016 election to stop her from revealing an alleged 2006 sexual encounter. Judge Juan Merchan has postponed sentencing while he considers a request from Trump's lawyers that the conviction be thrown out in light of the Supreme Court ruling in July that an ex-president has broad immunity from prosecution. In Georgia, Trump faces racketeering charges over his efforts to subvert the 2020 election results in the southern state, but that case will likely be frozen while he is in office. cl/bgs
Romanians started voting on Sunday in the first round of a presidential election that may give hard-right politician George Simion a chance of winning, with voters focused on high living costs and the country’s support for Ukraine. Opinion surveys show leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, 56, leader of Romania’s largest party, the Social Democrats, will make it into the run-off vote on Dec 8, with Simion, 38, of the Alliance for Uniting Romanians the likely runner-up. About 3.7 million Romanians, or 20.7% of registered voters in the European Union and NATO state, had cast their ballots across the country by 1045 GMT, data showed. Voting ends at 1900 GMT with exit polls to follow immediately. Voting by Romanians abroad, who can influence the result and where the hard right leader is popular, began on Friday. Analysts expect Ciolacu to win the second round against Simion, appealing to moderates and touting his experience running Romania during a war next door. But the prospect of a Ciolacu-Simion run-off vote could mobilise centre-right voters in favour of Elena Lasconi, leader of opposition Save Romania Union, ranked third in opinion surveys, analysts said. Simion has cast the election as a choice between an entrenched political class beholden to foreign interests in Brussels and himself, an outsider who will defend Romania’s economy and sovereignty. He opposes military aid to Ukraine and supports a peace plan as envisioned by US President-elect Donald Trump, whom he admires, and would support a government that emulates that of Italy’s Giorgia Meloni. “We want peace, the war must end so we stop being afraid,” 76-year-old Valentin Ion said after voting in Bucharest. “Politicians must be more understanding and give money to the needy.” Romania has the EU’s largest share of people at risk of poverty. Ciolacu’s coalition government of his Social Democrats (PSD) and centre-right Liberals has raised the minimum wage and increased pensions twice this year, but high budget spending has swollen deficits and kept inflation high. “I am taking my parents and my children to go vote for PSD, it is the best party, Marcel Ciolacu gave us so much,” said Vasile Popa, 46. Since Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, Romania has enabled the export of millions of tons of grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta and provided military aid, including the donation of a Patriot air defence battery. “The outcome is still very difficult to predict due to the high concentration of candidates and the splitting of the centre-right vote,” said Sergiu Miscoiu, a political science professor at Babes-Bolyai University. Most candidates, he said, have campaigned on conservative messages such as protecting family values. “Mainstream party candidates have a very catch-all message, on the one hand the nation, the army, religion and so on. On the other hand, we see a commitment to Europe, although it is seen more as a revenue source than an inspiration for values.” Outgoing two-term president Klaus Iohannis, 65, had cemented Romania’s strong pro-Western stance but was accused of not doing enough to fight corruption. Romania’s president, limited to two five-year terms, has a semi-executive role which includes heading the armed forces.Shoprite has warned that the website checkershypersa.co.za, selling products at significantly discounted prices, is a scam. The supermarket chain told MyBroadband that its cybersecurity team has already initiated a takedown and is closely monitoring the process. MyBroadband was informed about the website by a reader and has reached out to the domain registrar, 1Api. The scam site also appears to use Flutterwave for its payment gateway. Neither Flutterwave nor 1Api had responded by publication. The website bears the Checkers Hyper branding and claims to sell several technology products, including washing machines, laptops, and gaming consoles. To entice buyers, all items are on sale — most of which are roughly 50% off. Shoprite said it notifies its customers about fake websites, competitions, or scams through its official social media platforms. It has also provided several guidelines that users can follow to stay safe when engaging with its platforms online. Scams like this are particularly prominent around Black... Daniel Puchert
Vertigo3d CSM strategy ProShares Large Cap Core Plus ETF ( CSM ) started investing operations on 7/13/2009 and tracks the Credit Suisse 130/30 Large Cap Index. It has a dividend yield of 1.02% and an expense ratio of 0.45%. As described in the Quantitative Risk & Value (QRV) provides you with risk indicators and data-driven, time-tested strategies. Get started with a two-week free trial now. Fred Piard, PhD. is a quantitative analyst and IT professional with over 30 years of experience working in technology. He is the author of three books and has been investing in data-driven systematic strategies since 2010. Quantitative Risk & Value Learn more Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of AMZN, GOOGL, META either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Posts area Latest 1 of 1 Go to latest Pinned post from 5.02am Hundreds of bridge crashes caught on camera as drivers told to do better By William Davis New footage of vehicles slamming into rail bridges in Queensland has been released amid a push to improve driver awareness. At least 386 bridges or protection beams have been hit by vehicles in the past 12 months, causing train and road delays. Police and multiple government departments are leading a blitz this week to improve awareness among drivers in high-risk areas. “Just last month we saw a car narrowly miss being crushed after a truck got wedged at Corinda – next time maybe we won’t be so lucky,” said Travis Cooper from Queensland Rail. “We’re not mincing our words – drivers, know your height, plan your route and obey the signs and rules.” Latest posts Latest posts 5.17am Lidia Thorpe has ‘no regrets’ despite Senate suspension By Olivia Ireland Independent senator Lidia Thorpe says she has no regrets about throwing papers at One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, which got her suspended from the chamber for a day. Speaking on Nine’s Today program, the maverick senator walked through the press gallery joking about her “suspension badge” before speaking on the Senate fallout from yesterday. Independent senator Lidia Thorpe leaves the Senate chamber on Wednesday morning. Credit: AAP “It’s been a horrible week, and when you’re subjected to racism, which I have been since I was a kid ... I stand up against it and that’s what I did,” she said. Asked if she had any regrets, Thorpe firmly said she did not. “No, not at all,” she said. We all have a responsibility to stamp racism out. Senator Hanson gets away with so much she is a convicted racist. She has worn a burqa in the chamber. She baits me regularly with racial taunts and what she did to Senator [Fatima] Payman was questioned. Her legitimacy in this place.” Continuing the media rounds, Thorpe dodged a question on ABC News Breakfast about whether she planned to come back to the Senate today despite being suspended. No one tells me the rules around here until I break them. I think they make it up as they go along and that is part of the problem. That is why we called for an inquiry into Senate procedures so that we are not responding to hate speech all the time and having all these disruptions.” 5.09am Parliament set to pass social media ban for under 16s By AAP Children younger than 16 are all but set to be banned from social media, with federal parliament poised to enact the world-first legislation. The Senate is expected on Thursday to pass the laws that would ban young people from platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok with bipartisan support. However, there has been concern that the proposal has been rushed through parliament without proper scrutiny, given that Australia would be the first country to implement such a ban. The ban would come into effect one year after the laws pass the parliament, with trials of age-verification technology still done by the federal government. Criticism had been levelled at the ban after an inquiry into the laws ran for just three hours, with people only given one day to hand in submissions and a lack of consultation with young people themselves. While the bill has enjoyed bipartisan support, several coalition members have broken ranks to raise concerns. Tasmanian Liberal MP Bridget Archer crossed the floor to vote against the ban in the House of Representatives, while coalition senator Matt Canavan has also criticised the laws. 5.01am A warm and wet end to the week Brisbanites wake to another cloudy day today, with the mercury forecast to hit a top of 30 degrees. There’s a higher chance of showers today than there has been this week so far, so don’t forget your umbrella. Tomorrow and the weekend look to be even wetter again. Here’s the outlook into the weekend and beyond. Advertisement 5.00am This morning’s headlines at a glance Stories making the rounds beyond Brisbane this morning: Bikies ran amok in the CFMEU , and they’re not going to leave quietly. Efforts to clean up the troubled union are encountering resistance as the extent of past problems becomes clearer. Independent senator Lidia Thorpe was suspended from the chamber for a day for throwing papers at Senator Pauline Hanson in fury, after the latter was accused of spreading hatred by Senator Fatima Payman. In Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has intervened to scupper a deal with the Greens over environmental reform that Labor promised at the last election, circumventing his Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek. Elon Musk, US President-elect Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jnr, Mike Johnson and Robert F. Kennedy enjoy a McDonald’s meal aboard Trump’s private plane. Credit: @DonaldJTrumpJr/X It was a picture that revealed more than just Donald Trump’s inner circle. What does the president-elect’s diet consist of? Breakfast – nothing. Lunch – nothing. Dinner – a McDonald’s, KFC, pizza or a well-done steak. Twelve Diet Cokes a day, and snacking on Doritos. Here’s what happened when The Telegraph’s Gareth Davies tried it for a week. And a man who could be the NRL season’s most important buy has revealed why he changed clubs, as Brisbane Times Sports Reporter Nick Wright dissects who stands as their new side’s most crucial purchase . 4.55am The top stories for today Good morning, thanks for joining us for Brisbane Times’ live news blog. It’s Thursday, November 28, and we’re expecting a partly cloudy day and a top temperature of 30 degrees. In this morning’s local headlines: After an eight-month inquiry, the Senate transport committee’s 229-page report on aircraft noise has been tabled in parliament . In Olympics venue news, Dykman Consulting is working on a submission to the Crisafulli government’s 100-day review that envisages a “golden triangle” inner-city Games transport area , with the Gabba becoming the Brisbane Arena, a Suncorp Stadium upgrade and a Main Stadium at the eastern end of Victoria Park. Local primary school students have joined the fight against the development of a 24/7 McDonald’s on Nudgee Road in Hendra. Credit: Courtney Kruk Primary school students have added their voices to a chorus of locals opposing the proposed development of a 24-hour McDonald’s on Nudgee Road , staging a protest outside Hendra State School on Wednesday afternoon. Dozens of mums, dads and bubs have turned King George Square into a parking lot for prams as they gathered to sing songs and read stories in protest of Brisbane City Council’s decision to cut local library reading programs . Barry Parade Public House is one of the best-looking bar openings in years. Credit: Markus Ravik And a sophisticated neighbourhood boozer has opened in what many would consider a relatively unknown byway between the CBD and Fortitude Valley. Take a look inside Barry Parade Public House. Latest 1 of 1 Latest Most Viewed in National Loading
Caesars vs. DraftKings: Which sportsbook is the best in 2024? | Sporting NewsSailing-Rolex ramps up SailGP backing as crews hit Dubai for new seasonNEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs was denied bail on Wednesday as he awaits a May sex trafficking trial by a judge who cited evidence showing him to be a “serious risk” of witness tampering and proof he has tried to hide prohibited communications with third parties while incarcerated. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian ruled in a five-page order following a bail hearing last week. At the hearing, lawyers for the hip-hop mogul argued that a $50 million bail package they proposed would be sufficient to ensure Combs doesn’t flee and doesn’t try to intimidate prospective trial witnesses. Two other judges previously had agreed with prosecutors that the Bad Boy Records founder was a danger to the community if he is not behind bars. Subramanian concurred. “There is compelling evidence of Combs's propensity for violence,” Subramanian wrote. Lawyers for Combs did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the decision. Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for prosecutors, declined comment. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years, aided by associates and employees. An indictment alleges that he silenced victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings. A federal appeals court judge last month denied Combs’ immediate release while a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan considers his bail request. That appeal was put on hold while Subramanian, newly appointed to the case after an earlier judge stepped aside, considered the bail request for the first time. Subramanian said he took a fresh look at all the bail arguments and the evidence supporting them to make his decision. Prosecutors have insisted that no bail conditions would be sufficient to protect the public and prevent the “I'll Be Missing You” singer from fleeing. They say that even in a federal lockup in Brooklyn, Combs has orchestrated social media campaigns designed to influence prospective jurors and tried to publicly leak materials he thinks can help his case. They say he also has contacted potential witnesses through third parties. Lawyers for Combs say any alleged sexual abuse described in the indictment occurred during consensual relations between adults and that new evidence refutes allegations that Combs used his “power and prestige” to induce female victims into drugged-up, elaborately produced sexual performances with male sex workers known as “Freak Offs.” Subramanian said evidence shows Combs to be a “serious risk of witness tampering,” particularly after he communicated over the summer with a grand jury witness and deleted some of his texts with the witness. The judge also cited evidence showing that Combs violated Bureau of Prisons regulations during pretrial detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn when he paid other inmates to use their phone code numbers so he could make calls to individuals who were not on his approved contact list. He said there was also evidence that he told family members and defense counsel to add other people to three-way calls so their communications would be more difficult to trace and that he made efforts to influence his trial's jury pool or to reach potential witnesses. Subramanian said his “willingness to skirt” jailhouse rules to conceal communications was “strong evidence” that any conditions of release would not prevent similar behavior. The judge said defense claims that Combs stopped using one particular phone technique criticized by prosecutors was belied by the fact that Combs apparently used it again on Sunday, two days after his bail hearing last week. Even a bail proposal that would include the strictest form of home confinement seemed insufficient, the judge said. “Given the nature of the allegations in this case and the information provided by the government, the Court doubts the sufficiency of any conditions that place trust in Combs and individuals in his employ — like a private security detail — to follow those conditions,” Subramanian wrote.
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