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US judge rejects SEC bid to sanction Elon Musk for failing to appear in Twitter takeover probeNick Kern came off the bench for 20 points and 13 rebounds as Penn State remained unbeaten with an 85-66 thumping of Fordham in a semifinal of the Sunshine Slam on Monday in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Nittany Lions (6-0), who will play either San Francisco or Clemson for the tournament title on Tuesday, put four other players in double figures. Zach Hicks scored 16 points, while Puff Johnson added 15. Ace Baldwin and Yanic Konan Niederhauser each chipped in 12 points. Penn State sank nearly 53 percent of its field goal attempts and earned a 38-30 advantage on the boards, more than enough to offset missing 12 of its 32 foul shots. Four players reached double figures for the Rams (3-4), led by 15 points apiece from Jackie Johnson III and reserve Joshua Rivera. Romad Dean and Jahmere Tripp each added 13. Fordham was as close as 56-49 after Tripp made a layup with 14:25 left in the game. But the Nittany Lions responded with a 16-1 run, capped with a layup by Kern for a 22-point lead at the 9:33 mark, and they never looked back. The main storyline prior to tipoff was whether Penn State could continue its torrid early start that saw it come into the day leading Division I in steals and ranked second in scoring at 98.2 points per game. The Nittany Lions certainly played to their billing for most of the first half, establishing a 21-8 lead at the 10:08 mark via Hicks' three-point play. Fordham predictably struggled early with the pressure defense, committing four turnovers in the first four minutes. But the Rams got their bearings over the last 10 minutes and made some shots. They got as close as four on two occasions late in the half before Penn State pushed the lead to 42-34 at the half. The officials were busy in the half, calling 23 fouls and administering 27 free throws. --Field Level MediaHow the FIRE early retirement movement survives - and thrives - despite stock market volatility
DALLAS, Texas, Nov. 25, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — UTR Sports, a global leader in tennis and pickleball player ratings and event management, today announced an expansion of its partnership with Stack Sports to incorporate TeamInn travel services. TeamInn, Stack Sports’ dedicated travel service platform, will now provide travel accommodations for UTR Sports tournaments and events, simplifying travel planning for players, coaches, officials, and fans. TeamInn by Stack Sports will offer streamlined, competitive travel booking solutions, enhancing the overall event experience and making it easier for the UTR Sports community to access high-quality accommodations at preferred rates. This expansion aligns with UTR Sports’ commitment to improving convenience for its global network, offering valuable support to those traveling to UTR Sports tennis and pickleball events. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Stack Sports to integrate TeamInn travel services, we are making travel easier and more affordable for our participants, officials, and families,” said Mark Leschly, Chairman and CEO of UTR Sports. “Our mission is to connect the tennis and pickleball communities around the world, and TeamInn is an important addition to that vision. Together with Stack Sports, we’re excited to enhance the event experience by offering seamless travel options tailored to our needs.” The addition of TeamInn to the UTR Sports ecosystem brings further operational efficiency and convenience, reinforcing UTR Sports’ role as a comprehensive service provider in the tennis and pickleball spaces. TeamInn offers a full suite of travel services, from hotel booking to exclusive group rates, ensuring that travel logistics are one less hurdle for participants and organizers. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Stack Sports to integrate Teaminn travel services and make travel easier and more affordable for our participants, officials, and families,” said Mark Leschly, Chairman and CEO of UTR Sports. “Our mission is to connect the tennis and pickleball communities around the world, and TeamInn is an important addition to that vision. Together with Stack Sports, we’re excited to enhance the event experience by offering seamless travel options tailored to our needs.” The TeamInn travel platform will be integrated across UTR Sports’ numerous events, including the UTR Pro Tennis Tour and various youth and amateur competitions, offering a unified solution for booking accommodations worldwide. This partnership underscores UTR Sports’ and Stack Sports’ dedication to enhancing player experiences and advancing sports engagement through comprehensive, innovative solutions. About UTR Sports: The mission of UTR Sports is to connect and grow the sports of tennis and pickleball with accurate global ratings, innovative events, and a global community centered around level-based play. The UTR Sports Platform is anchored by our patented ratings technology. UTR Sports provides the technology tools and solutions relevant and valuable to players, coaches, and organizers. UTR Sports is creating opportunities and pathways, including the UTR Pro Tennis Tour, for players from all over the world, in all stages of life, to find better matches and unlock a more fun, affordable, and flexible experience. About Stack Sports: With nearly 50 million users in 35 countries, Stack Sports is a global technology leader in SaaS platform offerings for the sports industry. The company provides world-class software and services to support national governing bodies, youth sports associations, leagues, clubs, parents, coaches, and athletes. Some of the largest and most prominent sports organizations including the U.S. Soccer Federation, Little League Baseball and Softball, and Pop Warner Little Scholars rely on Stack Sports technology to run and manage their organizations. Stack Sports is headquartered in Dallas and is leading the industry one team at a time focusing on four key pillars — Grassroots Engagement, Participation Growth, Recruiting Pathways, and Elite Player Development. To learn more about how Stack Sports is transforming the sports experience, please visit https://stacksports.com/ . NEWS SOURCE: Stack Sports Keywords: Sports and Activities, TeamInn Travel Services, UTR Sports, tennis and pickleball player ratings and event management, DALLAS, Texas This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Stack Sports) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire . Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P122494 APDF15TBLLI To view the original version, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/utr-sports-partners-with-stack-sports-to-launch-teaminn-travel-services-for-tennis-and-pickleball/ © 2024 Send2Press® Newswire, a press release distribution service, Calif., USA. Disclaimer: This press release content was not created by nor issued by the Associated Press (AP). Content below is unrelated to this news story.
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Penn State kicks off Sunshine Slam by cruising past Fordham
Nick Kern came off the bench for 20 points and 13 rebounds as Penn State remained unbeaten with an 85-66 thumping of Fordham in a semifinal of the Sunshine Slam on Monday in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Nittany Lions (6-0), who will play either San Francisco or Clemson for the tournament title on Tuesday, put four other players in double figures. Zach Hicks scored 16 points, while Puff Johnson added 15. Ace Baldwin and Yanic Konan Niederhauser each chipped in 12 points. Penn State sank nearly 53 percent of its field goal attempts and earned a 38-30 advantage on the boards, more than enough to offset missing 12 of its 32 foul shots. Four players reached double figures for the Rams (3-4), led by 15 points apiece from Jackie Johnson III and reserve Joshua Rivera. Romad Dean and Jahmere Tripp each added 13. Fordham was as close as 56-49 after Tripp made a layup with 14:25 left in the game. But the Nittany Lions responded with a 16-1 run, capped with a layup by Kern for a 22-point lead at the 9:33 mark, and they never looked back. The main storyline prior to tipoff was whether Penn State could continue its torrid early start that saw it come into the day leading Division I in steals and ranked second in scoring at 98.2 points per game. The Nittany Lions certainly played to their billing for most of the first half, establishing a 21-8 lead at the 10:08 mark via Hicks' three-point play. Fordham predictably struggled early with the pressure defense, committing four turnovers in the first four minutes. But the Rams got their bearings over the last 10 minutes and made some shots. They got as close as four on two occasions late in the half before Penn State pushed the lead to 42-34 at the half. The officials were busy in the half, calling 23 fouls and administering 27 free throws. --Field Level Media
Universal Display Co. ( NASDAQ:OLED – Get Free Report )’s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $147.87 and last traded at $147.87, with a volume of 99520 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $150.84. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts have commented on OLED shares. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Universal Display from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of Universal Display from $240.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on Universal Display from $242.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $210.71. Read Our Latest Research Report on Universal Display Universal Display Trading Down 0.8 % Universal Display ( NASDAQ:OLED – Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.21. Universal Display had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 36.98%. The firm had revenue of $161.63 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $165.28 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.08 EPS. Universal Display’s quarterly revenue was up 14.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Universal Display Co. will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year. Universal Display Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 17th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. Universal Display’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.13%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, Director Lawrence Lacerte bought 742 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $180.89 per share, for a total transaction of $134,220.38. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 122,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,135,871.08. This represents a 0.61 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link . Insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Display Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Assetmark Inc. bought a new position in Universal Display in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Universal Display in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Display during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Universal Display by 60.2% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 173 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in Universal Display in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.19% of the company’s stock. Universal Display Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Universal Display Corporation engages in the research, development, and commercialization of organic light emitting diode (OLED) technologies and materials for use in display and solid-state lighting applications in the United States and internationally. The company offers PHOLED technologies and materials for displays and lighting products under the UniversalPHOLED brand. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Universal Display Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Universal Display and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Roy Rogers, nicknamed the “King of the Cowboys,” died more than a quarter-century ago. But, a 56-year-old fast-food restaurant chain that still bears his name is attempting a comeback, starting in South Jersey. A new Roy Rogers restaurant is opening next spring in Cherry Hill , the company announced earlier this month. It will be first Roy Rogers in South Jersey in at least three decades according to Jim Plamondon, co-president of Roy Rogers Restaurants . In its heyday, there were around 600 Roy Rogers in the U.S., including more than 100 in New Jersey. The western-themed restaurant specializes in fried chicken, roast beef and hamburgers, with customers adding pickles, tomatoes and other toppings at the “Fixin’s Bar.” Cherry Hill once was home to three Roy Rogers. Now there are only two in all of New Jersey, in Brick and Pine Beach, along with 37 others in Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia. The chain, though, is planning a modest comeback, starting with the new location in Cherry Hill. “We plan to build on this success and expand even further in the market,” said Joe Briglia, the company’s director of real estate and franchise development. Customers lining up on opening day at the Roy Rogers restaurant in Flemington, New Jersey, March 18, 2016. The restaurant closed in 2019. Sallie Graziano for NJ.com Maybe not everyone knows about Roy Rogers the person, but cowboys are timeless and also getting a renewed burst of attention due to the popular “Yellowstone” television series about a family-owned cattle ranch in Montana. That can’t hurt the restaurant chain, which features a “western decor” theme in its locations, Plamondon told NJ Advance Media. “Cowboys are cool. People love cowboys, right? Think ‘Yellowstone.’ It’s still red hot. I don’t think that’s ever going to change. We embrace the cowboy because of that,” Plamondon said. The restaurants have a cowboy theme but with a modernized look, he said. Examples include the wood grain accents and star and sun symbol elements in the decor, along with nostalgic posters on the walls. “There’s something called the cowboy code. We call it the ‘Code of Roy,’ where its honesty and integrity and quality in our food. That’s the theme of our image and advertising and culture,” Plamondon said. For those unfamiliar with Roy Rogers the restaurant, or Roy Rogers the 20th century cultural icon, here’s what you need to know: Roy Rogers is shown with Dale Evans, his wife, in July 1952 photo. ASSOCIATED PRESS Who was Roy Rogers? Rogers, born in 1911, was a singer, actor, rodeo performer and pilot, perhaps best-known for starring with his wife, Dale Evans, and horse, Trigger, on “The Roy Rogers Show” in the 1950s. He appeared in nearly 90 movies between the 1930s and 1970s. “Happy Trails,” the show’s theme song, was sung by the couple and has been covered by numerous artists, most memorably by Van Halen in the early 1980s. Elton John’s 1973 album, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” has a song entitled, “Roy Rogers,” with lyrics referencing “the great sequin cowboy who sings of the plains/ of roundups and rustlers and home on the range.” Rogers died in 1998, but lives on at the restaurants. “We occasionally will include him in our advertising on social media and we have pictures of Roy Rogers in our restaurants. When we open in Cherry Hill, you’ll see a beautiful picture of Roy, a black and white, really cool kind of throwback old movie scene,” Plamondon said. Vintage lunch box featuring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. (Tom Wrobleski/Staten Island Advance) Tom Wrobleski/Staten Island Advance How did his name end up on a restaurant chain? Rogers licensed his name to Marriott, which in 1968 renamed some restaurants after Rogers, which quickly evolved into hundreds of locations. Rogers never ran the restaurants, though he did appear to take pride in them. He appeared in a 1978 TV commercial wearing a cowboy hat, holding a tray of roast beef and greeting customers while touting the quality of the burgers. “Take it from me, pardner, they’re the best you’ve ever tasted,” Rogers said. A tray of fried chicken awaiting customers on opening day at the since-closed Roy Rogers restaurant in Flemington, New Jersey, in 2016. Sallie Graziano for NJ.com What’s on the menu? For lunch and dinner, the menu includes a wide range of chicken and burgers, along with roast beef sandwiches and sliders. The “Gold Rush Chicken Sandwich,” as described on the menu, has crispy, white-meat chicken served on a buttery Kaiser roll with a slice of Monterey Jack cheese topped with golden barbecue sauce and crispy Smithfield bacon. NJ.com food writer Jeremy Schneider in 2021 ranked it 13th on his list of 15 fast-food chicken sandwiches available in New Jersey. “It’s our third most popular sandwich, behind the roast beef and cheeseburgers,” Plamondon said. The “Double R Bar Burger” is a quarter-pounder served on a buttery Kaiser roll with a slice of American cheese and topped with sliced and seared Smithfield ham. NJ.com food writer Pete Genovese in 2024 ranked Roy Rogers 13th out of 21 burger chains in New Jersey. Baked beans, cole slaw, fries, fruit cup, mashed potatoes and salads are among the sides. Breakfast options include a western platter featuring scrambled eggs and breakfast fries with creamy chipped beef served over a split, buttermilk biscuit. The Fixins' Bar as seen on opening day at the Roy Rogers restaurant in Flemington in 2016. Sallie Graziano for NJ.com What is the “Fixin’s Bar”? It is such a simple concept, yet it has been and remains perhaps the signature attraction of Roy Rogers restaurants. The Fixin’s Bar is stocked with toppings, such as lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peppers and pickles. How much you add on, that’s up to you — at no extra cost. “That is a point of difference that sets us apart,” Plamondon said, in drawing a contrast with McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King. “They dress their sandwiches. I suppose you can have a special order, but that’s not their schtick. Ours is — serve them, generally speaking, plain, and then let the guest take care of it. And that’s what they love about us,” Plamondon said. Didn’t Roy Rogers already attempt a New Jersey expansion? The fast-food market is perpetually challenging, and Roy Rogers encountered some turbulence in the not-too-distant past. Franchises in Franklin Borough in Sussex County, and Flemington in Hunterdon County opened in 2015 and 2016, respectively, amid much fanfare and a purported expansion push. However, both locations closed six days apart in 2019 , according to the company. Does the company has a name for its longtime fans? Yes. “Royalists.” “Some, not all, but some, can be older. They do remember the Roy’s back in the heyday. They are certainly an audience that’s been with us, through and through,” Plamondon said. The goal is to break through with the non-Royalists, including those who had not yet been born when Rogers died. “The challenge for us — and any brand, really — is to attract that younger audience, because you’ve got to keep replenishing your audiences,” Plamondon said. Roy Rogers riding his famous horse, Trigger, at Harringay Arena in London in 1954. ASSOCIATED PRESS Stories by Rob Jennings N.J. ski resort opening early after investing $5M to make more snow Iconic N.J. restaurant up for sale after 75 years NYC-style New Year’s Eve ball drop coming to N.J. town Please subscribe now and support the local journalism you rely on and trust. Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com .WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of the Navy, John Phelan, has not served in the military or had a civilian leadership role in the service. While officials and defense experts said the Navy is in sore need of a disruptor, they cautioned that Phelan's lack of experience could make it more difficult for him to realize Trump's goals. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of the Navy, John Phelan, has not served in the military or had a civilian leadership role in the service. While officials and defense experts said the Navy is in sore need of a disruptor, they cautioned that Phelan's lack of experience could make it more difficult for him to realize Trump's goals. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of the Navy, John Phelan, has not served in the military or had a civilian leadership role in the service. While officials and defense experts said the Navy is in sore need of a disruptor, they cautioned that Phelan’s lack of experience could make it more difficult for him to realize Trump’s goals. Trump late Tuesday nominated Phelan, a major donor to his campaign who founded the private investment firm Rugger Management LLC. The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment on his qualifications. According to his biography, Phelan’s primary exposure to the military comes from an advisory position he holds on the Spirit of America, a non-profit that supports the defense of Ukraine and the defense of Taiwan. Not all service secretaries come into the office with prior military experience, but he’d be the first in the Navy since 2006. Current Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth similarly does not have prior military service. She, however, has spent her career in a host of defense civilian positions. The appointment comes at a critical moment for the Navy, which has been stretched thin with deployments around the world and must contend with a shrinking fleet even as the naval forces of its main rival, China, are growing. Trump has campaigned on expanding the Navy and would need to fight bureaucratic inertia to do so. But it’s uncertain whether a secretary with no military experience — either in uniform or as a defense civilian — would be well-positioned to lead that effort. “It will be difficult for anyone without experience in the Pentagon to take over the leadership of a service and do a good job,” said Stacie Pettyjohn, a senior fellow and director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security. “Services are sprawling organizations with distinct cultures, subcultures and bureaucratic interests, and where decisions are made through many formal processes. To change a service’s plans, one must understand this Byzantine landscape.” Experts said Phelan’s nomination reflects that Trump is seeking service branch heads who will not push back on his ideas — but that Phelan’s lack of experience is likely to create issues and delays of its own, They say the Navy can’t afford to lose time. One of the Navy’s biggest challenges is preparing for a potential military confrontation with China over Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China claims as its own. ” The stakes are high,” said Brad Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “The success or failure in addressing key problems in the U.S. Navy over the next couple years may have a decisive effect on war and peace in the Taiwan Strait and elsewhere.” Trump has called for a 350-ship Navy since his 2016 presidential campaign, but he experienced first-hand the difficulty in realizing that goal, given the challenges to shipbuilding and the erratic and often delayed congressional budget process. There are just under 300 battle force ships in the fleet — vessels that have a direct role in conducting combat operations. “The Navy is stretched covering Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific. Strategists have wanted to pull back from Europe and the Middle East, but recent conflicts have prevented that,” said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “So the next secretary will have a shrinking fleet, expanded overseas commitments, and an uncertain budget environment.” The Marine Corps has called for 31 amphibious warships to help it maintain a close-to-shore presence around the globe. The Navy regularly has had to extend the deployments of its aircraft carriers and escorting destroyers, for example, to respond to the unstable security situation in the Middle East. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Each extension can create rippling effects: Ships don’t get maintained on schedule, and forces get tired of the lack of predictability for their families and leave the service. Service branch chiefs spend vast amounts of time not only responding to the White House but also appeasing members of Congress in frequent hearings on Capitol Hill, shaping budget requests, holding constant meetings on service member issues, attending industry conferences and filling speakers requests. That all requires a nuanced understanding of the service that a secretary is leading, because major change in any of the branches often involves a lengthy process to review directives and past policy. Any changes to the many weapons systems the Navy and Marine Corps need and pursue are subject to lengthy contract award challenges. “The Navy’s problem here is money,” Cancian said. “Even if the defense budget goes up, there will only be a relatively small increase available for shipbuilding. (If) the budget stays steady or goes down, then the Navy will have a major problem. The fleet will continue to shrink.” Trump has signaled through multiple appointments, such as his selection of SpaceX founder Elon Musk to co-lead a nongovernmental Department of Government Efficiency, that he seeks to cut through red tape. But the service secretary can’t do that without moving through Congress, which has produced many of those regulations and processes the military must follow. “It might help that he has a personal relationship with the president. However, his lack of experience in defense and the Pentagon will hurt the Navy,” Cancian said. “It will take him a while to learn the levers of power.” Advertisement Advertisement
WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith moved to abandon two criminal cases against Donald Trump on Monday, acknowledging that Trump’s return to the White House will preclude attempts to federally prosecute him for retaining classified documents or trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat. The decision was inevitable, since longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Yet it was still a momentous finale to an unprecedented chapter in political and law enforcement history, as federal officials attempted to hold accountable a former president while he was simultaneously running for another term. Trump emerges indisputably victorious, having successfully delayed the investigations through legal maneuvers and then winning reelection despite indictments that described his actions as a threat to the country’s constitutional foundations. “I persevered, against all odds, and WON,” Trump exulted in a post on Truth Social, his social media website. He also said that “these cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought.” RELATED: The judge in the election case granted prosecutors’ dismissal request. A decision in the documents case was still pending on Monday evening. The outcome makes it clear that, when it comes to a president and criminal accusations, nothing supersedes the voters’ own verdict. In court filings, Smith’s team emphasized that the move to end their prosecutions was not a reflection of the merit of the cases but a recognition of the legal shield that surrounds any commander in chief. “That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” prosecutors said in one of their filings. They wrote that Trump’s return to the White House “sets at odds two fundamental and compelling national interests: on the one hand, the Constitution’s requirement that the President must not be unduly encumbered in fulfilling his weighty responsibilities . . . and on the other hand, the Nation’s commitment to the rule of law.” In this situation, “the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated,” they concluded. Smith’s team said it was leaving intact charges against two co-defendants in the classified documents case — Trump valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira — because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.” Steven Cheung, Trump’s incoming White House communications director, said Americans “want an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country.” Trump has long described the investigations as politically motivated, and he has vowed to fire Smith as soon as he takes office in January. Now he will start his second term free from criminal scrutiny by the government that he will lead. The election case brought last year was once seen as one of the most serious legal threats facing Trump as he tried to reclaim the White House. He was indicted for plotting to overturn his defeat to Joe Biden in 2020, an effort that climaxed with his supporters’ violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. But the case quickly stalled amid legal fighting over Trump’s sweeping claims of immunity from prosecution for acts he took while in the White House. The U.S. Supreme Court in July ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, and sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine which allegations in the indictment, if any, could proceed to trial. The case was just beginning to pick up steam again in the trial court in the weeks leading up to this year’s election. Smith’s team in October filed a lengthy brief laying out new evidence it planned to use against him at trial, accusing him of “resorting to crimes” in an increasingly desperate effort to overturn the will of voters after he lost to Biden. In dismissing the case, Chutkan acknowledged prosecutors’ request to do so “without prejudice,” raising the possibility that they could try to bring charges against Trump when his term is over. She wrote that is “consistent with the Government’s understanding that the immunity afforded to a sitting President is temporary, expiring when they leave office.” But such a move may be barred by the statute of limitations, and Trump may also try to pardon himself while in office. The separate case involving classified documents had been widely seen as legally clear cut, especially because the conduct in question occurred after Trump left the White House and lost the powers of the presidency. The indictment included dozens of felony counts accusing him of illegally hoarding classified records from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and obstructing federal efforts to get them back. He has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing. The case quickly became snarled by delays, with U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon slow to issue rulings — which favored Trump’s strategy of pushing off deadlines in all his criminal cases — while also entertaining defense motions and arguments that experts said other judges would have dispensed with without hearings. In May, she indefinitely canceled the trial date amid a series of unresolved legal issues before dismissing the case outright two months later. Smith’s team appealed the decision, but now has given up that effort. Trump faced two other state prosecutions while running for president. One of them, a New York case involving hush money payments, resulted in a conviction on felony charges of falsifying business records. It was the first time a former president had been found guilty of a crime. The sentencing in that case is on hold as Trump’s lawyers try to have the conviction dismissed before he takes office, arguing that letting the verdict stand will interfere with his presidential transition and duties. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office is fighting the dismissal but has indicated that it would be open to delaying sentencing until Trump leaves office. Bragg, a Democrat, has said the solution needs to balance the obligations of the presidency with “the sanctity of the jury verdict.” Trump was also indicted in Georgia along with 18 others accused of participating in a sprawling scheme to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election there. Any trial appears unlikely there while Trump holds office. The prosecution already was on hold after an appeals court agreed to review whether to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case. Four defendants have pleaded guilty after reaching deals with prosecutors. Trump and the others have pleaded not guilty. ___ Associated Press writers Colleen Long, Michael Sisak and Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this story.Kristin Cavallari Discusses Her Spicy Dating History With Morgan Wallen on Bunnie XO’s Podcast
Up 47% Post-Election, Can Tesla Stock Keep Soaring?