The wrongfully convicted members of the Central Park Five spoke in prime time on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, and they had well-chosen words for Donald Trump.
“They have stolen our young people. Every day when we walked into the courtroom, other people were yelling at us and threatening us because of Donald Trump,” said Korey Wise, one of the men falsely accused as teenagers of beating and raping a white woman.
Trump “spent $85,000 on a full-page New York Times calling for our execution,” Wise continued.
WATCH: Central Park Five’s Yusef Salaam and Korey Wise speak on the final night of the Democratic National Convention. “Thirty-five years ago, my friends and I were imprisoned for a crime we did not commit. They have stolen our young people. . . because of Donald Trump,” Wise said. pic. twitter. com/CFHTSuRlVH
The Central Park Five were an organization of black and brown teenagers, ages 14 to 16, who in 1990 were falsely convicted of raping and assaulting a young white girl jogging in Central Park. The high-profile case garnered national attention, and Trump at the time helped fan the flames.
He ran $85,000 worth of full-page classified ads in the New York Times, Daily News, New York Post, and Newsday. Classified ads accused young people of being guilty, without any evidence, and, in capital letters, urged: “BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. BRING BACK OUR FOUNTAIN!
Trump, now convicted, continues to say the men are guilty, even though another man confessed to the crime after DNA evidence proved otherwise. Trump also refused to apologize.
Wise, Yousef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson and Antron McCray were found guilty and spent between seven and thirteen years in prison. Four of them, with the exception of McCray, attended the Democratic National Committee on Thursday.
Salaam, now a member of the New York City Council, echoed Wise’s warnings about Trump. “Forty-five looked for us dead, he looked for us dead. »
“This guy says he still stands by the original verdict of guilt. He rejects the clinical evidence and admits he was wrong. He has never replaced it and never will.
After spending decades in prison together, the men earned $41 million from the city.
Speaking Thursday at the Democratic National Committee, the men were greeted with a standing ovation from the crowd.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren criticized J. D. Vance in her speech Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention.
“Trusting Donald Trump and J. D. Vance to take care of your family?She asked. ” I wouldn’t accept it as truth that they moved my couch. “
Senator Elizabeth Warren at the Democratic National Committee: Do you trust Donald Trump and JD Vance? Damn, I wouldn’t have those guys moving my couch. pic. twitter. com/BuP0vEA04E
In her speech, Warren described Harris as a candidate who cares about the interests of current elegance, while Republicans care about themselves. “Donald Trump, the criminal, does not aim to lower prices for families. “
“When have you filled up your gas tank or worried about the grocery bill?The expenses he is concerned about come from his defense attorneys,” joked the Massachusetts politician.
Warren also highlighted Harris’ experience in legally protecting people. She “fought giant banks and provided billions of dollars in aid to families,” Warren said. “And that’s the difference between a criminal and a prosecutor. “
Donald Trump has taken the denial of January 6 to a new level: he will host an awards ceremony committed to the Capitol riots.
A “J6 Awards Gala” will be held on Sept. 5 at Trump’s golf club in Bedminister, New Jersey. The occasion will come with a drawing to win a plaque featuring the song “Justice For All” directed by Trump and the “J6 Prison Choir,” which reached the Billboard music chart. The refrain is composed of defendants serving criminal sentences for their movements in the Capitol in 2021.
Trump is scheduled as a guest speaker, as is his former attorney and co-defendant Rudy Giuliani. A separate flyer for the occasion says tickets range from $2,500 for one patron to $50,000 for a table for 12 people.
“We came together to honor not only Americans but all J6 defendants who demonstrated courage and sacrifice,” the description of the event reads.
In a promotional video for the event, Trump calls the rioters “peaceful” and “hostages,” adding that “there have never been other people treated more horribly than the J6 hostages. “
Why is Trump hosting an awards gala for his J6 co-defendants?#TrumpisaDementedWeirdo #TrumpIsNotFitToBePresident #TrumpIsAConvictedFelon pic. twitter. com/MaMj1imn8t
It’s pretty clear that Trump is looking to cover up an occasion when he tried to flip the 2020 election and make money in the process. The rioters committed federal crimes and assaulted law enforcement, and yet this occasion honors them. It’s a warning: Without accountability, Trump will celebrate his crimes and be encouraged to repeat them.
Donald Trump made an appearance Thursday in Cochise County, Arizona, near the southern United States border, touting a list of violent crimes allegedly committed through undocumented immigrants, in an effort to spice up his own political campaign.
During his speech, Trump read a list of several horrific crimes committed against young women and women across the country, which Trump claimed were committed by undocumented immigrants, directly accusing his opponent Kamala Harris of allowing immigrants to enter the country. Devoid of any emotion on Trump’s part, the list was presented only to create surprise and outrage.
DEMS: Let’s have a happier politics! TRUMP: *at the border, pointing out horrible incidents of brutal crimes and pushing migrants to feel collective guilt* pic. twitter. com/tqw98oCFtF
During his speech, Trump invited Patty Morin to speak. Morin is the mother of Rachel Morin, who sexually assaulted and murdered in Maryland in 2023, allegedly through a migrant from El Salvador. Morin spoke with emotion about the devastating loss of her daughter, forcing her to speak on Trump’s behalf.
“I need our words to be heard and I need them to take what I say seriously. We are not here to take a political position, even if we are,” Morin said. “We are here because we are wasting our mothers,” our daughters, our young men and criminals. This deserves not to happen.
Trump and other MAGA figures have continually highlighted Morin’s story as a tool to criticize the Biden administration’s efforts to expand legal protections for undocumented immigrants. Rachel’s brother was invited to speak at the Republican National Convention last month.
The Republican candidate also invited relatives of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl from Houston, Texas, who allegedly killed an undocumented immigrant.
By shedding light on those stories and their troubling details, Trump hopes to feed the anti-immigrant narrative created through his campaign, convincing Americans to help the candidate who would close the southern border. But his alarmist comments delve into overt racism and unfounded claims. , like on Sunday, when Trump shared a post on his Truth Social account featuring a video of a line of other people of color walking down a dirt road. The video had the caption: “If you are a woman, you can vote for Trump or wait for one of those monsters to come after you or your daughter. “
Trump was also joined Thursday by Sheriff Mark Dannels, who has been connected to the Association of Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers, a right-wing organization of law enforcement officials that the county, not the state or federal government, deserves to control all the land within. Sheriffs have the right to forget about federal law and apply their own vision of justice.
The Supreme Court handed Republicans a victory Thursday by reinstating an Arizona election law that requires proof of citizenship on the state’s voter registration forms.
The recovery came by a five-to-four vote, with liberals Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson disagreeing with conservative Amy Coney Barrett. But the rest of the conservative justices on the court gave the victory to the Republicans.
Still, the court at least rejected the GOP’s request, which sought to reinstate an Arizona law that would reject ballots if the electorate does not provide evidence of citizenship, even if they sign using a federal form, which does not require evidence.
The demanding legal situations were taken to court through the Republican National Committee, which filed an emergency request. The Justice Department filed a lawsuit over the second provision, arguing that it was contrary to federal law. The Democratic National Committee argued that either provision was unconstitutional. and also violated a 2018 consent decree.
Republicans seem to accept the false concept that large numbers of noncitizens vote illegally due to lax identity requirements when voting or registering to vote, and they continue to repeat this claim without any evidence. A number of Republicans have been peddling this claim for years. and many discussed it in their speeches at the Republican National Convention last month. This is not included in the party’s platform, however, House Speaker Mike Johnson has used poorly obtained data to propose a bill aimed at combating it.
By making those needs stricter, Democrats won’t be able to cheat. Of course, there is no such trap, but it will make it more difficult for low-income citizens to vote.
This new resolution not only lends more legitimacy to this false claim, yet it seems to be a blatant intervention through the Supreme Court in an attempt to assistance Republicans in attaining favorable effects in Arizona, a state that Democrats overthrew in 2020. The Republicans are hunting out for all imaginable advantages. obtain in 2024, yet without any genuine paintings of convincing voters.
Members of the Democratic Squad joined an Unengaged sit-in outside the Democratic National Convention, protesting organizers’ resolve to reject a Palestinian speaker on the conference stage.
The protest began Wednesday night, after Democratic National Committee organizers rejected the Uncommit movement’s request to have a Palestinian speaker on stage, and continued Thursday morning.
Those seated outside the United Center were joined by friendly team members, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who spoke on the first night of the convention.
“I think it’s vitally important for us to send this message of shared humanity,” Ocasio-Cortez said via FaceTime, noting that the request is “a basic question. “
On Wednesday night, Rep. Ilhan Omar personally joined the protest, hugging the protesters, while other politicians called out to him.
“To continue to express your pain to other people who would spit in your face and do it anyway is a love that other people will never understand,” said Rep. Summer Lee, who also joined the camp Wednesday night.
On Thursday, Rep. Rashida Tlaib joined the Uncommit movement’s FaceTime press conference and said protesters “should not have to beg” for the Palestinian voice to be heard.
Outed Squad members Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman also promoted the sit-in on social media. “Michelle Obama implored us all to do something. I implore you to do better,” Bush wrote. On Thursday afternoon, Bush personally joined the protesters and declared: “We want a Palestinian American to speak from this stage. »
This is the speech that the Unengagé movement intended to give at the convention.
This story has been updated.
J. D. Vance made another awkward and ominous appearance Thursday at a press convention in Valdosta, Georgia.
“First of all, if this is a fake news anchor, I would appreciate it if everyone would let them ask their question, that’s no big deal,” Vance joked to the crowd. “We can run them out of town after they ask their question. ” There was some good-natured laughter, but Vance’s joke took on a dark note as the running mate of the guy who once called the American press “the enemy of the people. “
even J. D. Vance’s “jokes” are menacing pic. twitter. com/oO1OFO0wnE
The vice presidential candidate pressed him by saying he was “joking,” but the dark joke isn’t the first for Vance, who has made uncomfortable and occasionally hostile comments about the press. Earlier this week, he visited a deli in Kenosha, Wisconsin. and made a similar joke.
“Is there any food here that you don’t like?” We’ll take some and give them to reporters on the plane,” Vance joked, according to NOTUS reporter Reese Gorman.
It’s not unexpected that Vance has some resentment toward the press, since they’re the ones telling everyone how strange he is.
Vance later asked about Trump’s immigration plan, which he said would be the largest deportation plan in history.
“As the husband of a daughter of immigrants, what is your opinion about the deportation plan that Trump is going to implement? Specifically, the detention of boys and girls,” asked a journalist.
“Let me say three things about that,” Vance replied. First, I’m married to the daughter of immigrants in this country, I’m married to the daughter of legal immigrants in this country, other people who have enough reputation in the country. respect the rules before coming. “
Q: As the husband of an immigrant daughter, what do you think of Trump’s deportation plan? VANCE: I am married to the daughter of *legal* immigrants. pic. twitter. com/ZkVcL0eWy6
Aside from the fact that Vance felt it was necessary to explain a family member’s immigration prestige, the Ohio senator clearly believes that it is disrespect that draws immigrants from around the world to the United States border, rather than genuine disrespect. causes. immigration.
“You can’t praise other people who break the law,” Vance continued, without a hint of irony toward his rule-breaking running mate who hopes to be praised during the presidency in November.
For starters, as Vance walked away from the podium, Guns N’ Roses’ cover of Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” began to play: not an anthem of political victory, but certainly an anthem of disillusionment.
Vance’s music is “Live and Let Die”pic. twitter. com/VEyOya4PSF
Donald Trump is losing his grasp on a key demographic.
A ballot released Wednesday found that the Republican presidential nominee is losing ground among older voters — traditionally the bloc of voters most likely to show up on the ballot — because they find him in “very poor” health.
The University of New Hampshire poll asked citizens of Vermont, where Trump won about 30% of the vote in 2016 and 2020. If the election were held today, 27% of respondents said they would vote for Trump, while that 67% said they would vote. for Trump I would choose Kamala Harris.
But behind those favorable odds lie deep considerations about Trump’s physical and intellectual state. The vote found that 61% of the electorate 65 and older in Vermont Trump has a “very poor” physical and intellectual condition. Other age groups were slightly less pessimistic about Trump’s fitness: 58% of 50- to 64-year-olds identified Trump as being in “very poor” physical condition, 40% of 35- to 49-year-olds and only 37% of 18- to 34-year-olds.
In total, a portion of the 934 respondents rated Trump’s physical and intellectual condition as “very bad. ” Only 14% described his physical condition as “very good”, while 12% described his physical condition as just “good”.
Harris’ report on physical and intellectual fitness is much more positive about the Green Mountain State. About 62% of the electorate described Harris’ physical condition as “very good,” and another 16% rated it as “good. ” Only six percent considered Harris’ physical condition to be “very poor. “
Democratic National Convention organizers are facing complaints from themselves after refusing to grant conversation time to any Palestinian speaker or member of the motion not to engage on the conference stage.
On Thursday, Jon Polin and his Rachel Goldberg-Polin spoke to Democratic National Committee delegates about their son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who is being held captive in Gaza.
“In our Jewish tradition we say ‘kol adam olam um lo’o, user is a total universe,'” Polin said. “We have to save all those universes. In a fiery Middle East, we know that the only thing that can quickly release tension and restore hope to the entire region is an agreement that brings this motley organization of 109 hostages home and ends the suffering of innocent civilians in Gaza. The time has come.
But little else was said at the conference level about Palestinian civilians suffering from Israel’s brutal war in Gaza. The Harris-Walz Muslim Women announced their dissolution after learning of the Democratic National Committee’s rejection of a Palestinian speaker. The Non-Committed motion also introduced a sit-in protest. on Thursday to ask that a Palestinian speaker be included.
The sit-in won among pro-Palestinian Democrats, adding squad members Reps. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley. But it’s not just the team. Their demands also extended to other Democrats, adding speakers. And the list helps to continue growing:
The Israeli war has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, in addition to some 16,500 children. The uncommitted delegates are Democrats who still need action to end the war by adding an arms embargo on Israel, and are only asking for a speaker to voice their considerations at the convention. The recommendations of his speakers were favorable to Harris and his comments would be considered premature.
“We talked to the Democratic National Committee, we presented options, we said we would identify someone who would be willing to speak explicitly in favor of Vice President Harris . . . We did everything right, you know?” delegate Abbas Alawieh told Mother Jones. La question is: does anyone in the Harris campaign care?
Elon Musk’s X receives cash from some pretty shady people.
A federal ruling on Tuesday ordered the release of a list of investors who helped finance Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of X, formerly Twitter, in October 2022. Among the long list of nearly a hundred investors are several figures worrying.
One of the indexed entities is Sean Combs Capital, LLC, better known as Sean “Diddy” Combs, the rapper who has been accused of rape, assault, forced drugs and even a sex trafficking operation.
Early in his acquisition of X, Musk once touted his relationship with Combs to address investor concerns about rising racism on the social media platform.
In Kate Conger and Ryan Mac’s forthcoming book, Character Limit, Detavio Samuels, CEO of media company Revolt, expressed his concerns about the anti-black rhetoric emboldened in X.
“As you continue your journey, I propose that you have conversations with that express community and make sure that whatever responses are created, they are responses that make them feel safe and in a welcoming space,” Samuels said.
Although Musk said he was looking to make sure other people felt comfortable, he thought Samuels might be reassured to inform him that one of his prominent black friends had also invested in the social media site Musk. “I don’t know if you know this, but Puff is an investor in Twitter,” said Musk, Combs’ nickname. “You know, he’s a smart friend of mine, we send a lot of texting. “
The list also includes several Silicon Valley entities that include billionaires like Musk himself and who support Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
One of the first names discussed is that of Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm led by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, which recently announced that it would be Trump in 2024. “It has nothing to do with the big problems that other people are involved in. Andreessen claimed, making it clear that he was ignoring Trump’s timeline on immigration and abortion, in order to take a more favorable view on issues such as crypto, in which Andreessen and Horowitz claim to be among the world’s largest investors.
Also on the list is Sequoia Capital, headed by Douglas Leone and Shaun Maguire, who donated $1 million and $500,000, respectively, to Musk’s pro-Trump super PAC America PAC, which is ultimately under investigation for the questionable way in which it rallied voters. information.
Another investor is 8VC, a venture capital corporation run through Joe Lonsdale, which also donated $1 million to Musk’s PAC in June. Lonsdale is co-founder of Palantir, a corporate intelligence and insight analytics platform, also led by Peter Thiel. While it’s not unexpected that Musk’s billionaire friends are investing in his social media company, it’s clear that X is heavily subsidized by the same investments from the Trump campaign.
Also the investor is Saudi Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud, who has a long-standing stake in the social media company. In 2015, Ben Talal owned 5. 2% of Twitter, more than the company’s co-founder Jack Dorsey.
In November 2017, Ben Talal was arrested as part of a sweeping “anti-corruption” purge that forced many wealthy Saudis and royals to hand over their assets to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, an autocratic dictator who does not tolerate dissent. Array This has led to serious considerations that Twitter is being used by the Saudi government to surveil its own citizens.
After Musk’s purchase, bin Talal and Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding Company kept their X shares valued at $1. 89 billion, making them together the company’s second-largest investors, according to Al Jazeera.
Another notable entity is the Pershing Square Foundation, run through Bill Ackman, CEO of the giant hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management. Last year, Ackman, a staunch Zionist who funded violent pro-Israel counterprotests on school campuses, led the crusade to remove Harvard President Claudine Gay from her seat.
Earlier this week, it reported that debt from the $13 billion in loans Musk borrowed from various banks to buy X had never been removed from those banks’ balance sheets, leaving their debt “suspended” in industry terms. X is the longest-lasting blocked deal since the 2008 currency crisis, but it would also be one of the largest. Although banks have managed to raise copious interest, it’s unclear exactly how Musk will repay the principal if X continues his business. existing trajectory.