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This week we talk about secret documents, hush-money payouts, and federal court cases.We also discuss polling, independents, and post-presidential felonies.Recommended Book: The Final Empire by Brandon SandersonTranscriptIt's a weird time in American politics for many reasons, including but not limited to the increasing polarization of the two main parties, the difficulty in finding bipartisan opportunities to work together, the concomitant tendency for Congress, and lawmakers at other levels of governance to not get much done, and the heightening tension between federal and state-level governments on an array of hot-button issues.But one of the more bizarre ongoing narratives within this larger, stasis-inducing state of affairs, is the tale of former President Donald Trump and the legal woes he's faced since losing the 2020 election to now President Biden.Trump has denied, and continues to deny the outcome of that election, attributing his loss to all sorts of things, like corruption and fraud on the part of his political enemies, and in part because of things he's done in support of those, at this point evidence-less, allegations, a portfolio of legal intrigue has haunted him, even throughout his time in office, but especially since he left office in January of 2021.A lot of print and digital ink has been spilled on this subject, of late, because of the outcome of one of the legal cases in which Trump has been enmeshed: he was found guilty in New York on 34 counts of falsifying business records in order to cover up a payment he made to an adult film star, allegedly to keep her quiet about an affair they had back in the day.And that's the main topic I'd like to delve into on this episode, as the implications of that juried court ruling are many and varied, but to kick things off, I think it's worth taking a look at the state of those other ongoing cases, as while they're less immediately relevant to Trump and his ambitions to retake the White House in November's election, they're still pursuing him, in a way, serving as unknown variables that could pop up to bite him at some future moment, which is important when we're talking about someone who wants to become the most powerful person on the planet, once more.One such case is focused on Trump's handling of classified documents when he left the White House, the allegations being that he took classified documents that we wasn't supposed to take, handled them in such a way that they were stored in public where anyone could steal or read them, and that he may have even shown them to other people on purpose, which is a big no-no.He also allegedly went out of his way to keep government agents from reclaiming those documents after he was asked to return them.This is considered to be kind of a big deal in part because there were hundreds of these sorts of documents that Trump seemed to treat as if they belonged to him, and which he then allegedly conspired with folks in him employ to hide from the agency responsible for keeping such things safe and hidden, which they do because these sorts of documents often contain information about US military and intelligence matters—so that information getting out could conceivably put such assets, people and infrastructure, at risk.Trump was indicted on this matter in mid-2023 and charged with 37 felony counts, then another 3 were added that same year, bringing the total up to 40.Trump pleaded not guilty to all of these charges and his legal team has done all they can to slow the proceedings, which seems to have worked, as the case is now delayed indefinitely, the judge overseeing it—who was appointed to her position by Trump while he was in office—having been accused of slow-walking the process on purpose, though that's not really something that can be proven, and there's a chance the case is just complex enough that, as a fairly green judge attempting to tackle a big, important, complex case, she just fell behind and that stumbling is now in the spotlight and being reframed by folks who want to see this thing move forward, faster.Trump also faces a case in Georgia that focuses on his alleged efforts to interfere with the 2020 Presidential election, which, again, he lost to Biden, but which he claims he won; he also claims he was the victim of some sort of conspiracy, the nature of that supposed conspiracy having changed several times since he initially made that claim.Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted in August of 2023 for these efforts, which have been framed as an attempt to subvert election results in the state of Georgia, and similar delay tactics have been used in this case as in the other ones, though the District Attorney in charge of the case has made those efforts somewhat easier, having engaged in a relationship with the lead prosecutor, who she hired, which is arguably not relevant to the case, but is also a fairly overt conflict of interest.The timeline of this case has thus been pushed back, and an appeals court in the state is reviewing a ruling that allowed that DA to remain on the case, despite that apparent conflict of interest.This case was meant to go to trial beginning on August 5, but that timing is now in question, and during all this deliberation, several counts against Trump have been dismissed—and he has pleaded not guilty to all of them.And finally, there's another case related to Trump's alleged interference with the 2020 election, this one a federal case, while the other one is local to Georgia, and for this one, Trump was charged with conspiracy to defraud the US, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding—the election and the peaceful changing of the government, basically—conspiracy against rights, and obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding—again, referring to the election and the mechanisms of handing over power from one administration to the next following an election.The basis of these allegations are that Trump and his people did all sorts of things to disrupt the 2020 election, including trying to coerce lawmakers into backing his efforts to remain in power, despite the election not having gone his way.These efforts culminated with the attack on the US Capitol on January 6 by his supporters, and the case is predicated on the idea that while Trump was repeatedly told by his own people, experts on elections and everything about them, that he lost, fair and square, he continued to insist that he was robbed, that the election was rigged, etc, and that meant while he knew the election was not rigged, he acted as if he didn't, which means he tried to illegally and intentionally mess with a core component of the US democratic system, which is very much not allowed.Some of Trump's people were also indicted in this case, he was indicted on four counts, himself, and the case is currently on hold while the Supreme Court makes a determination about whether his position as President at the time gives him full or partial immunity to legal consequences for actions he takes while serving in that role: the idea being that maybe simply being president should give him some leeway, and maybe, if it could be argued that he did what he did because he genuinely thought something was amiss with the election process, that would count as his acting as president for the good of the country, and that would make him immune to legal consequences for doing what he did.Oral arguments before the Supreme Court in this case took place at the end of April 2024, and while we don't have a surefire timeline for a ruling in this case, it's expected that it will take long enough that the main, federal case that is waiting on the Supreme Court's judgement won't even begin, much less end, before the November election—at which point, some experts expect, at least, if Trump wins, even courts finding him guilty won't matter because the federal stuff he could brush away using the powers of the President, and the state stuff won't have the means to punish him, because he'll control enough levers of power that it wouldn't be a fight they could win.As I mentioned earlier, though, what I'd like to talk about today is the only court case Trump has been involved with since his Presidency that has thus far come to a close, and what his being found guilty in that case might mean.—Back in October of 2016, a recording of then-Presidential candidate Trump, in which Trump was heard telling the host of a show called Access Hollywood that if you're famous, you can get away with grabbing women's genitals without permission, was released to the public.This was after he became the Republican party's official nominee in July of that year, and a few months before that recording was released, American Media Inc, the company behind the National Enquirer, made a deal with an adult film star who performed under the name Stormy Daniels to buy her story about an affair with Trump years earlier, agreeing to pay her $150,000, to feature her on a couple of magazine covers, and to publish 100 articles written by her in their publications.This payout was part of a so-called "catch and kill" deal that AMI's CEO, David Pecker, made with the Trump campaign, to basically keep its ear to the ground for any bad news that might pop up and make the candidate or campaign look bad, and then to step in and buy the rights to such stories if possible, killing them, keeping them from going public, basically, because they would own the rights and then not do anything with them, keeping them from messing with Trump's campaign.Trump's fixer, Michael Cohen, then arranged to buy the affair story from AMI for $130,000, a deal which included a non-disclosure agreement on Daniels' part, so she wouldn't be able to tell the story to anyone else, legally, but then in November of that same year, 2016, The Wall Street Journal received a tip that helped them uncover elements of that deal and the alleged affair, and that in turn led to a slow drip of new divulgences that trailed Trump through his presidency, though mostly at a low level.Cohen then tried to get reimbursed for paying out of pocket to buy the story from AMI, and the compensation for that purchase was put in the books as a series of retainer fees; intentionally mis-recorded in order to conceal the hush-money payout in official business documents—the payout having been legal, but concealing such a payout in this way being illegal.In 2018 the Journal was able to publicly report the details of Cohen's payout to Daniels, and in April of that year, Federal agents raided Cohen's office and hotel room, which netted them documents that proved he made those payments, and that they differed from those aforementioned official business records.Everyone involved was denying any of this happened and any connection to any kind of payout for a long time, then, but in 2018 those same people started to change their stories, basically saying, yeah, there was some kind of deal, but it wasn't a big thing, don't worry about it, nothing illegal happened.And during this period Cohen pled guilty to campaign-finance violations and other related charges for making these hush-money payments, and he testified against Trump, saying that the then-president told him to do it.Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison, Trump wasn't charged with anything, and these two formerly close-knit people become very publicly at odds following all of this.In August of 2019, about a year after that public breakup in the relationship between Trump and Cohen, the Trump organization was served a grand jury subpoena, as the government wanted more paperwork related to these seeming violations, and then all of this kind of disappeared from the public radar until after the election, which Trump lost to Biden in 2020.In 2021, though, a new district attorney stepped into the role in Manhattan, Alvin Bragg, he inherited this still ongoing, but somewhat simmering at that point case from his predecessor. In January of 2023, he brought in a new grand jury to hear the evidence that had been collected on the matter, and that grand jury indicted Trump for falsifying the records his company kept related to these payments—the idea being that not only did he do an illegal business thing, but he did an illegal business thing in order to influence an election, because those payments were meant to keep an embarrassing thing that might keep him from becoming president from being publicly known.The trial officially began in April of 2024, gobbling up a lot of presidential candidate Trump's time, as he had to be in the courtroom most Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, for the duration, which kept him from being as active on the campaign trail as he might have otherwise been.And throughout, Trump was issued gag orders to keep him from publicly attacking witnesses, jurors, court staff, and other people involved in the trial, which was something he seemed fond of doing: the concern was that he would smear those involved in order to keep them silent or to sway them to his side, or that Trump's followers might be motivated to do violence against these people, as seems to have been the case on January 6.Trump violated that gag order ten times, at which point the judge in the case said he would consider jail time as a punishment, since the relatively minors fines for these violations didn't seem to be having the intended effect, keeping Trump from badmouthing those involved in the press and online, when not in the courtroom.Then, on May 30, 2024, Trump became the first former US President to be convicted of a felony—and he was actually convicted of 34 of them—when the jury decided he was guilty of all the charges that were brought against him in this case.Trump says the case was rigged and that there's a conspiracy by his enemies that made all this happen.The Judge set July 11 as the sentencing date, so that's when we'll find out what the punishment will be—and that punishment could add up to as much as a couple of years in prison, but likely, because of all sorts of variables favorable to Trump, he'll only face a fine, or probation at worst, which would be embarrassing but not terribly impactful on his reelection efforts.After that, Trump will have 30 days to file an appeal, which he has said he will do, and once that's filed the case will move on to the New York Appellate Division, which will decide on the matter, and after that, the New York Court of Appeals can decide if it wants to get involved, to hear an appeal, as well.The Supreme Court could theoretically also get involved here, but they would need to find some aspect of the appeal that relates to federal law, or directly connects to the Constitution, and most experts have said, at this point at least, that seems unlikely.Because of how much time the appeal process typically takes, it's also considered unlikely that this will be sorted out before November, which lines up nicely with the approach Trump's team has been taking overall, to draw things out as long as possible in order to keep any definitive conclusions from arriving before votes are cast.So while appeals on cases like this one seldom result in an overturning of the verdict, that might be moot if Trump wins the election before the appeals process finishes up; though the flip-side of that is while he can claim the case is still being appealed potentially for years while it works its way through the system, it also means he's officially a felon until that happens, which means he'll almost certainly still be a felon, in the eyes of the law, when the votes are cast—though he'll still be able to vote in the election because of how Florida law works, in regard to convicts be allowed to voted, the case having been in New York, not in-state.That said, this conviction landed like a bomb in the political world, with conservative news outlets generally aligning themselves with Trump's claim that this was a baseless case brought by liberal leaders, meant to keep him from winning another election—though new polling data indicates that independents, which are considered to be vital for November's election, are not super thrilled about this outcome, 49% of them saying they think Trump should drop out of the race now that he's been convicted, and 15% of Republicans apparently said the same.The race is still largely tied up between Trump and Biden, though, and it'll be a while before we see any solid numbers about the impact of this case on possible votes come November; it may be significant enough to make a difference, and it may be a flash in the pan sort of thing.It's hard to tell which way it'll go at this point, and we don't have historical baselines for this, because this is the first time this has happened.There are concerns that Trump supporters might be nudged toward violent acts in the wake of this decision, and research from extremist watchdog groups have warned that some of them have already been attempting to dox, to get personal information, including addresses and family information, about the jurors and legal staff in the case, some of them calling for harassment campaigns and violence against them as revenge for finding as they did, against Trump, and there's also data indicating that trust of government institutions on the US right, amongst Republicans, might diminish even further than it already has, which doesn't tend to be great for democracy and stability in countries where that happens.President Biden administration initially remained mum on this topic, though he eventually said the justice system worked, that it applies to everyone, and that the only way to keep Trump out of office again, because he can continue to run and even win as a convict, even if he were to be put in jail, is to vote against him; and Trump said basically the same thing in reverse, that the only way to right this wrong is to elect him in November—and his campaign has said they pulled in tens of millions of dollars in campaign contributions in the hours following the this conviction.While this is being seen as a small victory in some circles and a massive injustice in others, then, the main takeaway, at the moment at least, as of the day I'm recording this, is that the election in November is the only really truly vital decision here, the wheels of justice moving very slowly and strangely, and not lining up terribly well with the time-constraints inherent in this sort of situation.Show Noteshttps://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-testimony-verdict-85558c6d08efb434d05b694364470aa0https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/30/trump-guilty-what-happens-next/https://www.readtangle.com/trump-verdict-hush-money-trial/https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-hush-money-stormy-daniels-707fa959https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/31/trump-campaign-donations-record.htmlhttps://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/05/31/trump-trial-verdict-conviction-consequences-00160933https://www.axios.com/2024/05/31/trump-appeal-guilty-verdict-argumentshttps://www.axios.com/2024/06/01/poll-trump-conviction-election-independent-votershttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/01/nyregion/trump-appeal-conviction.htmlhttps://www.cnn.com/2024/05/06/politics/merchan-trump-gag-order-contempt/index.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/02/us/politics/trump-cases-status.htmlhttps://www.axios.com/2024/05/08/trump-trials-update-hush-money-criminal-caseshttps://www.axios.com/2023/06/09/trump-indictment-unsealed-charges This is a public episode. 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In this episode of Narativ With Zev Shalev, We delve into the intriguing and controversial events surrounding the 2018 publication by American Media Inc. (AMI) that featured Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and its aftermath.  Our discussion begins with MBS's portrayal as an ally of the U.S. against terrorism despite Saudi Arabia's alleged involvement in 9/11. The show details the peculiar events that followed Jeff Bezos's dinner with MBS, including hacking Bezos's phone via Pegasus malware. This hack led to the National Enquirer, also owned by AMI, exposing Bezos's affair using the data obtained from Bezos's phone.  We'll link these events to a broader narrative of autocratic manipulation, drawing parallels to similar tactics used by Donald Trump and David Pecker to influence the 2016 election by silencing stories about Trump's scandals, including the Stormy Daniels affair. The core theme is the 'subversion of democracy,' highlighting how personal information was weaponized to influence political outcomes and manipulate public perception.  The trial of Donald Trump is framed not just as a matter of hush money or personal misconduct but as a critical instance of democracy being undermined for personal and political gain. 00:00 Introduction to the Narrative 00:55 The Bezos-MBS Connection 02:09 The National Enquirer Exposé 03:23 Autocracy and Media Manipulation 03:37 Trump's Scandal Management 05:16 The Subversion of Democracy 07:27 The 2016 Election Interference 10:45 The Epstein Connection 14:03 The Role of Foreign Influence 18:30 The Legal Battle and Its Implications 25:07 The Smoking Gun Tape 26:48 The Consequences of Trump's Presidency 27:30 The Fight for Democracy 27:52 America's Unique Freedom 31:26 Global Threats to Democracy 35:14 The Importance of the 2024 Election 37:38 Supporting Independent Journalism 41:01 Conclusion and Call to Action Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Parallels between MBS-Bezos hack and Donald Trump's Hush Money Trial.  In this episode of Narativ With Zev Shalev, we delve into the intriguing and controversial events surrounding the 2018 publication by American Media Inc. (AMI) that featured Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and its aftermath. Our discussion begins with MBS's portrayal as an ally of the U.S. against terrorism despite Saudi Arabia's alleged involvement in 9/11. The show details the peculiar events that followed Jeff Bezos's dinner with MBS, including hacking Bezos's phone via Pegasus malware. This hack led to the National Enquirer, also owned by AMI, exposing Bezos's affair using the data obtained from Bezos's phone. We'll link these events to a broader narrative of autocratic manipulation, drawing parallels to similar tactics used by Donald Trump and David Pecker to influence the 2016 election by silencing stories about Trump's scandals, including the Stormy Daniels affair. The core theme is the 'subversion of democracy,' highlighting how personal information was weaponized to influence political outcomes and manipulate public perception. The trial of Donald Trump is framed not just as a matter of hush money or personal misconduct but as a critical instance of democracy being undermined for personal and political gain. 00:00 Introduction to the Narrative 00:55 The Bezos-MBS Connection 02:09 The National Enquirer Exposé 03:23 Autocracy and Media Manipulation 03:37 Trump's Scandal Management 05:16 The Subversion of Democracy 07:27 The 2016 Election Interference 10:45 The Epstein Connection 14:03 The Role of Foreign Influence 18:30 The Legal Battle and Its Implications 25:07 The Smoking Gun Tape 26:48 The Consequences of Trump's Presidency 27:30 The Fight for Democracy 27:52 America's Unique Freedom 31:26 Global Threats to Democracy 35:14 The Importance of the 2024 Election 37:38 Supporting Independent Journalism 41:01 Conclusion and Call to Action

David Pecker finally stepped down from the witness stand after more than 10 hours of testimony across four days, where the former American Media Inc. chief described in detail how he helped Donald Trump suppress negative stories and pummel Trump's rivals in the National Enquirer during the 2016 campaign. The back-and-forth over Pecker's story set the stage for the further brawls ahead when witnesses such as adult film star Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and fixer, take the stand.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rundown -   Greg Gold in Craig's Lawyers' Lounge - 11:04   Barry Levine - 31:44   Troubadour Dave Gunders - 01:30:15   "Set the Tone" by Dave Gunders - 01:42:14   The Craig Silverman Show's New York v Trump trial correspondent Greg Gold reports on his 100 Centre Street Manhattan Criminal Courthouse observations. Trump claims that the area is locked down and Greg proves that Trump is a liar. Gold reports the prosecution's opening witness, David Pecker, is astoundingly good.   This case has more at stake than the John Edwards prosecution in North Carolina, which Greg Gold also attended. In Craig's Lawyers' Lounge, a high-level discussion occurs about what evidence might be persuasive. Greg Gold sets the scene brilliantly for the New York v Trump trial that is now underway.   The first witness in the trial is David Pecker from the National Enquirer. Our show's main guest is Barry Levine, who worked for Pecker and the Enquirer from 1999 to 2016. Barry Levine knows all the details and has broken the Enquirer's big stories on John Edwards, Jessie Jackson and Tiger Woods. He explains how those stories happened.   Barry Levine describes Packer's style and how he was once assigned a 2010 interview with Trump. Levine also provides the history of the National Enquirer, especially after it was under the control of David Pecker and the American Media Inc. Host discusses how he was sometimes a paid legal consultant for AMI on celebrity crime stories.   Barry Levine is an experienced New Yorker and accomplished American journalist, author and media executive. He is best known for his work as an investigative reporter and editor in politics, government and entertainment, having worked for many years at the National Enquirer. https://nypost.com/2017/05/11/ex-national-enquirer-editor-joins-heavy/   Levine and the Enquirer were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for their story exposing the love child of former Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards. Senator Edwards's subsequent campaign fraud prosecution resembles what Trump now faces.   In 2019, Barry Levine authored "All the President's Women: Donald Trump and the Making of a Predator." Back then, Levine and other reporters followed Trump's Aspen affairs. Barry knows Donald Trump's NY secrets and Trump's fantasy of being Hugh Hefner. Levine has interviewed scores of females Trump has victimized.   Troubadour Dave Gunders also discusses opening witness David Pecker and how DAs need to "Set the Tone," the title of Dave's song this week. Every trial is a rollercoaster ride, as is the 2024 election. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is also discussed for the shooting of her puppy, Cricket. What an outrage!

Judge Juan Merchan appeared poised on Tuesday to sanction Donald Trump for violating the gag order in his criminal hush money case after peppering the former president's lawyers with questions about why Trump's social media posts were acceptable. Tuesday began with a hearing on Trump's 10 alleged violations of the gag order. The day ended with former American Media Inc. chief David Pecker talking about how he vetted allegations of an alleged affair between Trump and Playboy playmate Karen McDougal in 2016 while in constant communication with Trump's then-fixer, Michael Cohen.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Judge Merchan issued a gag order before the hush money trial began, limiting Trump from publicly discussing witnesses, the jury or the district attorney's staff. Merchan expanded the order, which Trump has appealed, to cover his own family after Trump attacked his daughter. He has not yet ruled on the district attorney's motion to sanction Trump for allegedly violating the gag order. Also, David Pecker, who ran American Media Inc. during the 2016 election, testified for around two-and-a-half hours on Tuesday, walking jurors through how he worked with Michael Cohen on Trump's behalf to squash unflattering stories during the 2016 election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the first day of former President Donald Trump's trial, the proceedings started  with a focus on key witnesses, including David Pecker.  Pecker is a longtime ally of Trump and the CEO of American Media Inc. and has been known to kill damaging stories about Trump in a "catch and kill" scheme.  We'll review the way it was done.Pecker's testimony is anticipated to shed light on Trump's connections to hush-money payments and potential campaign finance violations, adding another layer to the complex legal battle surrounding Trump.Meatime, a federal bankruptcy judge is allowing creditors to hire a specialized team to investigate Rudy Giuliani's sources of income, assets and liabilities. Giuliani's chapter 11 case was filed three days after he lost a defamation lawsuit brought by two poll workers. Some political analysts are tying the passage of the Ukraine funding bill in the house to a sinking presidential campaign for Donald Trump. Does his loss on this issue show that his control of Republicans is slipping? We'll hash those issues out with our favorite Britisher, journalist Anthony Davis.  Courtney is calling us all back around the fire pit for another story on True Crime Corner. The Mark Thompson Show 4/22/24Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you'd like to help, here's our Patreon Link:https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshowMaybe you're more into PayPal.  https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24And you'll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com#Trump #Giuliani #trumptrial #election#Ukraine #politics #political #truecrime

A Morning News Update That Takes Into Account The News Stories You Deem 'Highly Conversational' Today's Sponsor: Blinkisthttp://thisistheconversationproject.com/blinkist Today's Rundown:Fort Campbell in mission essential report-status after tornado rips through regionhttps://taskandpurpose.com/military-life/fort-campbell-displaced-families-tornado/ BTS members RM and V start compulsory military service in South Korea. Band seeks to reunite in 2025https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-kpop-bts-military-service-aac9d886a2fbae90712bd21c42cee299 Panera Founder: Workers Not Motivated by Shareholdershttps://www.businessinsider.com/panera-founder-workers-not-motivated-making-money-shareholders-ceo-therapy-2023-12 Special counsel Jack Smith asks Supreme Court to rule quickly on whether Trump can be prosecutedhttps://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-prosecution-immunity-f3e7206bdf169c9faa15a19084541824 Kateri Poole no longer with LSU women's basketball teamhttps://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39086644/kateri-poole-no-longer-lsu-women-basketball-team Iowa's Caitlin Clark reaches 3,000 career pointshttps://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39086644/kateri-poole-no-longer-lsu-women-basketball-team Texas woman who sought court order to get an abortion says she will leave the state for the procedurehttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-woman-sought-abortion-court-order-leave-state-rcna129087 Double Decker Taco returns to Taco Bell locations nationwidehttps://www.wkyc.com/article/life/food/taco-bell-double-decker-taco-returns-nationwide/95-7e0eecef-ceb4-4781-8ae6-5cd88ee41b14 Website: http://thisistheconversationproject.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/thisistheconversationproject Twitter: http://twitter.com/th_conversation TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@theconversationproject YouTube: http://thisistheconversationproject.com/youtube Podcast: http://thisistheconversationproject.com/podcasts #yournewssidepiece #coffeechat #morningnews ONE DAY OLDER ON DECEMBER 12:Dionne Warwick (83)Regina Hall (53)Mayim Bialik (48) WHAT HAPPENED TODAY:2000: A divided U.S. Supreme Court halted the presidential recount in Florida, effectively making Republican George W. Bush the winner.2003: Keiko, the killer whale made famous by the “Free Willy” movies, died in the Norwegian fjord that he'd made his home.2018: American Media Inc., publisher of National Enquirer, admitted to paying hush money to mistresses of Donald Trump. PLUS, TODAY WE CLEBRATE: Sound Check Dayhttps://www.checkiday.com/abdf9f24d768cd4c7394bbc23e23bc81/international-sound-check-day#:~:text=So%2C%20technically%2C%20International%20Sound%20Check,is%20observed%20every%20December%2012.

Robbie Martin discusses the long memory-holed 2001 anthrax attacks on the 20th anniversary of the first murder, the death of American Media Inc employee Robert Stevens in Boca Raton, Florida (which took place on October 5th, 2001). 4 more would eventually die from inahalation anthrax after 5 envelopes were sent through the US postal service containing terroristic letters attempting to appear Islamic ( 'ALLAH IS GREAT' ) & high-grade weaponized anthrax spores. But what happened with all of those 'hoax' letters that contained fake anthrax? Who were those sent to? Were all these hoax attacks unrelated to the actual murders? Maybe not, as a batch of 3 'hoax' letters was sent from St. Petersburgl Florida with eerie and confusing similarities to the real anthrax letters sent by the anthrax killer. Listen closely as Robbie breaks down the timeline of why these 'hoax' letters and their implications could potentially turn the entire FBI Amerithrax case against Bruce Ivins upside-down. Additional Research: gumby4christ References: ABC News Article abt St Petersburg Letters: https://abcn.ws/3mkwWn4 St Petersburg Times Archive w/Photo of Hoax Letter to Troxler https://bit.ly/3uUrviN Howard Troxler Editorial: https://bit.ly/3FtAw7l Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast please subscribe to Media Roots Radio on Patreon // www.patreon.com/mediarootsradio Patreon subscribers at the $5 tier get access to an exclusive bonus episode per month. FOLLOW // twitter.com/AbbyMartin // twitter.com/FluorescentGrey // twitter.com/gumby4christ

Dies ist der erste Teil der 15. Folge.  Eine Woche nach den Anschlägen von Nine-Eleven wird bei der American Media Inc. ein Brief geöffnet. Ein paar Tage später ist der Mitarbeiter, der den Brief öffnete, tot. Was hatte der Brief an sich, dass er ein Menschenleben forderte? Bleibt dies der einzige tödliche Brief? TIME STAMPS:

Former National Enquirer Editor and current Chief Content Officer of its parent, American Media Inc., joins us to talk about his new book, "Epstein: Dead Men Tell No Tales." He believes Epstein ran an international sex trafficking and blackmail scheme for Mossad and that a prison conspiracy led to his death. He also breaks his silence about his lawsuit against Ronan Farrow over the book "Catch and Kill." Howard flatly denies Farrow's claim that he has buried 60 stories about Trump, and conclusively states he is not aware of any dirt on Donald Trump that has not already surfaced.Become a “Truther” by going to www.patreon.com/hiddentruthshow and pledging just $5/month and receive access to Jim and special content and a Hidden Truth cap!Website: http://www.hiddentruthshow.comFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/hiddentruthshowInstagram: http://www.instagram/hiddentruthshow.com

Southern Sense is conservative talk with Annie "The Radio Chick" Ubelis, as host and "CS" Bennett, co-host. Informative, fun, irreverent and politically incorrect, you never know where we'll go, but you'll love the journey! Visit our website at Southern-Sense.comBruce LeVell, Executive Director of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump ndctrump.com/Comic Book Author: Martin Gregg, author of the wild political comic, Little Adam Schitt.Dylan Howard, is author of Epstein: Dead Men Tell No Tales. He is the SVP of Corporate Development at American Media Inc., where he oversees Us Weekly, OK!, In Touch, RadarOnline.com and The National Enquirer.Buzz Patterson, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF (Ret), Candidate for US Congress, CA-7, buzz4congress.comDedication: Lieutenant Robert Jones, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, New York, End of Watch Saturday, June 15, 2019

Southern Sense is conservative talk with Annie "The Radio Chick" Ubelis, as host and "CS" Bennett, co-host. Informative, fun, irreverent and politically incorrect, you never know where we'll go, but you'll love the journey! Visit our website at Southern-Sense.comBruce LeVell, Executive Director of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump ndctrump.com/Comic Book Author: Martin Gregg, author of the wild political comic, Little Adam Schitt.Dylan Howard, is author of Epstein: Dead Men Tell No Tales. He is the SVP of Corporate Development at American Media Inc., where he oversees Us Weekly, OK!, In Touch, RadarOnline.com and The National Enquirer.Buzz Patterson, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF (Ret), Candidate for US Congress, CA-7, buzz4congress.comDedication: Lieutenant Robert Jones, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, New York, End of Watch Saturday, June 15, 2019

Donald Trump’s alleged attempts to broker legally questionable deals to secure a political advantage are facing unprecedented scrutiny. But those deals didn’t start with Ukraine and Joe Biden. In the first of a two-part series about the sprawling saga of Trump’s alliance with the National Enquirer and its parent company, American Media Inc., we look at a secret deal between a presidential candidate and a tabloid empire—and the first instance during the campaign of a practice called “catch and kill.” It’s a stranger-than-fiction investigation of an unproven rumor and the very real transaction that buried it, featuring a former accountant named Pecker, a former bodyguard named Calamari, and the first extensive interview with the former Trump Tower doorman at the heart of the story.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  'How Media Policies Have Helped the Far Right' w/ Anne Nelson (Ep. 217) The author of 'Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right' and Joe Miller discuss how media public policy has helped the Right seem bigger than they are. Bio Anne Nelson (@nelsona) is the author of ‘Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right’ (Macmillan, 2019) and lecturer in the fields of international affairs, media and human rights. As a journalist she covered the conflicts in El Salvador and Guatemala, and won the Livingston Award for best international reporting from the Philippines. She served as the director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. In 1995 she became the director the international program at the Columbia School of Journalism, where she created the first curriculum in human rights reporting. Since 2003 Nelson has been teaching at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), where her classes and research explore how digital media can support the underserved populations of the world through public health, education and culture. Nelson is a widely published author. Her 2009 book “Red Orchestra” describes the way media was used for both propaganda and resistance in Nazi Germany, and was published to wide acclaim in the U.S. and Germany. In October 2017, Simon & Schuster published her book “Suzanne’s Children: A Daring Rescue in Nazi Paris,” telling the story of a rescue network in Paris that saved hundreds of Jewish children from deportation.   The Wall Street Journal praised the way the book “vividly dramatizes the stakes of acting morally in a time of brutality.”  It was named a finalist in the National Jewish Book Awards.  The work was published as “Codename: Suzette” in the UK, and as “La Vie Heroique de Suzanne Spaak” by Robert Laffont in France.  It is available as an audiobook, read by Nelson, and was released in paperback in October 2018. Nelson’s play “The Guys,” based on her experiences following the September 11th attacks, has been produced in all fifty states, fifteen countries, and as a feature film. It has been widely used to fund local fire departments and related causes such as trauma counseling and burn treatment centers. Nelson also has long experience in philanthropy. She has consulted for the Rockefeller Foundation, the Gates Foundation, the Knight Foundation, among others, in areas of human rights, freedom of expression, social and economic development, and media policy. Nelson is a graduate of Yale University, a 2005 Guggenheim fellow, and a 2013 Bellagio Fellow. She is a fellow at the Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia, and a member of the New York Institute for the Humanities and the Council on Foreign Relations. Resources News Roundup Soros/Clinton drag Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and billionaire Democratic mega-donor George Soros called out Facebook’s apparent intention to get President Trump re-elected. The social media platform continues to maintain its policy of allowing ads placed by politicians that contain falsehoods to remain on the platform. According to Bloomberg, in a speech at the World Economic Summit in Davos, Mr. Soros stated “I think there is a kind of informal mutual assistance operation or agreement developing between Trump and Facebook”. He went on to say that Facebook and Trump will work to protect each other. At the Sundance Film Festival and in an Atlantic interview, Ms. Clinton expressed similar concerns and said that Zuckerberg’s philosophy of letting its users “decide for themselves” what’s true or false is an authoritarian perspective. Jeff Bezos’s phone hacked According to new reports in the Guardian, Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos’s smart phone was hacked in 2018. Forensic investigators reportedly found a “high probability” that a malicious file that was embedded within a WhatsApp conversation between Mr. Bezos and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, scoured Bezos’s phone for personal information. The Hill notes that 9 months later, the National Enquirer revealed details of Mr. Bezos’s extramarital affair, although both Saudi Arabia and National Enquirer former parent company American Media Inc., both deny Saudi Arabia’s involvement.  2018 was also the year that Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered, a murder the U.S. concluded was ordered by bin Salman—an allegation that bin Salman and the Saudi government deny. President Trump has backed bin Salman and the Saudi government’s denials of the murder. In addition to controlling Amazon, Mr. Bezos also owns Washington Post, so multiple  lawmakers and cybersecurity experts believe the alleged hack, reportedly conducted with tools linked to a bin Salman associate, was designed to suppress reporting on Mr. Khashoggi’s murder. On Wednesday, Bezos tweeted a photo of himself standing with Mr. Khashoggi’s fiancé under the hashtag #Jamal. NFL social media accounts hacked Hackers gained access to several NFL teams’ social media profiles on Monday, including those of the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs, who are set to face off in Super Bowl 54 next Sunday. The hackers got into the teams Twitter Facebook and Instagram accounts. The hackers removed profile pictures, bios and headers. Other teams affected included the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, the Houston Texans, the New York Giants, the Chicago Bears, and the NFL’s official Twitter account. Newly tapped CBP head reportedly a member of racist/sexist Facebook group Rodney Scott, the 27-year Customs and Border Patrol veteran whom President Trump tapped to lead the agency, has reportedly been a member of the same Facebook group that led to his predecessor’s firing.  The Facebook group “I’m 10-15”—10-15 is the code name CBP officers use to communicate that they have a so-called alien in custody—has been the site of racist and misogynistic attacks against Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in addition to other racist and sexist posts. Former CBP Chief Carla Provost retired after it was discovered that she was a member of the group. Georgetown University and the City of Washington work to develop an algorithm to prioritize building inspections Finally, the Washington Post reports that Georgetown University and the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs are working on a new algorithm to go after slum lords in the District of Columbia. The Washington Post had reported back in 2017 that Sanford Capital, which owns several buildings in the District, maintained poor conditions including broken doors, rat infestations and problems with heat and sewage, even as they received millions in taxpayer subsidies. The new algorithm will be designed by Georgetown students and with the goal of improving efficiencies in an understaffed and unwieldy building inspection system. Related Posts Ep 50: How to Promote Counter Narratives to Hate Speech with Jessica Gonzalez(Opens in a new browser tab) Renée DiResta: How to Fight the Imminent Disinformation Blitzkrieg (Ep. 175)(Opens in a new browser tab) Naeemah Clark: How to Define 'Viewpoint Diversity' in a Polarized America (Ep. 155)(Opens in a new browser tab)

On today's episode is American Filmmaker Jonathan Kesselman, a Dublin Based award-winning filmmaker and writer.  He launched his career writing and directing 'The Hebrew Hammer' in 2003 to international acclaim with its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. It later played a number of international festivals before being picked up for theatrical distribution (Hanukkah 2003) by Strand Releasing in conjunction with Comedy Central and Paramount Home Video. Voted among the top holiday movies by the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Boston Globe and Time Magazine. Jonathan's second feature film 'Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero' starring Maz Jobrani and John Heard, had its world premiere at the 2014 Austin Film Festival, where it won the Comedy Vanguard award as well as the Audience Award. Jimmy was released theatrically May 13th, 2016, followed by a release on Showtime and Netflix. Jonathan has written for: Fox, Paramount, Nickelodeon, Disney, Sony, Blue Sky Animation, MTV, Comedy Central studios, and WWE (yes, it's fake). Jonathan also works as a commercial director with such clients as Nintendo, Renault, Red Mango, Irish Rail, American Media Inc., and Mr. Olympia. Ironically, Jonathan taught 'Writing Comedy for Film and Television' at Yale University while concurrently acting as the humor columnist for the alternative goth-porn site Suicide Girls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode is American Filmmaker Jonathan Kesselman, a Dublin Based award-winning filmmaker and writer.  He launched his career writing and directing 'The Hebrew Hammer' in 2003 to international acclaim with its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. It later played a number of international festivals before being picked up for theatrical distribution (Hanukkah 2003) by Strand Releasing in conjunction with Comedy Central and Paramount Home Video. Voted among the top holiday movies by the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Boston Globe and Time Magazine. Jonathan's second feature film 'Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero' starring Maz Jobrani and John Heard, had its world premiere at the 2014 Austin Film Festival, where it won the Comedy Vanguard award as well as the Audience Award. Jimmy was released theatrically May 13th, 2016, followed by a release on Showtime and Netflix. Jonathan has written for: Fox, Paramount, Nickelodeon, Disney, Sony, Blue Sky Animation, MTV, Comedy Central studios, and WWE (yes, it's fake). Jonathan also works as a commercial director with such clients as Nintendo, Renault, Red Mango, Irish Rail, American Media Inc., and Mr. Olympia. Ironically, Jonathan taught 'Writing Comedy for Film and Television' at Yale University while concurrently acting as the humor columnist for the alternative goth-porn site Suicide Girls.

The release of the #MuellerReport is not the end of the Russia controversy - it's a new chapter #MAGAFirstNews with @PeterBoykin MUELLER REPORT'S RELEASE MAY NOT BE THE END OF RUSSIA HYSTERIA: The public release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Thursday marked the dramatic final note of a lengthy and contentious investigation, but also sparked new calls for subpoenas, congressional testimony, resignations, and even impeachment proceedings -- all despite the probe's central finding that no evidence showed that President Trump's team "coordinated or conspired" with Russia ... The whirlwind moments kept coming, even hours after the report's release, as more and more revelations from the 448-page document trickled out. The White House, for its part, claimed total victory and vindication for the president who, according to the report, once fretted that the special counsel's appointment meant he was "f---ed" beyond the possibility of redemption and that his agenda would be derailed by partisan distractions. But Democrats and media outlets that long advanced the idea that the Trump campaign had treasonously worked with Russia -- and anticipated that the Trump administration would collapse -- quickly pivoted to whether the president had, instead, interfered with the now-completed investigation. Within minutes of the report's publication, House Judiciary Committee Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., charged that the special counsel had provided "disturbing evidence that President Trump engaged in obstruction of justice" and, referencing the report's limited redactions, wondered: "Imagine what remains hidden from our view." Nadler immediately called on Mueller himself to testify, and top Republicans, including Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr, said they would have no objections to him doing so. He also announced he would subpoena the full, unredacted version of the Mueller report and any underlying grand jury evidence, setting up a likely legal confrontation with the Justice Department. TRUMP, SUPPORTERS REPEAT CALL TO INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS: President Trump and his legal team declared victory after Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report was released, with the president repeating his "no collusion" mantra and saying “this should never happen to another president again" ... “I’m having a good day, too, it’s called ‘no collusion, no obstruction,’” he said in remarks for the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride, at the White House. “There never was by the way, and there never will be.” Trump also added, “This should never happen to another president again, this hoax, it should never happen to another president again." He also promised “to get to the bottom of these things,” hinting at calls for the origins of the two-year investigation to be reviewed. Joe diGenova: Time to go after the real conspirators NATIONAL ENQUIRER TO BE SOLD TO NEWSSTAND MOGUL: The National Enquirer tabloid is being sold to James Cohen, the owner and CEO of airport newsstand company Hudson News, its parent company announced Thursday ... The deal announced by American Media Inc. also includes two other supermarket tabloids, Globe and the National Examiner. Financial terms were not disclosed. The sale comes after the Enquirer was caught up in a federal investigation of illegal campaign contributions to Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016. AMBASSADOR ACCUSES 'MAYOR PETE' OF PULLING A JUSSIE SMOLLETT ON PENCE: The U.S. ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, defended Vice President Mike Pence against accusations of homophobia alleged by Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg and compared the claims to a “hate hoax along the lines of Jussie Smollett" ...Grenell, who is openly gay, said Thursday on “The Story with Martha MacCallum.” Buttigieg, who is openly gay and was once cordial with Pence, has fueled criticism of the vice president, repeatedly calling him anti-gay in recent weeks as his campaign has gained momentum. Grenell, who called Pence a friend, accused the mayor of South Bend of drumming up accusations to boost fundraising and asked why he didn’t speak up while Pence was the governor of Indiana. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WEIGHS FED PICK OPTIONS: Trump administration officials are weighing options as the prospective nomination of Stephen Moore and Herman Cain to the Federal Reserve Board face continued opposition from Republican members of the Senate Banking Committee, Fox Business has learned ... Neither Cain nor Moore have been officially nominated by President Trump to serve on the Fed’s board, though the president has stated his preference for their nomination. Officials have been told by GOP senators on the committee that at least for now, there appears to be almost no support for Cain, a former GOP presidential candidate and pizza industry executive, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The appointment of Moore, a former opinion columnist and fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, has some support, but probably not enough to ensure Senate confirmation, this person added. The continued resistance to both potential nominations among Republicans involves several issues that GOP officials believe are problematic, from Cain’s alleged sexual misconduct, to Moore’s unpaid child support and taxes.

On today’s show, hosts April Glaser and Will Oremus talk about the implications from last week’s bizarre, but also serious, showdown between Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and American Media INC, the owner of the Trump-friendly National Enquirer. Bezos claimed the Enquirer was blackmailing him by threatening to release private and quite racy photos between him and the woman he was having an affair with. Bezos stood up to the alleged extortion by publishing his account of the situation, complete with threatening emails from AMI. At the same time Bezos was fighting for his own privacy, his company was making a deal that could have serious privacy implications for the rest of us. This week, Amazon announced it was acquiring Eero, the mesh WiFi router startup. To sort through this mesh, the hosts are joined by Stacey Higginbotham, who writes all about the internet of things. They ask her about what this move means for smart home users’ privacy, and where we should draw the line on what in our home should be smart, and what should be...well, dumb. 8:08 - Interview with Stacey Higginbotham 21:15 - Don’t Close My Tabs Don’t Close My Tabs: April: The Baffler: The Whitest News You Know Will: The New Republic: The False Promise of Silicon Valley’s Quest to Save the World Podcast production by Max Jacobs You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com. If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Listen to If Then via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, hosts April Glaser and Will Oremus talk about the implications from last week’s bizarre, but also serious, showdown between Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and American Media INC, the owner of the Trump-friendly National Enquirer. Bezos claimed the Enquirer was blackmailing him by threatening to release private and quite racy photos between him and the woman he was having an affair with. Bezos stood up to the alleged extortion by publishing his account of the situation, complete with threatening emails from AMI. At the same time Bezos was fighting for his own privacy, his company was making a deal that could have serious privacy implications for the rest of us. This week, Amazon announced it was acquiring Eero, the mesh WiFi router startup. To sort through this mesh, the hosts are joined by Stacey Higginbotham, who writes all about the internet of things. They ask her about what this move means for smart home users’ privacy, and where we should draw the line on what in our home should be smart, and what should be...well, dumb. 8:08 - Interview with Stacey Higginbotham 21:15 - Don’t Close My Tabs Don’t Close My Tabs: April: The Baffler: The Whitest News You Know Will: The New Republic: The False Promise of Silicon Valley’s Quest to Save the World Podcast production by Max Jacobs You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com. If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Listen to If Then via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has written an open letter to the people of the US. “I forged myself in the heat of popular and union struggles in a Venezuela submerged in exclusion and inequality. I am not a tycoon, I am a worker of reason and heart … rooted in a model of inclusive development and social equality, which was forged by Commander Hugo Chávez since 1998 inspired by the Bolivarian legacy.” He frames this in a socialist historical context of a class struggle. “Your national representatives of Washington want to bring to their borders the same hatred that they planted in Vietnam … The history of the usurpation of power in Venezuela is as false as the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. It is a false case, but it can have dramatic consequences for our entire region.” What are we to make of this? US President Donald Trump also intends to disturb noble dialogue initiatives promoted by Uruguay and Mexico with the support of CARICOM for a peaceful solution and dialogue in favor of Venezuela. We know that for the good of Venezuela, we have to sit down and talk, because to refuse to dialogue is to choose strength as a way. Keep in mind the words of John F. Kennedy: "Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate." Are those who do not want dialogue afraid of the truth?Thousands of Haitians protest corruption and rising living costs. At least two people died and 14 police officers were injured Thursday, police said, as thousands of Haitians protested against rampant inflation and demanded the resignation of President Jovenel Moise on the two-year anniversary of his inauguration. "For two years, Jovenel has promised to fill our plates. But I can't eat lies," protester Josue Louis-Jeune said in the capital of Port-au-Prince, banging a metal plate with a spoon. As Haitians reel from 15 percent inflation over the past two years, a sharp drop in the value of the gourde — the national currency — against the US dollar has only intensified price increases on mostly imported everyday essentials. Unlike the October 17 and November 18 anti-corruption protests, however, where demonstrators demanded an accounting of $2 billion in allegedly misused money from Venezuela's PetroCaribe oil program, Thursday's demonstrations mostly centered on the economic malaise that has been gripping the country and led to some bakeries and other stores shuttering their doors earlier in the week in disgust.Also, it's Friday: that means its panel time, as my panelists discuss the major stories of the week. A second accuser comes out against embattled Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax. Fairfax is denying the latest sexual assault allegation made against him. He issued a statement through his spokesperson that claims it is demonstrably false. He said he has never forced himself on anyone. He is calling for a full investigation into the allegations, because he believes it will show that he is telling the truth. He said this is an obvious and vicious smear campaign against him, and he will not resign. Lawyers for Meredith Watson sent a letter to Virginia lawmakers today claiming Fairfax raped her in 2000 when they were both students at Duke University. She claims she immediately told friends about the rape after it happened. The National Enquirer's parent company, American Media Inc., says it will "thoroughly investigate" blackmail allegations made by Amazon CEO and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, who said yesterday that the Enquirer threatened to publish intimate pictures of him unless he backed off an investigation of the tabloid. It is interesting to me how Bezos now claims, "Also, The Post's essential and unrelenting coverage of the murder of its columnist Jamal Khashoggi is undoubtedly unpopular in certain circles,” when the Post has been a mouthpiece for the Saudi government for a number of years.GUESTS:Dr. Gerald Horne — Professor of history at the University of Houston and author of many books, including Blows Against the Empire: US Imperialism in Crisis.Kweku Lamumba — External Relations Coordinator of KOSSSA.Colin Campbell — PhD student in the Department of Communication, Culture and Media Studies at Howard University's School of Communication. He has been a TV news reporter for more than 20 years. As a senior Washington, DC, correspondent since 2008, he has been a reporter-at-large, covering two presidencies, Congress and the State Department.Caleb Maupin — Journalist and political analyst who focuses his coverage on US foreign policy and the global system of monopoly capitalism and imperialism.

The publisher of the National Enquirer says it will investigate Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' allegation that it threatened to publish revealing personal photos of him unless he stopped investigating how the tabloid obtained his private exchanges with his mistress. American Media Inc. says in a statement issued Friday it “acted lawfully” while reporting the story. The Enquirer published a story last month that included lurid texts between Bezos and former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez. Since then, private investigators have been looking into how the Enquirer got the texts. Bezos says he was the target of “extortion and blackmail” by American Media. But the company says it engaged in “good faith negotiations.” American Media says its board of directors ordered a prompt and thorough investigation. It says it'll take “whatever appropriate action is necessary.” Guest: Reggie Cecchini Global National producer in Washington DC

Chapter 1

LISTEN TO RATIONAL RADIO LIVE ON WHIP | M/W/F 4-5PM EST Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos accuses American Media Inc. of blackmail! Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker testifies in front of a Congressional commission! And the Supreme Court blocks a Louisiana abortion law! The world’s a busy place, and thanks to the internet, we witness a whole lotta’ stuff. Join Tony Pearson and Amarynth Ruch for a rational look at current events around the world - only on Rational Radio. DISCUSSION TIMES AND SOURCES: 05:25 - Jeff Bezos Accuses American Media Inc of Blackmail 24:30 - Whitaker: “I Have Not Interfered With Mueller Investigation” 35:10 - Supreme Court Blocks Louisiana Abortion Law ATTRIBUTIONS: Live show edited to podcast format by Emely Morel Intro music: Chicago by [JCM] Canada, available on Soundcloud KEY WORDS: Jeff Bezos, Amazon, National Enquirer, blackmail, Matthew Whitaker, Congress, Russia, Mueller, Supreme Court, abortion, Louisiana, Kavanaugh

Robert Mintz, a former federal prosecutor and head of the white collar criminal investigations practice at McCarter & English discusses allegations made by Jeff Bezos that he was blackmailed by American Media Inc. Federal prosecutors are reviewing if the company violated an earlier non-prosecution agreement the publisher struck last year in New York over its illegal aid to the Trump campaign. He speaks with Bloomberg's June Grasso. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Robert Mintz, a former federal prosecutor and head of the white collar criminal investigations practice at McCarter & English discusses allegations made by Jeff Bezos that he was blackmailed by American Media Inc. Federal prosecutors are reviewing if the company violated an earlier non-prosecution agreement the publisher struck last year in New York over its illegal aid to the Trump campaign. He speaks with Bloomberg’s June Grasso.

It's been a rapid fire few days in special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing investigation into Russian collusion during the run-up to the 2016 presidential, with sentencing memos for Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen last week, followed by Cohen's sentencing this week. Also this week, we learned from federal prosecutors that the National Enquirer’s parent company, American Media Inc. has admitted to paying hush money to silence a woman who alleged an affair with Donald Trump in “concert with” the Trump Campaign, corroborating Cohen's account. And in a separate investigation, Maria Butina pleaded guilty to conspiracy, admitting that she tried to influence high profile Republicans and National Rifle Association members on behalf of Russia. All the while, President Donald Trump has doubled down, again referring to the investigation as a "witch hunt." But how do these latest developments fit into the larger picture of Mueller's investigation, and are we anywhere near the end? This week on Politics with Amy Walter from The Takeaway, we attempt to break it all down and examine what we know from all different angles, hearing from a reporter, a former FBI agent, a historian, a Democratic Congressman, and a conservative publisher during the course of the hour. Guests: Mark Mazzetti is the New York Times' Washington Investigative Correspondent. Asha Rangappa is a discussing Senior lecturer at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and a former FBI special agent. Julian Zelizer is a professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University. Congressman Adam Schiff is on track to become the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Chris Buskirk is the publisher and editor of the conservative publication American Greatness. Opening music composed by Tina Guo. Check out her music here. All other music composed by Jay Cowit. 

What's the fallout from Michael Cohen's guilty plea? How much legal trouble is American Media Inc. in? The NYT's Jim Rutenberg talks with Brian Stelter about Cohen's secret collaboration with American Media chairman David Pecker. Rutenberg describes sprinting across the newsroom when Cohen pleaded guilty. He also talks about AMI's "catch and kill" methods, underhanded tactics in the "gossip world," and potential legal consequences.

Today, the day our beloved Us Weekly was sold to American Media Inc., is a sad one. Is there a bright side? Maybe not, but Colton Haynes got engaged, Armie Hammer loves to tie sexy knots and Tavi Gevinson is doing #spon con for an apartment building! All that and more on today's Who's There...Who's There? Who's There!