Trump plans to ask Supreme Court to toss E. Jean Carroll’s $5 million abuse and defamation verdict

Trump plans to ask Supreme Court to toss E. Jean Carroll's $5 million abuse and defamation verdict

NEW YORK (AP) — PresidentDonald Trumpwill soon ask the Supreme Court to throw out a jury's finding in a civil lawsuit that hesexually abused writer E. Jean Carrollat a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her, his lawyers said in a recent court filing. Trump's lawyerspreviewed the moveas they asked the high court to extend its deadline for challenging the $5 million verdict from Sept. 10 to Nov. 11. The president "intends to seek review" of "significant issues" arising from the trial and the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' subsequent decisions upholding the verdict, his lawyers said. Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said Wednesday: "We do not believe thatDonald Trumpwill be able to present any legal issues in the Carroll cases that merit review by the United States Supreme Court." Carroll testified at a 2023 trial that Trump turned a friendly encounter in spring 1996 into a violent attack in the dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury retailer across the street from Trump Tower. The jury also found Trump liable for defaming Carroll when he made comments in October 2022 denying her allegation. A three-judge appellate panel upheld the verdict last December, rejecting Trump's claims that trial Judge Lewis A. Kaplan's decisions spoiled the trial, including by allowing two other Trump sexual abuse accusers to testify. The women said Trump committed similar acts against them in the 1970s and in 2005. Trump denied all three women's allegations. In June, 2nd Circuit judges denied Trump's petition for the full appellate court totake up the case. That left Trump with two options: accept the result and allow Carroll to collect the judgment, which he'd previously paid into escrow, or fight on in Supreme Court, whose conservative majority — including three of his own appointees — could be more open to considering his challenge. Trump skipped the 2023 trial but testified briefly at a follow-up defamation trial last year that ended with a jury ordering him to pay Carroll an additional $83.3 million. The second trial resulted from comments then-President Trump made in 2019 after Carroll first made the accusations publicly in a memoir. Judge Kaplan presided over both trials and instructed the second jury to accept the first jury's finding that Trump had sexually abused Carroll. Judge Kaplan and Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, are not related. In their deadline-related filing, Trump's lawyers said Kaplan compounded his "significant errors" at first trial by "improperly preventing" Trump from contesting the first jury's finding that he had sexually abused Carroll, leading to an "unjust judgment of $83.3 million." The 2nd Circuit heard arguments in June in Trump's appeal of that verdict but has not ruled. Trump has had recent success fending off costly civil judgments. Last month, a New York appeals court threw out Trump's staggering penalty in astate civil fraud lawsuit. The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll has done.

byAlpha World

in

September 03, 2025

Trump plans to ask Supreme Court to toss E. Jean Carroll’s $5 million abuse and defamation verdict

Trump plans to ask Supreme Court to toss E. Jean Carroll's $5 million abuse and defamation verdict NEW YORK (AP) — PresidentDonald Trump...

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Johnson faces escalating pressure as House GOP prepares for Epstein vote

Johnson faces escalating pressure as House GOP prepares for Epstein vote

On his first full day back in Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson sat for hours in a closed-door interview with six women who say they were abused by the late Jeffrey Epstein. Johnson's presence in the room on the first day of a frenetically busy September on Capitol Hill underscores how significant the issue of Epstein's past crimes has become within the GOP. The next day, Johnson and his House GOP took a symbolic step on the floor to voice support for their own committee's investigation into Epstein's crimes. But he and the GOP conference have, so far, been opposed to a far more significant measure to force President Donald Trump's administration to release more records related to the case. Trump's own team has phoned Republicans urging them not to support that measure. And Johnson — like his members — is under intense pressure to meet the base's demands for transparency without going against the wishes of the president, whose inner circle has attempted to quiet this summer's political firestorm over Epstein. "The fact that Mike Johnson sat there for two and a half hours — we're serious about this," House Oversight Chairman James Comer told reporters after leaving the meeting Tuesday. "We're going to do everything we can to make this right." Johnson himself told reporters the testimonials he heard were "heartbreaking and infuriating" and said "there were tears in the room. There was outrage." Five weeks ago, Johnson and his leadership team had hoped that sending lawmakers home early to their districts for their August recess would diffuse tension around the issue. But the return of Congress to Washington showed that the pressure on GOP leaders has only continued to build, with Johnson maintaining the full House does not need to pass a measure demanding the administration release all Epstein-related files as a handful of his own GOP colleagues have sought. That pressure on Republicans dramatically increased on Wednesday, when Rep. Thomas Massie and his Democratic counterpart in the effort, Rep. Ro Khanna of California, held a high-profile press conference in which nearly a dozen Epstein's abuse survivors spoke about their experiences, some for the first time publicly. Massie and Khanna are leading a push to force the full House to vote on a resolution that would require Trump's Justice Department to turn over all documents related to Epstein or his crimes. Under their maneuver, known as a discharge petition, Massie would need five more Republicans to join him to force the bill to the floor since every Democrat is expected to sign on. So far, three other Republicans have signed on: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Lauren Boebert of Colorado. Other Republicans who havesupported the underlying bill— including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Eli Crane of Arizona and Tim Burchett of Tennessee — were either noncommittal or suggested they would not support the discharge petition when asked by CNN this week. Johnson on Wednesday dismissed it as a "poorly written" petition that does not do enough to protect victims and said he supports the House Oversight Committee's investigation into the government's mishandling of the Epstein case. "The Oversight Committee is gathering more documents than are even anticipated in the discharge petition," Johnson said, pointing to the "treasure trove of documents" currently held by the Epstein estate that would not be included in the discharge petition. The House Oversight Committee has been leading an investigation into Epstein after some Republicans joined with Democrats to compel a subpoena to the Justice Department for records. The panel on Tuesday night released more than 33,000 pages related to the case – all of the subpoenaed documents the panel had obtained earlier this summer. But the public release of information has not stopped the push for more transparency that has ratcheted up the pressure on Johnson. Massie and Democrats said nearly all of those documents had already beenmade publicas part of various court cases and that it did not alter their push for their own Epstein measure. As part of its investigation, the Oversight Committee hosted a meeting on Tuesday with several survivors who are planning to speak at Wednesday's press conference. In that closed-door meeting, several of them shared chilling stories of abuse. Mace, one of the lawmakers in the roomwho has spoken out about being raped age 16, left the meeting in tears. Inside the room, one survivor said the women had been told by Epstein that they were disposable and threatened against coming forward, according to a person in the room who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting. The women were told if they went to police that Epstein had powerful friends, that person said. If the bipartisan Epstein resolution does pass the House, its fate is unclear in the Senate. But it would be an extraordinary move by a GOP-controlled Congress to take against a president of its own party. To prevent such an escalation, Johnson and the White House are attempting to sell their GOP members on an alternative path. They have backed a non-binding resolution that encourages the Oversight Committee's investigation, which the House formally adopted on Wednesday. And Johnson stressed the importance of the work of that panel, in part by sitting in on one of the sessions himself. "I sat by him in our meeting and listened to his compassion for these survivors. I listened to his questions," Greene said of Johnson as she left the meeting. "I've listened to some of his plans that he has going forward. I do think he's doing a great job there." Even so, Greene is one of the three Republicans so far willing to buck her leadership on the discharge petition. She said it was nothing against Johnson personally, but that she decided: "I just think we need to do everything we can to bring it out." Inside the House GOP conference, some Republicans are privately dreading weeks of questions about the Epstein matter and would rather move onto issues like appropriations, tariffs or Russian sanctions, according to multiple lawmakers and senior aides. But many of those GOP lawmakers also realize that there is a small but vocal faction of their party that is deeply invested in getting more answers on Epstein and that they can't be seen as dropping the issue. Democrats, meanwhile, are accusing Johnson of attempting to stonewall further investigations in Congress. Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico told reporters after the meeting that Johnson was advocating that the investigation should remain within the Oversight panel — rather than expanding the probe to include more committees. "In the room with six victims of sexual violence by Jeffrey Epstein, it was suggested by Democrats that this be investigated using the full force of every committee here in Congress. And the speaker ended by saying he didn't think that was necessary. He'd like to just keep it in the Oversight Committee," Stansbury said. "That is where the speaker actually chose to end this conversation." This story has been updated with additional developments. CNN's Alison Main, Ellis Kim, Veronica Stracqualursi and Aileen Graef contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byAlpha World

in

September 03, 2025

Johnson faces escalating pressure as House GOP prepares for Epstein vote

Johnson faces escalating pressure as House GOP prepares for Epstein vote On his first full day back in Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnso...

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NBA says it will open investigation into report that Clippers broke cap rules with Leonard deal

NBA says it will open investigation into report that Clippers broke cap rules with Leonard deal

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NBA said Wednesday that it will investigate if a $28 million endorsement contract between Kawhi Leonard and a California-based sustainability services company allowed the Los Angeles Clippers to circumvent league salary cap rules, following a report by journalist Pablo Torre. The Clippers strongly denied that any rules were broken and said they welcomed the league's investigation. The probe will focus on ties between Leonard, the Clippers and a company called Aspiration Fund Adviser, LLC, which filed for bankruptcy this year. It listed several creditors at that time, among them the Clippers (who were owed about $30 million) and a company called KL2 Aspire LLC that was owed $7 million. Leonard is listed as the manager of that company in California filings. KL is his initials, and 2 is his jersey number. Emails sent to his listed representatives seeking comment Wednesday were not immediately returned. "We are aware of this morning's media report regarding the LA Clippers and are commencing an investigation," NBA spokesman Mike Bass said Wednesday. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer made a $50 million investment in Aspiration, and the company and the team announced a $300 million partnership in September 2021. That was about a month after Leonard signed a four-year, $176 million extension with the Clippers. The team ended its relationship with Aspiration after two years, saying the contract was in default. "Neither the Clippers nor Steve Ballmer circumvented the salary cap," the team said. "The notion that Steve invested in Aspiration in order to funnel money to Kawhi Leonard is absurd. Steve invested because Aspiration's co-founders presented themselves as committed to doing right by their customers while protecting the environment. "After a long campaign of market manipulation, which defrauded not only Steve but numerous other investors and sports teams, Aspiration filed for bankruptcy. ... Neither Steve nor the Clippers had knowledge of any improper activity by Aspiration or its co-founder until after the government initiated its investigation." Aspiration's co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, agreed to plead guilty last month after facing federal charges of wire fraud. Prosecutors said he defrauded investors and lenders out of $248 million, adding that "Aspiration's financial statements were inaccurate and reflected much higher revenue than the company in fact received." Torre, in his reporting, obtained a copy of the endorsement agreement between Aspiration and KL2 Aspire, one that called for Leonard to be paid $7 million annually for four years. Given that timetable, Leonard still would have been owed the final $7 million at the time of Aspiration's bankruptcy filing. There is no evidence that Leonard did anything to publicly endorse Aspiration. "There is nothing unusual or untoward about team sponsors doing endorsement deals with players on the same team," the Clippers said. "Neither Steve nor the Clippers organization had any oversight of Kawhi's independent endorsement agreement with Aspiration. To say otherwise is flat-out wrong." The league — which previously looked into claims that Leonard's representatives asked for certain things that would be considered cap circumventions when he was a free agent several years ago — can issue stiff penalties if cap rules are found to have been broken by a team, including a fine of up to $7.5 million, the voiding of contracts and the forfeiture of future draft picks. ___ AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/nba

byAlpha World

in

September 03, 2025

NBA says it will open investigation into report that Clippers broke cap rules with Leonard deal

NBA says it will open investigation into report that Clippers broke cap rules with Leonard deal LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NBA said Wednesday th...

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Anthony Rizzo's World Series Ring Was Lost in Lake Michigan — Until a Swimmer Somehow Found It

Anthony Rizzo's World Series Ring Was Lost in Lake Michigan — Until a Swimmer Somehow Found It

Jennifer Stewart/MLB Photos via Getty; Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports Anthony Rizzo reportedly dropped his World Series ring in Lake Michigan and it was retreived by a professional diver who found it at the bottom The MLB star was awarded the ring after his former team, the Chicago Cubs, won the 2016 World Series over the Cleveland Guardians Rizzo, who last played professionally with the New York Yankees in the 2024 MLB season, has yet to comment on the ring incident Anthony Rizzodropped the ball (ehem, ring). The baseball star, 36, allegedly lost his World Series ring in Lake Michigan before it was ultimately retrieved by professional diver Yohei Yamada, who recalled the incident when speaking withBlock Club Chicago. According to Yamada, the first baseman — who was playing for the Chicago Cubs when they won the World Series in 2016 — accidentally lost his ring in the Great Lake because it didn't fit him anymore. "Rizzo had lost weight and washed his hands in his boat. He shook them dry, and the ring flew off," Yamada told the outlet during the interview published on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports Then, Yamada said that "somebody gave him my number" and the diver — who built a living on reuniting boaters with valuables that they've dropped into Lake Michigan — got to work. "Rings are the hardest to find, but the phones are everywhere," he shared, adding, "They work after three days in the water, so it's worth it. … If I'm already suited up, I'll go get it for $100." Per the outlet, Rizzo reportedly gave Yamada "a few dry $100 bills" as a generous tip for retrieving the valuable from the bottom of the lake. Gregory Shamus/Getty The MLB star has yet to comment on the World Series ring incident at Lake Michigan. Rizzo is currently a free agent, and last played for the New York Yankees during the 2024 season. In January, the baseball player announced that he and his wife, Emily, areexpecting their first babytogether. They shared the exciting news onInstagramwith the help of their dog. "Kev dog is gonna be a big brother!!!!" he captioned his post, tagging the pup in the post and added a series of blue heart emojis. Anthony Rizzo Instagram His then-Yankees teammate, slugger Aaron Judge, commented on the post, writing, "Let's goo." Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo also sent his well wishes, adding, "Dad Gang!!!🔥🔥." While there's no official announcement on Rizzo's Instagram page of their baby's arrival, the athlete posted acarousel of imagesin late August featuring two two pictures of what appears to be their latest addition to their family. "A balancing act," he simply captioned the post. Read the original article onPeople

byAlpha World

in

September 03, 2025

Anthony Rizzo's World Series Ring Was Lost in Lake Michigan — Until a Swimmer Somehow Found It

Anthony Rizzo's World Series Ring Was Lost in Lake Michigan — Until a Swimmer Somehow Found It Jennifer Stewart/MLB Photos via Getty; De...

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Mamdani calls reports of Trump meddling in NYC mayor's race an 'affront to democracy'

Mamdani calls reports of Trump meddling in NYC mayor's race an 'affront to democracy'

New YorkCity mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani called reporting Wednesday that the White House is considering administration jobs for Mayor Eric Adams and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa an "affront to our democracy." The New York Times reported Wednesday that advisers to PresidentDonald Trumphave discussed giving incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent, a position in the administration to clear the field and set up a head-to-head race between Mamdani and former New York Gov.Andrew Cuomo, who lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani and is now running as an independent. The talks have also involved Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, the Times reported. In mid-July after the Democratic primary, Trump told reporters that Cuomo should remain in the race. MORE: Some of Mamdani's platform is surprisingly similar to Bloomberg's, experts say "I think he should stay. I think he has a shot," he said. "He's going to run a tough campaign." In August, asked if he had spoke to Cuomo about his New York city mayoral run, Trump said, "I haven't, no, I haven't." Mamdani said Wednesday of the Times report, "Today, we have learned what New Yorkers have long suspected -- that Andrew Cuomo is Donald Trump's choice to be the next mayor of this city." He continued: "Today's news that the White House is considering job offers for Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa, it is not news that carries meaning because of any impact it will have on this race. We feel just as confident as we did yesterday that we will win this race in November." This is, however, about an affront to our democracy, an affront to what makes so many of us proud to be Americans, that we choose our own leaders, not that they get to pick themselves, not that they get to be picked by the president of the United States, the same president who detained a 6-year-old girl from a New York City public school system and took her hundreds of miles away, the same president that cut SNAP benefits from the hungry across these five boroughs … the same president who will throw millions of New Yorkers off their health insurance, is now seeking to undermine the very fabric of this city." MORE: Mayor Eric Adams offers New Yorkers apology as growing scandals shadow his term, re-election bid An emotional Mamdani then stressed that New York "is not for sale." "That is what this news has revealed to us today, and that is what this campaign is fighting -- not simply any other candidate that will be on the ballot, but the notion that New York City is for sale. We know that this city will decide its own future, and we know that it is New Yorkers that we will turn to make that decision in November, not the White House in Washington, D.C." Adams' campaign denied that he has spoken with Trump and said he was not offered or asked for a role in Trump's administration. "Mayor Adams has made it clear he will not respond to every rumor that comes up," campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro said in a statement to ABC News. "Mayor Adams has not met with Donald Trump -- don't believe the noise," campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro said in a statement to ABC News. "He is not dropping out of the race. The Mayor is fully committed to winning this election, with millions of New Yorkers preparing to cast their votes. His record is clear: crime is down, jobs are up, and he has consistently stood up for working families. Mayor Adams is focused on building on that progress and earning four more years to continue delivering for the people of New York." Sliwa said in a statement to ABC News that the White House had not contacted him, adding that he is focused on New York. "I'm the only candidate on a major party line who can defeat Mamdani, and I'm committed to carrying this fight through to Election Day," he said. MORE: Muslim donors flood Mamdani's campaign for NYC mayor, see national impact ABC News has reached out to Cuomo's campaign for its reaction. The White House has not responded to ABC News' request for comment. Mamdani was asked Wednesday by a reporter if he was angry. He said he was, pointing to "backroom deals" that alienate New Yorkers, and his winning margins over Cuomo could have encouraged Trump to get involved. "I am angry. I'm angry because so often we think of this solely in terms of the dynamics of politics. But the reason that so many New Yorkers are fed up with politics as they know it is because of news like this, backroom deals, corrupt agreements, all of which serve to increase the sense of disaffection and despair as it pertains to how people feel about politics across this country, and to know that having defeated Andrew Cuomo by 13 points, having won the votes of close to 600,000 New Yorkers, has only been understood by that former government as an invitation to collaborate with Donald Trump," Mamdani added. Asked what his message is directly for Eric Adams, Mamdani said he doesn't think any mayoral candidate should be considering taking deals with the administration. "I don't think anyone seeking to represent the people of this city should be taking a job with the administration that is making it harder for the people of the city to afford the place that they call home…my issue is the work that is taking place right now in these kinds of conversations, in these kinds of meetings, to subvert the will of Democrats across the city, all in the interest of Donald Trump." Mamdani said he also sees "many ethical issues with this news" and has a hard time believing what he says is "Mayor Adams' ever-changing story."

byAlpha World

in

September 03, 2025

Mamdani calls reports of Trump meddling in NYC mayor's race an 'affront to democracy'

Mamdani calls reports of Trump meddling in NYC mayor's race an 'affront to democracy' New YorkCity mayoral candidate Zohran Mamd...

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