It's Been Reported

‘Mr. Wonderful’ Slams Trump Ruling: ‘You Might As Well Find Guilty Every Real Estate Developer On Earth’ (Amer Wire News) — Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James may have scored a major hit on former President Donald J. Trump with the unprecedented $354 million penalty but they may have inadvertently inflicted grave damage on the entire real estate industry. On Friday, leftists were jubilant when Engoron announced the crushing financial blow on Trump, a ruling that in the opinion of one notable business expert, Kevin O’Leary of the popular television show “Shark Tank” is “un-American” and if not reversed on appeal, could potentially lead to other real estate developers facing similar charges from political activist prosecutors. An entrepreneur and investor who is known as Mr. Wonderful on the long-running business reality show, O’Leary blasted the ruling as “unjust,” “appalling” and “un-American,” three terms that seem to perfectly describe the abomination in Engoron’s courtroom. “That fact that he was found guilty, you might as well find guilty every real estate developer on Earth,” O’Leary told the New York Post in an interview after the ruling came down. See full story	Investor Firms’ Flee From Climate Coalition Shows Anti-ESG Efforts Are Succeeding, Critics Say (Just the News) — The world’s largest coalition of investors pressuring corporations to turn their back on investments in fossil fuels was slammed with bad news Thursday. The asset management businesses of JPMorgan Chase and State Street Global Advisors are withdrawing from Climate Action 100+, and Blackrock is scaling back its participation in the coalition. JPMorgan Chase manages $2.5 trillion in assets, State Street oversees $3.5 trillion, and Blackrock manages $9 trillion in investors' funds. Opponents of environmental, social and governance (ESG) celebrated the announcements, attributing it to state and federal political pressure pushing back on the movement over the past couple of years. Sometimes called stakeholder capitalism, ESG rates companies and investment funds on their commitments to progressive causes, including addressing climate change and diversity initiatives. Other initiatives, such as Climate Action 100+, pressure companies to adhere to these principles. Critics of ESG contend that it diverts financial responsibility into political causes, which is especially problematic when it comes to public funds... See full story
Head Of Boeing's 737 Max Program Departs, Amid Problems Related To The Aircraft (Just the News) — Boeing announced Wednesday that Ed Clark, the leader of U.S. aircraft manufacturer's 737 Max program is leaving the company, amid problems with the craft. The announcement was made by CEO Stanley Deal, who said Clark's departure was part of a larger leadership change. “Ed departs with my, and our, deepest gratitude for his many significant contributions over nearly 18 years of dedicated service to Boeing,” Deal said, according to NBC News. The company is facing multiple investigations over problems with the 737 Max craft, starting with a Jan. 5 incident in which a door panel or "plug" on a 737 Max 9 craft for Alaska Airlines became detached midair from the fuselage. See full story	Near-Record Winds Over The Northeast Push Passenger Planes To Speeds Over 800 Mph (NPR) — Strong high-altitude winds over the Mid-Atlantic sped up sky traffic on Saturday night, getting passengers on at least two commercial planes to their destinations early, after both aircraft hit supersonic speeds topping 800 mph. Winds at cruising altitude peaked at about 265 mph, according to the Washington, D.C., area National Weather Service office – the second-highest wind speed logged in the region since recordings began in 1948. The highest-ever wind speed recorded in the area at a similar altitude was 267 mph on Dec. 6, 2002. "For those flying eastbound in this jet, there will be quite a tail wind," the NWS warned in a tweet. Sure enough, that tailwind helped cut down the flight time for passengers on a Virgin Atlantic flight from D.C. to London by 45 minutes, according to the tracker FlightAware. See full story
Records Show Biden Dog, Commander, Attacked Secret Service Members At Least 24 Times (Fox News) — President Biden’s dog, Commander, reportedly bit and attacked numerous U.S. Secret Service (USSS) personnel in at least 24 incidents between October 2022 and July 2023, before he was ultimately removed from the White House campus. Newly released internal USSS documents posted publicly by The Black Vault and obtained by Fox News Digital, reveal at least 24 incidents in which the German shepherd bit or attempted to bite Secret Service staff members or others. In the first incident documented, the USSS member reported holding a door open to the Palm Room on the West Colonnade side, when Biden took Commander out to the South Grounds. "Commander and POTUS were entering the Palm Room through the West Colonnade. Commander came in first, circled back and grabbed my left arm," the report read. "He then stood up and back down. He is literally my height, standing." See full story	AT&T’s Botched Network Update Caused Major Wireless Outage (Ars Technica) — AT&T said a botched update related to a network expansion caused the wireless outage that disrupted service for many mobile customers yesterday. "Based on our initial review, we believe that today's outage was caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network, not a cyber attack," AT&T said on its website last night. "We are continuing our assessment of today's outage to ensure we keep delivering the service that our customers deserve." While "incorrect process" is a bit vague, an ABC News report that cited anonymous sources said it was a software update that went wrong. AT&T hasn't said exactly how many cellular customers were affected, but there were over 70,000 problem reports on the DownDetector website yesterday morning. The outage began early in the morning, and AT&T said at 11:15 am ET yesterday that "three-quarters of our network has been restored." By 3:10 pm ET, AT&T said it had "restored wireless service to all our affected customers." See full story
Gov. Kemp Demands Answers From Biden On ‘Illegal’ Suspect Charged In Death Of Georgia Nursing Student (Amer Wire News) — “Continued silence” from the White House amid suspicion that a “non-citizen” was responsible for the death of a Georgia nursing student had the governor making demands of the president. Initially considered a “crime of opportunity” by the University of Georgia Police chief, the buck for the murder of 22-year-old Augusta University student Laken Riley stopped at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as far as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) was concerned. Friday, the governor issued a letter to President Joe Biden demanding answers after the suspect, 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra, was believed to have been paroled into the country by the incumbent’s Department of Homeland Security. See full story	NYC’s Non-Citizen Voting Law Ruled Unconstitutional On Appeal NEW YORK (Politico) — A state appeals court ruled that a New York City law that would allow non-citizens to vote in local elections is unconstitutional – marking a win for the Republican elected officials who sued to block it. “We determine that this local law was enacted in violation of the New York State Constitution and Municipal Home Rule Law, and thus, must be declared null and void,” read the Wednesday ruling from Paul Wooten, an associate justice of the Appellate Division for the Second Judicial Department in New York. Mayor Eric Adams’ administration has been defending the law and appealed a lower court’s ruling against it. A spokesperson didn’t immediately respond when asked if City Hall planned to appeal to the state’s highest court. See full story
Mike Lindell Contradicts Lara Trump’s CPAC Call To ’Embrace’ Early Voting: ‘Wrong!’ (Amer Wire News) — The Conservative Political Action Conference and South Carolina voters were in accord Saturday as former President Donald Trump picked up his seventh CPAC straw poll win and his latest primary victory. However, supporters were in disagreement when it came to general election plans regarding early voting. After the president had voiced his support for his own daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to be co-chair of the Republican National Committee with Ronna McDaniel stepping down, the continued support of the “Bank Your Vote” plan was blasted by MyPillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell. Speaking Saturday at CPAC, the entrepreneur touted his continuing efforts toward a same-day voting initiative as he asserted, “The RNC, yeah, they got a lot of problems. But one of the things that they did do was when I ran for RNC chair last year – what came out of that – this August the RNC passed a resolution: paper ballots, hand counting, same day voting, no early voting. And by the way, anybody that tells you to vote early is wrong! You vote same day. I’m telling you that gets harder for them to cheat.” See full story	Pentagon Says New High Altitude Balloon Intercepted Over U.S. 'Likely Hobby' Craft Year After China Controversy (Fox News) — The Pentagon said the latest high altitude balloon detected over the United States is a "likely hobby" craft, about a year after a Chinese spy balloon traversed the continental U.S., sparking controversy. "After yesterday's fighter intercepts, and in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, the North American Aerospace Defense Command monitored the likely hobby balloon via ground radars until it left U.S. airspace overnight," the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said Saturday in a statement, reported by ABC News and other outlets. No further information was immediately available. Two defense officials told Fox News that the balloon detected flying over the U.S. has been identified as the property of an amateur balloonist and is not from China. The balloon was spotted over Utah and was heading east. NORAD first announced the high altitude balloon on Friday, noting that it was observed at between roughly 43,000 and 45,000 feet. See full story