Is CNN Ready for Donald Trump? Are YOU?
He's the first former president — and presidential candidate — to be found liable for sexual assault and defamation, to be indicted for felonies, to be impeached — twice — and tonight, he's on CNN.
Good morning and thanks for rising up on this Wednesday, May 10, 2023.
On this day in 1869, the presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads met in Promontory, Utah, to drive a ceremonial spike into the tracks that met at that spot, forming the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S. Little-known fact: It could not have been accomplished without the blood, sweat and tears of 20,000 Chinese immigrants. #AAPIHeritageMonth
If you wanted to call President Rutherford B. Hayes, you could do so by dialing the number 1. The first telephone in The White House was installed on this day in 1877. "We're Sorry, You Have Reached a Number That Has Been Disconnected or Is No Longer in Service!"
Winston Churchill replaced Neville Chamberlain as British prime minister on this day in 1940, two years after Chamberlain declared a treaty with Adolf Hitler assured the U.K. of “peace in our time.” And we all know how that turned out, right? RIGHT?!?
Sadly, even though it was 78 years ago this week that Germany surrendered to the Allies, we are still fighting Nazis.
Here Now the News
BREAKING: GEORGE SANTOS SURRENDERS AFTER FEDERAL INDICTMENT The scandal-plagued Republican congressman from Long Island was charged in a wide-ranging indictment with wire fraud, money laundering, stealing public funds and lying on federal disclosure forms. —The New York Times
NOT THE ONION, BUT CLOSE: Andy Borowitz writes in The New Yorker: SANTOS CLAIMS ARRAIGNMENT CONFLICTS WITH HIS ROLE IN NBA PLAYOFFS: The Borowitz Report
GOOD NEWS FOR ONCE ABOUT THE ECONOMY: Consumer prices climbed 4.9% in April — the first time annual inflation has landed below 5% in two years. The latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed other favorable trends:
Food prices climbed just 7.7% over the 12-month period — the eighth-straight month of slower price growth in that category.
And on a monthly basis, food prices actually declined.
It's evidence that the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes are having the intended effect, but there are still some warning signs ahead for the economy. —NBC News
WHAT DID E. JEAN CARROLL TELL DONALD TRUMP’S LAWYER AFTER WINNING DEFAMATION AND SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUIT? "He did it, and you know it," Carroll told attorney Joe Tacopina after the verdict was announced on Tuesday. Carroll spoke with TODAY's Savannah Guthrie about what the $5 million verdict meant to her. —NBC News
“THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE MONEY,” SAYS CARROLL. “This is about getting my name back… I am overwhelmed, overwhelmed with joy and happiness and delight for the women in this country," Carroll said.
TRUMP CALLS VERDICT “A DISGRACE:” And he denies even knowing who Carroll is. Tacopina vowed to appeal. —NYT
HOW MUCH LEGAL TROUBLE STILL LOOMS FOR TRUMP? The congressional indictments and Carroll lawsuit were just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s your scorecard! —Washington Post
SOME REPUBLICANS QUESTION TRUMP’S VIABILITY AS CANDIDATE FOR RE-ELECTION TO THE WHITE HOUSE: Washington Post
CNN HOSTS DONALD TRUMP TONIGHT IN LIVE TOWN HALL: The moderator is CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, a 31-year-old anchor and correspondent who gained a reputation for challenging the 76-year-old Trump at the White House. Trump pledged to be combative (duh). Aides say he plans to fundraise off both the verdict in the civil lawsuit and tonight’s showdown. —Politico
HEY, CNN: REMEMBER WHEN TRUMP CELEBRATED A REDDIT VIDEO OF HIM BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF “CNN” AT A WRESTLING MATCH? —Twitter and Vox
CALLS TO BOYCOTT CNN FOR GIVING TRUMP PLATFORM: Newsweek
TWITTER JUST GOT WORSE: Tucker Carlson is launching a version of his popular but now canceled Fox News program on Twitter, scooped Axios.
IT’S GONNA COST TUCK SOME BUCKS: Dylan Byers at Puck tweeted that breaking his non-compete agreement will mean Carlson forgoes at least $25 million owed to him by Fox News. I’m pretty sure he’ll be okay.
NATIONAL DEBT TALKS: Round one yesterday at The White House ended with no deal. More talks scheduled for Friday. —BBC
BUHBYE, COVID PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY: The declaration issued by President Trump in 2020 expires tomorrow, three years and 100 days later. And as The New York Times reports, the U.S. is still not prepared for another pandemic. —NYT
HOW BAD WAS IT? There have been 1,131,819 deaths in the U.S. as of today, 6,927,378 worldwide.
Cumulatively, at least 104 million Americans have been infected with the Coronavirus since the pandemic began, 765,903,278 globally.
BUT IT’S NOT OVER: One thousand people a week are still dying and COVID-19 is the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S. There have been 77,294 cases in just the past week in the U.S., 438,312 around the world.
OMGnews
WICKED WIDOW! UTAH WOMAN WHO WROTE BOOK ON GRIEF CHARGED WITH MURDERING HER HUSBAND: Kouri Richins, 33, wrote a children's book about how to cope with grief after her husband's death last year. Now she’s accused of having poisoned him with a lethal dose of fentanyl she allegedly added to a celebratory Moscow Mule. —NBC News
SOMEONE ASKED ABOUT NAZIS AMONG US? The Texas mall gunman who killed 8 people including children held extremist beliefs and ranted against Jews, women and racial minorities in posts on Russian social media. He also shared that he was struggling with mental health. —NBC News
Mauricio Garcia, 33, maintained a profile on the Russian social networking platform OK.ru, and posted about extremist online forums, such as 4chan, and content from white nationalists, including Nick Fuentes, an antisemitic white nationalist provocateur.
FBI ACTIVE SHOOTER DRILL VIDEO GETTING CLICKS: Los Angeles Blade
CAREFUL WITH THAT OZEMPIC: Doctors warn it could lead to malnutrition! —News12
WOMEN, TRANS MEN AND NONBINARY FOLX SHOULD GET A MAMMOGRAM STARTING AT AGE 40: CNBC
WHY DIDN’T I INCLUDE “TRANS WOMEN”? Actually, I did. Because #TransWomenAreWomen
ROBERT DENIRO, 79, IS A DAD FOR 7TH TIME: Entertainment Tonight
SOME PEOPLE ARE MAD ABOUT IT ON TWITTER: Lars Larson
ROCKET SCIENTISTS ARE MAD ABOUT PROPOSED CHANGES TO PROBE EXPLORING BEYOND PLUTO: It’s really complex for most folx but space geeks like me love this stuff: Space and Nature have details.
PROOF THAT EVERY POP SONG USES THE SAME FOUR CHORDS: Upworthy
World News
RUSSIA HAS LOST SO MANY TANKS IN UKRAINE IT ONLY HAD ONE AVAILABLE TO SHOW OFF IN ITS VICTORY PARADE ON TUESDAY: CNBC
FIVE DEAD IN ATTACK ON ONE OF AFRICA’S OLDEST SYNAGOGUES: Times of Israel
SERBIA ACTS IN WAKE OF TWO MASS SHOOTINGS IN A WEEK, WHILE U.S. DOES ALMOST NOTHING AFTER 200 THIS YEAR: The day after the killings of more than a dozen people, President Aleksandar Vucic announced several measures that would prevent further tragedy: A ban on new gun permits, tougher penalties for illegal weapons possession, psychological checks of gun owners and amnesty for the surrender of illegal weapons. —The Guardian
FLORIDA BANS BOOKS, THE SEQUEL: The state objected to content on topics like the Black Lives Matter movement, socialism and why some citizens “take a knee” during the national anthem. —NYT
MEANWHILE, THE SUNSHINE STATE IS FACING AN ACTUAL CRISIS RELATED TO HOUSING: WOFL
TransWorld
TRANSGENDER SPRINTER IS BANNED FROM COMPETING DESPITE TESTOSTERONE LEVELS LOWER THAN AVERAGE WOMAN’S: Halba Diouf feels she is being marginalized and hounded after her dream of participating at next year's Paris Olympics was shattered. That’s because World Athletics has banned transgender women from elite female competitions. —Reuters
DIOUF: "I cannot understand this decision as transgender women have always been allowed to compete if their testosterone levels were below a certain threshold.”
Diouf's endocrinologist, Alain Berliner, said the 21-year-old "is a woman, from a physiological, hormonal and legal point of view. Her testosterone levels are currently below those found on average in women who were born as women..." he said, showing Reuters the results of her blood samples dated May 2.
200+ COMMUNITY CENTERS ISSUE LETTER CONDEMNING ANTI-LGBTQ LAWS: Washington Blade
FOR EXAMPLE: North Dakota’s Republican governor signed a law that forces faculty to “out” a trans student to their parents and prohibits schools from acknowledging the gender identity of students. —Los Angeles Blade
ON THE FLIP SIDE: Washington state’s Democratic governor signed a law that protects minors seeking gender-affirming care from the intervention of estranged parents.—Associated Press
THE NEW YORK POST LOVES THE BUD LIGHT STORY: Its latest bid for clicks is about the boycott related to trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney and how it is spreading to other brands. —NY Post
WEST VIRGINIA MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH UNDER INVESTIGATION: My story about his slurs and his apology appears in the Washington Blade
WASHINGTON POST ISSUES “CLARIFICATION” ON TRANS ATTITUDES POLL: “An earlier version of this article did not note that many states have proposed anti-trans bills since the polling was conducted last year. The article now includes that context — as well as more information about the reporting process.” I tweeted about it. Read the thread by clicking here.
Star Trek Corner
CAST OF STAR TREK PICARD SURPRISES FANS: startrek.com and YouTube
HOW TO VIEW EVERY SEASON OF EVERY STAR TREK SERIES: Click here to subscribe to Paramount+
That’s all for today! I’ll be back tomorrow with more news to help you rise up and start your day. Until then… May your news be good news!
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