Politics

Donald Trump's business empire is on the line, with the potential for it all to come crumbling down ... as he appears in court for the first time for his $250 million civil fraud trial.

The former president arrived at Manhattan Supreme Court Monday morning as his trial kicked off ... something Trump's previously labeled as a "witch hunt" with the goal of diminishing his run for the presidency.

Trump was seated next to his attorneys Clifford Robert, Alina Habba, and Christopher Kise ... as attorney Kevin Wallace delivered opening statements on behalf of the Attorney General's office.

Wallace said Trump overvalued his statements from anywhere between $812 million and $2.2 billion ... claiming he knew they were false but used them to his advantage.

Monday's trial comes a year after being sued by NY Attorney General Letitia James -- claiming he misrepresented his net worth by billions of dollars. Trump's top execs and his sons Eric and Donald Jr. are also in the crosshairs for the alleged decade-long scheme.

Judge Arthur Engoron ruled last week that Trump and co. were liable for the fraud claims against them -- canceling the defendant's NY business certificates and ordering an independent receiver to oversee their dissolution.

In other words, James got a substantial win in court before the trial even kicked off.

El nombre de Meghan Markle supuestamente ha estado circulando como una posible candidata para ocupar el escaño en el Senado de Dianne Feinstein, lo cual tiene sentido según lo que ha dicho el gobernador.

Esta especulación proviene del Daily Mail, así que tómala con una pizca de sal, aunque admítelo, es intrigante. El medio británico informa que "los teléfonos empezaron a sonar" este fin de semana con rumores sobre la posibilidad de que la Duquesa sea seleccionada para llenar el escaño ahora vacante.

También citaron a un importante demócrata anónimo que dijo que Meghan era una candidata poco probable, pero que existía la posibilidad en estos tiempos tan extraños.

El Daily Mail también informa que Meghan ha dejado en claro de manera privada que tiene ambiciones políticas elevadas, diciendo que aparentemente está considerando postularse para la Casa Blanca algún día, y que ya se ha reunido con Gavin Newsom sobre un nombramiento en el Senado de EE. UU. —sin embargo, eso supuestamente fue en 2020 cuando el escaño de Kamala Harris quedó vacante y Gavin obviamente no eligió a Meghan para ocuparlo.

Todo esto ocurrió en el pasado. La situación es bastante diferente ahora y parece favorecer que Meghan sea nombrada como senadora interina, y es por las propias palabras de Newsom.

Hace un par de años, cuando surgieron preocupaciones sobre la salud de Feinstein por primera vez, Newsom le dijo a Joy Reid de MSNBC que nombraría a una mujer negra para ocupar el escaño de Feinstein en caso de que ella se retirara o ocurriera algo (como su muerte repentina). No lo ocultó.

Dobló su promesa hace unas semanas durante una entrevista en "Meet the Press", pero esta vez se mostró reacio, diciendo que sería una mujer negra que aún no haya anunciado públicamente la que se postulará para el escaño en el próximo ciclo electoral (noviembre de 2024).

Al menos 3 políticas demócratas de alto perfil ya han dicho que están compitiendo por el escaño en noviembre y Newsom dice que no quiere parecer que favorece a ninguna de ellas al nombrarlas para ocuparlo en este momento.

En otras palabras, básicamente necesita a alguien (una mujer negra, en concreto) para ocupar el cargo temporalmente como figura representativa mientras los verdaderos candidatos toman el centro del escenario el próximo año. Como lo expresó Chuck Todd (y con lo que Newsom aparentemente estuvo de acuerdo) un nombramiento de "cuidador".

La Representante Barbara Lee, quien es una de las 3 principales candidatas demócratas que competirán por el escaño (junto con Adam Schiff y Katie Porter) criticó el pensamiento de Newsom como paternalista.

Sin embargo, ese tipo de situación es exactamente lo que Meghan necesitaría para lanzarse a la política: alrededor de 13 meses en el trabajo. En el centro de atención nacional, para ganar influencia en el futuro. Sí está considerando seriamente una carrera política.

Además, recordemos que ha estado trabajando con una empresa de relaciones públicas que estuvo vinculada directamente a Michelle Obama en el pasado, así que ciertamente parece estar preparada para algo así.

Aún quedan muchas preguntas sobre una posible candidatura al Senado, incluida la opinión del Príncipe Harry al respecto. Sabemos que la apoya al 100%, así que probablemente estaría a favor si ella realmente lo desea.

Meghan Markle's name has reportedly been getting kicked around to fill Dianne Feinstein's Senate seat -- which makes sense ... based on what the governor has said about who's next.

This speculation comes courtesy of the Daily Mail, so take it with a grain of salt ... albeit, admittedly, an intriguing one. The UK outlet reports that "phones lit up" this weekend with chatter over the possibility of the Duchess being tapped to fill the now-vacant seat.

They also quoted one anonymous bigwig Dem donor as saying that Meg was a long shot, but that her being chosen wasn't outside the realm of possibility in these crazy times.

DM also reports MM's made it known, privately, that she has lofty political ambitions -- saying she's apparently eyeing a White House run one day ... and that she's already met with Gavin Newsom about a U.S. Senate appointment -- however, that was supposedly back in 2020, when Kamala Harris' seat was left vacant, and GN obviously didn't pick Meg to fill it.

While that was then ... the situation is quite different now, and actually appears to favor Meghan being appointed as an interim Senator -- and it's because of Newsom's own words.

A couple years ago -- when concerns over Feinstein's health first bubbled up -- Newsom told MSNBC's Joy Reid that he would appoint a Black woman to fill Feinstein's seat in the case that she retired, or other circumstances (like her sudden death). He made no bones about it.

He doubled down on that pledge just a few weeks during an interview on "Meet the Press" -- but hedged this time ... saying it would be a Black woman who hasn't already publicly announced they'll be running for the seat in the next election cycle (November 2024).

The rationale here ... at least 3 high-profile Dem politicians have already said they're vying for the seat in November -- when it's up for grabs during the election -- and Newsom says he doesn't wanna appear to favor any one of them by appointing them to fill in right now.

In other words, he basically needs someone (a Black woman, specifically) to just fill in for the time being as a figurehead -- while the real candidates take center stage next year. As Chuck Todd put it (and to which Newsom seemingly agreed) ... a "caretaker" appointment.

Rep. Barbara Lee -- who's one of the 3 leading Dem candidates who'll run for the seat, alongside Adam Schiff and Katie Porter -- called out Newsom's thinking as patronizing.

However, that type of situation is kinda exactly what Meg would need to launch herself into politics -- about 13 or so months on the job, in the national spotlight, to get a little juice for more moves down the road ... assuming she's seriously considering a life in politics.

Also, remember ... she's apparently been working with a PR company of late that was once tied directly to Michelle Obama -- so she certainly seems primed for something like this.

A lot of questions remain about a potential bid for the Senate, though ... including, what does Prince Harry have to say about it? We know he supports 100%, so he'd probably be on board if she really wanted it.

La cabeza de George Washington tiene un precio... Porque un mechón original de su famoso cabello está disponible en el mercado.

El primer presidente de los Estados Unidos tenía un mechón de su pelo blanco, que había sido conservado durante siglos, y ahora está a la venta por $45,000.

El mechón de pelo de Washington está atado en una forma ovalada y atado por una caja de cristal, que está envuelto en perlas. También hay un grabado con sus iniciales 'GW' en la parte posterior de la caja.

El cabello fue regalado en su momento a la familia Derby, que mantenía una estrecha relación con George y su esposa Martha.

El pelo de Washington permaneció en la familia Derby durante varias generaciones, pasó de hijo a hijo, y ahora sale al mercado a través de Moments In Time.

Una carta fechada el 15 de agosto de 1873 también está incluida con el mechón del cabello y es parte de la correspondencia entre la familia Derby y otro coleccionista, en el que hablan de las cerraduras.

Recuerden, George Washington supuestamente no llevaba peluca, a diferencia de muchos de sus contemporáneos, y en realidad se empolvaba su propio peinado.

George Washington's got a price on his head ... because a lock of his famous hair is on the open market.

The first president of the United States had a lock of his white hair preserved for centuries ... and now it's up for sale for $45,000.

Washington's hair lock is tied up in an oval shape and bound by a glass case, which is wrapped in pearls. There's also an engraving with his initials 'GW' on the back of the case.

The lock was given to the Derby family back in the day, as the Derbys were close with both George and his wife, Martha.

Washington's hair remained in the Derby family for several generations ... it was handed down from son to son and now it's hitting the open market through Moments In Time.

A letter dated Aug. 15, 1873, is also included with Washington's hair ... it's correspondence between the Derbys and another collector, talking about the locks.

Remember ... GW supposedly didn't wear a wig, unlike many of his contemporaries, and actually powdered his own hairdo.

A U.S. congressman pulled a fire alarm on Capitol Hill this weekend right before the House was set to vote on a spending bill in hopes of avoiding a government shutdown.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) copped to the apparent delay tactic Saturday ... with a rep from his office saying, "Congressman Bowman did not realize he would trigger a building alarm as he was rushing to make an urgent vote. The Congressman regrets any confusion."

Capitol Police released a photo to the public, which appears to show Bowman pulling down the lever inside the Cannon House Office Building -- adjacent the Capitol itself -- which obviously set off a siren in the building and evacuation to follow. He's now under investigation for the stunt ... and Republicans are slamming as unpatriotic.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he was appalled that Dems would resort to something like this ... accusing them as a party of trying to force the federal government into a freeze.

Now, as for the actual vote itself ... it eventually continued, and a bill proposed by House Republicans actually got enough votes to pass -- which will now get kicked over to the Senate. They gotta vote on it soon ... come midnight, the shutdown goes into effect.

The bill -- which was voted in as a bipartisan, 45-day stopgap -- has a lot of disaster relief funding in it ... but no extra cash for Ukraine, which is something Dems were seeking.

The White House says this House bill should do the trick for now, but they expect McCarthy to bring a separate bill "shortly" to address the Ukraine issue. Time will tell if he does.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ha tenido un duro intento de presentarse a las elecciones presidenciales como demócrata, por lo que ahora parece que va a intentar otra manera... como candidato independiente.

La figura política, que ha causado un gran revuelo tratando de desafiar a Joe Biden por la nominación demócrata en los últimos meses, puso los rumores en marcha el viernes con un teaser de su gran anuncio el 9 de octubre, cuando dice que va a tener grandes noticias.

RFK Jr. dará un discurso en Filadelfia ese día y basándonos en lo que está señalando aquí, de seguro suena que va a probar suerte lejos de los demócratas y los republicanos, y seguir su propio camino.

Por cierto, hay informes que sugieren que eso es, de hecho, lo que va a suceder. En cuanto a por qué, bueno, no es ningún secreto... el tipo se ha sentido muy frustrado con el Comité Nacional Demócrata.

Kennedy ha estado pidiendo un debate entre él y Biden desde hace un tiempo, pero el equipo de Joe no ha dado luz verde a la solicitud, al igual que Comité Nacional. La sensación es que no se están tomando en serio su candidatura, pero RFK Jr. insiste en que Joe Biden (el actual presidente) debería ganarse la reelección, pasando primero por él. Ahora, ha encontrado una manera indirecta de irrumpir.

El hecho es que como independiente, Kennedy podría potencialmente hacer daño a la campaña de Joe desviando votos de personas que no necesariamente quieren votar por Biden y prefieren una tercera opción a la de Bernie Sanders, que en realidad nunca hizo lo que RFK aparentemente está a punto de hacer.

Por la misma razón, la independencia de RFK Jr. también podría perjudicar a Trump, porque hay un montón de conservadores a los que les gusta el tipo, así que no está claro a quién podría afectar más.

En cualquier caso, es el último desarrollo en una campaña que ya ha tenido algunos dramas aquí y allá. Un hombre fue arrestado por tratar de infiltrarse en uno de los eventos de RFK como un falso policía y las implicaciones de eso eran aterradoras, teniendo en cuenta su historia familiar personal.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has had a tough go at running for president as a Democrat -- so, now, it sounds like he's gonna try another way ... as an independent candidate.

The polarizing political figure -- who's caused a stir trying to challenge Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination over the past several months -- kicked the rumors into high gear Friday with a teaser to his big announcement on Oct. 9 ... when he says he'll have big news.

RFK Jr. will make a speech in Philly that day -- and based on what he's signaling here ... it sure sounds like going to pivot away from Dems and Republicans, and go his own way.

BTW, there are reports suggesting that is, in fact, what's going to happen. As for why -- well, it's no secret ... dude's been very frustrated with the Democratic National Committee.

Kennedy has been calling on a debate between himself and Biden for a while now ... but Joe's team has brushed the request off, as has the DNC. The feeling is -- they're not taking his candidacy seriously ... but RFK Jr. insists JB (the incumbent) should have to earn re-election by having to go through him first. Now, he's found a roundabout way to disrupt.

Fact is ... as an independent, Kennedy could potentially do damage to Joe's campaign by siphoning away votes from people who don't necessarily wanna vote for Biden and prefer a 3rd option ... a la Bernie Sanders, who never actually did what RFK's apparently about to.

By the same token, RFK Jr. going independent could also ding Trump -- 'cause there's tons of conservatives who like the guy ... so it's a bit of a toss-up over who it could hurt more.

Bill Maher tiene una gran estima por el presidente Biden, dice que ha hecho un buen trabajo y que ha traído un poco de normalidad de nuevo a la Casa Blanca, pero que ahora tiene que pasar la antorcha a otra persona o Trump será reelegido.

El presentador de "Real Time" volvió con fuerza tras la huelga de guionistas y no puede estar más entusiasmado con lo que viene en 2024. Bill dice que Donald Trump debe ser derrotado o la democracia seguramente morirá, pero cree que Biden no puede vencerlo porque los votantes tienen temor respecto a su edad, así como su agudeza física y mental.

Maher dice que ya no importa en este momento si Biden es lo suficientemente perspicaz para un segundo mandato. Incluso los demócratas tienen profundas reservas y la percepción es ahora la realidad.

Maher dice que la edad no debe ser un descalificador automático, que eso debe revisarse caso a caso. Y hablando de eso, tienen que oír Bill hablar de Mitch McConnell, quien se ha quedado petrificado varias veces en público.

En cuanto a Trump, dice que a pesar de que tiene más o menos la misma edad que Biden, de alguna manera parece más vibrante: "Trump es como KISS. Se pone la pintura en la cara y la peluca y ¡se parece al mismo de 1978!".

Y hablando de Trump, Bill hilarantemente tiene algunos consejos para el futuro posible compañero de celda del expresidente. Tienen que verlo.

Bill Maher has high praise for President Biden -- he says he's done a good job and has brought some normalcy back to The White House -- but he needs to pass the torch now, or Trump will get reelected.

The 'Real Time' host is back in full force after the writers' strike settled, and could not have been more fired up about 2024. BM says Donald Trump MUST be defeated or democracy will surely die, but he believes Biden can't beat him ... because voters are scared about his age, as well as physical and mental acuity.

Maher says, it doesn't matter at this point whether Biden is sharp enough for a second term -- even Dems have deep reservations, and perception is now reality.

Maher says age should not be an automatic disqualifier ... it should be case by case. And speaking of ... you gotta hear Bill talk about Mitch McConnell ... that the freezing episodes looked like Mitch was in a "buffering state."

As for Trump ... he says even though he's around the same age as Biden ... somehow he seems more vibrant -- "Trump is like KISS. He puts on the face paint and the wig and he looks like he did in 1978!"

And speaking of Trump ... Bill hilariously has some pointers for the future possible cellmate of the former Prez ... you gotta watch.

Dianne Feinstein entertained a close friend at her house -- and posed for photos with her -- in the hours preceding her sudden death.

The esteemed, longtime Senator from California posed for a photo Thursday afternoon with former California congresswoman Jane Harman ... who told CNN she was likely the last person to see Dianne.

As we reported ... Dianne died Thursday night at her home in Washington D.C.

Dianne was 90 years old and needed a wheelchair to get around the Capitol earlier this month, but she was standing and smiling in Thursday's photo ... so her death was clearly unexpected, at least judging from the last pic she snapped.

In fact, Dianne was working right up until her death ... in addition to hosting Harman at home, Dianne cast her final vote Thursday on the Senate floor.

Dianne needed help getting onto the floor to vote ... raising her hand and voting 'aye' in favor of short-term funding for the government.

Dianne Feinstein -- the esteemed, longtime Senator from California, has died.

A statement from Feinstein's team reveals she died Thursday night at her home in Washington D.C.. The statement reads, "Her passing is a great loss for so many, from those who loved and cared for her to the people of California that she dedicated her life to serving."

Feinstein was the longest-serving female member of the Senate in history -- spending more than three decades within the hallowed walls of the Senate. She was a staunch Democrat from San Francisco and a strong voice for gun control.

Before serving in the Senate, Feinstein cut her political teeth as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She became Mayor of San Francisco in 1978 after Mayor George Moscone was assassinated, along with Supervisor Harvey Milk. She became a U.S. Senator in 1992.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has said in the event of a Senate vacancy he would appoint a Black woman to serve out Feinstein's term.

The 90-year-old senator has suffered from various ailments in the last few years. She had a long absence recently because of shingles and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, along with encephalitis. There were calls for her resignation but Feinstein decided to tough it out.

The senator was born in 1933 in San Francisco, going to an all girls' high school and participating in things like ballet, athletics, and the glee club. She went on to attend Stanford University, graduating in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts in history.

She was 90.

Dianne Feinstein, la estimada senadora por largo tiempo en California, ha muerto.

Un comunicado de su equipo revela que falleció el jueves por la noche en su casa de Washington D.C. El comunicado dice: "Su fallecimiento es una gran pérdida para muchos, desde los que la querían y cuidaban hasta el pueblo de California al que dedicó su vida a servir".

Feinstein fue la mujer que más tiempo ocupó un escaño en el Congreso, más de tres décadas en el Senado. Era una demócrata incondicional de San Francisco y una firme defensora del control de armas.

Antes de trabajar en el Senado, Feinstein se inició en la política como miembro de la Junta de Supervisores de San Francisco. En 1978 fue nombrada alcaldesa de la ciudad tras el asesinato del alcalde George Moscone, junto con el supervisor Harvey Milk. En 1992 se convirtió en Senadora de los Estados Unidos.

El gobernador de California, Gavin Newsom, ha declarado que en caso de que se produzca una vacante en el Senado, nombraría a una mujer de raza negra para completar el mandato de Feinstein.

La senadora de 90 años había sufrido diversas dolencias en los últimos años. Recientemente, estuvo mucho tiempo de baja debido a herpes y al síndrome de Ramsay Hunt, además de una encefalitis. Hubo peticiones de dimisión, pero Feinstein decidió permanecer.

Dianne Feinstein nació en 1933 en San Francisco, donde asistió a un instituto femenino y participó en actividades como ballet, atletismo y coro. Estudió en Stanford y se licenció en Historia en 1955.

Tenía 90 años.

Kellyanne Conway no tiene nada más que grandes cosas que decir de su hija Claudia, a quien describe como una mujer independiente que está haciendo grandes movimientos.

Tuvimos a la ex Consejera Senior de Donald Trump la noche del miércoles en la Biblioteca Presidencial Ronald Reagan en California, después de que terminara el debate republicano.

Kellyanne nos contó cómo ha ido la carrera de Claudia, de 18 años, como cantante, unos años después de que se hiciera un nombre en la temporada 19 de "American Idol".

Según Kellyanne, a Claudia le va muy bien fuera de la música también y añadió que se consiguió una beca en la Gran Manzana mientras se tomaba un año sabático de la escuela.

También le preguntamos qué le parece que su hija haya sido parte de Playboy a principios de este año, pero Kellyanne dijo que ella es una chica independiente y empresaria, de quien se siente orgullosa. Aunque asegura que sus días en Playboy podrían haber terminado.

Parece que las dos tienen una relación mucho mejor por estos días. En 2021, Claudia secretamente filmó y publicó un video de Kellyanne gritando y maldiciéndola.

Más tarde, publicó un video de Kellyanne hablando con los policías sobre su explosiva dinámica y fuentes policiales nos dijeron que los policías hicieron un control de bienestar luego de que se compartiera el intenso video.

Kellyanne Conway has nothing but great things to say about her daughter, Claudia ... calling her an independent woman who's making big moves straight out of high school.

We got the former Senior Counselor to Donald Trump Wednesday night at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in CA, after the Republican debate came to a close.

Kellyanne let us know how 18-year-old Claudia's career as a singer has been going, a few years after making a name for herself on season 19 of "American Idol."

According to Kellyanne, Claudia's doin' great outside music, too -- saying she got herself a fellowship in the Big Apple while taking a gap year from school.

We also ask her what she thinks about her kid being a part of Playboy earlier this year, but KC says her daughter's an entrepreneur and an independent gal, and she's proud of her ... although she claims Claudia's Playboy days might be over.

It sounds like the 2 have a much better relationship these days. In 2021, Claudia secretly filmed and posted a video of Kellyanne screaming and cussing her out.

Claudia later posted a video of Kellyanne talking with cops about their explosive confrontation ... and law enforcement sources told us cops did a welfare check after the intense video was shared.

Strange time for a nap ... Alex Jones literally went to sleep while appearing as a guest on Craig Jones' (no relation!) show on Thursday after the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champ sent the controversial host to La La Land with a super tight rear-naked choke! 😴

49-year-old Jones' was appearing on Craig's "El Segundo Podcast" when the IBJJF world champ got to live out the real-life fantasy of many of Alex's opponents, literally putting the Infowars host to sleep square in his chair on set.

It's unclear what led up to the submission (Alex was clearly down with it) ... and given Craig's one of the best in the world when it comes to strangling people (he coaches Alex Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya), it didn't take him long.

Craig posted video of the incident ... and had some fun with the caption, writing, "The CIA sent me but I couldn’t do my dad like that"

Again, no father-son relation here.

The clip starts with the choke already in deep. After about 8 seconds of pressure, Jones' eyes rolled back, and he was out cold.

Almost 10 seconds later, Alex finally wakes up ... but clearly had no idea what the hell just happened -- common among people who have been choked out.

"What? What'd I just do?" Alex asked, looking around.

Presumably, Craig will drop more videos with Alex when the pod episode debuts.