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  • New York AG says she’ll seize Donald Trump’s property if he can’t pay civil fraud debt

    New York AG says she’ll seize Donald Trump’s property if he can’t pay civil fraud debt

    Donald Trump could be at risk of losing some of his prized properties if he can’t pay his staggering New York civil fraud penalty. With interest, he owes the state nearly $454 million — and the amount is going up $87,502 each day until he pays.New York Attorney General Letitia James told ABC News on Tuesday that she will seek to seize some of the former president’s assets if he’s unable to cover the bill from Judge Arthur Engoron’s Feb. 16 ruling.Engoron concluded that Trump lied for years about his wealth as he built the real estate empire that vaulted him to stardom and the White House. Trump denies wrongdoing and has vowed to appeal.”If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets,” James, a Democrat, said in an interview with ABC reporter Aaron Katersky.Trump’s ability to pay his mounting legal debts is increasingly murky after back-to-back courtroom losses. In January, a jury ordered him to pay $83.3 million for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.Trump claimed last year that he has about $400 million in cash — reserves that would get eaten up by his court penalties. The rest of his net worth, which he says is several billion dollars, is tied up in golf courses, skyscrapers and other properties, along with investments and other holdings.But don’t expect James to try to grab the keys to Trump Tower or Mar-a-Lago immediately. Trump’s promised appeal is likely to halt collection of his penalty while the process plays out.Here’s a look at where things stand in the wake of Trump’s costly verdict. Yes. If Trump isn’t able to pay, the state “could levy and sell his assets, lien his real property, and garnish anyone who owes him money,” Syracuse University Law Professor Gregory Germain said.Seizing assets is a common legal tactic when a defendant can’t access enough cash to pay a civil penalty. In a famous example, O.J. Simpson’s Heisman Trophy was seized and sold at auction in 1999 to cover part of a $33.5 million wrongful death judgment against him.Trump could avoid losing assets to seizure if he has enough cash — or is able to free up enough cash — to pay his penalty and mounting interest.How much he has isn’t clear because most information about Trump’s finances comes from Trump himself via his government disclosures and the annual financial statements that Engoron has deemed fraudulent.Trump reported having about $294 million in cash or cash equivalents on his most recent annual financial statement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021.After that, according to state lawyers, he added about $186.8 million from selling his Washington, D.C. hotel in May 2022 and the rights to manage a New York City golf course in June 2023. Part of Trump’s penalty requires that he give those proceeds to the state, plus interest.Engoron’s decision last week spared Trump’s real estate empire from what the Republican front-runner deemed the “corporate death penalty,” reversing a prior ruling and opting to leave his company in business, albeit with severe restrictions including oversight from a court-appointed monitor.James didn’t specify to ABC which of Trump’s assets the state might want to seize, though she noted that her office happens to be right across the street from a Trump-owned office building in Lower Manhattan that was the subject of some of the fraud allegations in her lawsuit.”We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers,” James told ABC. “And yes, I look at 40 Wall Street each and every day.” With Trump promising to appeal, it’s unlikely he’ll have to pay the penalty — or face the prospect of having some of his assets seized — for a while. If he wins, he might not have to pay anything.Under state law, Trump will receive an automatic stay if he puts up money, assets or an appeal bond covering the amount he owes. A stay is a legal mechanism halting enforcement of a court decision while the appeals process plays out.”Even if we choose to appeal this – which we will – we have to post the bond, which is the full amount and some, and we will be prepared to do that,” Trump lawyer Alina Habba told Fox News on Monday. Trump’s lawyers can also ask the appeals court to grant a stay without obtaining a bond or with a bond for a lower amount.In his Georgia election interference criminal case, Trump paid $20,000 — or 10% — for a $200,000 release bond. After losing at a first trial involving Carroll last year, Trump put $5.55 million in escrow to cover the cost of the judgment while he appeals. He has said he would appeal the $83.3 million January verdict but has yet to do so.”If he can’t post a bond or meet the appellate division’s bonding requirements, then I would expect him to file bankruptcy to take advantage of the automatic stay on collection,” Germain said. “But that’s a couple of chess moves away, so we will just have to see what happens.”Trump’s vow to appeal all but assures the legal fight over his business practices will persist into the thick of the presidential primary season as he tries to clinch the Republican nomination in his quest to retake the White House.The appeal is also likely to overlap with his criminal trial next month in his New York hush-money case, the first of his four criminal cases to go to trial.Trump can’t appeal yet because the clerk’s office at Engoron’s courthouse must first file paperwork to make the verdict official. Once that happens, Trump will have 30 days to appeal and get the penalty stayed, or pay up. Trump’s lawyers wrangled Wednesday with state lawyers and the judge over what that paperwork should say. Trump lawyer Cliff Robert told Engoron in a letter late Wednesday that he wants enforcement of the penalty delayed 30 days “to allow for an orderly post-Judgment process, particularly given the magnitude of Judgment.” With each passing day, Trump owes an additional $87,502 in interest on his civil fraud penalty. By Thursday, that’ll be an extra $525,000 since the decision was issued on Feb. 16. The interest will continue to accrue even while he appeals. Barring court intervention or an earlier resolution, his bill will soar to a half-billion dollars by August 2025.Trump’s underlying penalty is $355 million, the equivalent of what the judge said were “ill-gotten gains” from savings on lower loan interest and windfall profits from development deals he wouldn’t have been able to make if he’d been honest about his wealth.Under state law, he is being charged interest on that amount at an annual rate of 9%.As of Wednesday, Trump owed just over $99 million in interest, bringing his total to just under $454 million — that’s $453,981,779 to be exact, according to the Associated Press’ calculations. Trump’s interest will keep accruing until Trump pays. Trump owes the money individually and as the owner of corporate entities that were named as defendants in James’ lawsuit.Engoron said the interest Trump owes on about half of the total penalty amount — pertaining to loan savings — can be calculated from the start of James’ investigation in March 2019. Interest on the remaining amount — which pertains to the sale of Trump’s Washington hotel and Bronx golf course rights — can be calculated starting in May 2022 or June 2023.In all, Engoron ordered Trump and his co-defendants to pay $363.9 million in penalties, or about $464.3 million with interest. The total bill increases by $89,729 per day, according to AP’s calculations.Trump’s sons, Eric and Donald Jr., must each pay about $4.7 million, including interest, to the state for their shares of the Washington hotel sales. Weisselberg was ordered to pay $1 million — for half of the $2 million severance he’s receiving — plus about $100,000 in interest.Until they pay, Weisselberg is on the hook for another $247 per day, while Trump’s sons each owe an extra $990 per day, according to AP’s calculations.

    NEW YORK —

    Donald Trump could be at risk of losing some of his prized properties if he can’t pay his staggering New York civil fraud penalty. With interest, he owes the state nearly $454 million — and the amount is going up $87,502 each day until he pays.

    New York Attorney General Letitia James told ABC News on Tuesday that she will seek to seize some of the former president’s assets if he’s unable to cover the bill from Judge Arthur Engoron’s Feb. 16 ruling.

    Engoron concluded that Trump lied for years about his wealth as he built the real estate empire that vaulted him to stardom and the White House. Trump denies wrongdoing and has vowed to appeal.

    “If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets,” James, a Democrat, said in an interview with ABC reporter Aaron Katersky.

    Trump’s ability to pay his mounting legal debts is increasingly murky after back-to-back courtroom losses. In January, a jury ordered him to pay $83.3 million for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.

    Trump claimed last year that he has about $400 million in cash — reserves that would get eaten up by his court penalties. The rest of his net worth, which he says is several billion dollars, is tied up in golf courses, skyscrapers and other properties, along with investments and other holdings.

    But don’t expect James to try to grab the keys to Trump Tower or Mar-a-Lago immediately. Trump’s promised appeal is likely to halt collection of his penalty while the process plays out.

    Here’s a look at where things stand in the wake of Trump’s costly verdict.

    Yes. If Trump isn’t able to pay, the state “could levy and sell his assets, lien his real property, and garnish anyone who owes him money,” Syracuse University Law Professor Gregory Germain said.

    Seizing assets is a common legal tactic when a defendant can’t access enough cash to pay a civil penalty. In a famous example, O.J. Simpson’s Heisman Trophy was seized and sold at auction in 1999 to cover part of a $33.5 million wrongful death judgment against him.

    Trump could avoid losing assets to seizure if he has enough cash — or is able to free up enough cash — to pay his penalty and mounting interest.

    How much he has isn’t clear because most information about Trump’s finances comes from Trump himself via his government disclosures and the annual financial statements that Engoron has deemed fraudulent.

    Trump reported having about $294 million in cash or cash equivalents on his most recent annual financial statement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021.

    After that, according to state lawyers, he added about $186.8 million from selling his Washington, D.C. hotel in May 2022 and the rights to manage a New York City golf course in June 2023. Part of Trump’s penalty requires that he give those proceeds to the state, plus interest.

    Engoron’s decision last week spared Trump’s real estate empire from what the Republican front-runner deemed the “corporate death penalty,” reversing a prior ruling and opting to leave his company in business, albeit with severe restrictions including oversight from a court-appointed monitor.

    James didn’t specify to ABC which of Trump’s assets the state might want to seize, though she noted that her office happens to be right across the street from a Trump-owned office building in Lower Manhattan that was the subject of some of the fraud allegations in her lawsuit.

    “We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers,” James told ABC. “And yes, I look at 40 Wall Street each and every day.”

    With Trump promising to appeal, it’s unlikely he’ll have to pay the penalty — or face the prospect of having some of his assets seized — for a while. If he wins, he might not have to pay anything.

    Under state law, Trump will receive an automatic stay if he puts up money, assets or an appeal bond covering the amount he owes. A stay is a legal mechanism halting enforcement of a court decision while the appeals process plays out.

    “Even if we choose to appeal this – which we will – we have to post the bond, which is the full amount and some, and we will be prepared to do that,” Trump lawyer Alina Habba told Fox News on Monday.

    Trump’s lawyers can also ask the appeals court to grant a stay without obtaining a bond or with a bond for a lower amount.

    In his Georgia election interference criminal case, Trump paid $20,000 — or 10% — for a $200,000 release bond. After losing at a first trial involving Carroll last year, Trump put $5.55 million in escrow to cover the cost of the judgment while he appeals. He has said he would appeal the $83.3 million January verdict but has yet to do so.

    “If he can’t post a bond or meet the appellate division’s bonding requirements, then I would expect him to file bankruptcy to take advantage of the automatic stay on collection,” Germain said. “But that’s a couple of chess moves away, so we will just have to see what happens.”

    Trump’s vow to appeal all but assures the legal fight over his business practices will persist into the thick of the presidential primary season as he tries to clinch the Republican nomination in his quest to retake the White House.

    The appeal is also likely to overlap with his criminal trial next month in his New York hush-money case, the first of his four criminal cases to go to trial.

    Trump can’t appeal yet because the clerk’s office at Engoron’s courthouse must first file paperwork to make the verdict official. Once that happens, Trump will have 30 days to appeal and get the penalty stayed, or pay up. Trump’s lawyers wrangled Wednesday with state lawyers and the judge over what that paperwork should say. Trump lawyer Cliff Robert told Engoron in a letter late Wednesday that he wants enforcement of the penalty delayed 30 days “to allow for an orderly post-Judgment process, particularly given the magnitude of Judgment.”

    With each passing day, Trump owes an additional $87,502 in interest on his civil fraud penalty. By Thursday, that’ll be an extra $525,000 since the decision was issued on Feb. 16. The interest will continue to accrue even while he appeals. Barring court intervention or an earlier resolution, his bill will soar to a half-billion dollars by August 2025.

    Trump’s underlying penalty is $355 million, the equivalent of what the judge said were “ill-gotten gains” from savings on lower loan interest and windfall profits from development deals he wouldn’t have been able to make if he’d been honest about his wealth.

    Under state law, he is being charged interest on that amount at an annual rate of 9%.

    As of Wednesday, Trump owed just over $99 million in interest, bringing his total to just under $454 million — that’s $453,981,779 to be exact, according to the Associated Press’ calculations. Trump’s interest will keep accruing until Trump pays. Trump owes the money individually and as the owner of corporate entities that were named as defendants in James’ lawsuit.

    Engoron said the interest Trump owes on about half of the total penalty amount — pertaining to loan savings — can be calculated from the start of James’ investigation in March 2019. Interest on the remaining amount — which pertains to the sale of Trump’s Washington hotel and Bronx golf course rights — can be calculated starting in May 2022 or June 2023.

    In all, Engoron ordered Trump and his co-defendants to pay $363.9 million in penalties, or about $464.3 million with interest. The total bill increases by $89,729 per day, according to AP’s calculations.

    Trump’s sons, Eric and Donald Jr., must each pay about $4.7 million, including interest, to the state for their shares of the Washington hotel sales. Weisselberg was ordered to pay $1 million — for half of the $2 million severance he’s receiving — plus about $100,000 in interest.

    Until they pay, Weisselberg is on the hook for another $247 per day, while Trump’s sons each owe an extra $990 per day, according to AP’s calculations.

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  • Family friend of Texas girl Audrii Cunningham facing charges in 11-year-old’s death, prosecutor says

    Family friend of Texas girl Audrii Cunningham facing charges in 11-year-old’s death, prosecutor says

    A family friend of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham was in jail Wednesday as prosecutors say they plan to charge him in the girl’s death after her body was found in a river near her rural Texas home. Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons said the body of the young girl — who went missing last week — was found Tuesday during a search in the Trinity River in a rural area north of Houston. Lyons said cell phone data was used to help identify places to look and that the local river authority slowed down the outflow of a reservoir to help search teams that were in the water. Cunninham’s body was found about 10 miles from her home near Lake Livingston.”My heart aches with this news,” Lyons said.Audrii’s family had reported her missing on Thursday after she failed to return after school to her home in Livingston. After she was reported missing, investigators discovered that she never got on the bus to go to school that morning.Polk County District Attorney Shelly Sitton said officials were preparing an arrest warrant for Don Steven McDougal, 42, on a recommended charge of capital murder. She said they do not yet know if they would seek the death penalty in the case.Lyons said there is “substantial evidence” in the case, and that cell phone data and videos helped identify places to search. He added that the Trinity River Authority lowered water levels on the river, which led to the discovery of her body.Authorities have said McDougal is a friend of the girl’s father and lived in a camper on the family’s property. Audrii lived with her father, grandparents and other family members, authorities said.Lyons has said that in the past, McDougal had taken Audrii to the bus stop or would take her to school if she missed the bus.A backpack that authorities believe belonged to the child was found Friday near the dam on Lake Livingston, one of the state’s largest lakes.As authorities investigated Audrii’s disappearance last week, they had named McDougal as a person of interest and he was arrested Friday on an unrelated assault charge. He remains in jail on that charge. Jail records did not list an attorney for him.Court records from Brazoria County, south of Houston, show McDougal pleaded no contest to two felony counts of enticing a child stemming from a 2007 incident and was sentenced to two years in prison.The sheriff said that the girl’s body has been taken to the Harris County medical examiner’s office in Houston to determine the cause of death.___Associated Press writer Sean Murphy contributed to this report from Oklahoma City.

    POLK COUNTY, Texas —

    A family friend of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham was in jail Wednesday as prosecutors say they plan to charge him in the girl’s death after her body was found in a river near her rural Texas home.

    Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons said the body of the young girl — who went missing last week — was found Tuesday during a search in the Trinity River in a rural area north of Houston. Lyons said cell phone data was used to help identify places to look and that the local river authority slowed down the outflow of a reservoir to help search teams that were in the water.

    Cunninham’s body was found about 10 miles from her home near Lake Livingston.

    “My heart aches with this news,” Lyons said.

    Audrii’s family had reported her missing on Thursday after she failed to return after school to her home in Livingston. After she was reported missing, investigators discovered that she never got on the bus to go to school that morning.

    Polk County District Attorney Shelly Sitton said officials were preparing an arrest warrant for Don Steven McDougal, 42, on a recommended charge of capital murder. She said they do not yet know if they would seek the death penalty in the case.

    Lyons said there is “substantial evidence” in the case, and that cell phone data and videos helped identify places to search. He added that the Trinity River Authority lowered water levels on the river, which led to the discovery of her body.

    Authorities have said McDougal is a friend of the girl’s father and lived in a camper on the family’s property. Audrii lived with her father, grandparents and other family members, authorities said.

    Lyons has said that in the past, McDougal had taken Audrii to the bus stop or would take her to school if she missed the bus.

    A backpack that authorities believe belonged to the child was found Friday near the dam on Lake Livingston, one of the state’s largest lakes.

    As authorities investigated Audrii’s disappearance last week, they had named McDougal as a person of interest and he was arrested Friday on an unrelated assault charge. He remains in jail on that charge. Jail records did not list an attorney for him.

    Court records from Brazoria County, south of Houston, show McDougal pleaded no contest to two felony counts of enticing a child stemming from a 2007 incident and was sentenced to two years in prison.

    The sheriff said that the girl’s body has been taken to the Harris County medical examiner’s office in Houston to determine the cause of death.

    ___

    Associated Press writer Sean Murphy contributed to this report from Oklahoma City.

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  • Astronomers find what may be the universe’s brightest object with a black hole devouring a sun a day

    Astronomers find what may be the universe’s brightest object with a black hole devouring a sun a day

    Astronomers have discovered what may be the brightest object in the universe, a quasar with a black hole at its heart growing so fast that it swallows the equivalent of a sun a day.The record-breaking quasar shines 500 trillion times brighter than our sun. The black hole powering this distant quasar is more than 17 billion times more immense than our sun, an Australian-led team reported Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy. While the quasar resembles a mere dot in images, scientists envision a ferocious place.The rotating disk around the quasar’s black hole — the luminous swirling gas and other matter from gobbled-up stars — is like a cosmic hurricane.”This quasar is the most violent place that we know in the universe,” lead author Christian Wolf of Australian National University said in an email.The European Southern Observatory spotted the object, J0529-4351, during a 1980 sky survey, but it was thought to be a star. It was not identified as a quasar — the extremely active and luminous core of a galaxy — until last year. Observations by telescopes in Australia and Chile’s Atacama Desert clinched it.”The exciting thing about this quasar is that it was hiding in plain sight and was misclassified as a star previously,” Yale University’s Priyamvada Natarajan, who was not involved in the study, said in an email. These later observations and computer modeling have determined that the quasar is gobbling up the equivalent of 370 suns a year — roughly one a day. Further analysis shows the mass of the black hole to be 17 to 19 billion times that of our sun, according to the team. More observations are needed to understand its growth rate.The quasar is 12 billion light-years away and has been around since the early days of the universe. A light-year is 5.8 trillion miles. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —

    Astronomers have discovered what may be the brightest object in the universe, a quasar with a black hole at its heart growing so fast that it swallows the equivalent of a sun a day.

    The record-breaking quasar shines 500 trillion times brighter than our sun. The black hole powering this distant quasar is more than 17 billion times more immense than our sun, an Australian-led team reported Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy.

    While the quasar resembles a mere dot in images, scientists envision a ferocious place.

    The rotating disk around the quasar’s black hole — the luminous swirling gas and other matter from gobbled-up stars — is like a cosmic hurricane.

    “This quasar is the most violent place that we know in the universe,” lead author Christian Wolf of Australian National University said in an email.

    The European Southern Observatory spotted the object, J0529-4351, during a 1980 sky survey, but it was thought to be a star. It was not identified as a quasar — the extremely active and luminous core of a galaxy — until last year. Observations by telescopes in Australia and Chile’s Atacama Desert clinched it.

    “The exciting thing about this quasar is that it was hiding in plain sight and was misclassified as a star previously,” Yale University’s Priyamvada Natarajan, who was not involved in the study, said in an email.

    These later observations and computer modeling have determined that the quasar is gobbling up the equivalent of 370 suns a year — roughly one a day. Further analysis shows the mass of the black hole to be 17 to 19 billion times that of our sun, according to the team. More observations are needed to understand its growth rate.

    The quasar is 12 billion light-years away and has been around since the early days of the universe. A light-year is 5.8 trillion miles.

    ___

    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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  • Will Georgia prosecutor be removed from election case against Donald Trump? Judge to hear arguments

    Will Georgia prosecutor be removed from election case against Donald Trump? Judge to hear arguments

    Should District Attorney Fani Willis be removed from the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump because of her personal relationship with a special prosecutor? Lawyers were set to battle over the question during a hearing in Atlanta on Thursday.Willis, the DA for Georgia’s Fulton County, hired outside lawyer Nathan Wade to help investigate whether Trump and his allies committed any crimes while trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. Wade has led the team prosecuting the case since an indictment was returned in August.Willis’ removal would be a stunning development in the most sprawling of the four criminal cases against Trump. An additional delay would likely lessen the chance that a trial would be held before the November election, when he is expected to be the Republican nominee for president. At a separate hearing in New York on Thursday, a judge is expected to confirm whether Trump’s hush-money criminal case will go to trial next month, as scheduled. The Georgia hearing, which will be broadcast live, has the potential to dig into uncomfortable details of Willis and Wade’s relationship. Throughout the case, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has made a serious effort to minimize drama in his courtroom and to keep lawyers focused on legal arguments.He suggested during a hearing Monday that he would continue that trend, saying that if there’s anything that amounts to “harassment or undue embarrassment,” he is “not going to feel inhibited from stepping in, even without an objection from counsel, to move this along and keep it focused on the issues at hand.”Since the allegations of an inappropriate relationship surfaced last month in a motion filed by Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, the former president has used them to try to cast doubt on the legitimacy of Willis’ case. Other Republicans have cited them in calling for investigations into Willis, a Democrat who’s up for reelection this year.Roman, a former Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide, alleged that Willis and Wade had been involved in an improper romantic relationship that began before Wade was hired. The motion says Willis paid Wade large sums for his work and then benefited personally when he paid for vacations for the two of them, creating a conflict of interest. Roman, who has since been joined by Trump and several other co-defendants, is asking McAfee to toss out the indictment and to prevent Willis, Wade and their offices from continuing to be involved in the case.Earlier this month, Willis and Wade filed a response acknowledging a “personal relationship” but said it has not resulted in any direct or indirect financial benefit to the district attorney. In a sworn statement attached to the filing, Wade said the relationship began in 2022, after he was hired as special prosecutor, and that he and Willis shared travel expenses and never lived together.Willis argued she has no financial or personal conflict of interest that justifies removing her or her office from the case. Her filing called the allegations “salacious” and said they were designed to generate headlines.McAfee said during a hearing Monday that Willis could be disqualified “if evidence is produced demonstrating an actual conflict or the appearance of one.” He said the issues he wants to explore at the hearing are “whether a relationship existed, whether that relationship was romantic or nonromantic in nature, when it formed and whether it continues.” Those questions are only relevant, he said, “in combination with the question of the existence and extent of any personal benefit conveyed as a result of the relationship.”Roman’s lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, has subpoenaed Willis, Wade, seven other employees of the district attorney’s office and others, including Wade’s former business partner, Terrence Bradley. Merchant has said Bradley will testify that Willis and Wade’s relationship began prior to his hiring as special prosecutor.McAfee on Monday declined Willis’ request to quash those subpoenas, but agreed to revisit that after Bradley testifies.

    ATLANTA —

    Should District Attorney Fani Willis be removed from the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump because of her personal relationship with a special prosecutor? Lawyers were set to battle over the question during a hearing in Atlanta on Thursday.

    Willis, the DA for Georgia’s Fulton County, hired outside lawyer Nathan Wade to help investigate whether Trump and his allies committed any crimes while trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. Wade has led the team prosecuting the case since an indictment was returned in August.

    Willis’ removal would be a stunning development in the most sprawling of the four criminal cases against Trump. An additional delay would likely lessen the chance that a trial would be held before the November election, when he is expected to be the Republican nominee for president. At a separate hearing in New York on Thursday, a judge is expected to confirm whether Trump’s hush-money criminal case will go to trial next month, as scheduled.

    The Georgia hearing, which will be broadcast live, has the potential to dig into uncomfortable details of Willis and Wade’s relationship. Throughout the case, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has made a serious effort to minimize drama in his courtroom and to keep lawyers focused on legal arguments.

    He suggested during a hearing Monday that he would continue that trend, saying that if there’s anything that amounts to “harassment or undue embarrassment,” he is “not going to feel inhibited from stepping in, even without an objection from counsel, to move this along and keep it focused on the issues at hand.”

    Since the allegations of an inappropriate relationship surfaced last month in a motion filed by Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, the former president has used them to try to cast doubt on the legitimacy of Willis’ case. Other Republicans have cited them in calling for investigations into Willis, a Democrat who’s up for reelection this year.

    Roman, a former Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide, alleged that Willis and Wade had been involved in an improper romantic relationship that began before Wade was hired. The motion says Willis paid Wade large sums for his work and then benefited personally when he paid for vacations for the two of them, creating a conflict of interest.

    Roman, who has since been joined by Trump and several other co-defendants, is asking McAfee to toss out the indictment and to prevent Willis, Wade and their offices from continuing to be involved in the case.

    Earlier this month, Willis and Wade filed a response acknowledging a “personal relationship” but said it has not resulted in any direct or indirect financial benefit to the district attorney. In a sworn statement attached to the filing, Wade said the relationship began in 2022, after he was hired as special prosecutor, and that he and Willis shared travel expenses and never lived together.

    Willis argued she has no financial or personal conflict of interest that justifies removing her or her office from the case. Her filing called the allegations “salacious” and said they were designed to generate headlines.

    McAfee said during a hearing Monday that Willis could be disqualified “if evidence is produced demonstrating an actual conflict or the appearance of one.”

    He said the issues he wants to explore at the hearing are “whether a relationship existed, whether that relationship was romantic or nonromantic in nature, when it formed and whether it continues.” Those questions are only relevant, he said, “in combination with the question of the existence and extent of any personal benefit conveyed as a result of the relationship.”

    Roman’s lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, has subpoenaed Willis, Wade, seven other employees of the district attorney’s office and others, including Wade’s former business partner, Terrence Bradley. Merchant has said Bradley will testify that Willis and Wade’s relationship began prior to his hiring as special prosecutor.

    McAfee on Monday declined Willis’ request to quash those subpoenas, but agreed to revisit that after Bradley testifies.

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  • Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day this year. Here’s what you need to know

    Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day this year. Here’s what you need to know

    Feb. 14 is a holiday heavyweight this year due to a calendar collision of events.Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day, the fixed annual celebration of love and friendship, marked by cute couples, eager elementary school students — and critics who deride its commercialization. But it also happens to be Ash Wednesday, the solemn day of fasting and reflection that signals the start of Christianity’s most penitent season.WHY IS ASH WEDNESDAY ON VALENTINE’S DAY THIS YEAR?Ash Wednesday is not a fixed date. Its timing is tied to Easter Sunday, and for most Christians, Easter will fall on March 31 this year.Easter also moves annually, swinging between March 22 and April 25 based on a calendar calculation involving the moon.The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops lays it out: “Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon, which is the first full moon occurring either on or after the spring equinox (March 21). … To find the date for Ash Wednesday, we go back six weeks which leads to the First Sunday of Lent and four days before that is Ash Wednesday.”This year, that happens to be Feb. 14.WHAT HAPPENS ON ASH WEDNESDAY?Not all Christians observe Ash Wednesday. For those who do, they typically attend an Ash Wednesday church service, where a priest or other minister draws a cross — or at least what is intended to look like one — of ashes on their forehead. The distribution of ashes underscores human mortality, among other themes.It’s an obligatory day of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. The abstinence restrictions are continued on Fridays during Lent, which is the period of repentance and penance leading up to Holy Week observances — most significantly their belief in the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead.WHERE DO THE ASHES COME FROM?Typically, the ashes are from the palms used on Palm Sunday, which falls a week before Easter, according to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.Ashes can be purchased, but some churches make their own by burning the palms from prior years. For example, several parishes and schools in the Chicago Catholic Archdiocese plan to hold palm burning ceremonies this year.CAN CATHOLICS CELEBRATE VALENTINE’S DAY ON ASH WEDNESDAY?In addition to the candy heart and chocolate-fueled secular celebrations, Feb. 14 is also the Feast of St. Valentine. But Ash Wednesday with its fasting and abstinence requirements is far more significant and should be prioritized, said Catholic Bishop Richard Henning of Providence, Rhode Island, in the diocese’s official newspaper. His predecessor shared a similar message in 2018.“Ash Wednesday is the much higher value and deserves the full measure of our devotion,” he said. “I ask with all respect that we maintain the unique importance of Ash Wednesday. If you would like to wine and dine your Valentine, please do so on the Tuesday before. February 13 is Mardi Gras, ‘Fat Tuesday,’ a perfect day to feast and celebrate!”WHO WAS ST. VALENTINE?The history of Valentine’s Day and St. Valentine is a bit murky, but the holiday began as a liturgical feast day for a third-century Christian martyr, according to Lisa Bitel, a history and religion professor at the University of Southern California.In the Conversation, her article titled, “ The ‘real’ St. Valentine was no patron of love,” explains there may have been more than one St. Valentine executed for their faith in the same time period, but none of them appear to have been romantics. The emphasis on love appears to have come later.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

    Feb. 14 is a holiday heavyweight this year due to a calendar collision of events.

    Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day, the fixed annual celebration of love and friendship, marked by cute couples, eager elementary school students — and critics who deride its commercialization. But it also happens to be Ash Wednesday, the solemn day of fasting and reflection that signals the start of Christianity’s most penitent season.

    WHY IS ASH WEDNESDAY ON VALENTINE’S DAY THIS YEAR?

    Ash Wednesday is not a fixed date. Its timing is tied to Easter Sunday, and for most Christians, Easter will fall on March 31 this year.

    Easter also moves annually, swinging between March 22 and April 25 based on a calendar calculation involving the moon.

    The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops lays it out: “Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon, which is the first full moon occurring either on or after the spring equinox (March 21). … To find the date for Ash Wednesday, we go back six weeks which leads to the First Sunday of Lent and four days before that is Ash Wednesday.”

    This year, that happens to be Feb. 14.

    WHAT HAPPENS ON ASH WEDNESDAY?

    Not all Christians observe Ash Wednesday. For those who do, they typically attend an Ash Wednesday church service, where a priest or other minister draws a cross — or at least what is intended to look like one — of ashes on their forehead. The distribution of ashes underscores human mortality, among other themes.

    It’s an obligatory day of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. The abstinence restrictions are continued on Fridays during Lent, which is the period of repentance and penance leading up to Holy Week observances — most significantly their belief in the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead.

    WHERE DO THE ASHES COME FROM?

    Typically, the ashes are from the palms used on Palm Sunday, which falls a week before Easter, according to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

    Ashes can be purchased, but some churches make their own by burning the palms from prior years. For example, several parishes and schools in the Chicago Catholic Archdiocese plan to hold palm burning ceremonies this year.

    CAN CATHOLICS CELEBRATE VALENTINE’S DAY ON ASH WEDNESDAY?

    In addition to the candy heart and chocolate-fueled secular celebrations, Feb. 14 is also the Feast of St. Valentine. But Ash Wednesday with its fasting and abstinence requirements is far more significant and should be prioritized, said Catholic Bishop Richard Henning of Providence, Rhode Island, in the diocese’s official newspaper. His predecessor shared a similar message in 2018.

    “Ash Wednesday is the much higher value and deserves the full measure of our devotion,” he said. “I ask with all respect that we maintain the unique importance of Ash Wednesday. If you would like to wine and dine your Valentine, please do so on the Tuesday before. February 13 is Mardi Gras, ‘Fat Tuesday,’ a perfect day to feast and celebrate!”

    WHO WAS ST. VALENTINE?

    The history of Valentine’s Day and St. Valentine is a bit murky, but the holiday began as a liturgical feast day for a third-century Christian martyr, according to Lisa Bitel, a history and religion professor at the University of Southern California.

    In the Conversation, her article titled, “ The ‘real’ St. Valentine was no patron of love,” explains there may have been more than one St. Valentine executed for their faith in the same time period, but none of them appear to have been romantics. The emphasis on love appears to have come later.

    ___

    Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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  • More than 1,000 flights already canceled due to storm, was one of them yours? Here’s what to do

    More than 1,000 flights already canceled due to storm, was one of them yours? Here’s what to do

    A nasty storm with 60 mph winds raked parts of the Northeast on Tuesday creating dangerous conditions on the road and snarling airports. More than 1,200 flights were canceled before noon, mostly along the East Coast, but that is likely to spread west as the day goes on. Airlines can’t control the weather, but they are still required to provide refunds for customers whose flights are canceled. Here’s what to know about your rights, and what to know when cancellations start piling up: When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to reschedule their trip by a few days at no extra fee. Google your airline and “travel alerts” or similar phrases to see the offers. It’s better to be stuck at home or in a hotel than to be stranded in an airport terminal, so use the airline’s app or flight websites to make sure that your flight is still on before heading out to the airport. Airlines usually cancel flights hours or even days before departure time. If you’re already at the airport, it’s time to multi-task to find another flight. Get in line to speak to an airline representative, and call or go online to connect to the airline’s reservations staff. It also helps to reach out on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge. That depends, however, on the airline having empty seats. The good news for travelers this week is that they stand a better chance of finding space than during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday periods, when passengers can wait days for an open seat. You can, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including the biggest ones except Southwest, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then it’s often hit or miss. Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir.com, recommends researching alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent. If you no longer want to take the trip, or found alternative means of getting where you’re going, the airline is legally required to pay a refund, even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled. “They can’t stick you with a voucher, you can get your money back,” says Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler. “That means you have to cancel your entire reservation, but that could be an easy option for some travelers — especially if you wind up booking a flight on another carrier.”You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use. U.S. airlines are not required to pay compensation, even if the cancellation is their fault — such as the lack of a crew, a mechanical problem that grounds the plane, or a computer outage that brings the airline to a halt. However, the Transportation Department is working on a proposal to change that when the airline is at fault.”I know how frustrated many of you are with the service you get from your U.S. airlines,” President Joe Biden said. “That’s why our top priority has been to get American air travelers a better deal.” There is no federal requirement that airlines pick up the costs of hotel rooms or meals for stranded passengers. Each airline has its own policy.The U.S. Department of Transportation has a site that lets consumers see the commitments that each airline makes for refunds and covering other expenses when flights are canceled or significantly delayed. If the weather forecast is troubling, consider booking a backup flight, says Potter, the Thrifty Traveler editor. He says Southwest and Delta stand out as potential backups because they let customers cancel for a full refund as long as they cancel within 24 hours of booking. “Others only allow that when you book at least two or even seven days in advance,” he says.If you are in a group and one person belongs to a higher level of the airline’s frequent-flyer program, use the number associated with that person to call the airline, says Kurt Ebenhoch, a travel consumer advocate and former airline spokesman.If lots of flights are canceled, airline agents will soon be swamped. Try calling your airline’s international help number — usually available online — those agents can make changes in your itinerary too. Be nice. The agent you’re talking to is probably dealing with lots of other frustrated travelers too, and screaming at the agent won’t make them want to help you. The cancellation isn’t their fault.

    A nasty storm with 60 mph winds raked parts of the Northeast on Tuesday creating dangerous conditions on the road and snarling airports.

    More than 1,200 flights were canceled before noon, mostly along the East Coast, but that is likely to spread west as the day goes on.

    Airlines can’t control the weather, but they are still required to provide refunds for customers whose flights are canceled. Here’s what to know about your rights, and what to know when cancellations start piling up:

    When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to reschedule their trip by a few days at no extra fee. Google your airline and “travel alerts” or similar phrases to see the offers.

    It’s better to be stuck at home or in a hotel than to be stranded in an airport terminal, so use the airline’s app or flight websites to make sure that your flight is still on before heading out to the airport. Airlines usually cancel flights hours or even days before departure time.

    If you’re already at the airport, it’s time to multi-task to find another flight. Get in line to speak to an airline representative, and call or go online to connect to the airline’s reservations staff. It also helps to reach out on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

    Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge. That depends, however, on the airline having empty seats. The good news for travelers this week is that they stand a better chance of finding space than during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday periods, when passengers can wait days for an open seat.

    You can, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including the biggest ones except Southwest, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then it’s often hit or miss. Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir.com, recommends researching alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent.

    If you no longer want to take the trip, or found alternative means of getting where you’re going, the airline is legally required to pay a refund, even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled.

    “They can’t stick you with a voucher, you can get your money back,” says Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler. “That means you have to cancel your entire reservation, but that could be an easy option for some travelers — especially if you wind up booking a flight on another carrier.”

    You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use.

    U.S. airlines are not required to pay compensation, even if the cancellation is their fault — such as the lack of a crew, a mechanical problem that grounds the plane, or a computer outage that brings the airline to a halt. However, the Transportation Department is working on a proposal to change that when the airline is at fault.

    “I know how frustrated many of you are with the service you get from your U.S. airlines,” President Joe Biden said. “That’s why our top priority has been to get American air travelers a better deal.”

    There is no federal requirement that airlines pick up the costs of hotel rooms or meals for stranded passengers. Each airline has its own policy.

    The U.S. Department of Transportation has a site that lets consumers see the commitments that each airline makes for refunds and covering other expenses when flights are canceled or significantly delayed.

    If the weather forecast is troubling, consider booking a backup flight, says Potter, the Thrifty Traveler editor. He says Southwest and Delta stand out as potential backups because they let customers cancel for a full refund as long as they cancel within 24 hours of booking. “Others only allow that when you book at least two or even seven days in advance,” he says.

    If you are in a group and one person belongs to a higher level of the airline’s frequent-flyer program, use the number associated with that person to call the airline, says Kurt Ebenhoch, a travel consumer advocate and former airline spokesman.

    If lots of flights are canceled, airline agents will soon be swamped. Try calling your airline’s international help number — usually available online — those agents can make changes in your itinerary too.

    Be nice. The agent you’re talking to is probably dealing with lots of other frustrated travelers too, and screaming at the agent won’t make them want to help you. The cancellation isn’t their fault.



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  • House GOP will try again to impeach Mayorkas after failing once. But outcome is still uncertain

    House GOP will try again to impeach Mayorkas after failing once. But outcome is still uncertain

    Having failed to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas the first time, House Republicans are determined to try again Tuesday, but it’s not at all certain the do-over vote will produce a better tally after last week’s politically embarrassing setback.The evening vote is expected to be tight with Speaker Mike Johnson’s threadbare GOP majority unable to handle many defectors or absences in the face of staunch Democratic opposition to impeaching Mayorkas, the first Cabinet secretary facing charges in nearly 150 years.Despite the expected arrival of Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who will bolster the GOP numbers after being away from Washington for cancer care, even one other missing or weather-delayed lawmaker could imperil the Mayorkas impeachment. If the vote pushes later into the week, the outcome of Tuesday’s special election in New York to replace ousted Rep. George Santos could tip the balance further.Johnson posted a fists-clenched photo with Scalise, announcing his remission from cancer, saying, “looking forward to having him back in the trenches this week!”The GOP effort to impeach Mayorkas over border security has taken on an air of political desperation as Republicans try to make good on their priorities after last week’s mishap and after Republicans rejected a bipartisan Senate border security package.Border security has shot to the top of campaign issues, with Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner for the presidential nomination, insisting he will launch “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history” on day one if he retakes the White House.In stark language over the weekend, Trump debased immigrant arrivals. even going so far as to suggest without evidence they bring disease into the U.S. Trump reiterated his plans of a second-term roundup to remove potentially millions of newcomers from the U.S., a spectacle practically unseen in modern times.”We have no choice,” Trump said at a rally in South Carolina.The House, which launched an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his son’s business dealings, has instead turned its attention to Mayorkas after Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia pushed the debate forward.If the House succeeds in impeaching Mayorkas, the charges against him would go to the Senate for a trial, but neither Democratic nor Republican senators have shown interest in the matter and it may be indefinitely shelved to a committee. After a months-long investigation, the House Homeland Security Committee filed two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas — arguing that he “willfully and systematically” refused to enforce existing immigration laws and that he breached the public trust by lying to Congress and saying the border was secure.Never before has a sitting Cabinet secretary been impeached, and it was nearly 150 years ago that the House voted to impeach President Ulysses S. Grant’s secretary of war, William Belknap, over a kickback scheme in government contracts. He resigned moments before the vote.Mayorkas, who did not appear to testify before the impeachment proceedings, put the border crisis squarely on Congress for failing to update immigration laws during a time of global migration.”There is no question that we have a challenge, a crisis at the border,” Mayorkas said over the weekend on NBC. “And there is no question that Congress needs to fix it.”Johnson and the Republicans have pushed back, arguing that the Biden administration could take executive actions, as Trump did, to stop the number of crossings — though the courts have questioned and turned back some of those efforts.”We always explore what options are available to us that are permissible under the law,” Mayorkas said in the interview. Last week’s failed vote to impeach Mayorkas — a surprise outcome rarely seen on such a high-profile issue — was a stunning display in the chamber that has been churning through months of GOP chaos since the ouster of the previous House speaker. As the clock ticked down, three Republicans opposed impeaching Mayorkas, leaving the tally at razor’s edge. With a 219-212 majority and Scalise absent, Johnson had just a few votes to spare.One Democrat, Rep, Al Green of Texas, who had been hospitalized for emergency abdominal surgery, made a surprise arrival, wheeled into the chamber in scrubs and socks to vote against it — leaving the vote tied.One of the Republican holdouts, Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, who had served as a Marine and is now a committee chairman, was quickly encircled by colleagues, including the impeachment’s chief sponsor, Georgia’s Greene. He refused to change his vote.Gallagher announced over the weekend he would not be seeking reelection in the fall. Once a rising star as a next generation of the GOP, he now joins a growing list of serious-minded Republican lawmakers heading for the exits.Republicans are hopeful the New York special election will boost their ranks further, but the outcome of that race is uncertain.Democrat Green of Texas is now out of the hospital and recuperating from surgery, and was amazed at how critics suggested he was sneaked into the Capitol to vote. He described the painstaking effort to get from his hospital bed to the House floor.”Obviously, you feel good when you can make a difference,” said Green. “All I did was what I was elected to do, and that was to cast my vote on the issues of our time, using the best judgment available to me.”He plans to be there again this week to vote against Mayorkas’ impeachment.

    WASHINGTON —

    Having failed to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas the first time, House Republicans are determined to try again Tuesday, but it’s not at all certain the do-over vote will produce a better tally after last week’s politically embarrassing setback.

    The evening vote is expected to be tight with Speaker Mike Johnson’s threadbare GOP majority unable to handle many defectors or absences in the face of staunch Democratic opposition to impeaching Mayorkas, the first Cabinet secretary facing charges in nearly 150 years.

    Despite the expected arrival of Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who will bolster the GOP numbers after being away from Washington for cancer care, even one other missing or weather-delayed lawmaker could imperil the Mayorkas impeachment. If the vote pushes later into the week, the outcome of Tuesday’s special election in New York to replace ousted Rep. George Santos could tip the balance further.

    Johnson posted a fists-clenched photo with Scalise, announcing his remission from cancer, saying, “looking forward to having him back in the trenches this week!”

    The GOP effort to impeach Mayorkas over border security has taken on an air of political desperation as Republicans try to make good on their priorities after last week’s mishap and after Republicans rejected a bipartisan Senate border security package.

    Border security has shot to the top of campaign issues, with Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner for the presidential nomination, insisting he will launch “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history” on day one if he retakes the White House.

    In stark language over the weekend, Trump debased immigrant arrivals. even going so far as to suggest without evidence they bring disease into the U.S. Trump reiterated his plans of a second-term roundup to remove potentially millions of newcomers from the U.S., a spectacle practically unseen in modern times.

    “We have no choice,” Trump said at a rally in South Carolina.

    The House, which launched an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his son’s business dealings, has instead turned its attention to Mayorkas after Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia pushed the debate forward.

    If the House succeeds in impeaching Mayorkas, the charges against him would go to the Senate for a trial, but neither Democratic nor Republican senators have shown interest in the matter and it may be indefinitely shelved to a committee.

    After a months-long investigation, the House Homeland Security Committee filed two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas — arguing that he “willfully and systematically” refused to enforce existing immigration laws and that he breached the public trust by lying to Congress and saying the border was secure.

    Never before has a sitting Cabinet secretary been impeached, and it was nearly 150 years ago that the House voted to impeach President Ulysses S. Grant’s secretary of war, William Belknap, over a kickback scheme in government contracts. He resigned moments before the vote.

    Mayorkas, who did not appear to testify before the impeachment proceedings, put the border crisis squarely on Congress for failing to update immigration laws during a time of global migration.

    “There is no question that we have a challenge, a crisis at the border,” Mayorkas said over the weekend on NBC. “And there is no question that Congress needs to fix it.”

    Johnson and the Republicans have pushed back, arguing that the Biden administration could take executive actions, as Trump did, to stop the number of crossings — though the courts have questioned and turned back some of those efforts.

    “We always explore what options are available to us that are permissible under the law,” Mayorkas said in the interview.

    Last week’s failed vote to impeach Mayorkas — a surprise outcome rarely seen on such a high-profile issue — was a stunning display in the chamber that has been churning through months of GOP chaos since the ouster of the previous House speaker.

    As the clock ticked down, three Republicans opposed impeaching Mayorkas, leaving the tally at razor’s edge. With a 219-212 majority and Scalise absent, Johnson had just a few votes to spare.

    One Democrat, Rep, Al Green of Texas, who had been hospitalized for emergency abdominal surgery, made a surprise arrival, wheeled into the chamber in scrubs and socks to vote against it — leaving the vote tied.

    One of the Republican holdouts, Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, who had served as a Marine and is now a committee chairman, was quickly encircled by colleagues, including the impeachment’s chief sponsor, Georgia’s Greene. He refused to change his vote.

    Gallagher announced over the weekend he would not be seeking reelection in the fall. Once a rising star as a next generation of the GOP, he now joins a growing list of serious-minded Republican lawmakers heading for the exits.

    Republicans are hopeful the New York special election will boost their ranks further, but the outcome of that race is uncertain.

    Democrat Green of Texas is now out of the hospital and recuperating from surgery, and was amazed at how critics suggested he was sneaked into the Capitol to vote. He described the painstaking effort to get from his hospital bed to the House floor.

    “Obviously, you feel good when you can make a difference,” said Green. “All I did was what I was elected to do, and that was to cast my vote on the issues of our time, using the best judgment available to me.”

    He plans to be there again this week to vote against Mayorkas’ impeachment.



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  • Damar Hamlin on a lesson of the past year: ‘Trust what you know and trust what got you here’

    Damar Hamlin on a lesson of the past year: ‘Trust what you know and trust what got you here’

    Damar Hamlin learned a lot about himself over the past year. That’s no surprise after his near-death experience on the field about 13 months ago.Hamlin spoke for a few minutes Thursday on a platform overlooking radio row at this year’s Super Bowl. It was easy to take in the enormity of the event from that vantage point, and Hamlin — there with fellow Buffalo Bills defensive back Dane Jackson — reflected a bit.“To give everybody some more perspective, I would just say, trust what you know and trust what got you here,” Hamlin said. “Along the journey of the ups and downs, I had my own, he had his own, and we was able to keep each other, hold each other accountable to what got us there in the moment.”Hamlin and Jackson have been teammates not only with the Bills but also in college at Pittsburgh. Both are from the Pittsburgh area. Hamlin was at last year’s Super Bowl too — in a suite with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.His story is no longer front and center in quite that way, and he said he’s pretty relaxed this week.“I’ve been enjoying it a lot. I’m seeing players all across the league,” he said. “It’s not too often that we all get to get together and see each other outside of having to perform, where you’ve got to be in your own zone.”Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during a game at Cincinnati on Jan 2, 2023. He needed to be resuscitated and the game was called off. Hamlin played in five games this season, plus both of Buffalo’s postseason matchups. He actually carried the ball in the divisional round against Kansas City on an ill-fated fake punt that was stopped.He was the runner-up for Comeback Player of the Year, which speaks to the impact his health ordeal had. Hamlin actually received the most first-place votes but had fewer points than winner Joe Flacco.The football world took a keen interest in Hamlin’s comeback. He leads the Chasing M’s Foundation, which is dedicated to the health and safety of young people through sports. He’s hoping kids across the country can have access to the life-saving care he did.“People donated to show support and show love. They seen that I was a young kid who cared about other people and I cared about giving back,” Hamlin said. “Everyone had a hand in wanting to give me the ability to be able to do that on a bigger scale.”After this Super Bowl comes another offseason. For Jackson, that means going with the flow.“I don’t really like planning too many things,” Jackson said. “I’m the type of guy, I might change my mind at the last minute.”Hamlin, however, sounds focused — not just on the next few months, but on the long term. He was able to return to the field, but he also, quite understandably, understands there’s more to life than football.“I’m trying to handle business. I’m trying to take care of all opportunities that I can,” he said. “I’m trying to capitalize on all business opportunities. I want to make sure I’m setting myself up for the future.”

    LAS VEGAS —

    Damar Hamlin learned a lot about himself over the past year. That’s no surprise after his near-death experience on the field about 13 months ago.

    Hamlin spoke for a few minutes Thursday on a platform overlooking radio row at this year’s Super Bowl. It was easy to take in the enormity of the event from that vantage point, and Hamlin — there with fellow Buffalo Bills defensive back Dane Jackson — reflected a bit.

    “To give everybody some more perspective, I would just say, trust what you know and trust what got you here,” Hamlin said. “Along the journey of the ups and downs, I had my own, he had his own, and we was able to keep each other, hold each other accountable to what got us there in the moment.”

    Hamlin and Jackson have been teammates not only with the Bills but also in college at Pittsburgh. Both are from the Pittsburgh area. Hamlin was at last year’s Super Bowl too — in a suite with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

    His story is no longer front and center in quite that way, and he said he’s pretty relaxed this week.

    “I’ve been enjoying it a lot. I’m seeing players all across the league,” he said. “It’s not too often that we all get to get together and see each other outside of having to perform, where you’ve got to be in your own zone.”

    Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during a game at Cincinnati on Jan 2, 2023. He needed to be resuscitated and the game was called off. Hamlin played in five games this season, plus both of Buffalo’s postseason matchups. He actually carried the ball in the divisional round against Kansas City on an ill-fated fake punt that was stopped.

    He was the runner-up for Comeback Player of the Year, which speaks to the impact his health ordeal had. Hamlin actually received the most first-place votes but had fewer points than winner Joe Flacco.

    The football world took a keen interest in Hamlin’s comeback. He leads the Chasing M’s Foundation, which is dedicated to the health and safety of young people through sports. He’s hoping kids across the country can have access to the life-saving care he did.

    “People donated to show support and show love. They seen that I was a young kid who cared about other people and I cared about giving back,” Hamlin said. “Everyone had a hand in wanting to give me the ability to be able to do that on a bigger scale.”

    After this Super Bowl comes another offseason. For Jackson, that means going with the flow.

    “I don’t really like planning too many things,” Jackson said. “I’m the type of guy, I might change my mind at the last minute.”

    Hamlin, however, sounds focused — not just on the next few months, but on the long term. He was able to return to the field, but he also, quite understandably, understands there’s more to life than football.

    “I’m trying to handle business. I’m trying to take care of all opportunities that I can,” he said. “I’m trying to capitalize on all business opportunities. I want to make sure I’m setting myself up for the future.”



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