Salon That Exposed Pelosi Closes Its Doors Due to Constant Harassment

Contributing Author
-
0
Salon That Exposed Pelosi Closes Its Doors Due to Constant Harassment

The salon that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., illegally visited to get her hair done has been forced to close due to constant threats, according to the salon’s owner.

Erica Kious, the owner of San Francisco’s eSalon, told Fox News this week that she is permanently shutting the doors to her business because she is afraid of the harassment she has experienced since sharing the security video footage of Pelosi in the salon when salons in the city were supposed to be closed.

“I am actually done in San Francisco and closing my doors, unfortunately,” Kious said on Wednesday.

“I’m actually afraid to go back, just because of the messages and emails I’ve been getting. It’s a little scary and sad,” she continued. “I do have a lot of positive calls and text messages from clients, but other than that, nothing but negativity.”

Random critics have left hundreds of negative Yelp reviews and have called her business’s phone to tell Kious that they hope her business fails, she explained.

“I started to just get a ton of phone calls, text messages, emails, all my Yelp reviews, just all saying that … they hope I go under and that I fail,” she said. “Just a lot of negativity towards my business.”

Pelosi accused Kious of setting her up after she began to face backlash for deliberately defying San Francisco’s coronavirus regulations.

Kious has denied the allegation, but she said the threats have not stopped.

Kious now plans to relocate her business outside of San Francisco, and a GoFundMe page has helped her raise more than $300,000 for that purpose.

“I am very humbled and grateful to have received such an outpouring of kindness, empathy, and generosity from people I don’t even know and from all walks of life and all sides of the political spectrum,” Kious said.

Pelosi’s office continues to insist that she did nothing wrong.

“This business offered for the Speaker to come in on Monday and told her they were allowed by the city to have one customer at a time in the business. The Speaker complied with the rules as presented to her by this establishment,” her office said in a statement.

Oregon House Speaker’s Legislative Director Arrested During Portland Riot

Contributing Author
-
0
Oregon House Speaker’s Legislative Director Arrested During Portland Riot

A legislative aide for the Oregon House speaker was among the dozens arrested in the Portland riots over the weekend for interfering with law enforcement, according to police.

Kristina Narayan, 29, was arrested late Saturday night and charged with interfering with a police officer after law enforcement declared the protests a riot in Portland.

Narayan has worked for Oregon House Speaker Rep. Tina Kopek since September 2016, and she has served as the legislative director since May 2018.

“Kristina Narayan was arrested for Interfering with a Police Officer after the event became a riot and the crowd was given multiple orders to disperse, which she did not do,” Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Officer Derek Carmon said in a statement.

Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office records show that Narayan was arrested and booked in jail at 2:07 a.m. on Sunday, was released later that day, and did not have to pay bail. Her case was dismissed on Monday, according to Kotek’s office.

Kotek defended her aid and said that the “freedom of expression” is the “foundation of democracy,” and that she would support anyone trying to uphold it.

“Every person—including members of my staff—has the right to stand up for what they believe and engage in nonviolent resistance,” she said.

“Kristina’s experience is similar to what other Portlanders have experienced over the last few months,” Kotek continued. “We need peace and accountability.”

Narayan was among the 59 people who were arrested after the protests devolved into a violent riot.

Protesters threw “multiple fire bombs at officers,” catching a community member on fire, according to a police release. Rocks, fireworks, and mortars were also thrown at officers.

“This criminal activity presented an extreme danger to life safety for all community members, and prompted a declaration of a riot,” the release stated.

“The crowd was advised over loudspeaker that it was a riot and they were to leave the area to the east immediately” or risk arrest, it said.

Narayan blamed her arrest on officers “intentionally stacking charges for nonviolent, non-destructive protesters to dissuade protest and stifle freedom of expression.”

She expressed her concern “that officers often police protests with the indiscriminate view that everyone is violent and destructive, or endorses violence and destruction, when that is not the case,” she said.

DEMS SAD: Judges Say Florida Felons Can’t Vote Until They Pay Fines

Editor 1
-
0
DEMS SAD: Judges Say Florida Felons Can’t Vote Until They Pay Fines

(Headline USA) Florida felons must pay all fines, restitution and legal fees before they can regain their right to vote, a federal appellate court ruled Friday in a case that could have broad implications for the November elections.

Reversing a lower court judge’s decision that gave Florida felons the right to vote regardless of outstanding legal obligations, the order from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was a disappointment to voting rights activists and upheld the position of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the GOP-led state Legislature.

Under Amendment 4, which Florida voters passed overwhelmingly in 2018, felons who have completed their sentences would have voting rights restored.

But the legal dispute arose after lawmakers the next year moved to define what it means to complete a sentence.

In addition to prison time served, lawmakers stipulated that all legal financial obligations, including unpaid fines and restitution, would also have to be settled before a felon could be eligible to vote.

The full 11th Circuit agreed in a 200-page ruling on a 6-4 vote, deciding that the Constitution’s due process clause was not violated by the passage of the law implementing Amendment 4.

“States are constitutionally entitled to set legitimate voter qualifications through laws of general application and to require voters to comply with those laws through their own efforts,” Chief Judge William Pryor wrote in the majority opinion. “So long as a state provides adequate procedures to challenge individual determinations of ineligibility — as Florida does — due process requires nothing more.”

Four judges issued a dissenting opinion. They argued in part that it is sometimes extremely difficult for returning felons to know what outstanding financial obligations they may still have and that the state should create a mechanism to provide that information.

“In light of the chaos created by the majority’s holding that (financial obligations) must be satisfied according to the ‘every-dollar’ method, countless scores of individuals will be uncertain of their eligibility to vote,” wrote U.S. Circuit Judge Beverly Martin in the dissent.

“With its constitution amended in this way, Florida gained an obligation to establish procedures sufficient to determine the eligibility of returning citizens to vote, and to notify them of their eligibility in a prompt and reliable manner,” the dissenters added.

The amendment permanently bars convicted murderers and rapists from voting, regardless of financial debts.

Still, an estimated 774,000 disenfranchised felons in Florida who could register to vote represents a significant bloc of voters, should they be allowed to cast ballots.

The ruling could influence the election outcome in November.

Florida is considered a must-win state in President Donald’s Trump’s bid for reelection and is famed for its razor-thin statewide election results.

Democrats had hopes of gaining support from thousands of former felons in Florida.

“This is a deeply disappointing decision,” said Paul Smith, vice president at the liberal Campaign Legal Center which is pushing for full voting rights for most felons. “While the full rights restoration envisioned by Amendment 4 has become less likely to be realized this fall, we will continue this fight for all Florida voters, so the full benefits of Amendment 4 will someday be realized.”

Adapted from reporting by Associated Press.

US Budget Deficit Hits Record $3 Trillion Through 11 Months

Editor 1
-
0
US Budget Deficit Hits Record $3 Trillion Through 11 Months

(Associated Press) The U.S. budget deficit hit an all-time high of $3 trillion for the first 11 months of this budget year, the Treasury Department said Friday.

The ocean of red ink is a product of the government’s massive spending to try to cushion the impact of a coronavirus-fueled recession that cost millions of jobs.

The deficit from October through August is more than double the previous 11-month record of $1.37 billion set in 2009.

At that time the government spent large sums to get out of the Great Recession triggered by the 2008 financial crisis.

With one month to go in the 2020 budget year, which ends Sept. 30, the deficit could go even higher.

The Congressional Budget Office forecasts the deficit this year will hit a record $3.3 trillion.

However, the government often runs surpluses in September so it is possible the final figure for this year could come in just under $3 trillion.

That would still put the deficit well above last year’s imbalance of $984 billion.

The previous record deficit for a fiscal year was $1.4 trillion in 2009 in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

Trump Brokers ANOTHER Middle East Peace Deal Between Arabs, Israel

Editor 1
-
0
Trump Brokers ANOTHER Middle East Peace Deal Between Arabs, Israel

(Headline USA) Bahrain has become the latest Arab nation to agree to normalize ties with Israel as part of a broader diplomatic push by President Donald Trump and his administration to fully integrate the Jewish state into the Middle East.

Trump announced the agreement on Friday, following a three-way phone call he had with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The three leaders also issued a brief six-paragraph joint statement, attesting to the deal.

“Another HISTORIC breakthrough today!” Trump tweeted.

The announcement on the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks came less than a week before Trump hosts a White House ceremony to mark the establishment of full relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Bahrain’s foreign minister will attend the event.

It represents another diplomatic win for Trump less than two months before the the presidential election and an opportunity to shore up support among pro-Israel evangelical Christians. Just last week, Trump announced agreements in principle for Kosovo to recognize Israel and for Serbia to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“This is a historic breakthrough to further peace in the Middle East,” Trump, Netanyahu and King Hamad said in the statement. “Opening direct dialogue and ties between these two dynamic societies and advanced economies will continue the positive transformation of the Middle East and increase stability, security, and prosperity in the region.”

Like the UAE agreement, Friday’s Bahrain-Israel deal will normalize diplomatic, commercial, security and other relations between the two countries. Bahrain, along with Saudi Arabia, had already dropped a prohibition on Israeli flights using its airspace. Saudi acquiescence to the agreements has been considered key to the deals.

Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner noted that the agreement is the second Israel has reached with an Arab country in 30 days after having made peace with only two Arab nations — Egypt and Jordan — in 72 years of its independence.

“This is very fast,” Kushner told The Associated Press. “The region is responding very favorably to the UAE deal and hopefully it’s a sign that even more will come.”

The agreement will likely be seen as a further setback to the Palestinians who tried unsuccessfully to have the Arab League condemn normalization with Israel until they have secured an independent state. That was one of the few cards still held by Palestinians in negotiations as peace talks remain stalled.

The joint statement made passing mention of the Palestinians, saying the parties will continue efforts “to achieve a just, comprehensive, and enduring resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to enable the Palestinian people to realize their full potential.”

The agreement makes Bahrain the fourth Arab country, after Egypt, Jordan and the UAE, to have full diplomatic ties with Israel. Other Arab nations believed to be on the cusp of fully recognizing Israel include Oman and Sudan. While tacitly blessing the deals Saudi Arabia, the regional power player, is not expected to move as quickly.

Like the UAE, Bahrain has never fought a war against Israel and doesn’t share a border with it. But Bahrain, like most of the Arab world, long rejected diplomatic ties with Israel in the absence of a peace deal establishing a Palestinian state on lands captured by Israel in 1967.

The agreement could give a boost to Netanyahu, who was indicted on corruption charges last year. Deals with Gulf Arab states “are the direct result of the policy that I have led for two decades,” namely “peace for peace, peace through strength,” Netanyahu has said.

The Israeli-UAE deal required Israel to halt its contentious plan to annex occupied West Bank land sought by the Palestinians. Telephone calls soon began working between the nations as they continue to discuss other deals, including direct flights.

While the UAE’s population remains small and the federation has no tradition of standing up to the country’s autocracy, Bahrain represents a far-different country.

Just off the coast of Saudi Arabia, the island of Bahrain is among the world’s smallest countries, only about 760 square kilometers (290 square miles). Bahrain’s location in the Persian Gulf long has made it a trading stop and a naval defensive position. The island is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and a recently built British naval base.

Bahrain is acutely aware of threats posed by Iran, an anxiety that comes from Bahrain’s majority Shiite population, despite being ruled since 1783 by the Sunni Al Khalifa family. Iran under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi had pushed to take over the island after the British left, though Bahrainis in 1970 overwhelmingly supported becoming an independent nation and the U.N. Security Council unanimously backed that.

Since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, Bahrain’s rulers have blamed Iran for arming militants on the island. Iran denies the accusations, though weapons experts suggest explosives found there bear similarities to others linked to Iran. Israel and Iran view each other as top regional enemies.

Outside of those tensions, Bahrain’s Shiite majority has accused the government of treating them like second-class citizens. The Shiites joined pro-democracy activists in demanding more political freedoms in 2011, as Arab Spring protests swept across the wider Middle East. Saudi and Emirati troops ultimately helped violently put down the demonstrations.

In recent years, Bahrain has cracked down on all dissent, imprisoned activists and hampered independent reporting on the island. While the Obama administration halted the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Bahrain over human rights concerns, the Trump administration dropped that after coming into office.

Bahrain’s royal family and officials have come out in support of the Israel-UAE agreement. However, civil society groups and others have condemned the move and warned the monarchy not to follow in UAE’s footsteps — despite Bahrain’s yearslong flirtation with Israel and Jewish leaders. Unlike the Emirates, Jews had a historical presence on the island and some still live there.

In 2017, two prominent U.S. rabbis said Bahrain’s king told them he hoped the Arab boycott of Israel would end. An interfaith group from Bahrain that year also visited Israel, though the state-run Bahrain News Agency later said that it didn’t “represent any official entity” after an uproar erupted on social media.

Bahrain has increasingly relied on support from other nations as it struggles with its debts, particularly neighboring Saudi Arabia. In that way, Bahrain has followed in lockstep with Riyadh, meaning any normalization with Israel likely got the kingdom’s approval, though, Saudi Arabia has for its part remained silent since the Emirati announcement.

Adapted from reporting by Associated Press.

Va. Lt. Gov., Credibly Accused of Rape, Announces Run for Governor

Editor 1
-
0
Va. Lt. Gov., Credibly Accused of Rape, Announces Run for Governor

(Headline USA) Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax is launching a run for governor despite facing two high-profile allegations of sexual assault he has strenuously denied.

Fairfax is set to hold campaign kickoff events this weekend, joining a crowded field of Democratic hopefuls looking for their party’s nomination to run for governor in 2021.

He said his campaign will focus on his support for “justice, fairness and opportunity” for all Virginians.

Fairfax, 41, is a former federal prosecutor who ran unsuccessfully for attorney general in 2013 before winning the lieutenant governor’s race in 2017.

The lieutenant governor position is a traditional launch pad for gubernatorial bids, but the unsettled allegations of sexual assault—made by two women last year when Virginia politics was at the center of the nation’s attention—will complicate his ability to raise money and build support.

Last February, Fairfax briefly seemed poised to rise to the governor’s post as Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam faced intense calls to resign over a racist photo that appeared in Northam’s medical school yearbook.

But two women came forward with accusations that Fairfax had assaulted them more than 15 years ago, forcing him to fend off calls for his own resignation during one of the most tumultuous times in Virginia politics.

Neither man ultimately resigned, and in a matter of months, left-wing media like the New York Times had openly written off the scandals as ‘old news,’ despite the lack of accountability, with Democrats in the state rallying behind the racist governor.

Last year, with the help of mega-donors like George Soros and Michael Bloomberg, Democrats reclaimed both chambers of the state legislature and proceeded to usher in a radical leftist agenda that seemed likely to solidify permanent blue majorities for the foreseeable future in the once deep-red state.

Fairfax said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday he’s the victim of unfounded political smears and is undeterred by the challenges in running for governor.

“The voters are incredibly smart. They see through this kind of destructive politically motivated kind of politics,” Fairfax said. “And they are ready to move to higher ground.”

He said the sexual encounters with the women were consensual, and claimed to have taken lie-detector tests that he says prove it.

The women have maintained that Fairfax assaulted them and have asked the legislature to hold public hearings, which Democrats have blocked.

Earlier this year, a judge tossed out a libel lawsuit filed by Fairfax against CBS, which he accused of slanted reporting on the assault allegations against him.

If elected, Fairfax would be Virginia’s second black governor. Doug Wilder, who ran the state in the early 1990s, was the first black governor ever to be elected in the U.S.

Two African-American women are also running for the Democratic nomination—Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy and Sen. Jennifer McClellan. The U.S. has never had a black female governor before.

Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, also a Democrat, has indicated he may announce a run later this year. Governors cannot serve consecutive terms in Virginia.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Vote-by-Mail Advocates Lose Appeal in Texas

Editor 1
-
0
Vote-by-Mail Advocates Lose Appeal in Texas

(Headline USA) A federal appeals court has dealt another blow to vote-by-mail advocates in Texas.

A push by the state’s Democrats and some voters to allow mail balloting — using the excuse to increase safety during the COVID-19 pandemic — had been upheld by a federal district judge.

But a divided three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated that ruling late Thursday.

Earlier this year, another 5th Circuit panel had blocked the ruling from taking effect.

The panel rejected an argument that the vote-by-mail statute in Texas discriminates on the basis of age.

The argument was based on the law allowing people ages 65 and over to vote by mail, but not younger voters who don’t have a disability or other specified reason for absentee voting.

Judge Leslie Southwick, writing for the majority, said failing to allow for absentee balloting does not amount to an abridgment of the right to vote under the 26th Amendment.

“Abridgment of the right to vote applies to laws that place a barrier or prerequisite to voting, or otherwise make it more difficult to vote, relative to the baseline,” Southwick, nominated to the court by President George W. Bush wrote. “On the other hand, a law that makes it easier for others to vote does not abridge any person’s right to vote for the purposes of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment.”

Judge Carolyn Dineen King, a nominee of President Jimmy Carter, sided with Southwick. Dissenting was Judge Carl Stewart, nominated by President Bill Clinton.

“The statute in question facially discriminates based on age, which in the context of the pandemic leads to dramatically different outcomes for different age groups,” Stewart wrote.

Rachel Maddow is the Go-To to Boost Sales for Trump-Hating Book Authors

Editor 1
-
0
Rachel Maddow is the Go-To to Boost Sales for Trump-Hating Book Authors

(Headline USA) It’s high season for books that pick apart Donald Trump‘s presidency, and Rachel Maddow is a big beneficiary.

MSNBC‘s prime-time personality reached the second-biggest audience of her career when 5 million viewers tuned in for her Tuesday interview with convicted perjurer Michael Cohen about his new book, “Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump.”

Only the 5.23 million who saw Maddow’s July interview with presidential niece Mary Trump about her family tell-all exceeded that audience, the Nielsen company said.

It was also the most-watched program in MSNBC’s 24-year history.

With less than two months before the election, authors are elbowing each other for space on the best-seller lists.

One key to success is having some revelations that grab headlines and attention for a news cycle or two.

Veteran Bob Woodward knows that drill.

His status, and the presence of audiotape interviews he conducted with Trump for the book “Rage,” were key to him landing a slot on CBS’ “60 Minutes” this Sunday, two days before publication date. He’ll be on NBC’s “Today” show the next morning.

Those shows reach a more mainstream audience than Maddow’s and, in the case of “60 Minutes,” a larger one.

Conservative authors have also sought attention for new books during the political season.

Autographed copies of Fox News Channel‘s Sean Hannity‘s new book, “Live Free or Die,” have been distributed to Trump campaign donors. Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders hit a promotional hot spot with a visit to “The View” this week.

But for people like Mary Trump, Cohen and Michael Schmidt, reporter for the New York Times and author of the just-released “Donald Trump vs. the United States,” Maddow offers a concentrated audience of potential buyers.

“There isn’t any show on television that sells more books than Maddow,” says Keith Urbahn of the Javelin literacy agency, where clients include former FBI Director James Comey and former Hillary Clinton aide Jennifer Palmieri. “She has the most engaged, book buying audience bar none. Every time one of our authors has been on, she has shot the book to number one.”

Sales of CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter‘s book on the relationship between Fox News and Trump soared after a Friday night appearance on Maddow last month.

Authors like Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, interviewed last week about her book “Melania & Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady,” were visibly grateful for the attention.

MSNBC would not make Maddow or her producer available to talk about the competition among authors to get on her show and the factors that help a book make the cut.

She noted on her show Thursday that having so many authors on her show “isn’t like me.”

“Everybody is basically getting it all off their chests at the same time,” she said.

Then she held up a copy of “Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump” by former FBI official Peter Strzok and said “I have honestly been looking forward to this book for months.”

She called it remarkable.

Sometimes the Maddow appearances resemble an adult version of story hour, where she reads long passages of books being highlighted.

She did that with “Compromised,” with Strzok’s description of internal FBI meetings about Trump and his dealings with Russia, before interviewing him.

Maddow is generous with her time for authors whose stories pique her curiosity.

“I read it cover to cover,” she said while introducing Cohen, who had Maddow’s full hour to talk about “Disloyal.” “I did not intend to. But I started at the beginning and didn’t put it down until it was over.”

Adapted from reporting by Associated Press.

Nebraska Dems Stuck w/ Write-In to Replace Their ‘Dumpster Fire’ Senate Candidate

Editor 1
-
0
Nebraska Dems Stuck w/ Write-In to Replace Their ‘Dumpster Fire’ Senate Candidate

(Headline USA) After months of bickering, accusations and apologies, Nebraska Democrats again named their candidate for U.S. Senate Thursday, and to no one’s surprise, he isn’t the Democrat on the ballot.

Omaha activist and professor Preston Love Jr. is the Democrats’ third choice to compete against Omaha baker and fellow Democrat Chris Janicek, who won the primary and is on the ballot against Republican Sen. Ben Sasse.

Love will have to compete as a write-in candidate because Janicek is pledging to stay in the race as the official nominee despite pressure from party leaders to drop out after he sent lewd texts about a campaign staffer.

Love agreed to run after the Democrats’ initial write-in candidate, former U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford, dropped out just days after announcing his bid. The state party’s first choice, Omaha mental health practitioner Alisha Shelton, is prohibited from running as a write-in candidate under Nebraska’s “sore loser” law because she lost to Janicek in the primary.

Love said he is realistic about his chances against an incumbent when joining the race less than two months before Election Day, but he said he hopes his candidacy will boost voter turnout in Omaha and help other Democratic candidates.

“It’s a hard narrative to develop a win scenario. But I am going to run as if I had all the money that I need and all the Love that I need and that we give people an alternative,” Love said.

Party leaders can’t remove Janicek’s name from the ballot without his consent, and the deadline to do that has passed.

The contract staffer he wrote about was accidentally included in Janicek’s message and filed a complaint with the party. Janicek has said he apologized to the woman in a phone call, in person, and in writing, and that she accepted his apology. The woman has disputed Janicek’s account, saying she doesn’t accept his apology and maintains that he should drop out.

Sasse was always heavily favored to win in November in GOP-dominated Nebraska. Democrats make up just 29% of registered voters and haven’t won a statewide election in more than a decade.

“Democrats in Nebraska running for statewide office have an uphill battle on a good day,” former Nebraska Democratic Party executive director Paul Landow said.

This Senate race will make it harder for Democrats to become competitive again in the state.

“In the short term, it makes it more difficult to win the Senate race. In the long term, it makes it more difficult to recruit candidates in general,” said Landow, who is now a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

One of Democrats’ last significant victories in the state came in 2008 when Barack Obama won the Omaha-based congressional district and secured a single Electoral College vote in his bid for president under Nebraska’s unusual system. Before that, Democrat Ben Nelson served two terms as governor in the 1990s and was twice elected to the U.S. Senate and Bob Kerrey was elected governor and to the U.S. Senate in the 1980s and 1990s.

Janicek’s campaign isn’t receiving any support from the Democratic Party. Chairwoman Jane Kleeb said Thursday that Love offers voters a better option than either Sasse or Janicek.

The local Republican Party chapter in Omaha put it bluntly in a tweet earlier this year: “Nebraska Dems have a dumpster fire on their hands.”

Love is a University of Nebraska-Omaha professor who teaches black studies and politics. He also is a longtime activist in northeastern Omaha, and he led the Black Votes Matter nonprofit in Omaha encouraging more people to vote.

Janicek ran for Senate in 2018, but lost in the Democratic primary. He said he chose to run after having a heart attack in 2015 and getting slapped with more than $100,000 in medical bills that his insurance only partially covered.

Adapted from reporting by Associated Press.

Convicted Liar Michael Cohen Launches Podcast; Rosie O’Donnell is 1st Guest

Editor 1
-
0
Convicted Liar Michael Cohen Launches Podcast; Rosie O’Donnell is 1st Guest

(Headline USA) For nearly a decade, Michael Cohen was at odds with Rosie O’Donnell in part because his boss — President Donald Trump — was engaged in a long feud with the comedian and talk-show host.

On Monday, Cohen is launching a podcast, titled “Mea Culpa,” with O’Donnell as his first guest.

“First episode. First interview. First feud. First family,” Cohen told The Associated Press by phone late Thursday.

Cohen and O’Donnell have become close ever since Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, turned against the president.

Cohen was serving time at a New York prison for tax crimes, lying to Congress and campaign finance violations when O’Donnell sent him a six-page letter.

“It was filled with kindness and empathy, and just humanity,” he said. “The first words in my response to her were, `I want to begin by apologizing from the depths of my soul for any hurt feelings that I had been involved with during those Trump times.’”

Trump and O’Donnell have engaged in a lengthy public feud.

Challenged during a presidential primary debate in 2015 about how he described some women as “fat pigs,” “dogs” and “slobs,” Trump responded by saying: “Only Rosie O’Donnell.”

O’Donnell visited Cohen while he was in prison.

He is still serving his sentence, but was furloughed to house arrest as part of a program to reduce the spread of the coronavirus behind bars.

Cohen said his podcast came together this week following the release of his memoir, “Disloyal: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump.”

The podcast is being co-produced by Audio Up Media and Meidas Touch, an anti-Trump political action committee.

Cohen dismissed a question of attempting to cash in on his 15 minutes of fame by saying: “I appear to have had significantly greater than 15 minutes.”

Cohen also welcomed the release of journalist Bob Woodward’s book on the Trump presidency, titled “Rage,” by noting the taped interviews accompanying the book’s launch back up his own story.

“The only difference between Bob Woodward’s book and mine is his is based off 18 specific meetings,” Cohen said. “During my tenure with Trump, I had over 180,000 of those meetings.”

Adapted from reporting by Associated Press.

1...3,5683,5693,570...3,825Page 3,569 of 3,825