George Santos: New York Republican Congressman George Santos was taken into federal custody this morning with the unsealing of an indictment charging him with 13 counts that include money laundering and wire fraud. He was due to appear before a federal judge in Central Islip on Long Island later today. Santos also is charged with theft of public funds and making false statements to the House of Representatives. Questions regarding Santos’ handling of campaign funds were raised. It also became apparent that Santos had not told the truth about his personal life, education, work experience and other matters while seeking office and serving in Congress.
Donald Trump verdict: A Manhattan jury found Donald Trump liable for defaming and assaulting writer E. Jean Carroll and ordered that he pay $5 million in damages. The jury decided that Trump sexually abused Carroll without raping her and defamed her when he denied that anything had happened. Carroll had accused Trump of raping her in the dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. An attorney for Trump said they’d appeal.
Computer hackers: The FBI has broken up a ring of Russian computer hackers that had gone after secrets of at least 50 countries including the U.S. The FBI specifically blocked the hackers from continuing to use software allowing it to infiltrate computers and steal data. The FBI found that the Russian hacking ring known as Turla had been using computers in the U.S. to send stolen data back to Russia.
Ryanair planes: European low-cost airline Ryanair has agreed to buy up to 300 airliners from Boeing in a deal that could be worth $80 billion. Ryanair has placed a firm order for 150 of Boeing’s 737 MAX 10 jets with options for 150 more. Ryanair said it expects to be carrying 300 million passengers per year by 2034.
Carlson Twittering: Tucker Carlson, who was fired from Fox News, put out a video on his Twitter feed saying that he’s starting a new show that will be sent out on Twitter. He said Twitter is the only major site left in the world where truth is allowed. He said there’s no truth in the mainstream media and he charged the mainstream media lies to its readers and viewers every day.
Debt ceiling negotiations: President Biden said another meeting on the debt ceiling with Congressional leaders has been scheduled for Friday at the White House. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said after yesterday’s White House meeting that he saw no forward movement on the debt ceiling issue. The meeting also involved Senators Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. President Biden is expected to discuss the debt ceiling situation during his speech this afternoon at Westchester Community College in Valhalla.
