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1 Trump Pleads Not Guilty On 34 Felony Counts
Former President Donald Trump officially pleaded not guilty yesterday to the 34 felony counts of falsifying business records he was charged with in a Manhattan grand jury indictment. The charges all related to alleged hush money payments supposedly made to porn star Stormy Daniels, Playboy model Karen McDougal, and a former Trump Tower doorman at the end of the 2016 presidential campaign. The indictment’s Statement of Facts says that Trump signed off on falsified records related to the payoffs in 2017 after he became President. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a press conference after the arraignment that the false statements were “made to cover up other crimes.” Trump flew back to Florida after the court proceedings and addressed a crowd of supporters at Mar-a-Lago, where he said the “only crime I’ve committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it.” The former President’s speech lasted around a half-hour and contained references to the other investigations being conducted into his activities.
2 Election Results In Chicago And Wisconsin Give Wins To Democrats
Elections in Chicago and Wisconsin were both won by Democratic candidates yesterday. In Chicago, Brandon Johnson won the runoff to become the mayor-elect of Chicago in a very close race over Paul Vallas. Johnson had the backing of the Chicago Teachers Union during the campaign. Vallas called Johnson to concede the race, and Johnson thanked him for his service in running for the office during his victory speech. In Wisconsin, Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge Janet Protasiewicz defeated former state Supreme Court justice Dan Kelly. Conservative-leaning justices have held a majority on the court for 15 years in Wisconsin, but Protasiewicz moves the majority to 4-3 for liberal-leaning justices. She’s been clear during the campaign that her positions on the issues align with those of the Democratic party.
3 Johnson & Johnson To Pay $8.9 Billion To Settle Talc Products Claims
Johnson & Johnson announced yesterday that they’ve agreed to a settlement of “all current and future” claims that the company’s baby powder and other talc products allegedly caused cancer. As part of the settlement, the company will be paying $8.9 billion over 25 years as part of the settlement. LTL Management, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, is re-filing for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to the settlement. Despite agreeing to the settlement, the company is holding its position that its products are safe. In January, a federal appeals court ruled that the company couldn’t use the bankruptcy court to resolve the roughly 38,000 lawsuits the company was facing. Sales of talc-based baby powder were halted in North America in 2019 after a sample tested positive for trace amounts of asbestos.