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🇺🇸 A Company Convicted

🇺🇸 A Company Convicted

Plus, why are so many volcanoes exploding?

December 08, 2022

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Good morning, and happy Thursday! This cartoon Christmas story soundtracked by a sophisticated jazz trio is still a classic after 57 years…

Plus, why are so many major volcanoes suddenly exploding?

Also, it’s the final day to invest in reAlpha's shareholder offering, click here to learn more...

FLAG POLLS

📉 President Biden Job Approval: Approve 46, Disapprove 52 (Rasmussen Reports)

📉 President Biden Job Approval: Approve 42, Disapprove 56 (Economist/YouGov)

📉 Congressional Job Approval: Approve 20, Disapprove 59 (Economist/YouGov)

📉 Direction of Country: Right Track 26, Wrong Track 66 (Economist/YouGov)

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Peruvian Police Arrest President, Judge In Session, Zelensky PoTY

US: Takeaways from Moore v. Harper, the historic Supreme Court arguments on election rules (CNN)

US: Idaho police remove murder victims' belongings as fears case could go cold intensify (Fox News)

World: Peru: Police arrest president after Congress votes to remove him from power (Sky News)

World: Germany arrests 25 people over far-right coup plot (Axios)

US: High turnout powered Warnock to victory in Georgia Senate runoff (NBC News)

Sports: Aaron Judge cashes in with 9-year, $360M Yankees deal, sources confirm (ESPN)

World: Volodymyr Zelensky Is TIME's 2022 Person of the Year (TIME)

TAXES

A Company Convicted

This past Tuesday the Trump Organization was convicted of tax fraud in New York City. The indictment said the Trump Organization helped executives dodge taxes on perks such as Manhattan apartments and luxury cars.

Reporting from the Right: Trump Organization entities found guilty on all counts of tax fraud; Trump brands 'witch hunt,' vows appeal (Fox Business)

Reporting from the Left: Trump Organization found guilty on all counts of criminal tax fraud (CNN)

From The Flag: Trump himself was not on trial. Here's what both sides are saying.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Trump Is the Boss of a Fraudulent Firm

While Trump wasn’t charged, documents show his company gave top executives perks in violation of tax laws.
This conviction lays to waste the narrative that Trump is a successful businessman, a lie he used en route to victory in 2016.
There’s no plausible way Trump was unaware of these tax cheating schemes, much like other crimes his company is accused of.

“Trump Organization convicted in NY criminal tax fraud trial” Shayna Jacobs, Washington Post : “The real estate, hospitality and golf resort operation headquartered at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue… was charged with scheme to defraud, conspiracy, criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records. Trump has not been charged with wrongdoing. The verdicts Tuesday came amid other troubles for the Trump family business, which was sued by New York Attorney General Letitia James in September in a civil case that accuses Trump, three of his adult children and longtime chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg of manipulating the valuations of their properties to get better terms on loans and insurance policies, and to get tax breaks. … In the criminal case, jurors saw a number of Trump Organization payroll and expense records spanning years that showed how executives received perks like luxury apartments and Mercedes Benzes while purposely concealing them from tax authorities.”

“Tax fraud verdict again exposes illusion of Trump the master businessman” David Smith, The Guardian : “In a normal political universe, such a revelation would sink Trump’s hopes of a White House comeback in 2024. But given that he once boasted he could shoot someone in the middle of New York’s Fifth Avenue and not lose any votes, explicitly sanctioning tax fraud might not quite cut it. … In the attrition of legal trench warfare, these cases may be gradually wearing down Trump’s political resilience, especially combined with three successive elections that suggest he is more of a loser than a winner. His winning argument in 2016 was that, having cultivated the image of a successful businessman on his reality TV show The Apprentice, he could now bring the same acumen to governing the country. And in a sense, he did: with fraud, deceit and contempt for the rule of law.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: Guilty as charged: The criminal Trump Organization stinks from the head Editorial Board, New York Daily News

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Trump’s Already Battered Campaign Takes Another Hit

This is yet another blow to Trump’s campaign as some Republicans are weary and look to move on.
The corrupt Deep State and leftist thugs have shown they will stop at nothing to “get Trump.”
Trump may have declared his candidacy early so that his fundraising efforts can help pay for his unending legal bills.

“Trump Organization Found Guilty of Criminal Tax Fraud in New York Trial” Corinne Ramey, Wall Street Journal : “The guilty verdict is a blow to Mr. Trump, who, while facing civil lawsuits and criminal investigations, declared his third consecutive presidential bid last month. The conviction and subsequent penalties for his company could compound the weariness from some Republicans who want to move on to other party leadership. … Prosecutors said that Mr. Trump sanctioned the tax-free benefits, and personally signed some checks for private-school tuition for former finance chief Allen Weisselberg’s grandchildren. During closing arguments, a defense attorney said Mr. Trump relied on an outside accountant who never told him the perks in question were illegal. … Mr. Trump said in a statement that he was disappointed with the verdict. ‘This case is unprecedented and involved no monetary gain to these two corporations,’ he said.”

“A Corrupt, Evil Regime Intent on Imprisoning Trump” J.B. Shurk, American Thinker : “These people made things very easy to understand when they decided to use members of the military… to impeach President Trump for a quid-pro-quo hoax… and cover up Joe Biden's actual quid-pro-quo scheming in Ukraine, China, and elsewhere. … We get it — these people plan on arresting, embarrassing, prosecuting, and imprisoning President Trump because he happened to be the first national political figure in half a century to stand up to Deep State thuggery, national self-sabotage, and Uniparty-engineered American decline. … Our government is sick, venal, and lost. It attacks American citizens, betrays its duty to safeguard constitutional rights, and pursues its own power at the expense of Americans' liberty. … For a significant portion of the country, the US government will never, ever be trusted again. … The illusion of republican virtue, constitutional rights, due process, honest democratic elections, and protections for personal liberty will irrevocably disappear.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: Will Trump Really Run in 2024? Stephen Green, PJ Media Opinion

FLAG THIS

Facing Fines, What’s the Trump Organization’s Future?

The guilty verdict means former President Trump's company could face up to $1.6 million in fines.

Meanwhile, it could also impact the Trump Organization’s ability to do business in New York City.

Do you think New York City’s prosecution of the Trump Organization was politically motivated?

FLAG FINDS

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WATERCOOLER

Mary, Queen of Scots, Digital City, Record of Records

On December 8, 1542, in Linlithgow Palace in Scotland, a daughter was born to James V, the dying king of Scotland. Named Mary, she was the only surviving child of her father and ascended to the Scottish throne when the king died just six days after her birth. Above is a circa 1678 illustration of Linlithgow Palace.

Bloomberg: How Do You Build a (Digital) City?

Fast Company: How new managers can bring teams together effectively

Vox: How to reframe (and solve) a tricky life problem

Today I Learned Wayne Gretzky is 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, and 11th for most points in an NHL season.

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