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Former President Barred From Conducting Business in NY  Image c/o Maansi Srivastava/Pool, Reuters By Edith Cuevas News Reporter A New York judge found former President Trump liable for inflating his net worth to secure better insurance and tax rates, according to the Washington Post. Trump has been ordered to pay a penalty of $355 million plus interest, pushing the total penalty to $450 million, according to the New York Times. This decision by Justice Arthur F. Engoron comes after a yearlong battlewhich was put forth by New York’s attorney general. Along with the fine, Trump has also been barred from conducting any business in the state for the next three years. While he remains the owner of his businesses, he no longer controls the business decisions.
His sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, have also been barred from conducting business in New York, and they have both been ordered to pay $4 million in fines for falsifying business records. These penalties will undoubtedly cause serious strain to the Trump Organization, and to Trump himself. The former president has 30 days to pay the penalty or secure a bond. Trump must post a bond that covers the full amount in penalties and interest before he is able to appeal this decision by Judge Engoron, according to the Washington Post. As severe as this penalty was, it was the precursor to the criminal trial that is set to begin March 25th. If Trump is convicted, he may be sentenced to up to four years in prison. It is important to note that the presidential candidate would not be able to pardon himself if he were re-elected.
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 Image c/o City of Walnut Creek By Edith Cuevas News Reporter A Walnut Creek City council meeting was hijacked on Tuesday by a white supremacist wearing a “white power” t-shirt. His man identified himself as “Scottie” and delivered a two-minute speech full of hateful and antisemitic rhetoric, going as far as ending his speech with a Nazi salute.
The man expressed that his speech was necessary to speak up about the new restrictions on public comments during zoom meetings of the city council. Scotty expressed that his “first amendment right was being restricted by Jews” directly referring to the only Jewish member of the city council, Kevin Wilk. Directly pointing at Councilmember Wilk, Scotty said “I’m here today because of people like you think we’re scared to show up and show our face and call you out in person, and I dare you to shut me down.” The man immediately left the room after his speech, leaving the Council and attendees shocked in silence. Councilmember Wilk was the first to break the silence, “Mayor [Loella Haskew], I would just like to say something now that public comment has ended, that we live in a free country and there is free speech, and that means that we have to listen to awful and heinous comments like we just listened to,” said Wilk. “And I would like to apologize on behalf of the City Council and anybody that had to hear that horrible, horrible speech.” Mayor Pro Tem Cindy Darling stepped in and added “And we want to apologize to you, Kevin, because we know this is clearly so directed at you and so vile and not who we are as a city.” Councilmember Wilk also expressed, “I’m not going to cower from this. I’m going to stand up for people in the community. For every one of my voice, there’s a thousand people out there that wish… that are feeling that they don’t have a voice.” Walnut Creek police have informed the public that the FBI is aware of this individual and will coordinate with the council to keep all future meetings safe. Delving into the Russian opposition leader’s death and aftermath.  Image c/o Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters By Anthony Romero News Reporter Prominent Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was announced dead on February 16th by the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service and was confirmed by Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh. Having spent more than a decade in prison, Navalny was being held at an IK-3 penal colony in the arctic town of Kharp, 2,000 kilometers northeast of Moscow, while serving a 19-year jail sentence on charges of political extremism. According to reports from penitentiary staff, Navalny had gone on a walk before suddenly falling ill and losing consciousness shortly after. Despite efforts from medical services, Navalny did not survive the ordeal and his body has only just now been returned to his family on February 24th. The international community has heavily scrutinized the circumstances surrounding Navalny’s sudden death, as questions have been raised about the extent of President Vladimir Putin’s involvement in the elimination of his political enemy.
Navalny has been no stranger to run-ins with the Russian government. A former real estate lawyer, Navalny first delved into politics in 2008 as an anti-corruption activist working on a blog exposing allegations of malpractice and abuse from major corporations run by the Russian state. Navalny’s efforts against Putin’s regime soon gained traction on social media sites like Twitter (now known as X) and Russia’s Facebook equivalent, Vkontakte. He first gained prominence by outright claiming that Putin and his allies were a group of “crooks and thieves,” running a patron system that stole from the nation and its people while enriching themselves. Navalny used his newfound popularity among the Russian middle class to establish the RosPil lawyer group and the Foundation for Fighting Corruption to continue putting pressure on the political elite. In 2011, Navalny led a series of street demonstrations against Putin’s third presidential term, cementing himself as the voice of a modern movement. This outspoken position, while bringing new life to the Russian opposition, would also bring Navalny a lot of strife. The first inklings of political retaliation came in July 2013 when the Russian government sentenced Navalny to a 5-year suspended term related to charges of embezzlement during his early days as an advisor to the local governor of the Kirov region. This was followed by the Yves Rocher case in 2014, in which Navalny and his brother were found guilty of fraud and sentenced to 3 and a half years. The most infamous attempt on Navalny’s life occurred on August 20th, 2020 during a flight from Siberia, when Navalny fell violently ill before going into a coma. After an emergency transfer from Russia to Berlin, German doctors identified traces of the Soviet-era nerve agent called Novichok in his body. The poison was planted in Navalny’s underwear with medical staff stated if it were not for the plane’s emergency landing, he most likely would not have survived. It was this and other attempts to kill or poison Navalny, as well as Russia’s sordid history of eliminating political opponents, that drew suspicion upon Navalny’s actual death. Navalny’s death has left the Russian opposition movement without its most visible leader, casting a shadow on any hope for pushing back against President Putin’s rule. On February 23rd, U.S. President Joe Biden mobilized over 500 sanctions targeting Russian entities, the military-industrial network, and various financial institutions, including 3 officials directly involved with Navalny’s imprisonment. These mark the most extensive package of sanctions since Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine in 2022. “If Putin does not pay the price for his death and destruction, he [Putin] will keep going. And the costs to the United States − along with our NATO Allies and partners in Europe and worldwide − will rise,” announced President Biden. The POTUS described Navalny as a voice of truth and a powerful force against the corruption of the Russian establishment. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinkin, during a conference in Munich, also made a statement regarding Navalny’s fate: “His death in a Russian prison and the fixation and fear of one man only underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built. Russia is responsible for this.” As of now, Navalny’s spokeswoman has confirmed that his body has been returned to his mother Lyudmila. Navalny’s mother was reportedly told to agree to a secret burial as criteria for his return, or else he would be buried in the arctic prison grounds where he died. Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya previously accused President Putin of holding her husband’s body “hostage” and maintained that the Russian president had Navalny killed. At the Munich Security Conference, Yulia at first doubted whether Russia was telling the truth about Navalny’s death, but proclaimed, “But if this is true, I want Putin, his entire entourage, Putin’s friends, his government to know that they will bear responsibility for what they did to our country, to my family, to my husband.” Despite international condemnation, the Russian government has continued to deny responsibility and called the international outcry hysterical. Highlighting California’s race for Senate, local measures on the ballot, and polling data for statewide elections.  Image c/o Getty image By Jenevieve Monroe News Editor While Saint Mary’s students are cramming to persevere through this wet and dreary February, millions of Californians are preparing their ballots for the upcoming primary election on March 5th. This year’s media headlines have highlighted the race of candidates seeking to succeed late Senator Diane Feinstein. She announced in February 2023, that she would not run for reelection in 2024. Later that September she passed away, leaving behind a legacy as America’s longest serving female Senator. Feinstein’s trailblazing career has inspired citizens across the state to seek out her Senate spot. As of late February, the four remaining frontrunners include:
Adam Schiff (D), Lawyer and former Congressman Steve Garvey (R), former Dodgers player and businessman Katie Porter (D), Lawyer and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D), Social worker, Congresswoman, and small business owner These candidates attended their third and final debate on Tuesday evening (February 20th). They discussed issues like “career politicians” abusing DC budgets and raising inflation, the return of earmarked funding, oil inflation and climate policy. There was also a heated round of accusations against certain candidates for accepting corporate money “from Big Pharma, Big Oil, and the Big Bank executives.” An updated poll released by Emerson College shows Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff to be in the lead with an overall 28% voter approval rate. He is followed by Republican Steve Garvey at 22%, Democratic Rep. Katie Porter with 16%, and Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee at 9%. There is still a notable margin of undecided voters, polling at approximately 17%. With such a large margin of uncertainty, who knows what the upcoming weeks may hold? The East Bay’s District 12 is also hosting elections for a new representative this year. Expect to see three candidates on the ballot: Tony Daysog (D), Alameda vice mayor Lateefah Simon (D), Nonprofit foundation president Jennifer Tran (D), Professor/Chamber President If you weren’t already stressed out with decisions, prepare to be. Last, but not least, are some of the presidential candidates! You can find the full list of candidates online at California’s Secretary of State webpage. To keep it simple, expect to see six major names on the ballot [endorsed by SF Chronicle]: Nicki Haley (R), former UN ambassador Donald Trump (R), former President Joe Biden (D), US President Dean Phillips (D), Member of Congress Jill Stein, Political activist Cornel West, Political activist While politicians fight their way up the approval ratings, California voters are looking to see what topics they ought to expect at the booths. Voters statewide get the opportunity to weigh in on a single prop issue in March, but will have more to choose from by November. Here’s what to expect for the first proposition: PROP 1, “Mental health care reform including bond measure to fund treatment beds” “Proposition 1 would shift the way California spends tax revenue from the Mental Health Services Act to cover addiction treatment and housing. It would also authorize $6.38 billion in bond funding to build residential mental health treatment facilities. It’s part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to get people with severe mental illness who are languishing on the streets into housing and treatment.” Make sure all local property owners check their ballots this year! In Contra Costa County, one of the proposed measures has specifically requested $52 million in bonds for the Moraga School District. These bonds are intended to fund the district’s building and facility infrastructure. If Measure D passes, the district will pay for the bonds “by levying $30 per $100,000 in assessed value on property.” A similar measure will be on the ballot for the Antioch School District as well. With a request worth $195 million, the district intends to pay for the bonds “by levying an additional $48 per $100,000 of assessed value for property.” There’s a lot going on for Saint Mary’s students in the next few weeks. Hang in there voters, we’ll get through it. |
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May 2024
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