Laura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist and activist, handcuffed herself to the front door of Twitter's headquarters in New York City on Thursday, after she was banned from the platform for hate speech.

But the protest ended just over two hours later, with little fanfare, when Ms Loomer had to ask police officers to help free her from the cuffs.

Having only attached herself to one of the two doors, the activist did not fully obstruct the entrance and the company's employees seemed largely unconcerned by the protest as they walked past her.

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/laura-loomer-twitter-hq-video-ban-handcuffs-facebook-jack-dorsey-ilhan-omar-islam-a8660351.html

cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/10212591

cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/10212589

Who needs theology when you have Trump?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13418737

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13397300

Donald Trump’s favorite judge is suddenly losing law clerks.

Judge Aileen Cannon has been moving alarmingly slowly in setting up a trial date for Donald Trump’s classified documents criminal case—but it may not be a bid to help out the man who appointed her.

As of Thursday, the Florida judge had lost at least two law clerks in the last six months, who up and quit on her rather than finish out their one-year terms, according to several sources within Cannon’s legal circuit that spoke with attorney David Lat.

The rarity of multiple clerks leaving their posts can’t be understated, especially considering that judges typically hire just two or three clerks per annum. As Lat notes in his Substack Original Jurisdiction, “a law clerk’s role is substantive, not clerical or administrative.” Clerks are more like a judge’s right and left hands—they help the judiciary conduct research, prepare for trials, and draft opinions. Clerkships are highly competitive, and one serving a federal judge would otherwise be considered résumé gold, so it’s certainly curious that they seem to be fleeing her bench.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13390307

Donald Trump has multiple loans on his properties amounting to at least $200 million, which may devalue their worth and make it less likely that they will be seized to recuperate the costs of his legal fines.

The former president has until March 25 to come up with the bond amount or New York Attorney Letitia James could begin seizing some of his assets and properties after Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that the former president will have to pay roughly $355 million in penalties for fraud. The February ruling stated that Trump and top executives at The Trump Organization inflated the value of his assets to obtain more favorable terms from lenders and insurers.

The lawsuit, brought by James, initially sought $250 million in damages, but she increased this figure to $370 million, plus interest. With interest, the payment exceeds $464 million.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13339658

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13322478

cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/10075269

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13297800

Less than a month after New York Attorney General Letitia James said she would be willing to seize former Republican President Donald Trump's assets if he is unable to pay the $464 million required by last month's judgment in his civil fraud case, Trump's lawyers disclosed in court filings Monday that he had failed to secure a bond for the amount. 

In the nearly 5,000-page filing, lawyers for Trump said it has proven a "practical impossibility" for Trump to secure a bond from any financial institutions in the state, as "about 30 surety companies" have refused to accept assets including real estate as collateral and have demanded cash and other liquid assets instead.

To get the institutions to agree to cover that $464 million judgment if Trump loses his appeal and fails to pay the state, he would have to pledge more than $550 million as collateral—"a sum he simply does not have," reportedThe New York Times, despite his frequent boasting of his wealth and business prowess.

Could Trump actually turn America into a fascist state?

Yes. Here's how, in five steps.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13284939

Peter Navarro is one of two Trump advisers convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with a House investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack.

The former president's favorability rating has remained low despite effectively clinching the Republican nomination, fresh polling indicates.