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National Enquirer publisher testifies he used tabloid to suppress unfavourable Trump stories
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-trial-gag-order-testimony-1.7182083?cmp=rss 1.7182083 <p>The first witness in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, testified on Tuesday that he used his supermarket tabloid to suppress stories that might have hurt Trump’s 2016 presidential bid.</p><p>Pecker, 72, testified in a New York court that the Enquirer paid two people who were peddling stories of Trump’s sexual misbehaviour but never published them — a practice known as “catch and kill.”</p><p>”When someone’s running for public office like this, it is very common for these women to call up a magazine like the National Enquirer to try to sell their stories,” Pecker testified.</p><p>Pecker said the decision to bury the stories followed a 2015 meeting at which he told Trump that the Enquirer would publish favourable stories about the billionaire candidate and keep an eye out for people selling stories that might hurt him. He said he told an editor to keep the arrangement secret.</p><p>Pecker said the Enquirer paid former Playboy model Karen McDougal for her story of a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006 and 2007. He said he bought the story after Trump refused to do so himself.</p><p>”He said that anytime you do anything like this it always gets out,” Pecker said.</p><div><em><strong>WATCH l Highlights from opening statements in historic trial of former president Trump:</strong></em> <span><span class=”mediaEmbed”><div class=”player-placeholder-ui-container ” data-cy=”player-placeholder-ui-container”><div class=”player-placeholder-video-ui” title=”Trump’s hush-money trial underway in New York City” role=”button” tabindex=”0″><div class=”player-placeholder-ui “><div class=”video-item video-card-overlay ” title=”Trump’s hush-money trial underway in New York City”><div class=”thumbnail-wrapper”><div class=”thumbnail-container”><img src=”https://i.cbc.ca/ais/1.7181815,1717224826966/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C1920%2C1080%29%3BResize%3D%28620%29″ srcset alt class=”thumbnail” loading=”lazy”></div></div><div class=”video-card-overlay-container”><div class=”video-info-container”><h3 class=”video-item-title”>Trump’s hush-money trial underway in New York City</h3><div class=”video-time-container”><span class=”formattedDate video-time-stamp”>4 months ago</span><div class=”videoTimeLabel “><p><span><span class=”a11y”>Duration </span>3:03</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><span class=”media-caption”>Former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush-money trial began in earnest on Monday with opening statements and the first witness. Trump is accused of allegedly falsifying business records to cover up paying porn star Stormy Daniels to bury her story about their sexual encounter, which he denies.</span></span></span></div><p>The Enquirer’s parent company, American Media, said in 2018 it paid $150,000 for the story. Trump has denied having an affair with McDougal.</p><p>The tabloid also paid $30,000 for a story peddled by former Trump Tower doorman Dino Sajudin, who claimed Trump fathered a child with a maid who worked for him. The story turned out not to be true, Pecker said.</p><p>Both payments far exceeded the amounts the paper typically paid for stories, he said. “I made the decision to buy the story because of the potential embarrassment it would have to the campaign and Mr. Trump,” Pecker said.</p><p>He is expected to testify further when the trial resumes on Thursday.</p><h2>Pecker’s actions helped deceive voters: prosecution</h2><p>Prosecutors say Pecker’s actions helped Trump deceive voters in the 2016 election by burying stories of alleged extramarital affairs at a time when he already faced multiple accusations of sexual misbehaviour.</p><p>They have charged Trump with criminally falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to buy the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels, who says they had a sexual encounter 10 years earlier.</p><div><figure class=”imageMedia image full”><div class=”placeholder”><img loading=”lazy” alt=”A courtroom sketch of a man in a suit on the witness stand as other men and a judge look on” srcset=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7182417.1713897358!/cpImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_300/trump-hush-money.jpg 300w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7182417.1713897358!/cpImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_460/trump-hush-money.jpg 460w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7182417.1713897358!/cpImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_620/trump-hush-money.jpg 620w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7182417.1713897358!/cpImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/trump-hush-money.jpg 780w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7182417.1713897358!/cpImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_1180/trump-hush-money.jpg 1180w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px” src=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7182417.1713897358!/cpImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/trump-hush-money.jpg” data-cy=”image-img”></div><figcaption class=”image-caption”>Trump, left, watches as David Pecker answers questions on the witness stand, far right, from assistant district attorney Joshua Steingless, on Tuesday.<!– –> <!– –>(Elizabeth Williams/The Associated Press)</figcaption></figure></div><p>Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies having an encounter with Daniels. His lawyers argue that Trump did not commit any crimes and only acted to protect his reputation.</p><p>The case may be the only one of Trump’s four criminal prosecutions to go to trial before the Republican’s Nov. 5 election rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.</p><p>A guilty verdict would not bar Trump from taking office but could hurt his candidacy.</p><h2>’Losing all credibility'</h2><p>Pecker’s testimony came after a hearing to consider prosecutors’ request to fine Trump $10,000 for violating a gag order prohibiting him from criticizing witnesses, court officials and their relatives.</p><p>Justice Juan Merchan said he would not immediately rule on that request, but he appeared unmoved by Trump defence lawyer Todd Blanche’s arguments that Trump was responding to political attacks, not intimidating witnesses.</p><p>”You’ve presented nothing,” Merchan said. “I’ve asked you eight or nine times, show me the exact post he was responding to. You’ve not even been able to do that once.”</p><div><em><strong>WATCH | ‘Sleazy’ hush payments aren’t the alleged crime here, ex-prosecutor says:</strong></em> <span><span class=”mediaEmbed”><div class=”player-placeholder-ui-container ” data-cy=”player-placeholder-ui-container”><div class=”player-placeholder-video-ui” title=”Why Trump prosecution is focusing on campaign finance violation, election interference” role=”button” tabindex=”0″><div class=”player-placeholder-ui “><div class=”video-item video-card-overlay ” title=”Why Trump prosecution is focusing on campaign finance violation, election interference”><div class=”thumbnail-wrapper”><div class=”thumbnail-container”><img src=”https://i.cbc.ca/ais/e715f702-abbb-4f9c-bad2-34496022deff,1713188907685/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C4758%2C2676%29%3BResize%3D%28620%29″ srcset alt class=”thumbnail” loading=”lazy”></div></div><div class=”video-card-overlay-container”><div class=”video-info-container”><h3 class=”video-item-title”>Why Trump prosecution is focusing on campaign finance violation, election interference</h3><div class=”video-time-container”><span class=”formattedDate video-time-stamp”>4 months ago</span><div class=”videoTimeLabel “><p><span><span class=”a11y”>Duration </span>1:09</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><span class=”media-caption”>Former federal prosecutor Joseph Moreno explains why hush money payments weren’t illegal, but the way they were concealed may have been.</span></span></span></div><p>”I have to tell you right now, you’re losing all credibility with the court,” the judge added.</p><p>After the session, Trump repeated his claim that the gag order violated his constitutional free speech rights.</p><p>”This is a kangaroo court and the judge should recuse himself!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.</p><p>New York prosecutor Christopher Conroy said Trump has run afoul of the order, pointing to an April 10 Truth Social post that called Daniels and Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen “sleazebags.” Both are expected to testify in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president.</p><h2>’He does it anyway'</h2><p>Conroy said other posts led to media coverage that prompted a juror last week to withdraw over privacy concerns.</p><p>”He knows what he’s not allowed to do and he does it anyway,” Conroy said of Trump. “His disobedience of the order is willful. It’s intentional.”</p><p>The $10,000 fine sought by Conroy would be a relatively small penalty for Trump, who has posted $266.6 million in bonds as he appeals civil judgments in two other cases.</p><p>Conroy said he was not at this point asking Merchan to send Trump to jail for up to 30 days, as New York law allows.</p><p>”The defendant seems to be angling for that,” Conroy said.</p><p>Blanche said Trump’s posts were responses to political attacks by Cohen and not related to his former lawyer’s expected testimony.</p><p>”He’s allowed to respond to political attacks,” Blanche said.</p>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 19:08:41 +0000en text/html https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-trial-gag-order-testimony-1.7182083?cmp=rss News/World
Why rights groups say so many Palestinians in the West Bank are being attacked with impunity
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/west-back-violence-1.7180868?cmp=rss 1.7180868 <p dir=”ltr”>For years, even decades, human rights groups that monitor the occupied West Bank have implored Israel’s allies to take steps to punish Jewish settlers and members of Israel’s military who attack Palestinians and seem to carry out their actions with impunity. </p><p>And so when word came over the weekend that Israel’s closest ally, the United States, reportedly plans to hold members of an Israeli military battalion composed of ultra-orthodox and religious nationalist members accountable, they saw it as progress.</p><p>Earlier, the United States and Europe had placed economic and travel sanctions on a few key settlers believed to be responsible for instigating attacks, but implementing penalties and putting restrictions on a branch of the Israel Defence Forces is unprecedented. </p><p>Israel’s government was indignant and rejected the suggestion that the military unit should be singled out.</p><p dir=”ltr”>Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said imposing sanctions on the Netzah Yehuda battalion while the war against Hamas still rages and the unit is fighting in Gaza “casts a heavy shadow” on other IDF units.</p><p dir=”ltr”>And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <a href=”https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1781772418651975944″>suggested</a> the potential U.S. measure was “the peak of absurdity and a moral low,” as he vowed to fight it.</p><div dir=”ltr”><figure class=”imageMedia image full”><div class=”placeholder”><img loading=”lazy” alt=”People gather near burning properties.” srcset=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180930.1713802962!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_300/israel-palestinians.jpg 300w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180930.1713802962!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_460/israel-palestinians.jpg 460w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180930.1713802962!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_620/israel-palestinians.jpg 620w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180930.1713802962!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/israel-palestinians.jpg 780w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180930.1713802962!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_1180/israel-palestinians.jpg 1180w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px” src=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180930.1713802962!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/israel-palestinians.jpg” data-cy=”image-img”></div><figcaption class=”image-caption”>Israeli settlers gather near burning properties after they were set on fire in the West Bank village of Al Mughayyir on April 13.<!– –> <!– –>(Nasser Nasser/The Associated Press)</figcaption></figure></div><p>A series of U.S. statutes, known as the Leahy Laws, prohibit U.S. military assistance from being transferred to organizations that the U.S. State Department determines have committed human rights abuses.</p><p dir=”ltr”>And by many accounts, the abuses attributed to Netzah Yehuda during its decades-long time as enforcers of Israel’s rules in the West Bank are about as bad as they get. </p><p dir=”ltr”>In <a href=”http://ttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-65882070″>one incident in 2022,</a> members of the unit dragged a 78-year-old American Palestinian man, Omar Assad, from his car after being stopped at a checkpoint. He was bound, gagged, blindfolded and beaten. An autopsy concluded he died of a heart attack from the stress of the encounter.</p><h2 dir=”ltr”>Violent rampages against property, Palestinians say</h2><p dir=”ltr”>While the U.S. move is linked to events that happened before Oct. 7, the potential sanctions come at a time when violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has reached new levels in the aftermath of Hamas’s attacks on southern Israel.</p><p dir=”ltr”>There have been violent rampages against Palestinian homes, businesses and property almost every day of late, in many cases with Israeli soldiers present, but not intervening to stop the rampages, say Palestinians who witnessed them.</p><p dir=”ltr”><a href=”http://https://site.moh.ps/Content/File/CugnZSqqg2iz3x95TAklZDtP_VDKTsERmW5wcKMfE4VOIIchG.pdf”>Palestinian officials say</a> more than 486 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since Oct. 7, many in military raids and others from attacks by settlers. </p><div dir=”ltr”><em><strong>WATCH | Wave of settler violence in occupied West Bank:</strong></em> <span><span class=”mediaEmbed”><div class=”player-placeholder-ui-container ” data-cy=”player-placeholder-ui-container”><div class=”player-placeholder-video-ui” title=”West Bank engulfed by wave of settler violence” role=”button” tabindex=”0″><div class=”player-placeholder-ui “><div class=”video-item video-card-overlay ” title=”West Bank engulfed by wave of settler violence”><div class=”thumbnail-wrapper”><div class=”thumbnail-container”><img src=”https://i.cbc.ca/ais/1.7180655,1717224810848/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C1920%2C1080%29%3BResize%3D%28620%29″ srcset alt class=”thumbnail” loading=”lazy”></div></div><div class=”video-card-overlay-container”><div class=”video-info-container”><h3 class=”video-item-title”>West Bank engulfed by wave of settler violence</h3><div class=”video-time-container”><span class=”formattedDate video-time-stamp”>4 months ago</span><div class=”videoTimeLabel “><p><span><span class=”a11y”>Duration </span>3:19</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><span class=”media-caption”>Palestinians in the occupied West Bank say nowhere is safe after a wave of Israeli settler violence that’s been increasing since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel.</span></span></span></div><p>The United Nations <a href=”http://https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-154″>has recorded 774 attacks</a> by settlers on Palestinians in the past six months, with Israeli soldiers present in nearly half the attacks. Human Rights Watch says the violence has forced Palestinians to flee at least seven communities permanently. </p><p>In its most recent report encapsulating the whole of the year — both before and after Oct. 7 — <a href=”https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/11/1143087″>the UN said 2023 was the worst year for settler attacks</a> on Palestinians in any year since tracking started in 2006. </p><p dir=”ltr”>”If you want to solve the problem, you have to go after the government that’s responsible for allowing this to happen,” said Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director for Human Rights Watch.</p><p dir=”ltr”>”The reason why we’re seeing this unprecedented increase in settler violence is because of decades of impunity for settler violence,” he told CBC News in an interview in Ramallah.</p><p>”They [settlers] are armed by the Israeli government. They are sometimes directly encouraged to carry out attacks, and they’re doing so in more and more areas that the Israeli government covets for settlements.”</p><p dir=”ltr”>In a WhatsApp message to CBC News, the IDF said its role is to “protect the property and lives of all citizens,” and that security forces have “means to disperse demonstrations.” </p><div dir=”ltr”><figure class=”imageMedia image full”><div class=”placeholder”><img loading=”lazy” alt=”A shattered window in a home of Abdullatif Abu Alia.” srcset=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180875.1713803000!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_300/shattered-window.jpg 300w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180875.1713803000!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_460/shattered-window.jpg 460w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180875.1713803000!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_620/shattered-window.jpg 620w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180875.1713803000!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/shattered-window.jpg 780w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180875.1713803000!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_1180/shattered-window.jpg 1180w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px” src=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180875.1713803000!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/shattered-window.jpg” data-cy=”image-img”></div><figcaption class=”image-caption”>A window sits shattered in Abu Alia’s home in the village of Al Mughayyir, which was attacked by Israeli settlers on April 12.<!– –> <!– –>(Lily Martin/CBC)</figcaption></figure></div><p dir=”ltr”>A team from CBC News recently spent time in the village of Al Mughayyir, about 27 kilometres northeast of Ramallah, which was the site of a deadly rampage by hundreds of settlers on April 12. </p><p dir=”ltr”>Over the following two days and nights, <a href=”https://x.com/Yesh_Din/status/1780202886812569812″>other Palestinian villages</a> nearby were also burned, causing damage to 60 properties and more than 100 vehicles, according to Israeli human rights group Yesh Din.</p><p dir=”ltr”>We visited the scene of a deadly shooting at the home of Abdullatif Abu Alia.</p><p dir=”ltr”>A blood-soaked pillow and blanket on the flat roof of his home marked the spot where he said his cousin, Jehad Abu Alia, bled to death.</p><p dir=”ltr”>”Hundreds of settlers besieged the house,” he told CBC News.</p><p dir=”ltr”>Jehad Abu Alia, 25, was visiting his extended family when the home was suddenly surrounded by masked settlers, many carrying guns, and others throwing rocks.</p><p dir=”ltr”>Abu Alia said his family barricaded themselves inside as windows were smashed and vehicles outside set on fire.</p><p dir=”ltr”>Abu Alia said at one point, someone on the ground fired shots at their position on the top of the building and Jehad was hit in the head. </p><div dir=”ltr”><figure class=”imageMedia image full”><div class=”placeholder”><img loading=”lazy” alt=”A person stands in front of bookshelves.” srcset=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180893.1713803023!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_300/omar.jpg 300w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180893.1713803023!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_460/omar.jpg 460w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180893.1713803023!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_620/omar.jpg 620w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180893.1713803023!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/omar.jpg 780w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180893.1713803023!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_1180/omar.jpg 1180w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px” src=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180893.1713803023!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/omar.jpg” data-cy=”image-img”></div><figcaption class=”image-caption”>Omar Shakir, the Israel/Palestine director for Human Rights Watch in his office in Ramallah.<!– –> <!– –>(Lily Martin/CBC)</figcaption></figure></div><p dir=”ltr”><strong>”</strong>The army was helping [the settlers] and they stopped all kinds of ambulances and medical people from coming to help the injured,” Abu Alia said. </p><p dir=”ltr”>With no way to get his cousin to hospital, Abu Alia said all he could do was to try to stop the blood gushing from the wound himself, in what turned out to be a futile effort to save his life.</p><p dir=”ltr”>The trigger for the Al Mughayyir rampage was the disappearance that morning of a 14-year-old Israeli teenager and sheep herder, Benjamin Achimeir. </p><p dir=”ltr”>Not long after the mob attack began, a police drone spotted his body not far from the outskirts of Al Mughayyir.</p><p>Although the circumstances of his death remain unexplained by Israeli authorities, Netanyahu called it a “heinous murder.”</p><div><figure class=”imageMedia image full”><div class=”placeholder”><img loading=”lazy” alt=”A banner strung between poles shows the picture of a person and some writing.” srcset=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180890.1713803058!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_300/jehad.jpg 300w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180890.1713803058!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_460/jehad.jpg 460w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180890.1713803058!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_620/jehad.jpg 620w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180890.1713803058!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/jehad.jpg 780w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180890.1713803058!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_1180/jehad.jpg 1180w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px” src=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180890.1713803058!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/jehad.jpg” data-cy=”image-img”></div><figcaption class=”image-caption”>Banners that include a photo of Jehad Abu Alia, who his family says was killed when settlers attacked his family’s home in the occupied West Bank, have been put up around the community.<!– –> <!– –>(Lily Martin/CBC)</figcaption></figure></div><p dir=”ltr”>On Monday morning, the IDF, Israel’s internal security agency Shin Bet and Israeli police announced they had arrested a 21-year-old Palestinian. The statement said he had “implicated himself” in the teen’s death after an interrogation by Shin Bet. </p><p dir=”ltr”>Since the violence in Al Mughayyir, there have been several attacks by settlers in the West Bank, including one this past weekend that killed a Palestinian ambulance driver who came to help the injured in the town of As-Sawiya, according to the Palestinian Health Authority.</p><p dir=”ltr”>”Since Oct. 7, we have seen an unprecedented integration of violent settlers into the security forces,” said Shakir, of Human Rights Watch.</p><p dir=”ltr”>”So whereas before there was a clear differentiation between security forces and settlers, you have increasing situations where settlers are wearing army uniforms.”</p><h2 dir=”ltr”>Settler population increased</h2><p dir=”ltr”>Under successive Israeli governments, the settler population has surged, growing 15 per cent in the last five years, according to one study by the pro-settler group WestBankJewishPopulationStats.com. </p><p dir=”ltr”>There are now more <a href=”http://https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/palestinian-territories/1707734589-west-bank-settler-population-surges-by-nearly-3-percent-in-2023-report”>517,000 settlers</a> living in the occupied West Bank, with 200,000 Jewish settlers living in occupied areas of East Jerusalem.</p><p dir=”ltr”>The United Nations considers the Jewish settlements to be illegal, as do Canada and many other Western countries.</p><div dir=”ltr”><figure class=”imageMedia image full”><div class=”placeholder”><img loading=”lazy” alt=”Burnt out cars sit along a road in front of damaged buildings.” srcset=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180882.1713803103!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_300/scorched.jpg 300w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180882.1713803103!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_460/scorched.jpg 460w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180882.1713803103!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_620/scorched.jpg 620w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180882.1713803103!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/scorched.jpg 780w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180882.1713803103!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_1180/scorched.jpg 1180w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px” src=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180882.1713803103!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/scorched.jpg” data-cy=”image-img”></div><figcaption class=”image-caption”>Burnt-out cars, homes and businesses are common in pockmarked Palestinian communities northeast of Ramallah after Israeli settlers when on a rampage between April 12 and 14. Many residents told CBC News that the mob destroyed everything they owned.<!– –> <!– –>(Lily Martin/CBC)</figcaption></figure></div><p dir=”ltr”>Shakir said of late, revenge has been another motive for the violence, with many settlers seeking retribution on Palestinians in the West Bank for Hamas’s massacre of Israelis on Oct. 7.</p><p dir=”ltr”>The Hamas militants who streamed across the Gaza border and into Israel on Oct. 7 killed more than 1,200 people and kidnapped 253 people, according to Israeli government tallies.</p><p dir=”ltr”>Palestinian officials say more than 34,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, with Israel’s military flattening vast parts of the territory in an effort to destroy Hamas.</p><div dir=”ltr”><em><strong>WATCH | Israeli settlers and U.S. blamed for West Bank violence: </strong></em><span><span class=”mediaEmbed”><div class=”player-placeholder-ui-container ” data-cy=”player-placeholder-ui-container”><div class=”player-placeholder-video-ui” title=”West Bank family blames Israeli settlers, U.S. for violence” role=”button” tabindex=”0″><div class=”player-placeholder-ui “><div class=”video-item video-card-overlay ” title=”West Bank family blames Israeli settlers, U.S. for violence”><div class=”thumbnail-wrapper”><div class=”thumbnail-container”><img src=”https://i.cbc.ca/ais/1.7104113,1717222395464/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C1920%2C1080%29%3BResize%3D%28620%29″ srcset alt class=”thumbnail” loading=”lazy”></div></div><div class=”video-card-overlay-container”><div class=”video-info-container”><h3 class=”video-item-title”>West Bank family blames Israeli settlers, U.S. for violence</h3><div class=”video-time-container”><span class=”formattedDate video-time-stamp”>6 months ago</span><div class=”videoTimeLabel “><p><span><span class=”a11y”>Duration </span>2:30</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><span class=”media-caption”>A 17-year-old Palestinian American shot dead by Israeli men in the West Bank is one of the latest victims of increased violence in the area, something his family blames largely on the U.S. government’s support of Israel.</span></span></span></div><p dir=”ltr”>During the CBC News visit to Al Mughayyir, our team also met with Palestinian shepherd Imad Abu Alia.</p><p dir=”ltr”>He said in the months leading up to the attack on the village, settlers from several nearby communities had been using drones to watch his property and track his herd of sheep while they grazed.</p><p dir=”ltr”>During the mayhem in Al Mughayyir, he said a group came onto his farm and burned his barn, killing some of his sheep and stealing the rest of the 120 animals in his herd. </p><div dir=”ltr”><figure class=”imageMedia image full”><div class=”placeholder”><img loading=”lazy” alt=”A wounded person sits on a bed against a wall.” srcset=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180888.1713803153!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_300/shepherd.jpg 300w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180888.1713803153!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_460/shepherd.jpg 460w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180888.1713803153!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_620/shepherd.jpg 620w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180888.1713803153!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/shepherd.jpg 780w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180888.1713803153!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_1180/shepherd.jpg 1180w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px” src=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180888.1713803153!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/shepherd.jpg” data-cy=”image-img”></div><figcaption class=”image-caption”>Palestinian shepherd Imad Abu Alia said he was severely beaten by a mob of settlers and was left almost immobile in the attack on the village of Al Mughayyir.<!– –> <!– –>(Lily Martin/CBC)</figcaption></figure></div><p dir=”ltr”>When he tried to save his flock, he said the mob attacked him, leaving him with a neck brace and immobilized in bed.</p><p dir=”ltr”>”They beat me so much to the point that I saw death with my own eyes,” he told CBC News.</p><p dir=”ltr”>Without his sheep to support his family, Abu Alia said he does not know what he will do.</p><p dir=”ltr”>”These sheep are like my children,” he said. ”I just want them back.”</p><div dir=”ltr”><figure class=”imageMedia image full”><div class=”placeholder”><img loading=”lazy” alt=”A person looks over rubble remaining after a building was destroyed.” srcset=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180881.1713803236!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_300/son.jpg 300w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180881.1713803236!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_460/son.jpg 460w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180881.1713803236!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_620/son.jpg 620w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180881.1713803236!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/son.jpg 780w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180881.1713803236!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_1180/son.jpg 1180w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px” src=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7180881.1713803236!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/son.jpg” data-cy=”image-img”></div><figcaption class=”image-caption”>Laith Abu Alia, the son of Imad Abu Alia, examines the destruction at his family’s farm.<!– –> <!– –>(Lily Martin/CBC)</figcaption></figure></div><p dir=”ltr”>Rights groups say seizing the livestock of Palestinians and constructing grazing outposts has become a new tactic of the settlers, as it deprives Palestinians of an income and often forces them to abandon their properties.</p><p dir=”ltr”>CBC News asked Israel’s military for more details on the death of Benjamin Achimeir. </p><p dir=”ltr”>In a WhatsApp message, the IDF said that there were “signs of violence” but did not provide further details.</p><p dir=”ltr”>With regards to Palestinian allegations about the conduct of Israeli soldiers in Al Mughayyir, the IDF said complaints ”about soldiers’ behaviour that is not in accordance with orders will be examined.”</p><p dir=”ltr”>Regarding the allegations that security forces held up ambulances and prevented the wounded from reaching hospital, the IDF said that was necessary for a “security check” before the ambulances were given the authorization to continue. � </p><p dir=”ltr”>Israeli human rights group <a href=”http://https://www.yesh-din.org/en/data-sheet-december-2022-law-enforcement-on-israeli-civilians-in-the-west-bank-settler-violence-2005-2022/”>Yesh Din says</a> between 2005 and 2022, 93 per cent of investigations against settlers who attacked Palestinians were closed without any charges.</p>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 08:00:00 +0000Chris Brown en text/html https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/west-back-violence-1.7180868?cmp=rss News/World
U.S. government agrees to $138.7M settlement over FBI’s botching of Larry Nassar allegations
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/gymnastics/gymnastics-larry-nassar-settlement-fbi-1.7182242?cmp=rss 1.7182242 <div><img src=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7182274.1713891970!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/wray-christopher-042324.jpg” class=”ff-og-image-inserted”></div><p>The U.S. Justice Department announced a $138.7-million US settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.</p><p>When combined with other settlements, roughly $1 billion now has been set aside by various organizations to compensate hundreds of women who said Nassar assaulted them under the guise of treatment for sports injuries.</p><p>Nassar worked at Michigan State University and also served as a team doctor at Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics. He’s now serving decades in prison for assaulting female athletes, including medal-winning Olympic gymnasts.</p><p>Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said Nassar betrayed the trust of those in his care for decades, and that the “allegations should have been take seriously from the outset.”</p><div readability=”6.8859416445623″>”While these settlements won’t undo the harm Nassar inflicted, our hope is that they will help give the victims of his crimes some of the critical support they need to continue healing,” Mizer said of the agreement to settle 139 claims.</div><p>The Justice Department has acknowledged that it failed to step in. For more than a year, FBI agents in Indianapolis and Los Angeles had knowledge of allegations against him but apparently took no action, an internal investigation found.</p><p>FBI Director Christopher Wray was contrite — and very blunt — when he spoke to survivors at a Senate hearing in 2021. The assault survivors include decorated Olympians Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.</p><p>”I’m sorry that so many different people let you down, over and over again,” Wray said. “And I’m especially sorry that there were people at the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster back in 2015 and failed.”</p><h2>2016 findings led to shocking trial</h2><p>After a search, investigators said in 2016 that they had found images of child sex abuse and followed up with federal charges against Nassar. Separately, the Michigan attorney general’s office handled the assault charges that ultimately shocked the sports world and led to an extraordinary days-long sentencing hearing with gripping testimony about his crimes.</p><p>”I’m deeply grateful. Accountability with the Justice Department has been a long time in coming,” said Rachael Denhollander of Louisville, Ky., who is not part of the latest settlement but was the first person to publicly step forward and detail abuse at the hands of Nassar.</p><p>”The unfortunate reality is that what we are seeing today is something that most survivors never see,” Denhollander told The Associated Press. “Most survivors never see accountability. Most survivors never see justice. Most survivors never get restitution.”</p><p>Michigan State University, which was also accused of missing chances over many years to stop Nassar, agreed to pay $500 million to more than 300 women and girls who were assaulted. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee made a $380-million settlement.</p><p>Mick Grewal, an attorney who represented 44 people in claims against the government, said the $1 billion in overall settlements speaks to “the travesty that occurred.”</p>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 17:10:23 +0000Ed White en text/html https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/gymnastics/gymnastics-larry-nassar-settlement-fbi-1.7182242?cmp=rss Sports/Olympics/Summer Sports/Gymnastics
Elon Musk’s X, Australia government clash over order to take down church stabbing video
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/australia-musk-x-church-stabbing-1.7182017?cmp=rss 1.7182017 <p>Elon Musk lashed out at Australia’s prime minister on Tuesday after a court ordered his social media company X to take down footage of an alleged terrorist attack in Sydney, and said the ruling meant any country could control “the entire internet.”</p><p>At a hearing overnight, Australia’s Federal Court ordered X, formerly called Twitter, to temporarily hide posts showing video of the incident earlier this month, in which a teenager was charged with terrorism <a href=”http://cbc.ca/1.7173715″>for knifing an Assyrian priest and others</a>.</p><p>X said it had already blocked the posts from Australian users, but Australia’s e-safety commissioner had said the content should be taken down since it showed explicit violence.</p><p>”Does the PM think he should have jurisdiction over all of Earth?” Musk wrote in a post, referring to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.</p><div><figure class=”imageMedia image full”><div class=”placeholder”><img loading=”lazy” alt=”A police officer with a tripod is shown on the sidewalk leading to a small church building.” srcset=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7182025.1713882282!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_300/australia-church-stabbing.jpg 300w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7182025.1713882282!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_460/australia-church-stabbing.jpg 460w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7182025.1713882282!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_620/australia-church-stabbing.jpg 620w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7182025.1713882282!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/australia-church-stabbing.jpg 780w, https://i.cbc.ca/1.7182025.1713882282!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_1180/australia-church-stabbing.jpg 1180w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px” src=”https://i.cbc.ca/1.7182025.1713882282!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/australia-church-stabbing.jpg” data-cy=”image-img”></div><figcaption class=”image-caption”>A police forensic officer works at a crime scene at the Christ the Good Shepherd church in western Sydney on April 16. Hours earlier, the church’s service was livestreamed, capturing a knife attack that wounded the church’s bishop. <!– –> <!– –>(Mark Baker/The Associated Press)</figcaption></figure></div><p>The billionaire, who bought X in 2022 with a declared mission to save free speech, although some groups have suggested that <a href=”https://counterhate.com/blog/impact-ccdh-exposed-toxic-twitter/”>harmful content has increased on the site</a>, leading some advertisers to flee. Musk posted a meme on the platform that showed X stood for “free speech and truth” while other social media platforms represented “censorship and propaganda.”</p><p>Musk also wrote that “if ANY country is allowed to censor content for ALL countries, which is what the Australian ‘eSafety Commissar’ is demanding, then what is to stop any country from controlling the entire internet?”</p><div><em><strong>LISTEN l Ottawa tries again on tackling online harms: </strong></em><span><span class=”mediaEmbed”><div class=”player-placeholder-ui-container ” data-cy=”player-placeholder-ui-container”><div class=”player-placeholder-audio-ui ” role=”button” tabindex=”0″ title=”The Liberals’ pitch to regulate online harms” readability=”6″><div class=”player-placeholder-ui” readability=”7″><p><span class=”media-showName”>Front Burner</span><span class=”media-duration”>22:59</span><span class=”media-title”>The Liberals’ pitch to regulate online harms</span></p></div></div></div></span></span></div><h2>’Arrogant billionaire'</h2><p>The pushback sets up a new front in the battle between the world’s largest internet platforms and countries and nonprofits and governments seeking more oversight of the content hosted on them.</p><p>Last month, a U.S. judge threw out a lawsuit by X against the hate speech watchdog, Center for Countering Digital Hate.</p><p>In Australia, the e-safety commissioner fined X the equivalent of $540,000 Cdn last year for failing to co-operate with a probe on anti-child abuse practices; X is fighting that penalty in court.</p><p>Albanese hit back at Musk, saying the country would “do what’s necessary to take on this arrogant billionaire who thinks he’s above the law, but also above common decency.”</p><p>”The idea that someone would go to court for the right to put up violent content on a platform shows how out of touch Mr. Musk is,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.</p><h2>Still viewable in Australia</h2><p>A spokesperson for e-safety commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the takedown notice was for the attack footage only, and not for “commentary, public debate or other posts about this event, even those which may link to extreme violent content.”</p><p>”While it may be difficult to eradicate damaging content from the internet entirely … e-safety requires platforms to do everything practical and reasonable to minimize the harm it may cause to Australians and the Australian community,” the spokesperson added, in a statement.</p><div><em><strong>WATCH l Canadian government proposed Criminal Code changes in online bill:</strong></em> <span><span class=”mediaEmbed”><div class=”player-placeholder-ui-container ” data-cy=”player-placeholder-ui-container”><div class=”player-placeholder-video-ui” title=”Federal government introduces online harms bill” role=”button” tabindex=”0″><div class=”player-placeholder-ui “><div class=”video-item video-card-overlay ” title=”Federal government introduces online harms bill”><div class=”thumbnail-wrapper”><div class=”thumbnail-container”><img src=”https://i.cbc.ca/ais/1.7126556,1717222927537/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C1920%2C1080%29%3BResize%3D%28620%29″ srcset alt class=”thumbnail” loading=”lazy”></div></div><div class=”video-card-overlay-container”><div class=”video-info-container”><h3 class=”video-item-title”>Federal government introduces online harms bill</h3><div class=”video-time-container”><span class=”formattedDate video-time-stamp”>6 months ago</span><div class=”videoTimeLabel “><p><span><span class=”a11y”>Duration </span>4:59</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><span class=”media-caption”>The Liberal government has tabled bill C-63, which aims to protect people — especially children — from harmful content online, including sexual exploitation and hate speech, through the creation of a new regulatory body called the Digital Safety Commission and changes to the Criminal Code.</span></span></span></div><p>Although Musk wrote in another post that X had “blocked the content in question for Australian IP addresses,” the video could be seen on the platform by a Reuters journalist in Australia. An Australian senator also reposted the video on his X account.</p><p>On Tuesday, Facebook and Instagram owner Meta said it had used “internal tools” to detect and block copies of videos of the church attack and an unrelated, deadly stabbing at a shopping mall in Sydney two days earlier.</p><p>Meta said it was removing posts containing “any glorification or praise” of the incidents.</p><p>Alice Dawkins, executive director of internet policy non-profit Reset.Tech Australia, said Musk’s comments fit “the company’s chaotic and negligent approach to the most basic user safety considerations that under previous leadership, the platform used to take seriously.”</p>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 15:14:54 +0000en text/html https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/australia-musk-x-church-stabbing-1.7182017?cmp=rss News/World
Kensington Palace posts birthday photo of Prince Louis, taken by Catherine
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/royal-family-photos-louis-catherine-1.7181913?cmp=rss 1.7181913 <p>Britain’s Prince William and his wife, Catherine, thanked the public for their messages sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son, Louis, on Tuesday.</p><p>The couple, the Prince and Princess of Wales, also issued a picture of Louis on social media to mark the occasion, showing a close-up image of the beaming young prince.</p><p>It’s the first image by the Princess of Wales the palace has distributed since news organizations withdrew a photo edited by Catherine over concerns about digital manipulation. British media reported that the image, which showed the beaming prince in a plaid shirt, had not been edited. </p><p>”Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis! Thank you for all the kind wishes today,” their office Kensington Palace said on X, formerly Twitter, as well as Instagram.</p><div readability=”6.4615384615385″><blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” lang=”en” readability=”6.4615384615385″><p>Happy 6th Birthday, Prince Louis! 🎂<br><br>Thank you for all the kind wishes today.<br><br>📸 The Princess of Wales <a href=”https://t.co/TxshrI3WKO”>pic.twitter.com/TxshrI3WKO</a></p>&mdash;<a href=”https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1782730105678115264″>@KensingtonRoyal</a></blockquote></div><p>The picture was taken by Kate in Windsor, where the family live. Louis is the youngest of their three children, with George, aged 10, and Charlotte due to celebrate her ninth birthday next month.</p><h2>Mother’s Day photo withdrawn by photo agencies</h2><p>Kensington Palace has for some years released photographs taken by Kate, a keen amateur photographer, to mark birthdays and other family occasions.</p><p>However, two images released by Kensington Palace were later found to have been digitally altered — the now-infamous photo of Catherine surrounded by her smiling children on Mother’s Day; and <a href=”https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/royal-family-doctored-photos-1.7148193″>a 2022 image of Queen Elizabeth</a> with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The <a href=”https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/princess-of-wales-photo-manipulation-1.7139966″>former was killed by many photo agencies</a> just hours after they published it. </p><p>By this afternoon, of three of the major photo agencies — Reuters, The Canadian/Associated Press, and Getty — it appeared only The Associated Press picked up the photo of Louis.</p><p>”Getty Images is undertaking a review of handout images and in accordance with its editorial policy is placing an editor’s note on images where the source has suggested they could be digitally enhanced,” a Getty Images spokesperson told CBC News last month.</p><p>The spokesperson clarified that the statement only applies to handouts from the palace. </p><p>A Reuters spokesperson told CBC News last month that the news agency is also updating its procedures related to vetting images from Kensington Palace ”following a second altered photograph being found.”</p><p>Last month, the princess revealed she was having preventive chemotherapy after tests carried out in the wake of major abdominal surgery in January revealed cancer had been present.</p><p>Heir to the throne William has only just returned to official duties since that announcement, and Kate herself will only return to the public spotlight when her medical team say she is well enough to do so.</p><div><em><strong>WATCH | What to know about Catherine’s diagnosis:</strong></em> <span><span class=”mediaEmbed”><div class=”player-placeholder-ui-container ” data-cy=”player-placeholder-ui-container”><div class=”player-placeholder-video-ui” title=”Breaking down Princess Catherine’s cancer diagnosis” role=”button” tabindex=”0″><div class=”player-placeholder-ui “><div class=”video-item video-card-overlay ” title=”Breaking down Princess Catherine’s cancer diagnosis”><div class=”thumbnail-wrapper”><div class=”thumbnail-container”><img src=”https://i.cbc.ca/ais/1.7153409,1717224244230/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C1920%2C1080%29%3BResize%3D%28620%29″ srcset alt class=”thumbnail” loading=”lazy”></div></div><div class=”video-card-overlay-container”><div class=”video-info-container”><h3 class=”video-item-title”>Breaking down Princess Catherine’s cancer diagnosis</h3><div class=”video-time-container”><span class=”formattedDate video-time-stamp”>5 months ago</span><div class=”videoTimeLabel “><p><span><span class=”a11y”>Duration </span>11:33</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><span class=”media-caption”>After frenzied speculation about her health, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, has revealed she’s being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer. Vanity Fair’s Katie Nicholl breaks down what this means for the Royal Family, and oncologist Dr. Sharlene Gill explains what’s involved in preventive chemotherapy.</span></span></span></div>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 13:08:17 +0000en text/html https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/royal-family-photos-louis-catherine-1.7181913?cmp=rss News/World
The first witness in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, testified on Tuesday that he used his supermarket tabloid to suppress stories that might have hurt Trump’s 2016 presidential bid.
Pecker, 72, testified in a New York court that the Enquirer paid two people who were peddling stories of Trump’s sexual misbehaviour but never published them — a practice known as “catch and kill.”
“When someone’s running for public office like this, it is very common for these women to call up a magazine like the National Enquirer to try to sell their stories,” Pecker testified.
Pecker said the decision to bury the stories followed a 2015 meeting at which he told Trump that the Enquirer would publish favourable stories about the billionaire candidate and keep an eye out for people selling stories that might hurt him. He said he told an editor to keep the arrangement secret.
Pecker said the Enquirer paid former Playboy model Karen McDougal for her story of a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006 and 2007. He said he bought the story after Trump refused to do so himself.
“He said that anytime you do anything like this it always gets out,” Pecker said.
WATCH l Highlights from opening statements in historic trial of former president Trump:
Trump’s hush-money trial underway in New York City
4 months ago
Duration 3:03
Former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush-money trial began in earnest on Monday with opening statements and the first witness. Trump is accused of allegedly falsifying business records to cover up paying porn star Stormy Daniels to bury her story about their sexual encounter, which he denies.
The Enquirer’s parent company, American Media, said in 2018 it paid $150,000 for the story. Trump has denied having an affair with McDougal.
The tabloid also paid $30,000 for a story peddled by former Trump Tower doorman Dino Sajudin, who claimed Trump fathered a child with a maid who worked for him. The story turned out not to be true, Pecker said.
Both payments far exceeded the amounts the paper typically paid for stories, he said. “I made the decision to buy the story because of the potential embarrassment it would have to the campaign and Mr. Trump,” Pecker said.
He is expected to testify further when the trial resumes on Thursday.
Prosecutors say Pecker’s actions helped Trump deceive voters in the 2016 election by burying stories of alleged extramarital affairs at a time when he already faced multiple accusations of sexual misbehaviour.
They have charged Trump with criminally falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to buy the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels, who says they had a sexual encounter 10 years earlier.
Trump, left, watches as David Pecker answers questions on the witness stand, far right, from assistant district attorney Joshua Steingless, on Tuesday. (Elizabeth Williams/The Associated Press)
Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies having an encounter with Daniels. His lawyers argue that Trump did not commit any crimes and only acted to protect his reputation.
The case may be the only one of Trump’s four criminal prosecutions to go to trial before the Republican’s Nov. 5 election rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.
A guilty verdict would not bar Trump from taking office but could hurt his candidacy.
‘Losing all credibility’
Pecker’s testimony came after a hearing to consider prosecutors’ request to fine Trump $10,000 for violating a gag order prohibiting him from criticizing witnesses, court officials and their relatives.
Justice Juan Merchan said he would not immediately rule on that request, but he appeared unmoved by Trump defence lawyer Todd Blanche’s arguments that Trump was responding to political attacks, not intimidating witnesses.
“You’ve presented nothing,” Merchan said. “I’ve asked you eight or nine times, show me the exact post he was responding to. You’ve not even been able to do that once.”
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“I have to tell you right now, you’re losing all credibility with the court,” the judge added.
After the session, Trump repeated his claim that the gag order violated his constitutional free speech rights.
“This is a kangaroo court and the judge should recuse himself!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
New York prosecutor Christopher Conroy said Trump has run afoul of the order, pointing to an April 10 Truth Social post that called Daniels and Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen “sleazebags.” Both are expected to testify in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president.
‘He does it anyway’
Conroy said other posts led to media coverage that prompted a juror last week to withdraw over privacy concerns.
“He knows what he’s not allowed to do and he does it anyway,” Conroy said of Trump. “His disobedience of the order is willful. It’s intentional.”
The $10,000 fine sought by Conroy would be a relatively small penalty for Trump, who has posted $266.6 million in bonds as he appeals civil judgments in two other cases.
Conroy said he was not at this point asking Merchan to send Trump to jail for up to 30 days, as New York law allows.
“The defendant seems to be angling for that,” Conroy said.
Blanche said Trump’s posts were responses to political attacks by Cohen and not related to his former lawyer’s expected testimony.
“He’s allowed to respond to political attacks,” Blanche said.
