March 20, 2019
What in the World Wednesdays #12: Teaching Old Toys New Tricks
By: burgundy bug
Miniature farm figurines
Source: Miniature Displays 01 | Penelope Peru Photography P3
On Tuesday, new court documents from the investigation of Michael Cohen were released. He was found guilty of falsifying bank statements and accepted money from an investment firm linked to a Russian national.
Meanwhile, Trump’s attitude towards McCain may have sparked a hate-charged message towards McCain’s wife, Warren wants to do away with the electoral college, Pixar released a new trailer for Toy Story 4, and a woman was punched in the face by a police officer on Saint Patrick’s day.
What in the World of Politics
On Tuesday, new court documents detailing the investigation of President Donald Trump’s ex-personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, were released. Namely, the full report of the first search warrant issued in the case of United States v. Michael Cohen, 18 Mag. 2969, according to the documents submitted by Robert Khuzami, an attorney for the US.
18 Mag. 2969 was issued based on probable cause indicating Cohen was involved in falsifying bank statements and accepting illegal campaign donations.
In the warrant, Cohen’s home and devices are identified. As the investigation progressed, Cohen and his wife Laura were found guilty of misrepresenting information to relieve Cohen of $22 million in taxi medallion loans.
Cohen also hid approximately $6 million ($60,000 per month) from interest he collected on money he lent to another individual.
Much of the investigative reports around the illegal campaign financing have been censored, as the prosecutors with the Southern District of New York believe these documents are not quite ready for the public eye, according to CNN.
“They are not done. We have seen this in filings over and over again,” said Preet Bharara, a former US attorney for the Southern District of New York, to a CNN reporter.
This indirectly implies the campaign finance case is still underway.
However, the warrants do reveal an indirect connection between Cohen and Russia. In 2017, Cohen received over $500,000 from Columbus Nova LLC., an investment firm linked to Russian national Viktor Vekselberg.
“If I was Donald Trump, I would be scared,” said Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, on The Situation Room.
Rep. @tedlieu on the search warrants for the Cohen raid: “If I was Donald Trump, I would be scared because they have information from Michael Cohen from very early on, months before his office was raided. They have emails, they were tracking his incoming, outgoing phone calls.” pic.twitter.com/FrSkXzZ7qU
— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) March 19, 2019
What Else is Going on in the World of Politics?
On Tuesday, Trump said he is “not a fan of John McCain” and never will be, according to NBC News.
“I was never a fan of John McCain and I never will be”
Source: Trump: ‘I was never a fan of John McCain and I never will be’ | NBC News
“I am very unhappy that he didn’t repeal and replace Obamacare,” Trump said. “He campaigned on repealing and replacing Obamacare for years and then it got to a vote and he said, ‘thumbs down.'”
Trump goes on to claim the country would have saved a trillion dollars if McCain had voted to replace Obamacare.
“I think that’s disgraceful,” Trump said. “Plus, there are other things. I was never a fan of John McCain and I never will be.”
Shortly afterwards, McCain’s wife Cindy revealed a hate-charged message she had received on Twitter from a user named Tiffany Nicole following Trump’s statement.
I want to make sure all of you could see how kind and loving a stranger can be. I’m posting her note for her family and friends could see. pic.twitter.com/GoNCm0fv4U
— Cindy McCain (@cindymccain) March 19, 2019
“Your husband was a traitorous piece of warmongering shit,” Nicole wrote. “I’m glad he’s dead.”
Nicole then goes on to say their daughter, Meghan, looks like Ms. Piggy of The Muppets and hopes that she “chokes to death” on a burger.
Meanwhile, the electoral college may be on its way out.
On Monday, Presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) bounced around the idea of abolishing the electoral college during the CNN town hall at Jackson State University.
“Get rid of the electoral college and every vote counts”
Source: Elizabeth Warren: Get rid of the Electoral College | CNN
“We need a constitutional amendment that protects the right to vote for every American citizen and to make sure that vote gets counted,” Warren declared. “We need to put some federal muscle behind that and we need to repeal every one of the voter suppression laws that is out there right now.”
Warren continued to stress the importance of every American citizens’ vote in an election.
“Get rid of the electoral college and every vote counts,” Warren said.
What in the World of Arts and Entertainment
“You can’t teach this old toy new tricks”
Source: Toy Story 4 | Official Trailer | Disney•Pixar
On Tuesday, Pixar released a new trailer for the upcoming film, Toy Story 4.
The trailer introduces new characters, including an existential plastic spork decorated with googly eyes and pipe cleaners, Forky.
“Forky is the most important toy to Bonnie right now,” Woody says to the other characters. “We all have to make sure nothing happens to him.”
Forky was created by Bonnie, the little girl Andy gave his box of toys to at the end of Toy Story 3, but he doesn’t seem too happy about being a toy.
“I am not a toy,” Forky says. “I was made for soup, salad, maybe chilli, and then the trash… Why am I alive?”
The trailer also showcases an empowered Little Bo Peep, who appears to guide Woody in his journey throughout the film.
What Else is Going on in the World
On Saint Patrick’s Day, a police officer was caught punching a woman in the face on video.
[WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT] Police officer punches woman in the face
Source: US police officer punches woman in the face as he arrests her | World news for all
The woman was identified as Dominique Difiore, 20, CBS reports.
Difiore was at a Saint Patrick’s Day celebration near Widener University in Chester, PA, when she allegedly pushed the police officer, who then punched her in the face and arrested her.
“Her whole ear was gushing blood,” said Jaylene Westfall, another individual was arrested, to CBS. “She was nonstop bleeding by the ear. She was in shock.”
Difiore; Westfall, 19; Shawn Connelly, 21; and Tess Herman, 20, were arrested on the accounts of aggravated assault and other alcohol-related offenses.
Currently, Difiore is in custody with a $75,000 bond.
In Conclusion
- On Tuesday, new court documents detailing the first search warrant in the case of United States v. Cohen were released.
- On Tuesday, Trump said that he was never a fan of John McCain. Shortly afterwards, McCain’s wife Cindy received a threatening message on Twitter.
- On Monday, Warren proposed the idea of abolishing the electoral college.
- On Tuesday, Pixar released a new trailer for the upcoming film Toy Story 4.
- On Sunday, a woman in Pennsylvania was punched in the face by a police officer during a Saint Patrick’s Day party near Widener University.
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burgundy bug
https://burgundyzine.com/about/#burgundybugA cynical optimist and mad scientist undercover, burgundy bug is the editor, graphic designer, webmaster, social media manager, and primary photographer for The Burgundy Zine. Entangled in a web of curiosity, burgundy bug’s work embodies a wide variety of topics including: neuroscience, psychology, ecology, biology, cannabis, reviews, fashion, entertainment, and politics. You can learn more about working with burgundy bug by visiting her portfolio website: burgundybug.com
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