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NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump was expected to return to court Thursday morning as witness testimony in his hush money trial enters a third day. The trial resumes at the same time that the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in Washington over whether he should be immune from prosecution for actions he took during his time as president. At his trial in Manhattan, veteran tabloid publisher David Pecker took the stand earlier in the week, testifying about his longtime friendship with the former president and a pledge he made to be the “eyes and ears” of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Pecker, the National Enquirer’s former publisher, said the pledge culminated in an agreement to warn Trump’s personal lawyer about potentially damaging stories and help quash them. Pecker said the tabloid ultimately ran negative stories about Trump’s political opponents and even paid $30,000 for a doorman’s silence. Pecker was expected to return to the stand Thursday. The testimony was sought to bolster prosecutors’ premise that Trump sought to illegally influence the 2016 election through a “catch-and-kill” strategy to buy up and then spike negative stories. Key to that premise are so-called hush money payments that were paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, along with the doorman. Prosecutors say Trump obscured the true nature of those payments and falsely recorded them as legal expenses. He has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The case is the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president and the first of four prosecutions of Trump to reach a jury. Currently: — No one is above the law. Supreme Court will decide if that includes Trump while he was president — Trump trial day 6 highlights: David Pecker testifies on ‘catch-and-kill’ scheme — Key players: Who’s who at Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial — The hush money case is just one of Trump’s legal cases. See the others here Here’s the latest: David Pecker, formerly the publisher of the National Enquirer, took the stand both Monday and Tuesday and testified about how his longtime friendship with the former president culminated in an agreement to warn Donald Trump’s personal lawyer about stories that could damage the White House hopeful’s 2016 campaign and help quash them. Pecker told the court that the agreement followed an August 2015 meeting with Trump, Michael Cohen and Hope Hicks. He further testified that he told the National Enquirer bureau chiefs to be on the lookout for any stories involving Trump and said he wanted them to verify the stories before alerting Cohen. “I told him that we are going to try to help the campaign and to do that I want to keep this as quiet as possible,” Pecker testified. “I did not want anyone else to know this agreement I had and what I wanted to do.” Donald Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records — a charge punishable by up to four years in prison — though it’s not clear if the judge would seek to put him behind bars. A conviction would not preclude Trump from becoming president again, but because it is a state case, he would not be able to pardon himself if found guilty. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Judge Juan M. Merchan has yet to rule on whether or not Donald Trump violated a gag order barring him from making public statements about witnesses in his hush money case. Merchan held a hearing Tuesday on prosecutors’ earlier request that Trump be held in contempt of court and fined at least $3,000 for allegedly violating his gag order. Prosecutors cited 10 posts on Trump’s social media account and campaign website that they said breached the order, which bars him from making public statements about witnesses in the case. They called the posts a “deliberate flouting” of the court’s order. In one post, from April 10, Trump described his former lawyer-turned-foe Michael Cohen and porn actor Stormy Daniels as “two sleaze bags who have, with their lies and misrepresentations, cost our Country dearly!” Prosecutors are seeking a $1,000 fine — the maximum allowed by law — for each of the first three alleged violations. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has a great economic story to tell voters a decade from now, less so in 2024. On Thursday, the Democratic president will head to upstate New York to celebrate Micron Technology’s plans to build a campus of computer chip factories made possible in part with government support. But the initial phase of the project would open the first plant in 2028 and the second plant in 2029, with more time expected for the next two factories to be completed. Staring down a rematch with Republican Donald Trump, Biden is asking voters to believe in a vision for the U.S. economy that is still largely a promise. This at a moment when voters are most worried about enduring pressures from high inflation, which have led most to rate Biden poorly on the economy. Biden is campaigning on the future, just as Trump, the former president, taps into a past when U.S. manufacturing was the world standard. The Democrat is trying to convince voters to think about how historians will later recall his presidency. “We’re going to look back on this 20 years from now and be talking about what a revolutionary period this was for the country,” Biden told unionized electricians last week. “We’re going to make a real gigantic difference.” It’s a unique message in an era of near-instant gratification. Compared to when Biden began in politics in the 1970s, people can immediately stream music and videos on their smart phones, order a pizza with finger swipe or text a friend thousands of miles away. Trump, for his part, is telling voters that Biden’s policies will hurt jobs tied to making gasoline-powered autos and ultimately send work to China. On Tuesday, he vented about how the rising value of the dollar against foreign currencies would hobble U.S. manufacturing by making American-made goods too costly. “It sounds good to stupid people, but it is a disaster for our manufacturers and others,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “They are actually unable to compete and will be forced to either lose lots of business, or build plants, or whatever, in the ‘smart’ Countries.” The former president at a recent Pennsylvania rally lamented the loss of factory jobs that once made the United States “the greatest country in the history of the world,” saying that the country has since “lost its confidence, willpower and sight.” The Biden administration helped jumpstart the Micron project by agreeing to provide $6.1 billion in government support that will also cover a memory chip factory in Idaho that would be operating in 2026. The money also helps pay for the first two factories in Clay, New York, but not the second pair to be opened later. The funding is part of the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act that, along with the administration’s funding for renewable energy projects, has boosted factory construction spending to record levels. There are also factories planned by Intel in Arizona and Ohio, TSMC in Arizona, Samsung in Texas and other chipmakers. Their efforts will power artificial intelligence and electric vehicles, among other technologies that Biden believes will cement America’s position as the world’s largest economy. Biden has gone to Arizona and Ohio to celebrate chip factories and previously went to New York in 2022 for the Micron project. For decades, voters have heard politicians pledging a manufacturing boom without much to show for it. Factory employment peaked in the late 1970s and has steadily drifted downward because of automation, outsourcing to cheap countries and the closures that come with each recession. In celebrating the Micron project, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, noted that Trump, while president, famously told voters that electronics maker Foxconn would open a sprawling set of factories in Wisconsin. At the time, Trump took a victory lap, saying that the Taiwan-headquartered company would be bringing manufacturing jobs to the United States. “I will tell you they wouldn’t have done it here, except that I became president, so that’s good,” Trump said in June 2018. That project notoriously flamed out, feeding a sense of cynicism about what the government can do. Microsoft agreed in 2023 to buy the land for a data center after Foxconn failed to deliver on its 13,000 promised jobs. Schumer said an interview that voters will find that this time is different, predicting they will see the United States as pulling ahead of China on the technologies that are essential for national security and economic growth, allowing more jobs and needed technology to stay in America. “We want to be proud of our economy and there was too much of a feeling that we were losing out to China and other countries,” Schumer said. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

By Andrew Goudsward WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on Thursday on Donald Trump’s claim that he enjoys sweeping immunity from criminal prosecution for actions he took as president, a claim that has delayed by months a case accusing him of trying to overturn his 2020 defeat. Here is a look at why Trump’s claims have delayed a trial and what is likely to happen next: WHY HAS THE IMMUNITY APPEAL DELAYED THE ELECTION SUBVERSION CASE? The federal case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith charging Trump with trying to overturn his election defeat — one of four criminal cases the Republican presidential candidate faces — has been paused since December while the immunity argument plays out.  Criminal defendants are not usually able to appeal court rulings until after a trial if they are convicted, but Trump was able to file an immediate appeal because the immunity argument bears on whether he must even face a trial. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the case, granted Trump’s request for a pause while his appeal plays out, and prosecutors acknowledged the issue would need to be resolved before Trump can face a jury. The March 4 trial initially scheduled in the case was postponed; no new date has been set. WHY IS TRUMP SEEKING DELAY? If Trump wins the Nov. 5 election, he could order the U.S. Justice Department to drop its election subversion case, and another case involving his mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House. He could also try to use his powers as president to pardon himself of any federal crimes. Delaying the trial until after the election would also prevent voters from hearing potentially damaging testimony about Trump’s refusal to accept his defeat in 2020 and his attempts to hold on to power. HOW MIGHT THE SUPREME COURT RULE? If a majority of the Supreme Court, whose 6-3 conservative majority includes three Trump appointees, agrees with Trump’s claim, it could decide to dismiss the case in its entirety. The justices could also adopt the position of lower courts and find that Trump has no immunity from the charges, setting the stage for a trial. A third option would recognize that presidents may be protected from prosecution in some circumstances and direct the trial court to determine whether that immunity applies to the allegations against Trump.  That outcome could prompt further delays as the trial judge decides whether parts of the prosecution’s case will need to be tossed out. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE COURT RULES? The court is expected to release its decision by June and if it does not order the case dismissed, the prosecution would resume. Chutkan, the judge, has signaled that Trump’s legal team will likely have about three months to prepare his defense after that, which could leave Chutkan to decide whether to schedule a trial beginning in September or even October — when early voting will be underway in some states. Trump’s lawyers are likely to argue that trying the case at the peak of the presidential campaign would amount to election interference.  Prosecutors have argued the public has a right to a speedy trial. The Supreme Court could throw another wrinkle into the case with its ruling on a separate case on whether a federal obstruction law applies to participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Two of the counts against Trump relate to that law and Trump’s role in the riot. Prosecutors have argued that the charges against Trump could survive even a narrower interpretation of the law, but it will be up to the judge to decide what impact the Supreme Court’s opinion will have on Trump’s case. COULD THE IMMUNITY RULING AFFECT OTHER CRIMINAL CASES AGAINST TRUMP?  Trump has made presidential immunity claims in two other criminal cases, a state prosecution accusing him of attempting to overturn the election results in Georgia and the federal case over mishandling classified documents.  A ruling that Trump is entitled to some legal protection for official actions could complicate those cases. Prosecutors have called Trump’s immunity argument in the classified documents case frivolous, noting that the charges relate to Trump’s conduct after he left the White House in 2021. An opinion denying Trump’s immunity claim would remove a significant hurdle for prosecutors in both cases, blunting Trump’s attempts at further delaying the trials.  The ruling would not affect the ongoing criminal trial in New York over hush money payments to a porn star, which does not involve official actions Trump took as president. (Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

By Jack Queen (Reuters) – Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is set to resume in New York on Thursday with a former tabloid publisher testifying about efforts to help Trump’s 2016 presidential bid by burying negative stories, including an alleged affair with a former Playboy model. Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, 72, is a key witness in the case against the former U.S. president, who is accused of falsifying business records documenting a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an affair she said she had with Trump in 2006. Pecker, who has not been charged with a crime, testified on Tuesday that the Enquirer paid two people for stories of Trump’s alleged sexual misbehavior but never published them — a practice known as “catch and kill.” He is expected to testify on Thursday about a similar payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said she had a yearlong affair with Trump in 2006 and 2007. McDougal is also expected to testify during the trial, along with Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who says he arranged the Daniels payment and was reimbursed by Trump. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts and denied having an affair with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. He has also denied having an affair with McDougal. Hush money payments themselves are not illegal, and Trump’s lawyers have argued the Daniels payout was personal and unrelated to his campaign. Prosecutors say the payment was a campaign expense that should have been disclosed and that Trump’s arrangement with the Enquirer deceived voters by suppressing stories of alleged extramarital affairs at a time when he faced accusations of sexual misbehavior. The trial is the first of a past or present U.S. president and carries political risks for Trump as he prepares for a November rematch with President Joe Biden and fends off three other criminal indictments, all of which he has pleaded not guilty to. Also on Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear Trump’s arguments that he is immune from prosecution for actions taken as president, an appeal that has held up his prosecution on charges related to his attempts to reverse his 2020 election defeat. Trump, who is required to be present for the New York trial, previously asked for permission to attend the Supreme Court arguments, but his request was rejected by Justice Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the criminal case. Trump has also complained that the trial, which began on April 15 and is expected to last six to eight weeks, is preventing him from campaigning, though he uses his courthouse appearances as mini-stump speeches. Merchan has imposed a limited gag order on Trump that bars him from publicly attacking witnesses, jurors and other people close to the case, including court staff and their families. Prosecutors have asked Merchan to fine Trump $1,000 apiece for 10 social media posts they said violated the order, including one where he called Cohen and Daniels “sleazebags.” Trump has said the gag order violates his right to free speech and says he is being treated unfairly by Merchan. (Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Biden administration on Thursday announced it has finalized rules targeting carbon, air and water pollution from power plants that it says could cut over 1 billion metric tons from carbon emissions by 2047 even as demand for electricity grows. The Environmental Protection Agency tightened a proposal to slash carbon emissions from existing coal and new gas plants, and updated and finalized long-standing rules to reduce mercury and toxic air pollutants and clean up wastewater and coal ash discharge. “EPA is cutting pollution while ensuring that power companies can make smart investments and continue to deliver reliable electricity for all Americans,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. Regan had said in 2022 he intended take on several regulations together to reduce carbon emissions from power plants, and help states, utilities and plant operators make better investment and plant retirement decisions. The new rules come as electric utilities brace for a spike in demand from data centers powering technology like generative AI, as well as from the growth of electric vehicles. The United States is projected this year to add more electric generation capacity than it has done in two decades, with 96% being clean energy, White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi told reporters. Among the changes the EPA made to the carbon rule is dropping hydrogen as a “best system of emission reduction” for gas plants to achieve new standards. Now it is just carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) that could be used for the longest-running existing coal units and new gas turbines that run more than 40% of the time. The EPA initially proposed that the standards apply to plants that run more than 50% of the time. The agency also said coal plants that plan to run past 2039 will be required to install CCS technology starting in 2032 in the final rule. It had initially proposed requiring CCS for plants that will be running past 2040. The Edison Electric Institute, an investor-owned utility trade group, said it appreciated EPA’s approach of bundling the different pollution rules to ease compliance, but was disappointed the agency didn’t heed its concerns around CCS viability. “CCS is not yet ready for full-scale, economy-wide deployment, nor is there sufficient time to permit, finance, and build the CCS infrastructure needed for compliance by 2032,” EEI President Dan Brouillette said. Regan told reporters the agency was confident in the technology, which has been bolstered by Inflation Reduction Act tax incentives, and support from “multiple power companies.” The agency also said it has launched a process to get feedback on how to reduce carbon emissions from existing gas plants. The EPA removed coverage of existing gas plants from the initial proposal last month and gave no new timeline for developing a rule to cover the current fleet. The EPA also reduced mercury emissions limits for lignite coal plants by 70% and emissions limits associated with toxic metals by 67%, the first update of that rule since 2012, while also finalizing measures that would eliminate 660 million pounds of pollution per year being discharged into U.S. waterways and protect communities from coal ash contamination. Environmental groups praised the rules for helping to drive down power sector emissions alongside the IRA, putting the administration closer to its goal of net-zero emissions in the sector by 2035. “The age of unbridled climate pollution from power plants is over,” said Manish Bapna, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito, top Republican on the Senate environment committee, said she plans to introduce a resolution aiming to overturn the rules. “President Biden has inexplicably doubled down on his plans to shut down the backbone of America’s electric grid through unachievable regulatory mandates,” she said. (Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Tom Hogue) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com