thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Trump’s taxes show chronic losses and years of income tax avoidance

Donald Trump paid $ 750 ( U.S. ) in federal income taxes the year he won the presidency .
In his first year in the White House , he paid another $ 750 .
He had paid no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years — largely because he reported losing much more money than he made .
As the president wages a re-election campaign that polls say he is in danger of losing , his finances are under stress , beset by losses and hundreds of millions of dollars in debt coming due that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him is a decadelong audit battle with the Internal Revenue Service over the legitimacy of a $ 72.9-million tax refund that he claimed , and received , after declaring huge losses .
An adverse ruling could cost him more than $ 100 million .
The tax returns that Trump has long fought to keep private tell a story fundamentally different from the one he has sold to the American public .
His reports to the IRS portray a businessman who takes in hundreds of millions of dollars a year yet racks up chronic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paying taxes .
Now , with his financial challenges mounting , the records show that he depends more and more on making money from businesses that put him in potential and often direct conflict of interest with his job as president .
The New York Times has obtained tax-return data extending over more than two decades for Trump and the hundreds of companies that make up his business organization , including detailed information from his first two years in office .
It does not include his personal returns for 2018 or 2019 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times ’ findings ; additional articles will be published in the coming weeks .
The returns are some of the most sought-after , and speculated-about , records in recent memory .
In Trump ’ s nearly four years in office — and across his endlessly hyped decades in the public eye — journalists , prosecutors , opposition politicians and conspiracists have , with limited success , sought to excavate the enigmas of his finances .
By their very nature , the filings will leave many questions unanswered , many questioners unfulfilled .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the IRS , not the findings of an independent financial examination .
They report that Trump owns hundreds of millions of dollars in valuable assets , but they do not reveal his true wealth .
Nor do they reveal any previously unreported connections to Russia .
In response to a letter summarizing The Times ’ findings , Alan Garten , a lawyer for the Trump Organization , said that “ most , if not all , of the facts appear to be inaccurate ” and requested the documents on which they were based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the records , in order to protect its sources , Garten took direct issue only with the amount of taxes Trump had paid .
“ Over the past decade , President Trump has paid tens of millions of dollars in personal taxes to the federal government , including paying millions in personal taxes since announcing his candidacy in 2015 , ” Garten said in a statement .
With the term “ personal taxes , ” however , Garten appears to be conflating income taxes with other federal taxes Trump has paid — Social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ household employees .
Garten also asserted that some of what the president owed was “ paid with tax credits , ” a misleading characterization of credits , which reduce a business owner ’ s income-tax bill as a reward for various activities , like historic preservation .
The tax data examined by The Times provides a road map of revelations , from writeoffs for the cost of a criminal defence lawyer and a mansion used as a family retreat to a full accounting of the millions of dollars the president received from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Together with related financial documents and legal filings , the records offer the most detailed look yet inside the president ’ s business empire .
They reveal the hollowness , but also the wizardry , behind the self-made-billionaire image — honed through his star turn on “ The Apprentice ” — that helped propel him to the White House and that still undergirds the loyalty of many in his base .
Ultimately , Trump has been more successful playing a business mogul than being one in real life .
“ The Apprentice , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deals that flowed from his expanding celebrity , brought Trump a total of $ 427.4 million , The Times ’ analysis of the records found .
He invested much of that in a collection of businesses , mostly golf courses , that in the years since have steadily devoured cash — much as the money he secretly received from his father financed a spree of quixotic overspending that led to his collapse in the early 1990s .
Indeed , his financial condition when he announced his run for president in 2015 lends some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign was at least in part a gambit to reanimate the marketability of his name .
As the legal and political battles over access to his tax returns have intensified , Trump has often wondered aloud why anyone would even want to see them .
“ There ’ s nothing to learn from them , ” he told The Associated Press in 2016 .
There is far more useful information , he has said , in the annual financial disclosures required of him as president — which he has pointed to as evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and immensely profitable , business universe .
In fact , those public filings offer a distorted picture of his financial state , since they simply report revenue , not profit .
In 2018 , for example , Trump announced in his disclosure that he had made at least $ 434.9 million .
The tax records deliver a very different portrait of his bottom line : $ 47.4 million in losses .
Tax records do not have the specificity to evaluate the legitimacy of every business expense Trump claims to reduce his taxable income @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his returns , the general and administrative expenses at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey increased fivefold from 2016 to 2017 .
And he has previously bragged that his ability to get by without paying taxes “ makes me smart , ” as he said in 2016 .
But the returns , by his own account , undercut his claims of financial acumen , showing that he is simply pouring more money into many businesses than he is taking out .
The picture that perhaps emerges most starkly from the mountain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s accountants is of a businessman-president in a tightening financial vise .
Most of Trump ’ s core enterprises — from his constellation of golf courses to his conservative-magnet hotel in Washington — report losing millions , if not tens of millions , of dollars year after year .
His revenue from “ The Apprentice ” and from licensing deals is drying up , and several years ago he sold nearly all the stocks that now might have helped him plug holes in his struggling properties .
And within the next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million in loans — obligations for which he is personally responsible — will come due .
Against that backdrop , the records go much further toward revealing the actual and potential conflicts of interest created by Trump ’ s refusal to divest himself of his business interests while in the White House .
His properties have become bazaars for collecting money directly from lobbyists , foreign officials and others seeking face time , access or favour ; the records for the first time put precise dollar figures on those transactions .
At the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a flood of new members starting in 2015 allowed him to pocket an additional $ 5 million a year from the business .
In 2017 , the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association paid at least $ 397,602 to the Washington hotel , where the group held at least one event during its four-day World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians .
The Times was also able to take the fullest measure to date of the president ’ s income from overseas , where he holds ultimate sway over American diplomacy .
When he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursue no new foreign deals as president .
Even so , in his first two years in the White House , his revenue from abroad totalled $ 73 million .
And while much of that money was from his golf properties in Scotland and Ireland , some came from licensing deals in countries with authoritarian-leaning leaders or thorny geopolitics — for example , $ 3 million from the Philippines , $ 2.3 million from India and $ 1 million from Turkey .
He reported paying taxes , in turn , on a number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the president ’ s $ 750 contribution to the operations of the U.S. government was dwarfed by the $ 15,598 he or his companies paid in Panama , the $ 145,400 in India and the $ 156,824 in the Philippines .
Trump ’ s U.S. payment , after factoring in his losses , was roughly equivalent , in dollars not adjusted for inflation , to another presidential tax bill revealed nearly a half-century before .
In 1973 , The Providence Journal reported that , after a charitable deduction for donating his presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 792.81 in 1970 on income of about $ 200,000 .
The leak of Nixon ’ s small tax payment caused a precedent-setting uproar : Henceforth , presidents , and presidential candidates , would make their tax returns available for the American people to see .
“ I would love to do that , ” Trump said in 2014 when asked whether he would release his taxes if he ran for president .
He ’ s been backpedalling ever since .
When he ran , he said he might make his taxes public if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deleted emails from her private server — an echo of his taunt , while stoking the birther fiction , that he might release the returns if president Barack Obama released his birth certificate .
He once boasted that his tax returns were “ very big ” and “ beautiful.
” But making them public ?
“ It ’ s very complicated.
” He often claims that he can not do so while under audit — an argument refuted by his own IRS commissioner .
When prosecutors and congressional investigators issued subpoenas for his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ private lawyers but also the power of his Justice Department to stalemate them all the way to the Supreme Court .
Trump ’ s elaborate dance and defiance have only stoked suspicion about what secrets might lie hidden in his taxes .
Is there a financial clue to his deference to Russia and its president , Vladimir Putin ?
Did he write off as a business expense the hush-money payment to the pornographic film star Stormy Daniels in the days before the 2016 election ?
Did a covert source of money feed his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mid-2000s ?
The Times examined and analyzed the data from thousands of individual and business tax returns for 2000 through 2017 , along with additional tax information from other years .
The trove included years of employee compensation information and records of cash payments between the president and his businesses , as well as information about ongoing federal audits of his taxes .
This article also draws upon dozens of interviews and previously unreported material from other sources , both public and confidential .
All of the information The Times obtained was provided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While most of the tax data has not previously been made public , The Times was able to verify portions of it by comparing it with publicly available information and confidential records previously obtained by The Times .
To delve into the records is to see up close the complex structure of the president ’ s business interests — and the depth of his entanglements .
What is popularly known as the Trump Organization is in fact a collection of more than 500 entities , virtually all of them wholly owned by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For example , 105 of them are a variation of the name Trump Marks , which he uses for licensing deals .
Fragments of Trump ’ s tax returns have leaked out before .
Transcripts of his main federal tax form , the 1040 , from 1985 to 1994 , were obtained by The Times in 2019 .
They showed that , in many years , Trump lost more money than nearly any other individual American taxpayer .
Three pages of his 1995 returns , mailed anonymously to The Times during the 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ losses of $ 915.7 million , giving him a tax deduction that could have allowed him to avoid federal income taxes for almost two decades .
Five months later , the journalist David Cay Johnston obtained two pages of Trump ’ s returns from 2005 ; that year , his fortunes had rebounded to the point that he was paying taxes .
The vast new trove of information analyzed by The Times completes the recurring pattern of ascent and decline that has defined the president ’ s career .
Even so , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not , for example , record net worth — in Trump ’ s case , a topic of much posturing and almost as much debate .
The documents chart a great churn of money , but while returns report debts , they often do not identify lenders .
The data contains no new revelations about the $ 130,000 payment to Stephanie Clifford , the actor who performs as Stormy Daniels — the focus of the Manhattan district attorney ’ s subpoena for Trump ’ s tax returns and other financial information .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michael Cohen , who made the payoff , but the materials obtained by The Times did not include any itemized payments to Cohen .
The amount , however , could have been improperly included in legal fees written off as a business expense , which are not required to be itemized on tax returns .
No subject has provoked more intense speculation about Trump ’ s finances than his connection to Russia .
While the tax records revealed no previously unknown financial connection — and , for the most part , lack the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did shed new light on the money behind the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow , a subject of enduring intrigue because of subsequent investigations into Russia ’ s interference in the 2016 election .
The records show that the pageant was the most profitable Miss Universe during Trump ’ s time as co-owner and that it generated a personal payday of $ 2.3 million — made possible , at least in part , by the Agalarov family , who would later help set up the infamous 2016 meeting between Trump campaign officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a Russian lawyer connected to the Kremlin .
In August , the Senate intelligence committee released a report that looked extensively into the circumstances of the Moscow pageant and revealed that as recently as February , investigators subpoenaed Russian singer Emin Agalarov , who was involved in planning it .
Agalarov ’ s father , Aras , a billionaire who boasts of close ties to Putin , was Trump ’ s partner in the event .
The committee interviewed a top Miss Universe executive , Paula Shugart , who said the Agalarovs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family business , Crocus Group , paid a $ 6 million licensing fee and another $ 6 million in expenses .
But while the pageant proved to be a financial loss for the Agalarovs — they recouped only $ 2 million — Shugart told investigators that it was “ one of the most lucrative deals ” the Miss Universe organization ever made , according to the report .
That is borne out by the tax records .
They show that in 2013 , the pageant reported $ 31.6 million in gross receipts — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — allowing Trump and his co-owner , NBC , to split profits of $ 4.7 million .
By comparison , Trump and NBC shared losses of $ 2 million from the pageant the year before the Moscow event , and $ 3.8 million from the one the year after .
While Trump criss-crossed the country in 2015 describing himself as uniquely qualified to be president because he was “ really rich ” and had “ built a great company , ” his accountants back in New York were busy putting the finishing touches @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tabulating all the profits and losses from Trump ’ s various endeavours on Form 1040 , the accountants came to Line 56 , where they had to enter the total income tax the candidate was required to pay .
They needed space for only a single figure .
For Trump , that bottom line must have looked familiar .
It was the fourth year in a row that he had not paid a penny of federal income taxes .
Trump ’ s avoidance of income taxes is one of the most striking discoveries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vast wash of income itemized elsewhere in those filings .
Trump ’ s net income from his fame — his 50 per cent share of “ The Apprentice , ” together with the riches showered upon him by the scores of suitors paying to use his name — totalled $ 427.4 million through 2018 .
A further $ 176.5 million in profit came to him through his investment in two highly successful office buildings .
So how did he escape nearly all taxes on that fortune ?
Even the effective tax rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Americans could have caused him to pay more than $ 100 million .
The answer rests in a third category of Trump ’ s endeavours : businesses that he owns and runs himself .
The collective and persistent losses he reported from them largely absolved him from paying federal income taxes on the $ 600 million from “ The Apprentice , ” branding deals and investments .
That equation is a key element of the alchemy of Trump ’ s finances : using the proceeds of his celebrity to purchase and prop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ losses to avoid taxes .
Throughout his career , Trump ’ s business losses have often accumulated in sums larger than could be used to reduce taxes on other income in a single year .
But the tax code offers a workaround : With some restrictions , business owners can carry forward leftover losses to reduce taxes in future years .
That provision has been the background music to Trump ’ s life .
As The Times ’ previous reporting on his 1995 return showed , the nearly $ 1 billion in losses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deduction that he could use for up to 18 years going forward .
The newer tax returns show that Trump burned through the last of the tax-reducing power of that $ 1 billion in 2005 , just as a torrent of entertainment riches began coming his way following the debut of “ The Apprentice ” the year before .
For 2005 through 2007 , cash from licensing deals and endorsements filled Trump ’ s bank accounts with $ 120 million in pure profit .
With no prior-year losses left to reduce his taxable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taxes for the first time in his life : a total of $ 70.1 million .
As his celebrity income swelled , Trump went on a buying spree unlike any he had had since the 1980s , when eager banks and his father ’ s wealth allowed him to buy or build the casinos , airplanes , yacht and old hotel that would soon lay him low .
When “ The Apprentice ” premiered , Trump had opened only two golf courses and was renovating two more .
By the end of 2015 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transforming the Old Post Office building in Washington into a Trump International Hotel .
But rather than making him wealthier , the tax records reveal as never before , each new acquisition only fed the downward draft on his bottom line .
Consider the results at his largest golf resort , Trump National Doral , near Miami .
Trump bought the resort for $ 150 million in 2012 ; through 2018 , his losses have totalled $ 162.3 million .
He has pumped $ 213 million of fresh cash into Doral , tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 125 million mortgage balance coming due in three years .
His three courses in Europe — two in Scotland and one in Ireland — have reported a combined $ 63.6 million in losses .
Overall , since 2000 , Trump has reported losses of $ 315.6 million at the golf courses that are his prized possessions .
For all of its Trumpworld allure , his Washington hotel , opened in 2016 , has not fared much better .
Its tax records show losses through 2018 of $ 55.5 million .
And Trump Corp. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has reported losing $ 134 million since 2000 .
Trump personally bankrolled the losses year after year , marking his cash infusions as a loan with an ever-increasing balance , his tax records show .
In 2016 , he gave up on getting paid back and turned the loan into a cash contribution .
Trump has often posited that his losses are more accounting magic than actual money out the door .
Last year , after The Times published details of his tax returns from the 1980s and 1990s , he attributed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a tweet would show “ losses in almost all cases ” and that “ much was non monetary.
” “ I love depreciation , ” Trump said during a presidential debate in 2016 .
Depreciation , though , is not a magic wand — it involves real money spent or borrowed to buy buildings or other assets that are expected to last years .
Those costs must be spread out as expenses and deducted over the useful life of the asset .
Even so , the rules do hold particular advantages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are allowed to use their real estate losses to reduce their taxable income from other activities .
What the tax records for Trump ’ s businesses show , however , is that he has lost chunks of his fortune even before depreciation is figured in .
The three European golf courses , the Washington hotel , Doral and Trump Corp. reported losing a total of $ 150.3 million from 2010 through 2018 , without including depreciation as an expense .
To see what a successful business looks like , depreciation or not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s portfolio that he does not manage .
After plans for a Trump-branded minicity on the Far West Side of Manhattan stalled in the 1990s , Trump ’ s stake was sold by his partner to Vornado Realty Trust .
Trump objected to the sale in court , saying he had not been consulted , but he ended up with a 30 per cent share of two valuable office buildings owned and operated by Vornado .
His share of the profits through the end of 2018 totalled $ 176.5 million , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never had to invest more money in the partnership , tax records show .
Among businesses he runs , Trump ’ s first success remains his best .
The retail and commercial spaces at Trump Tower , completed in 1983 , have reliably delivered more than $ 20 million a year in profits , a total of $ 336.3 million since 2000 that has done much to help keep him afloat .
Trump has an established track record of stiffing his lenders .
But the tax returns reveal that he has failed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ known : a total of $ 287 million since 2010 .
The IRS considers forgiven debt to be income , but Trump was able to avoid taxes on much of that money by reducing his ability to declare future business losses .
For the rest , he took advantage of a provision of the Great Recession bailout that allowed income from cancelled debt to be completely deferred for five years , then spread out evenly over the next five .
He declared the first $ 28.2 million in 2014 .
Once again , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsibilities .
He paid no federal income taxes for 2014 .
Trump was periodically required to pay a parallel income tax called the alternative minimum tax , created as a tripwire to prevent wealthy people from using huge deductions , including business losses , to entirely wipe out their tax liabilities .
Trump paid alternative minimum tax in seven years between 2000 and 2017 — a total of $ 24.3 million , excluding refunds he received after filing .
For 2015 , he paid $ 641,931 , his first payment of any federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ settled into the Oval Office , his tax bills soon returned to form .
His potential taxable income in 2016 and 2017 included $ 24.8 million in profits from sources related to his celebrity status and $ 56.4 million for the loans he did not repay .
The dreaded alternative minimum tax would let his business losses erase only some of his liability .
Each time , he requested an extension to file his 1040 ; and each time , he made the required payment to the IRS for income taxes he might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and $ 4.2 million for 2017 .
But virtually all of that liability was washed away when he eventually filed , and most of the payments were rolled forward to cover potential taxes in future years .
To cancel out the tax bills , Trump made use of $ 9.7 million in business investment credits , at least some of which related to his renovation of the Old Post Office hotel , which qualified for a historic-preservation tax break .
Although he had more than enough credits to owe no taxes at all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out an allowance for a small tax liability for both 2016 and 2017 .
When they got to line 56 , the one for income taxes due , the amount was the same each year : $ 750 .
Testifying before Congress in February 2019 , the president ’ s estranged personal lawyer , Cohen , recalled Trump ’ s showing him a huge cheque from the U.S. Treasury some years earlier and musing “ that he could not believe how stupid the government was for giving someone like him that much money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show that starting in 2010 he claimed , and received , an income tax refund totalling $ 72.9 million — all the federal income tax he had paid for 2005 through 2008 , plus interest .
The legitimacy of that refund is at the centre of the audit battle that he has long been waging , out of public view , with the IRS .
The records that The Times reviewed square with the way Trump has repeatedly cited , without explanation , an ongoing audit as grounds for refusing to release his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as recently as July on Fox News , when he told Sean Hannity , “ They treat me horribly , the IRS , horribly.
” And while the records do not lay out all the details of the audit , they match his lawyers ’ statement during the 2016 campaign that audits of his returns for 2009 and subsequent years remained open , and involved “ transactions or activities that were also reported on returns for 2008 and earlier.
” Trump harvested that refund bonanza by declaring huge business losses — a total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses for 2008 and 2009 — that tax laws had prevented him from using in prior years .
But to turn that long arc of failure into a giant refund cheque , he relied on some deft accounting footwork and an unwitting gift from an unlikely source — Obama .
Business losses can work like a tax-avoidance coupon : A dollar lost on one business reduces a dollar of taxable income from elsewhere .
The types and amounts of income that can be used in a given year vary , depending on an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some losses can be saved for later use , or even used to request a refund on taxes paid in a prior year .
Until 2009 , those coupons could be used to wipe away taxes going back only two years .
But that November , the window was more than doubled by a little-noticed provision in a bill Obama signed as part of the Great Recession recovery effort .
Now business owners could request full refunds of taxes paid in the prior four years and 50 per cent of those from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no income taxes in 2008 .
But the change meant that when he filed his taxes for 2009 , he could seek a refund of not just the $ 13.3 million he had paid in 2007 but also the combined $ 56.9 million paid in 2005 and 2006 , when “ The Apprentice ” created what was likely the biggest income tax bite of his life .
The records reviewed by The Times indicate that Trump filed for the first of several tranches of his refund several weeks later , in January 2010 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refer to as a “ quickie refund , ” a cheque processed in 90 days on a tentative basis , pending an audit by the IRS .
His total federal income tax refund would eventually grow to $ 70.1 million , plus $ 2,733,184 in interest .
He also received $ 21.2 million in state and local refunds , which often piggyback on federal filings .
Whether Trump gets to keep the cash , though , remains far from a sure thing .
Refunds require the approval of IRS auditors and an opinion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a bipartisan panel better known for reviewing the impact of tax legislation .
Tax law requires the committee to weigh in on all refunds larger than $ 2 million to individuals .
Records show that the results of an audit of Trump ’ s refund were sent to the joint committee in the spring of 2011 .
An agreement was reached in late 2014 , the documents indicate , but the audit resumed and grew to include Trump ’ s returns for 2010 through 2013 .
In the spring of 2016 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nomination , the case was sent back to the committee .
It has remained there , unresolved , with the statute of limitations repeatedly pushed forward .
Precisely why the case has stalled is not clear .
But experts say it suggests that the gap between the sides remains wide .
If negotiations were to deadlock , the case would move to federal court , where it could become a matter of public record .
The dispute may centre on a single claim that jumps off the page of Trump ’ s 2009 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than $ 700 million in business losses that he had not been allowed to use in prior years .
Unleashing that giant tax-avoidance coupon enabled him to receive some or all of his refund .
The material obtained by The Times does not identify the business or businesses that generated those losses .
But the losses were a kind that can be claimed only when partners give up their interest in a business .
And in 2009 , Trump parted ways with a giant money loser : his long-failing Atlantic City casinos .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ offer to buy them out , and with a third round of bankruptcy only a week away , Trump announced in February 2009 that he was quitting the board of directors .
“ If I ’ m not going to run it , I don ’ t want to be involved in it , ” he told The Associated Press .
“ I ’ m one of the largest developers in the world .
I have a lot of cash and plenty of places I can go.
” The same day , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had “ determined that his partnership interests are worthless and lack potential to regain value ” and was “ hereby abandoning ” his stake .
The language was crucial .
Trump was using the precise wording of IRS rules governing the most beneficial , and perhaps aggressive , method for business owners to avoid taxes when separating from a business .
A partner who walks away from a business with nothing — what tax laws refer to as abandonment — can suddenly declare all the losses on the business that could not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are a few catches , including this : Abandonment is essentially an all-or-nothing proposition .
If the IRS learns that the owner received anything of value , the allowable losses are reduced to just $ 3,000 a year .
And Trump does appear to have received something .
When the casino bankruptcy concluded , he got five per cent of the stock in the new company .
The materials reviewed by The Times do not make clear whether Trump ’ s refund application reflected his public declaration of abandonment .
If it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place his entire refund in question .
If the auditors ultimately disallow Trump ’ s $ 72.9 million federal refund , he will be forced to return that money with interest , and possibly penalties , a total that could exceed $ 100 million .
He could also be ordered to return the state and local refunds based on the same claims .
In response to a question about the audit , Garten , the Trump Organization lawyer , said facts cited by The Times were incorrect , without citing specifics .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was “ illogical ” to say Trump had not paid taxes for those three years just because the money was later refunded .
“ While you claim that President Trump paid no taxes in 10 of the 15 previous years , ” Garten said , “ you also assert that President Trump claimed a massive refund for tens of millions for taxes he did pay .
These two claims are entirely inconsistent and , in any event , not supported by the facts.
” House Democrats who have been in hot pursuit of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have no idea that at least some of the records are sitting in a congressional office building .
George Yin , a former chief of staff for the joint committee , said that any identifying information about taxpayers under review was tightly held among a handful of staff lawyers and was rarely shared with politicians assigned to the committee .
It is possible that the case has been paused because Trump is president , which would raise the personal stakes of re-election .
If the recent Fox interview is any indication , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s a disgrace what ’ s happened , ” he told Hannity .
“ We had a deal done .
In fact , it was — I guess it was signed even .
And once I ran , or once I won , or somewhere back a long time ago , everything was like , ‘ Well , let ’ s start all over again.
’ It ’ s a disgrace.
” Examining the Trump Organization ’ s tax records , a curious pattern emerges : Between 2010 and 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million in unexplained “ consulting fees ” as a business expense across nearly all of his projects .
In most cases the fees were roughly one-fifth of his income : In Azerbaijan , Trump collected $ 5 million on a hotel deal and reported $ 1.1 million in consulting fees , while in Dubai it was $ 3 million with a $ 630,000 fee , and so on .
Mysterious big payments in business deals can raise red flags , particularly in places where bribes or kickbacks to middlemen are routine .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who mostly licenses his name to other people ’ s projects and is not involved in securing government approvals , has engaged in such practices .
Rather , there appears to be a closer-to-home explanation for at least some of the fees : Trump reduced his taxable income by treating a family member as a consultant and then deducting the fee as a cost of doing business .
The “ consultants ” are not identified in the tax records .
But evidence of this arrangement was gleaned by comparing the confidential tax records @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when she joined the White House staff in 2017 .
Ivanka Trump reported receiving payments from a consulting company she co-owned , totalling $ 747,622 , that exactly matched consulting fees claimed as tax deductions by the Trump Organization for hotel projects in Vancouver and Hawaii .
Ivanka Trump had been an executive officer of the Trump companies that received profits from and paid the consulting fees for both projects — meaning she appears to have been treated as a consultant on the same hotel deals that she helped manage as part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business .
When asked about the arrangement , the Trump Organization lawyer , Garten , did not comment .
Employers can deduct consulting fees as a business expense and also avoid the withholding taxes that apply to wages .
To claim the deduction , the consulting arrangement must be an “ ordinary and necessary ” part of running the business , with fees that are reasonable and market-based , according to the IRS .
The recipient of the fees is still required to pay income tax .
The IRS has pursued civil penalties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to avoid taxes by paying exorbitant fees to related parties who were not in fact independent contractors .
A 2011 tax court case centred on the IRS ’ denial of almost $ 3 million in deductions for consulting fees the partners in an Illinois accounting firm paid themselves via corporations they created .
The court concluded that the partners had structured the fees to “ distribute profits , not to compensate for services.
” There is no indication that the IRS has questioned Donald Trump ’ s practice of deducting millions of dollars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his daughter were compensation for work , it is not clear why Trump would do it in this form , other than to reduce his own tax liability .
Another , more legally perilous possibility is that the fees were a way to transfer assets to his children without incurring a gift tax .
A Times investigation in 2018 found that Trump ’ s late father , Fred Trump , employed a number of legally dubious schemes decades ago to evade gift taxes on millions of dollars he transferred to his children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from this newer collection of tax records whether intra-family financial maneuverings were a motivating factor .
However , the fact that some of the consulting fees are identical to those reported by Trump ’ s daughter raises the question of whether this was a mechanism the president used to compensate his adult children involved with his business .
Indeed , in some instances where large fees were claimed , people with direct knowledge of the projects were not aware of any outside consultants who would have been paid .
On the failed hotel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by suspicions of corruption , a Trump Organization lawyer told The New Yorker the company was blameless because it was merely a licenser and had no substantive role , adding , “ We did not pay any money to anyone.
” Yet , the tax records for three Trump LLCs involved in that project show deductions for consulting fees totalling $ 1.1 million that were paid to someone .
In Turkey , a person directly involved in developing two Trump towers in Istanbul expressed bafflement when asked about consultants on the project , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consultant or other third party in Turkey paid by the Trump Organization .
But tax records show regular deductions for consulting fees over seven years totalling $ 2 million .
Ivanka Trump disclosed in her public filing that the fees she received were paid through TTT Consulting LLC , which she said provided “ consulting , licensing and management services for real estate projects.
” Incorporated in Delaware in December 2005 , the firm is one of several Trump-related entities with some variation of TTT or TTTT in the name that appear to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Like her brothers Donald Jr. and Eric , Ivanka Trump was a longtime employee of the Trump Organization and an executive officer for more than 200 Trump companies that licensed or managed hotel and resort properties .
The tax records show that the three siblings had each drawn a salary from their father ’ s company — roughly $ 480,000 a year , jumping to about $ 2 million after Donald Trump became president — although Ivanka Trump no longer receives a salary .
What ’ s more , Donald Trump has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negotiating and managing his projects .
When asked in a 2011 lawsuit deposition whom he relied on to handle important details of his licensing deals , he named only Ivanka , Donald Jr. and Eric .
On Ivanka Trump ’ s now-defunct website , which explains her role at the Trump Organization , she was not identified as a consultant .
Rather , she has been described as a senior executive who “ actively participates in all aspects of both Trump and Trump branded projects , including deal evaluation , predevelopment planning , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and marketing , and ensuring that Trump ’ s world-renowned physical and operational standards are met .
“ She is involved in all decisions — large and small.
” The Art of the Writeoff Private jets , country clubs and mansions have all had a role in the selling of Donald Trump .
“ I play to people ’ s fantasies , ” he wrote in “ Trump : The Art of the Deal.
” “ People want to believe that something is the biggest and the greatest and the most spectacular .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s an innocent form of exaggeration — and a very effective form of promotion.
” If the singular Trump product is Trump in an exaggerated form — the man , the lifestyle , the acquisitiveness — then everything that feeds the image , including the cost of his businesses , can be written off on his taxes .
Trump may be reporting business losses to the government , but he can still live a life of wealth and write it off .
Take , for example , Mar-a-Lago , now the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a private club and stage set on which Trump luxury plays out .
As a business , it is also the source of millions of dollars in expenses deducted from taxable income , among them $ 109,433 for linens and silver and $ 197,829 for landscaping in 2017 .
Also deducted as a business expense was the $ 210,000 paid to a Florida photographer over the years for shooting numerous events at the club , including a 2016 New Year ’ s Eve party hosted by Trump .
Trump has written off as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meals — associated with his aircraft , used to shuttle him among his various homes and properties .
Likewise the cost of haircuts , including the more than $ 70,000 paid to style his hair during “ The Apprentice.
” Together , nine Trump entities have written off at least $ 95,464 paid to a favourite hair and makeup artist of Ivanka Trump .
In allowing business expenses to be deducted , the IRS requires that they be “ ordinary and necessary , ” a loosely defined standard often interpreted generously by business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generous interpretation of the business expense writeoff is his treatment of the Seven Springs estate in Westchester County , N.Y .
Seven Springs is a throwback to another era .
The main house , built in 1919 by Eugene Meyer , the one-time head of the Federal Reserve who bought The Washington Post in 1933 , sits on more than 200 acres of lush , almost untouched land just an hour ’ s drive north of New York City .
“ The mansion is 50,000 square feet , has three pools , carriage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preserves , ” according to The Trump Organization website .
Trump had big plans when he bought the property in 1996 — a golf course , a clubhouse and 15 private homes .
But residents of surrounding towns thwarted his ambitions , arguing that development would draw too much traffic and risk polluting the drinking water .
Trump instead found a way to reap tax benefits from the estate .
He took advantage of what is known as a conservation easement .
In 2015 , he signed a deal with a land conservancy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the property .
In exchange , he claimed a $ 21.1 million charitable tax deduction .
The tax records reveal another way Seven Springs has generated substantial tax savings .
In 2014 , Trump classified the estate as an investment property , as distinct from a personal residence .
Since then , he has written off $ 2.2 million in property taxes as a business expense — even as his 2017 tax law allowed individuals to write off only $ 10,000 in property taxes a year .
Courts have held that to treat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owners must show that they have “ an actual and honest objective of making a profit , ” typically by making substantial efforts to rent the property and eventually generating income .
Whether or not Seven Springs fits those criteria , the Trumps have described the property somewhat differently .
In 2014 , Eric Trump told Forbes that “ this is really our compound.
” Growing up , he and his brother Donald Jr. spent many summers there , riding all-terrain vehicles and fishing on a nearby lake .
At one point , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carriage house on the property .
“ It was home base for us for a long , long time , ” Eric told Forbes .
And the Trump Organization website still describes Seven Springs as a “ retreat for the Trump family.
” Garten , the Trump Organization lawyer , did not respond to a question about the Seven Springs writeoff .
The Seven Springs conservation-easement deduction is one of four that Donald Trump has claimed over the years .
While his use of these deductions is widely known , his tax records @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s share of his charitable giving — about $ 119.3 million of roughly $ 130 million in personal and corporate charitable contributions reported to the IRS .
Two of those deductions — at Seven Springs and at the Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles — are the focus of an investigation by the New York attorney general , who is examining whether the appraisals on the land , and therefore the tax deductions , were inflated .
Another common deductible expense for all businesses is legal fees .
The IRS requires that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operating your business , ” and businesses can not deduct “ legal fees paid to defend charges that arise from participation in a political campaign.
” Yet the tax records show that the Trump Corp. wrote off as business expenses fees paid to a criminal defence lawyer , Alan S. Futerfas , who was hired to represent Donald Trump Jr. during the Russia inquiry .
Investigators were examining Donald Jr. ’ s role in the 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians who had promised damaging information on Clinton .
When he testified before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his side .
Futerfas was also hired to defend the president ’ s embattled charitable foundation , which would be shut down in 2018 after New York regulators said it had engaged in “ a shocking pattern of illegality.
” The Trump Corp. paid Futerfas at least $ 1.9 million in 2017 and 2018 , tax records show .
Also written off was at least $ 259,684 paid to Williams & Jensen , another law firm brought in during the same period to represent Donald Trump Jr .
In May , the chair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interests wrote to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross urging support for increased trade between the United States and Turkey .
The ultimate goal was nothing less than “ reorienting the U.S. supply chain away from China.
” The letter was among three sent to cabinet secretaries by Mehmet Ali Yalcindag , chairman of the Turkey-U.S. Business Council , who noted that he had copied each one to Trump .
The president needed no introduction to Yalcindag : The Turkish businessman helped negotiate a licensing deal in 2008 for his family ’ s company to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The tax records show the deal has earned Trump at least $ 13 million — far more than previously known — including more than $ 1 million since he entered the White House , even as his one-time associate now lobbies on behalf of Turkish interests .
Yalcindag said that he had “ remained friendly ” with Trump since their work together years ago but that all communications between his trade group and the administration “ go through formal channels and are properly disclosed.
” The ethical quandaries created by Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the White House have been documented .
But the full financial measure of his extraordinary confluence of interests — a president with a wealth of business entanglements at home and in myriad geopolitical hot spots — has remained elusive .
The tax records for Trump and his hundreds of companies show precisely how much money he has received over the years , and how heavily he has come to rely on leveraging his brand in ways that pose potential or direct conflicts of interest while he is president .
The records also provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before 2014 , the earliest year covered by his required annual disclosures , showing that his total profits from some projects outside the United States were larger than indicated by those limited public filings .
Based on the financial disclosures , which report much of his income in broad ranges , Trump ’ s earnings from the Istanbul towers could have been as low as $ 3.2 million .
In the Philippines , where he licensed his name to a Manila tower nearly a decade ago , the low end of the range @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half of the $ 9.3 million he actually made .
In Azerbaijan , he collected more than $ 5 million for the failed hotel project , about twice what appeared on his public filings .
It did not take long for conflicts to emerge when Trump ran for president and won .
The Philippines ’ strongman leader , Rodrigo Duterte , chose as a special trade envoy to Washington the businessman behind the Trump tower in Manila .
In Argentina , a key person who had been involved in a Uruguayan licensing deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appointed to a Cabinet post .
The president ’ s conflicts have been most evident with Turkey , where the business community and the authoritarian government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have not hesitated to leverage various Trump enterprises to their advantage .
When Turkish-American relations were at a low point , a Turkish business group cancelled a conference at Trump ’ s Washington hotel ; six months later , when the two countries were on better terms , the rescheduled event was attended by Turkish government officials .
Turkish Airlines also chose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Virginia to host an event .
More broadly , the tax records suggest other ways in which Trump ’ s presidency has propped up his sagging bottom line .
Monthly credit card receipts , reported to the IRS by third-party card processing firms , reflect the way certain of his resorts , golf courses and hotels became favoured stamping grounds , if not venues for influence-trading , beginning in 2015 and continuing into his time in the White House .
The credit card data does not reflect total revenue and is useful mainly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consumer interest in a business .
While two of Trump ’ s marquee draws — the Washington hotel in the Old Post Office and the Doral golf resort — are loaded with debt and continue to lose money , both have seen credit card transactions rise markedly with his political ascent .
At the hotel , the monthly receipts grew from $ 3.7 million in December 2016 shortly after it opened , to $ 5.4 million in January 2017 and $ 6 million by May 2018 .
At Doral , after Trump declared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ card revenue more than doubled , to $ 13 million , for the three months through August , compared with the same period the year before .
One Trump enterprise that has been regularly profitable and is a persistent source of concern about ethical conflicts and national security lapses , is the Mar-a-Lago club .
Profits there rose sharply after Trump declared his candidacy , as courtiers eagerly joining up brought a tenfold rise in cash from initiation fees — from $ 664,000 in 2014 to just under $ 6 million in 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of initiation in January 2017 .
The membership rush allowed the president to take $ 26 million out of the business from 2015 through 2018 , nearly triple the rate at which he had paid himself in the prior two years .
Some of the largest payments from business groups for events or conferences at Mar-a-Lago and other Trump properties have come since Trump became president , the tax records show .
At Doral , Trump collected a total of at least $ 7 million in 2015 and 2016 from Bank of America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2017 and 2018 from a trade association representing food retailers and wholesalers .
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce paid Doral at least $ 406,599 in 2018 .
Beyond one-time payments for events or memberships , large corporations also pay rent for space in the few commercial buildings Trump actually owns .
Walgreens , the pharmacy giant that resolved an antitrust matter before federal regulators in 2017 , pays $ 3.4 million a year for a lease at 40 Wall St. , a Trump-owned office building in Manhattan .
Another renter at 40 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , is Atane Engineers , which changed its name in 2018 after a corruption scandal that culminated in two former top executives ’ pleading guilty to paying bribes for city infrastructure contracts .
Despite the criminal case — which landed the company on New York state ’ s list of “ nonresponsible entities ” that require a waiver to obtain state contracts — the newly christened Atane registered as an eligible federal contractor with no restrictions listed in its file .
Rental income overall at 40 Wall has risen markedly , from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 43.2 million in 2018 .
The tax records show that the cost of existing leases there has risen .
and at least four law firms appear to have moved in since Trump ran for president .
In addition to buildings he owns outright , there is the president ’ s stake in the Vornado partnerships that control two valuable office towers — 1290 Sixth Ave. in Manhattan and 555 California St. in San Francisco .
Vornado ’ s chief executive , Steven Roth , is a close Trump ally recently named to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , the president appointed Roth ’ s wife , Daryl Roth , to the Kennedy Center board of trustees .
Vornado tenants include a roster of blue-chip firms paying multimillion-dollar leases , many of whom regularly do business with , lobby or are regulated by the federal government .
Among the dozens of leases paid in 2018 to Trump ’ s Vornado partnerships , according to his tax records , were $ 5.8 million from Goldman Sachs ; $ 3.1 million from Microsoft ; $ 32.7 million from Neuberger Berman , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million from the law firm Kirkland & Ellis .
When Trump glided down a gilded Trump Tower escalator to kick off his presidential campaign in June 2015 , his finances needed a jolt .
His core businesses were reporting mounting losses — more than $ 100 million over the previous two years .
The river of celebrity-driven income that had long buoyed them was running dry .
If Trump hoped his unlikely candidacy might , at least , revitalize his brand , his barrage of derogatory remarks about immigrants quickly cost him two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cash — licensing deals with clothing and mattress manufacturers that had netted him more than $ 30 million .
NBC , his partner in Miss Universe — source of nearly $ 20 million in profits — announced that it would no longer broadcast the pageant ; he sold it soon after .
Now his tax records make clear that he is facing a battery of threats to his business and his own financial well-being .
Over the past decade , he appears to have filled the cash-flow gaps with a series of one-shots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In 2012 , he took out a $ 100 million mortgage on the commercial space in Trump Tower .
He took nearly the entire amount as a payout , his tax records show .
His company has paid more than $ 15 million in interest on the loan but nothing on the principal .
The full $ 100 million comes due in 2022 .
In 2013 , he withdrew $ 95.8 million from his Vornado partnership account .
And in January 2014 , he sold $ 98 million in stocks and bonds , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least the last two decades .
He sold $ 54 million more in stocks and bonds in 2015 , and $ 68.2 million in 2016 .
His financial disclosure released in July showed that he had as little as $ 873,000 in securities left to sell .
Trump ’ s businesses reported cash on hand of $ 34.7 million in 2018 , down 40 per cent from five years earlier .
What ’ s more , the tax records show that Trump has once again done what he says he regrets , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : personally guaranteed hundreds of millions of dollars in loans , a decision that led his lenders to threaten to force him into personal bankruptcy .
This time around , he is personally responsible for loans and other debts totalling $ 421 million , with most of it coming due within four years .
Should he win re-election , his lenders could be placed in the unprecedented position of weighing whether to foreclose on a sitting president .
There is , however , a tax benefit for Trump .
While business owners can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can do so only up to the amount invested in the business .
But by taking personal responsibility for that $ 421 million in debt , Trump would be able to declare that amount in losses in future years .
The balances on those loans had not been paid down by the end of 2018 .
And the businesses carrying the bulk of the debt — the Doral golf resort ( $ 125 million ) and the Washington hotel ( $ 160 million ) — are struggling , which could make it difficult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
The unresolved audit of his $ 72.9 million tax refund hangs over his head .
The broader economy promises little relief .
Across the country , brick-and-mortar stores are in decline , and they have been very important to Trump Tower , which has in turn been very important to Trump .
Nike , which rented the space for its flagship store in a building attached to Trump Tower and had paid $ 195.1 million in rent since the 1990s , left in 2018 .
The president ’ s most recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But that was before the pandemic hit .
His already struggling properties were shut down for several months earlier this year .
The Doral resort asked Deutsche Bank to allow a delay on its loan payments .
Analysts have predicted that the hotel business will not fully recover until late 2023 .
Trump still has assets to sell .
But doing so could take its own toll , both financial and to Trump ’ s desire to always be seen as a winner .
The Trump family said last year that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not because it was losing money .
In Trump ’ s telling , any difficulty in his finances has been caused by the sacrifices made for his current job .
“ They say , ‘ Trump is getting rich off our nation , ’ ” he said at a rally in Minneapolis last October .
“ I lose billions being president , and I don ’ t care .
It ’ s nice to be rich , I guess , but I lose billions .
”

Russ Buettner - The New York Times,Susanne Craig,Mike McIntire


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Federal judge postpones Trump ban on popular app TikTok

NEW YORK - A federal judge on Sunday postponed a Trump administration order that would have banned the popular video sharing app TikTok from U.S. smartphone app stores around midnight .
A more comprehensive ban remains scheduled for November , about a week after the presidential election .
The judge , Carl Nichols of the U.S District Court for the District of Columbia , did not agree to postpone the later ban .
The ruling followed an emergency hearing Sunday morning in which lawyers for TikTok argued that the administration ’ s app-store ban would infringe on First Amendment rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Earlier this year , President Donald Trump declared that TikTok was a threat to national security and that it must either sell its U.S. operations to American companies or be barred from the country .
TikTok , owned by Chinese company ByteDance , is scrambling to firm up a deal tentatively struck a week ago in which it would partner with Oracle , a huge database-software company , and Walmart in an effort to win the blessing of both the Chinese and American governments .
In the meantime , it is fighting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Judge Nichols did not explain his reasoning publicly , instead filing his judicial opinion under seal .
Initially , both the U.S. government ’ s brief in the case and the entire Sunday morning hearing were also due to be sealed , although the court later relented .
In arguments to Judge Nichols , TikTok lawyer John Hall said that TikTok is more than an app , since it functions as a “ modern day version of a town square.
“ “ If that prohibition goes into effect at midnight , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hall said .
“ It would be no different than the government locking the doors to a public forum , roping off that town square ” at a time when a free exchange of ideas is necessary heading into a polarized election .
TikTok lawyers also argued that a ban on the app would affect the ability of tens of thousands of potential viewers and content creators to express themselves every month and would also hurt its ability to hire new talent .
In addition , Hall argued that a ban would prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , eroding national security .
Justice Department lawyer Daniel Schwei said that Chinese companies are not purely private and are subject to intrusive laws compelling their co-operation with intelligence agencies .
The Justice Department has also argued that economic regulations of this nature generally are not subject to First Amendment scrutiny .
“ This is the most immediate national security threat , “ argued Schwei .
“ It is a threat today .
It is a risk today and therefore it deserves to be addressed today even while other things are ongoing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TikTok lawyers failed to prove the company would suffer irreparable business harm .
The Justice Department laid out its objections to TikTok ’ s motion for a temporary injunction in a brief under seal , but it was unsealed in redacted form to protect confidential business information .
Trump set the process in motion with executive orders in August that declared TikTok and another Chinese app , WeChat , threats to national security .
The White House says the video service is a security risk because the personal information of its millions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese authorities .
Trump has given tentative approval to a proposed deal in which Oracle and Walmart could initially own a combined 20 % of a new U.S. entity , TikTok Global .
But Trump also said he could retract his approval if Oracle doesn ’ t have “ total control “ of the company ; the president did not explain what he meant by that .
The deal remains unfinalized , and the two sides have also appeared at odds over the corporate structure of TikTok Global .
ByteDance said last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the U.S. entity after a financing round .
Oracle , meanwhile , put out a statement saying that Americans “ will be the majority and ByteDance will have no ownership in TikTok Global.
” Government-owned media in China have criticized the deal as bullying and extortion .
ByteDance said Thursday it has applied for a Chinese technology export license after Beijing tightened control over exports last month in an effort to gain leverage over Washington ’ s attempt to force an outright sale of TikTok to U.S. owners .
China ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ take necessary measures ” to safeguard its companies but gave no indication what steps it can take to affect TikTok ’ s fate in the United States .
TikTok is also asking a federal court to declare Trump ’ s Aug. 6 executive order unlawful .
The Chinese firm said the president doesn ’ t have the authority to take these actions under the national-security law he cited ; that the ban violates TikTok ’ s First Amendment speech rights and Fifth Amendment due-process rights ; and that there ’ s no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not based on a national emergency .

Anne D'Innocenzio And Matt O'Brien - The Associated Press

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thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Organizer arrested after driving car into California protest

LOS ANGELES - An organizer of a Southern California demonstration against racism was in jail Sunday on suspicion of attempted murder after authorities say she drove through a crowd and struck two counterprotesters .
Tatiana Turner , 40 , was arrested Saturday in Yorba Linda after speeding from a parking lot when her car was surrounded by shouting counterprotesters .
Demonstrators on both sides who had clashed on a sidewalk earlier had been ordered by police to leave the area at the time and an angry mob had surrounded Turner ’ s car and wouldn ’ t let her drive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helped plan the event for the Urban Organizers Coalition .
“ People had broken her windshield , ” Bryson told The Associated Press .
“ She was trying to leave .
She was in fear for her life.
” Several dozen people in Turner ’ s group had been preparing to march against police brutality and systemic racism at the Yorba Linda library about 30 miles ( 48 kilometres ) southeast of Los Angeles when a group of people , many hoisting American flags and Trump 2020 banners , grew on the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups initially stayed apart , as authorities requested , but a group of men crossed the six-lane highway and confronted the racial justice group in a series of angry exchanges .
As the confrontation grew and became heated , the Orange County Sheriff ’ s Department declared an unlawful assembly and told the groups , estimated at 250 people total , to leave after fights were reported and some people were said to be carrying weapons .
One person pepper-sprayed another protester and one man was arrested for disobeying the order to leave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shows a crowd of people standing around her car as she accelerates forward .
Her rear window shatters as she drives away .
The car lurches upward and then continues forward .
More than a dozen people gave chase .
A man with a broken leg and a woman with moderate injuries were hospitalized , authorities said .
Turner is being held on $ 1 million bail and expected to appear in court Tuesday , according to a county website .
The city of Yorba Linda does not require a permit to demonstrate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neither group had a permit , sheriff ’ s spokeswoman Carrie Braun said .
Bryson said the group had been in discussions with police and the Yorba Linda mayor in advance .
He said the police had failed to intervene .
Braun defended the police response , saying officers attempted to keep people apart and took action when there were altercations .
The Urban Organizers Coalition issued a statement expressing its “ heartfelt sympathies ” for those injured .
The protest came three days after an Orange County deputy in San Clemente shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The sheriff released a video that he said showed the man grabbing for the officer ’ s weapon .
Several drivers have recently collided with protesters across the country , including at a gathering Thursday in Los Angeles .
A woman protesting police brutality was struck by a pickup truck during a march in Hollywood and suffered non-life-threatening injuries .
Los Angeles police said Friday the preliminary investigation found that the driver was attempting to manoeuvr through the crowd when protesters began beating the vehicle with sticks .
The driver stopped several blocks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was released pending the outcome of the investigation .


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Authorities: Man requested money to shoot Louisville police

LOUISVILLE , Ky. - A Kentucky man who authorities accuse of requesting $ 30,000 to shoot police officers in Louisville in a social media video while he was brandishing a gun has been arrested .
According to a criminal complaint , Cortez Lamont Edwards , of Louisville , made the statements Wednesday on a Facebook Live video , the U.S. Attorney ’ s Office for the Western District of Kentucky said in a statement .
Authorities said Edwards , 29 , was requesting the money to shoot officers who were in the street in front of his residence during a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a search warrant on Edward ’ s home on Sunday and found him sleeping on a couch .
The statement said authorities also found a gun on that couch , and a toddler in the house .
An investigation revealed that Edwards was a convicted felon , and he has been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm .
It is not clear if Edwards had an attorney who could comment .
“ Louisville needs healing and safety for its citizens , not armed felons seeking bids to shoot police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the statement .
Louisville police thanked authorities on Twitter after Edwards ’ arrest was announced , saying “ the actions of this person were unacceptable !
” If convicted , Edwards could face up to 10 years in prison and a $ 250,000 fine .
Two officers were shot and wounded Wednesday night during the demonstrations in Louisville expressing anger over the killings of Black people at the hands of police .
Other cities across the U.S. have also seen protests after a Kentucky grand jury brought no charges against Louisville police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taylor , a Black emergency medical worker , died when she was shot multiple times by white officers who entered her home during a narcotics investigation in March .


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Biden, Trump take differing approaches to debate preparation

WASHINGTON - Ahead of the first debate between President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden , each campaign is promising a stark contrast in policy , personality and preparation .
Trump has decided to skip formal preparation , though he said Sunday that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his former 2016 primary rival , Chris Christie , are helping him .
“ We had a little debate prep before we came here , ” Trump told reporters as Giuliani and Christie looked on in the press briefing room at the White House .
And while Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the debate may be exaggerated , the Democratic nominee has been aggressively preparing to take on the president .
Biden ’ s campaign has been holding mock debate sessions featuring Bob Bauer , a senior Biden adviser and former White House general counsel , playing the role of Trump , according to a person with direct knowledge of the preparations who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal strategy .
Bauer has not actually donned a Trump costume in line with Trump stand-ins from previous years , but he is representing his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m sure the president will throw everything he can at ( Biden ) .
My guess is that they ’ re preparing for that — bombarding him with insults and weird digressions , ” said Jay Carney , a former aide to Biden and President Barack Obama .
Trump and Biden are scheduled to meet on the debate stage for the first time Tuesday night at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio .
The 90-minute event , moderated by Fox News host Chris Wallace , is the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mike Pence and California Sen. Kamala Harris , Biden ’ s running mate , will debate in October .
For some , the debates represent the most important moments in the 2020 campaign ’ s closing days , a rare opportunity for millions of voters to compare the candidates ’ policies and personalities side-by-side on prime-time television .
Trump has been trailing Biden in the polls for the entire year , a reality that gives the president an urgent incentive to change the direction of the contest on national television if he can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden ’ s campaign , do not expect the debates to fundamentally change the race no matter what happens , given the pandemic and the economy .
They also point to high-profile debates in past elections that were thought to be game-changing moments at the time but that ultimately had little lasting effect .
Those with knowledge of Biden ’ s preparations suggest he will not take the fight to Trump if he can avoid it .
But on Saturday , at least , he was on the attack when he discussed his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m prepared to go out and make my case as to why I think he ’ s failed and why I think the answers I have to proceed will help the American people , the American economy and make us safer internationally , ” Biden said , arguing that Trump won ’ t convince voters with broadsides because “ the people know the president is a liar.
” He also compared Trump to Adolf Hitler ’ s propaganda minister , Joseph Goebbels , saying , “ He ’ s sort of like Goebbels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , keep repeating , repeating , repeating , it becomes common knowledge.
” While Biden has said he will try to be a fact checker of sorts on stage , the Democrat is being advised to avoid direct confrontations and instead redirect the conversation to more familiar campaign themes of unity and issues that matter most to voters : the economy , health care and the pandemic .
“ Arguing over facts , litigating whether what he ’ s saying is accurate , that is not winning to Biden , ” said Jen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is close to Biden ’ s team .
“ This is an opportunity to speak directly to the American people .
His objective should be to speak directly to them , but not be pulled in by Trump .
That is hard.
” Trump aides and allies , who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal strategy , said heading into the weekend that Trump had not been in formal preparations .
The president offered mixed messages Sunday with his confirmation that Giuliani and Christie were prepping him , essentially combining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yet Trump downplayed the sessions .
“ Sometimes you can go too much in that stuff , ” Trump said , noting that he defeated Hillary Clinton four years ago despite her extensive debate preparation .
The president added that he takes far more questions from the White House press corps than Biden takes from the reporters covering his campaign , arguing those sessions with reporters are a form of debate prep .
Trump offered a preview of his approach when mused that Biden ’ s previous debate performances were influenced by medication @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
First in a tweet and later at the White House , Trump said he would demand that Biden take a drug test and that he would take one as well .
Trump ’ s message seemed to be an attempt at both tripping up Biden and preemptively offering an explanation to his supporters if the Democratic nominee has a strong performance .
Biden , in Delaware on Sunday , laughed and declined to comment when asked about Trump ’ s baseless assertions .
Privately some aides and allies are worried that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead him to fall into the same hubris trap as other incumbents in their first general election debate .
Obama , for example , famously struggled in his first matchup against Republican Mitt Romney in 2012 .
But other Trump backers are confident that the president is ready to handle any tough questions or pushback from Biden .
“ The debates matter , ” said Lara Trump , a senior adviser to the campaign and the president ’ s daughter-in-law .
“ Donald Trump certainly did a great job on the debates ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be no different.
“ Lara Trump also seemed to simultaneously raise and lower expectations for Biden .
“ Joe Biden spent a lot of time in his basement to study up .
He ’ s been in this game for 47 years .
I assume he ’ ll do OK , ” she said .
“ Quite frankly , the bar has been lowered so much for Joe Biden that if he stays awake for the whole thing it ’ s like maybe he won.
” The mixed messages were in line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who spent much of the year raising questions about Biden ’ s physical and mental strength , while in recent days trying to cast him as a strong and experienced debater facing a relative neophyte in Trump .
A former reality show star , the president is keenly aware of the power and pitfalls of live television .
Aides say that he is acutely mindful of the power of “ moments ” to define how a debate is perceived and that he intends to make his share of them happen .
Terry McAuliffe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national Democratic chair , said Biden must fashion a succinct , debate-stage version of his message since the spring : Draw a straight line from Trump ’ s personal deficiencies to his handling of the pandemic , its economic fallout and the national reckoning on race and then explain why a Biden presidency would be different .
“ Trump ’ s just looking for a Hail Mary here , ” McAuliffe said .
“ He knows he ’ s in trouble.
” Peoples reported from New York .
Barrow reported from Atlanta .

Steve Peoples, Zeke Miller And Bill Barrow - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Police end Mexico toll booth takeovers after 8 months

MEXICO CITY - Of all the forms of protest in Mexico , taking over highway toll booths is one of the odder and more lucrative .
Protesters often take over the booths for a few hours and charge motorists a fixed rate , lower than the original toll , to pass .
They keep the money for their “ cause.
” But few such takeovers lasted as long as one in Nayarit , where protesters had held nine sets of toll booths for the last eight months .
The National Guard finally moved in Sunday to clear the protesters out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of millions of dollars in lost revenues over nearly 250 days .
The Guard said nobody was injured in the action .
Some of the protesters in Nayarit were farmers demanding more compensation for highways built across their lands , but other appeared to have little connection to any social movement .
Local media quoted the toll highways operators association as saying lost revenues in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit amounted to as much as $ 100 million .
Even if the protesters charged slightly less than official tolls , quite a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s pockets .
Protests in Mexico often take strange forms ; students at rural teachers ’ colleges routinely highjack passenger buses in southern Mexico , kick the passengers off and keep the buses and their drivers at their service for months .
They have sometime kidnapped fuel delivery trucks to fuel the buses , and food delivery trucks for food .
Protesters in Mexico seize a wide array of facilities , taking over dams , bridges , police stations , town halls and have sometimes even taking army patrols captive until their demands @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--11 killed in bar shooting in Mexico’s most violent state

MEXICO CITY - Gunmen killed 11 people , including four women , early Sunday in a bar in the central Mexico state of Guanajuato .
State prosecutors said the bullet-ridden bodies were found at a bar near the town of Jaral del Progreso .
The area is near the border with Michoacán state , which has been a point of incursion for the Jalisco cartel , which wants to move into Guanajuato .
Local media reported the four dead women may have been employed as dancers at the bar , located on the side of a highway .
There was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the attack , but it bore the signs of a drug gang killing .
Guanajuato has been the most violent state in Mexico in recent years , but authorities had hoped the detention of a leader of a local gang on Aug. 2 would help stem the violence .
The detained leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima gang , José Antonio Yépez Ortíz , was better known by his nickname “ El Marro , ” which means “ The Sledgehammer.
” He had long fought a bloody turf battle with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for much of the violence in the industrial and farming state .
While murders across the state dropped slightly to 339 in August from 403 in July , they may be rebounding in September as gang members fight to fill the vacuum left by Yépez Ortiz ’ s detention .


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Lawyer says officer thought Blake was trying to kidnap child

KENOSHA , Wis. - The Kenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times last month told investigators he thought Blake was trying to abduct one of his own children and that he opened fire because Blake started turning toward the officer while holding a knife , the officer ’ s lawyer contends .
Brendan Matthews , the attorney for Officer Rusten Sheskey and the Kenosha police union , told CNN that when Sheskey arrived at the scene on Aug. 23 in response to a call from a woman who said Blake was at her home and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heard a woman say , “ He ’ s got my kid .
He ’ s got my keys.
” Sheskey saw Blake put a child in the SUV as he arrived , but he didn ’ t know that two other children were also in the back seat , Matthews said .
He said Sheskey told investigators he opened fire because Blake “ held a knife in his hand and twisted his body toward ” the officer , and that he didn ’ t stop until he determined Blake “ no longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if Sheskey had allowed Blake to leave and something happened to the child , “ the question would have been ‘ Why didn ’ t you do something ?
’ ” Cellphone video captured by a bystander and posted online shows Sheskey and another officer follow Blake with their guns drawn as he walks around the front of the parked SUV , opens the driver ’ s side door and lean into the vehicle .
Sheskey , who is white , then opened fire , hitting the Black man seven times and leaving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to his family members and lawyer .
The shooting sparked outrage and led to several nights of protests and unrest , including a night in which authorities say an Illinois 17-year-old shot and killed two protesters and wounded a third .
Ben Crump , an attorney for Blake ’ s family , did not immediately respond to a Sunday email seeking comment about Matthews ’ interview and his voicemail wasn ’ t accepting new messages .
But he previously said Blake was only trying to break up a domestic dispute that day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police , adding that witnesses didn ’ t see him with a knife .
Blake ’ s uncle , Justin Blake , said Saturday that the allegation that Blake was attempting to kidnap his own child was false , the Kenosha News reported .
The bystander who recorded the shooting , 22-year-old Raysean White , said he saw Blake scuffling with three officers and heard them yell , “ Drop the knife !
Drop the knife !
” before gunfire erupted .
White said he didn ’ t see a knife in Blake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Justice , which is leading the investigation , previously said in a news release that a knife was found in the vehicle , but it didn ’ t say whether Blake had been holding it at any point during the confrontation or whether police knew it was there before Sheskey shot him .
In a statement previously released by Matthews on behalf of the police union , Matthews said Blake was armed with a knife but that officers didn ’ t see it until Blake reached the passenger side of the vehicle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s door of the SUV , Sheskey pulled on Blake ’ s shirt and then opened fire .
Three of Blake ’ s children were in the backseat .
The mother of the three children , who called police that day , filed a complaint against Blake that had led to felony charges being filed in July accusing him of sexually assaulting a woman in May .
Blake , who was wanted on a warrant for those charges when police arrived at the scene Aug. 23 , pleaded not guilty to the charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his hospital bed .
A trial date was set for Nov. 9 .
Sheskey and the other two officers who were at the scene were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation .


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Joe Biden: Vacancy about health law, not court expansion

WILMINGTON , Del .
- Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden wants voters to see Republicans ’ push for a speedy Supreme Court confirmation as an end-run of Congress and the 2010 health care law .
In remarks on Sunday , the former vice-president sidestepped any talk of expanding the court to counter conservative gains should he defeat President Donald Trump in November and Democrats regain a Senate majority .
Biden called that scenario a distraction from the practical effects that Trump ’ s nominee , conservative federal judge Amy Coney Barrett , could have if she succeeds the late liberal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see an opportunity to overturn the Affordable Care Act on their way out the door , ” Biden said , speaking near his Delaware home .
“ The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court right now , as I speak , to eliminate the entire Affordable Care Act.
” Trump , speaking at the White House later Sunday , did not necessarily dispute Biden ’ s characterization .
“ She ’ s gon na be a great justice ” who will “ rule ( based on ) the law , ” Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added quickly that “ Obamacare is terrible ” and repeated his promise , now more than four years old , to scrap the law and replace it with a Republican plan .
Biden repeated his calls that the Senate delay confirmation proceedings until after the Nov. 3 election , moving ahead then if Trump wins another term or awaiting a nomination from Biden if the Democrat prevails .
Democrats ’ focus on health care reflects a larger strategy that ’ s emerged in recent days .
They tacitly concede Republicans are likely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court majority .
So , rather than fight a losing battle , as they did with Justice Brett Kavanaugh ’ s 2018 confirmation , Democrats want to raise the pressure on Republicans by focusing on how a conservative supermajority of justices might affect Americans ’ everyday lives .
Justices are scheduled on Nov. 10 , a week after Election Day , to hear another challenge of the 2010 health care law .
Biden noted the court has twice upheld the law , a signature achievement of President Barack Obama ’ s and Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those were divided rulings , with Ginsburg in the narrowest of majorities .
“ President Trump could claim all he wants that he is going to protect people with preexisting conditions .
But the fact is he ’ s already fighting to take those protections away , ” Biden said , later reading from the administration ’ s brief before the court .
He listed several common conditions , including heart damage and other effects from the coronavirus that is still spreading , that could keep millions of Americans from qualifying for coverage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump told reporters Sunday it ’ s going to be hard for Democrats “ to dispute her qualifications or anything about her.
” Like Biden , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declined to criticize Barrett directly earlier Sunday on CNN ’ s “ State of the Union.
” Biden ’ s only direct critique of Trump ’ s nominee referred back to her writings as a University of Notre Dame professor , before she ascended to the federal bench in 2017 .
“ Prior to going on the bench , she publicly criticized Chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Biden noted .
Barrett questioned John Roberts ’ reasoning that Congress ’ constitutional power to tax gave it authority to pass most of the law ’ s provisions , especially the IRS penalty on individuals who didn ’ t buy health insurance .
Conservatives insist the legislation was not reasonably a taxation bill .
Congress has since , while under Republican control , scrapped the tax penalty , hoping to undercut Roberts ’ hook that upheld much of the statute .
Some progressives want Biden to threaten Republicans with scrapping the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court with a slate of liberal appointees .
Republicans have tried to use the issue in competitive Senate races and against Biden .
Trump seized on that tactic Sunday , offering a caricature of a hypothetical liberal Supreme Court hours after Biden spoke .
“ If they win they will nominate justices who will destroy the American way of life , ” Trump said .
“ Your private right to own a firearm will be eliminated , your guns will be confiscated , your ability to live by your religious faith be devastated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ ll abolish America ’ s borders.
” The president did not offer any examples to support his claims .
Biden , for his part , declined Sunday to take the bait on court expansion .
“ What I ’ m not going to do is play the Trump game , which is a good game he plays to take your eye off the issue before us , ” Biden said .
“ I am focused on making sure the American people understand that they are being cut out of this process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ACA and your health care in the midst of a pandemic.
” Barrow reported from Atlanta .
Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report .

Bill Barrow And Will Weissert - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Conservatives lead in French Senate elections, Greens gain

PARIS - France ’ s main conservative party looked set to keep control of the Senate and the Greens made new gains in partial elections Sunday that posed a new challenge to President Emmanuel Macron ’ s struggling centrist movement .
Nearly half of the chamber ’ s 348 seats were up for grabs in the vote , an indirect election in which some 90,000 local elected officials like city councillors choose the senators .
As results gradually came in Sunday night , Senate President Gerard Larcher of the Republicans party tweeted that the centre-right majority was intact , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Senate leader “ to restore the confidence that our country so lacks.
” His coalition had 143 seats in the previous chamber .
Macron ’ s Republic on the Move party , created just four years ago and with just 23 seats in the outgoing Senate , held on to key seats though the final count was still pending Sunday night .
It has lost popularity since the last election in 2017 because of yellow vest protests against policies seen as favouring the rich , party infighting and voter disenchantment with Macron @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus crisis .
Top officials in the Greens party , which enjoyed a boost in this year ’ s municipal elections thanks to growing public concern about climate change , said they had won enough seats to form an official voting group in the upper house .
The party had just four senators in the outgoing Senate , and said by Sunday evening that it had at least 11 , above the 10 needed to form a group .
Marine Le Pen ’ s anti-immigration , far-right National Rally said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senators serve six-year terms , and elections are held every three years for roughly half of the chamber .
Macron ’ s party has struggled in recent elections , and the president has not announced whether he will seek a second term in 2022 .
The virus pandemic and resulting recession , along with years of protests , have jeopardized his grand plans to transform France ’ s economy to be more globally competitive and to reinvent European unity .
In the last few weeks , France has been struggling with a resurgence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over 31,600 of its citizens , one of Europe ’ s highest virus death tolls .
Macron ’ s party still controls the lower house of parliament , the National Assembly , which has the final say in legislation over the Senate .
And the Republicans who dominate the Senate generally support Macron ’ s pro-business economic policies .


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--New Mexico reports 159 new coronavirus cases and no deaths

SANTA FE , N.M. - Health officials in New Mexico on Sunday reported 159 new confirmed coronavirus cases with no @ @ @ @ @ numbers increased the statewide totals to 28,844 cases and 870 known deaths since the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ new cases , New Mexico Department of Health officials say 32 were in Bernalillo County @ @ @ @ @ and 20 in Dona Ana County .
The spread rate has increased slightly since early @ @ @ @ @ increase was expected after some restrictions were lifted and it ’ s likely that increased @ @ @ @ @ holiday had a role .
For most people , the new coronavirus causes mild or @ @ @ @ @ fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks .
But for some @ @ @ @ @ people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Appellate court halts Wisconsin ballot-counting extension

MADISON , Wis. - A federal appeals court on Sunday temporarily halted a six-day extension for counting absentee ballots in Wisconsin ’ s presidential election , a momentary victory for Republicans and President Donald Trump in the key presidential battleground state .
As it stands , ballots will now be due by 8 p.m. on Election Day .
A lower court judge had sided with Democrats and their allies to extend the deadline until Nov. 9 .
Democrats sought more time as a way to help deal with an expected historic high number of absentee ballots .
The Democratic National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allied groups including the League of Women Voters sued to extend the deadline for counting absentee ballots after the April presidential primary saw long lines , fewer polling places , a shortage of workers and thousands of ballots mailed days after the election .
U.S. District Judge William Conley ruled Sept. 21 that ballots that arrive up to six days after Election Day will count as long as they ’ re postmarked by Election Day .
Sunday ’ s action puts Conley ’ s order on hold until the 7th Circuit U.S. Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any further action .
No further details were immediately posted by the appeals court .
State election officials anticipate as many as 2 million people will cast absentee ballots to avoid catching the coronavirus at the polls .
That would be three times more absentee ballots than any other previous election and could overwhelm both election officials and the postal service , Conley wrote .
If the decision had stood it could have delayed knowing the winner of Wisconsin for days .
The Republican National Committee , the state GOP and Wisconsin ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting rules be left in place , saying people have plenty of time to obtain and return their ballots .
Conley in April had ruled that absentee ballots in the state ’ s presidential election could be submitted up to six days after election day .
The 7th Circuit let that decision stand but the U.S. Supreme Court said only ballots postmarked on or before election day would count .
Conley on Sept. 21 also extended the state ’ s deadline for registering by mail or electronically by seven days , from Oct. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poll workers can work in any county , not just where they live .
Clerks have reported fears of the virus caused shortages of poll workers in both Wisconsin ’ s spring presidential primary and state primary in August .
Loosening the residency requirements could make it easier to fill slots .
Trump won Wisconsin by less than 1 percentage point — fewer than 23,000 votes — in 2016 and the state figures to be a key battleground again in 2020 .
Polls show Democrat Joe Biden with a slight lead but both @ @ @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Minnesota mayor disputes harassment of COVID-19 survey team

MINNEAPOLIS - The mayor of a southern Minnesota city is disputing state health department claims that a COVID-19 survey team was threatened there earlier this month .
State health officials on Friday reported cases of health workers being subjected to hostility — including racial slurs — in several Minnesota communities , as the teams surveyed households to collect data on how the virus is spreading .
They were forced to end the survey early , officials said .
The mayor of Eitzen , one of the cities singled out , said Saturday that he doesn ’ t believe the health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and added that city leaders were never contacted about survey teams working in the community , Minnesota Public Radio News reported .
“ Personally , I think they owe the city of Eitzen and its citizens an apology , ” Mayor Jeff Adamson said , referring to the health department .
The health department said one survey team in Etizen was boxed in by two cars and threatened by three men , including one with a gun .
“ The team felt the intent was clearly to intimidate and scare them , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s role in the survey .
“ Unfortunately that wasn ’ t the only incident .
”


thetorontostar--2020-09-28--Ambassadors appeal for acceptance of LGBT people in Poland

WARSAW , Poland - Polish leaders on Monday rejected suggestions that LGBT people are deprived of any of their rights in the country , after an open letter from 50 ambassadors and international representatives cited a need to work for “ non-discrimination , tolerance and mutual acceptance.
” The ambassadors ’ appeal , made in an open letter published Sunday , comes as an increasingly visible LGBT community in Poland has faced a backlash from the right-wing government , many local communities and the Catholic church .
“ Human rights are universal and everyone , including LGBTI persons , are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the letter said , using the acronym for lesbian , gay , bisexual , transgender and intersex people .
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he agreed that every person deserves respect but that he completely disagreed with the ambassadors ’ claim that LGBT people were being deprived of that .
“ Dear Ambassadors , I can tell only you that tolerance is in Poles ’ DNA , “ Morawiecki said at a news conference on Monday .
“ Nobody needs to teach us tolerance.
” Some of Poland ’ s leaders , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ruling party , have cast the movement for civil rights for LGBT people as a threat to traditional families .
President Andrzej Duda won a second term this summer after calling LGBT rights an “ ideology ” more dangerous than communism .
Meanwhile , dozens of towns in conservative parts of eastern and southern Poland have passed mostly symbolic resolutions declaring themselves to be free from “ LGBT ideology.
“ Many of the declarations express the view that young people will be demoralized if confronted by the issue .
“ Human Rights are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ U.S .
Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher tweeted .
” 50 Ambassadors and Representatives agree.
” Joachim Brudzinski , deputy head of the ruling Law and Justice party who is now a lawmaker to the European Parliament , shot back at Mosbacher on Monday , saying “ we in Poland also agree.
“ “ Therefore , we are waiting with hope for the next letter , this time in defence of murdered Christians , imprisoned # ProLife activists , people dismissed from work and persecuted for quoting the Bible , people subjected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote on Twitter , along with some other examples of alleged abuse of Christians .
It was not exactly clear what Brudzinski was referring to .
Poland is a predominantly Catholic nation where Christians do not face persecution and where abortion is illegal in most cases and euthanasia is outlawed .
In one case , however , an IKEA employee in Poland was fired for citing Biblical passages to suggest gays should be killed .
The current government has spoken in the employee ’ s defence and a state prosecutor is suing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also waded into the debate about LGBT rights in the summer , saying on Twitter that “ Poland without LGBT is most beautiful.
” His tweet included an image of Jesus and eggs in a bird nest — a bird family which he described as “ realizing God ’ s plan.
“ That triggered articles in the Polish liberal press about how homosexuality is a naturally occurring phenomenon in the animal world — just one of many examples of an outpouring of support in Poland for LGBT people .
In Warsaw , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see rainbow flags hanging from apartments or people carrying rainbow bags .
The ambassadors ’ letter paid tribute to the work of the LGBT community in Poland as it seeks to raise awareness about the challenges its faces .
The rise in hostility has led many to live in anger and fear or even to emigrate from the country .
Many activists say their greatest priority now is to get legislation passed criminalizing hate speech against people based on their sexual identity .
The letter was signed by the ambassadors of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including Germany , Ukraine and the United Kingdom , as well as further off nations like Japan and Australia .
It was also signed by representatives in Poland of the United Nations , the European Union , the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Community of Democracies , which is based in Warsaw .