Washington — Trump Media,  The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will not hear an appeal from social media platform X about a search warrant acquired by prosecutors in the election meddling case against former President Donald Trump.

The justices did not explain their rationale, and there were no recorded dissents.

The firm, which was known as Twitter before being purchased by billionaire Elon Musk, claims a nondisclosure order that prevented it from informing Trump about the warrant obtained by special counsel Jack Smith’s team violated its First Amendment rights.

The business also claims Trump should have had an opportunity to exercise executive privilege. If not reined in, the government may employ similar tactics to intercept additional privileged communications, their lawyers contended.

Supreme Court Won’t Hear Appeal From Elon Musk’s X Platform Over Warrant In Trump Case

Two neutral electronic privacy groups also joined in, urging the high court to hear the case on First Amendment grounds.

Prosecutors, however, claim that the corporation never shown that Trump utilized the account for official purposes, therefore executive privilege is not a problem. A lower court also determined that informing Trump could have compromised the current probe.

Trump utilized his Twitter account in the weeks preceding up to his supporters’ attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to spread false assertions about the election, which prosecutors claim were intended to create doubt in the democratic process.

The indictment describes how Trump used his Twitter account to encourage his followers to travel to Washington on Jan. 6, pressuring Vice President Mike Pence to reject the certification, and falsely claiming that the Capitol crowd, which battered police officers and destroyed glass, was peaceful.

Supreme Court Won’t Hear Appeal From Elon Musk’s X Platform Over Warrant In Trump Case

That case is now moving forward following the Supreme Court’s verdict in July, which granted Trump full immunity from criminal prosecution as a former president.

The warrant arrived at Twitter amid quick changes implemented by Musk, who bought the company in 2022 and has since cut off most of its workforce, including those dedicated to combating disinformation and hate speech.

He also welcomed back a vast list of previously banned users, including Trump, and endorsed him for the 2024 presidential election.

SOURCE | AP

PITTSBURGH — As she pushed back against Republican contender Donald Trump’s charges that she’s advocating “communist” ideals, Vice President Kamala Harris committed on Wednesday to develop an economy that is both pro-business and aids the middle class.

The Democratic nominee stated in remarks at the Economic Club of Pittsburgh in battleground Pennsylvania that she “would take good ideas from wherever they come” as she promised to double the number of people taught in registered apprenticeships and underlined her support for increased home ownership.

“As president, I will be grounded in my fundamental values of fairness, dignity and opportunity,” Harris told the crowd. “And I promise you, I will be pragmatic in my approach.”

Harris Is Making A ‘Capitalist’ Pitch To Boost The Economy As Trump Pushes Deeper Into Populism

A little more than an hour before her address, Trump visited a furnituremaker in Mint Hill, North Carolina, and presented his own competing economic agenda. He defended his proposal for a special lower tax rate for American manufacturers and promised to apply tariffs high enough to result in an “exodus” of auto production employment from Japan, Germany, and South Korea.

“I’m imposing tariffs on your competition from foreign countries, all these foreign countries that have ripped us off, which stole all of your businesses and all of your jobs years ago,” Mr. Trump added.

The two candidates’ dueling remarks demonstrated how they’re polishing their economic messaging for voters in battleground states. Both are attempting to deflect criticism while presenting their best cases to a public nonetheless concerned about the economy’s health. Trump is focused on U.S. dominance over international competitors, whereas Harris emphasizes the significance of assisting the middle class and entrepreneurs.

Harris later spoke with MSNBC and responded to Trump’s request for tariffs, stating, “You don’t just throw around the idea of, just tariffs across the board.” She said of her opponent, “He’s just not serious about very many of these issues.”

In the interview, the vice president also reiterated her desire for higher corporate tax rates, stating, “I’m not mad at anyone for succeeding, but everyone should pay their fair share.”

Those statements came after Harris’ address, which focused on her overall worldview and what she hopes to achieve for the economy. That contrasted with Trump’s, which was more freestyle, including insinuations about an Iranian connection to the two assassination attempts on him.

If elected, the former president promised to reduce the corporation tax rate from 21% to 15% for domestically produced goods. The Republican nominee said that his support for wide tariffs as high as 20% had made him an international target.

“This is why people in countries want to kill me,” he told me. “They’re not happy with me.”

The candidates are each emphasizing the economy at a time when surveys show it to be one of the most important concerns for voters to consider when deciding who to vote for. According to a recent AP-NORC poll, neither candidate has a clear advantage in public opinion on this topic.

Both claim that their respective approaches will do more to ensure that the United States economy, not China’s, dominates the globe in this century. Both are eager to project an image of a tax cutter and accuse the other of supporting enormous tax increases on the middle class. It’s a significant shift in message, as inflation concerns have subsided after the Federal Reserve dropped its benchmark interest rate last week.

Harris rebutted Trump by stating that she is a capitalist who supports a “active partnership between government and the private sector.” It was said that Trump has “no intention to grow our middle class — he’s only interested in making life better for himself and people like himself.”

The Democratic contender intends to provide $100 billion in tax credits and other incentives to boost US manufacturing and emerging technologies, according to a source familiar with her ideas who spoke on the condition of anonymity. She plans to release a pamphlet outlining her economic vision.

In other news, billionaire Mark Cuban stated that he and other business executives support Harris because she has taken thoughtful positions that firms can understand, even if they disagree.

“I want a president who, for business, goes into detail and has a policy team that understands all of the ramifications of what’s been proposed,” Cuban said on a Harris campaign-organized press call Tuesday.

The Harris campaign’s efforts to demonstrate business support have coincided with Trump’s in proposing a slew of populist proposals. In addition to eliminating taxes on tips, Social Security, and overtime pay, Trump wants to limit credit card interest rates to 10% and create low-tax zones on federal lands to attract employers. Trump also wants to repeal the cap on state and local tax deductions, which he enacted into law while president in 2017.

Both candidates perceive an opportunity to criticize each other’s tax proposals. Trump recently called Harris the “tax queen.” She proposes raising the corporation tax rate from 21% to 28%, as well as taxing unrealized capital gains for those worth more than $100 million. She would use the proceeds from that and other programs to extend tax cuts for the middle class that are slated to expire after 2025, as well as to provide new tax benefits to parents and entrepreneurs. Many of her programs are based on concepts originally offered by President Joe Biden.

Trump says that her proposed tax increases will eventually benefit the middle class.

“She’s coming for your money,” he warned a crowd on Monday. “She’s coming for your pensions, and she’s coming for your savings.”

Harris demonstrated that two can play the game. She dubbed his tariff proposal a “national sales tax,” claiming that it would raise the cost of coffee, clothing, electronics, automobiles, and practically anything else that is imported or relies on imported parts.

Her campaign frequently cites an analysis by Brendan Duke of the Center for American Progress, which found that a 20% universal tariff would cost the average household about $4,000 per year. According to calculations based on Treasury Department data, that amount would essentially increase middle-income earners’ overall federal taxes by 50%.

Trump has long portrayed himself as someone who will reduce restrictions, but Harris stated Wednesday that she would do the same because “whether it’s a new housing development, a new factory, or a new bridge, projects take too long to go from concept to reality.”

“China is not moving slowly,” Harris explained. She also stated that she would reform permitting and reduce red tape since “patience may be a virtue, but not when it comes to job creation or America’s competitiveness.”

SOURCE | AP

According to a regulatory filing, the chief operating officer of Truth Social’s parent company has resigned, and the company is required by a court judgment to hand over nearly 800,000 shares to one of its investors.

COO Andrew Northwall resigned from Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. late last month, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, and the business intends to “transition his duties internally.” There were no further details revealed about the resignation. He began working for the company in December 2021, according to his LinkedIn page.

The SEC filing also stated that a Delaware court determined last month that 785,825 Trump Media shares must be given to ARC Global Investments II. Both parties have been at odds over how many shares ARC was entitled to following Trump Media’s merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp. The court stated that ARC and Trump Media might submit an appeal within 30 days of its final order.

Chief Operating Officer Of Truth Social’s Parent Company Resigns

Trump Media operates the social media site Truth Social, which Trump founded after being barred from Twitter and Facebook following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Based in Sarasota, Florida, the company has been losing money and striving to increase revenue. According to regulatory documents, it lost approximately $58.2 million last year and generated only $4.1 million in revenue.

Some market experts consider Trump Media shares to be a meme stock, which is a term used to describe equities that become popular online and skyrocket in value, much exceeding what traditional analysis suggests. The stock has fluctuated for several months, with trading primarily driven by individual investors, who are often considered less skilled than day traders.

Late last month, Trump Media’s stock plunged to its lowest level ever on the first trading day when its largest shareholder, former President Donald Trump, was allowed to sell his position in the firm behind the Truth Social platform.

Chief Operating Officer Of Truth Social’s Parent Company Resigns

Trump Media’s shares, known as TMTG, began trading publicly in March. When the business debuted on the Nasdaq in March, its shares reached a high of $79.38.

Trump Media & Technology shares gained marginally to $16.20 before the market opened on Friday.

SOURCE | AP