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Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Letters: Yes, Donald Trump is a great man. He has a lot of guts.
Richard C. Longworth's op-ed in regards to President Donald Trump is right about Trump's greatness but is mistaken about his base ('Trump will be remembered as a great leader — but not a good one,' July 6). I believe most people in his base think that everybody should work for a living, not just sit at home. The reason Trump ran in the first place was because President Barack Obama embarrassed him at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, and he was determined to show everybody how tough he was. He is a tough person with a lot of guts.I disagree with Richard C. Longworth. He casts despots and degenerates such as Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, and Mao Zedong as great men. They bulldozed decency, wrecked society, and railed and raged against invented, convenient scapegoats. President Donald Trump belongs in the group. Longworth with precision quantifies Trump's propulsion: It's his monomaniacal obsession with power, by any and all means. However, for anyone who has observed Trump's public life, his malignancy and malevolence have always been obvious. Trump has always wanted the world as his audience and lusted for the attention that few people in history ever receive. And nothing's too trivial, including comparing his inauguration attendance with that of President Barack Obama. Or too toxic, such as pardoning convicted criminals armed with makeshift weapons who stormed the U.S. Capitol, assaulted police and rampaged while looking for the vice president. Back in 1989, Trump paid for advertisements in four New York City newspapers to insert himself into the Central Park Five case. Five Black and Brown teenagers were arrested and wrongly charged with raping and beating a female Central Park jogger. Trump called for the state to adopt the death penalty, but the woman wasn't killed. Alas, Trump is infected with terminal truth decay. The other engine that fuels Trump's raging pathologies? Revenge. In his book 'Think Big,' Trump devotes several pages to gloat about his beloved revenge. Longworth's commentary was published a day after the anniversary of a speech delivered by a truly great man, Frederick Douglass. His July 5, 1852, address happened at an event commemorating the signing of the so-called Declaration of Independence — a document that chiefly bestowed freedom upon white men, not Black people or even white women. Douglass unleashed his vast intellect, his powerful imagery and an accurate rendering of the Holy Scriptures. Fired with boldness, Douglass thundered: 'I will not equivocate; I will not excuse; I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just.' Douglass assailed the twin terrors of white supremacy and its child, slavery. Trump's philosophy and agenda? White C. Longworth may have credentials that the Tribune opinion team esteems, but publishing his outrageous opinion piece comparing President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and Mao Zedong is another illustration of the utterly biased and un-American media elite that is the Tribune Editorial Board. The country's divisions lie squarely on the shoulders of the legacy media. I hope that Colonel McCormick is able to rest in peace despite these subversive thoughts from an old woman: First, my participation in the 'No Kings' rally on June 14 was a milestone. Having never demonstrated for or against any cause in my life, it was disconcerting, to say the least, to find myself compelled to take a stand against the president of the United States and his actions. At the same time, it was exhilarating to meet in the crowd of about 4,500 a dozen acquaintances who share my views. I am not alone! Second, I am aware of at least 25 individuals who did not attend that rally due to other commitments. It's as if each one of us who stood at an intersection in Gurnee that day represented many more who share our views. We are not alone! Next, I am shocked at the recommendation by the Internal Revenue Service to remove the 1954 Tax Code provision known as the Johnson Amendment. Although this rule is routinely and blatantly disregarded, it has stood as a safeguard against undue pressure on pastors from individuals and groups, both inside and outside their churches. I have deep concerns over the potential damage that could result from this change in the code. As an evangelical, I have always been thankful that my church, home to people of every political persuasion, does not publicly endorse candidates. Finally, my transition from lifelong Republican to independent, leaning toward Democratic, has been fraught with sadness. The reality that the current administration, aided and abetted by the Supreme Court and Congress, has become basically the law unto itself, is tremendously difficult for me to comprehend. Every day seems to bring another decision, policy or statement that absolutely contradicts my personal worldview, shaped by my Christian beliefs. It is abhorrent to hear pious words from people in power who choose to totally disregard the needs of ordinary individuals who simply want to live their lives in peace. The disgusting images of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents manhandling men, women and children simply because of how they look; the attacks on long-standing assistance programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; the gift of tax breaks to billionaires made possible by the theft of dollars from everyday families, these are actions that sicken me and keep me awake at night. Friends, wake up! We must stand together for justice and the rule of law before it's too Donald Trump appears to have finally seen Russian President Vladimir Putin's true colors. At long last, he is supporting Ukraine and increasing the flow of weapons to that beleaguered country. If Trump wasn't so enamored of authoritarian dictators such as Putin, whom he called a 'genius,' he would have seen Putin for what he is, just like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and half our country tried to tell him. Dare we hope that the cloud will be lifted from Trump's eyes with respect to other dictators such as Kim Jong Un ('very good personality, he's funny, and he's very, very smart'), Jair Bolsonaro ('great president') and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ('big fan')?In last Thursday's Tribune, I learned that Donald Trump is singling out Harvard University and the country of Brazil for a dose of his 'special' treatment. In two articles in Section 2, I read that the Trump administration is planning to subpoena Harvard University for information on foreign students (and is threatening the school with a loss of its accreditation), and he is set to impose a 50% tariff on all imports from Brazil because Trump felt insulted when Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called him an unwanted 'emperor.' Meanwhile (also in Section 2), I read that House Republicans are questioning Joe Biden's physician about the former president's mental fitness. If this were a 'Veep' or 'House of Cards' episode, this would be amusing. It's not, and it's not.I am old now, so I remember school nuclear war drills as a kid (as if hiding under a desk would somehow help). I agree with the Tribune Editorial Board's conclusion that 'for 80 years, the world has lived with the threat of nuclear destruction,' and we now need 'to curb it, before it's too late' ('The risk of nuclear war waned after the Cold War. It's back with a vengeance,' July 14). But that is why bombing Iran was good and right. It lessens the chance for nuclear war. Iran is a rogue state that supports terror and has sworn destruction to Israel and the United States. We should believe it. Iran wasn't working diplomatically for a solution; it was stalling. It had kicked out inspectors and was accelerating its development program. 'Negotiating' with Iran is like negotiating with quicksand. Sadly, it doesn't work, and Iran speaks only one language: force and power. So for those who want to stop nuclear proliferation, stopping Iran is good for the mother, Yuki (Yukiko) Shelton, is a remarkable woman who turned 100 this March. She immigrated to the Chicago area in 1953 from Tokyo, where she graduated from dental school during the bombing of World War II. Yuki was so impressed by Gen. Douglas MacArthur and his reconstruction of Japan that she named me, her first son, after him. She subsequently trained in American dentistry and was a dentist at Camp McGill treating GIs during the Korean War. Yuki married my father, a dental technician, planning to live in Tokyo, but he was transferred while in the Navy. She encouraged him to attend the University of Louisville, and he graduated the top of his class in 1960. Returning to Chicago in 1963, she began reading the Tribune daily, which she does to this day, cover to cover. Although I have been in California since 1982, she continues to send me articles of interest from the 'Trib.' Yuki returned to the dental profession as a dental assistant at the Hines Veterans Affairs Hospital in Maywood. During that period, she decided to pursue her love of classical literature, attending classes at the College of DuPage studying the likes of William Shakespeare, Russian literary greats and her most favorite author, Jane Austen. Yuki became a 'Janeite,' joining the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA). Attendance of the yearly Shakespeare festival in Stratford, Canada, was mixed with trips around the country for the yearly JASNA meetings, and several trips to Europe. Her dream trip was touring England to visit the home and places in Austen's novels. Yuki also loved living in the Chicago area — the western suburb of Villa Park — attending operas, plays and many, many films with friends, often driving downtown or taking the train herself. One highlight was attending a seminar at the University of Chicago where Robert Falls of the Goodman Theatre was speaking. I attended high school with Robert, and he recognized my mother. He introduced her to Kenneth Branagh, her favorite actor/director. She was thrilled! Retiring at age 70, she continued activities until only recently. She is very proud to be a naturalized citizen of the United States of America, having achieved this in the 1950s. I am very proud of her, her immigration, the life she has lived and the life she has given me.I am a first-generation American. My mother was born in Norway and immigrated here as a child. My grandmother brought her children to Iowa and then to the Scandinavian community in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood in search of a better life for the whole family. On Aug. 7, 1941 my mother became a naturalized American citizen after passing a written test about our Constitution and history and answering questions from an immigration judge. My grandmother's dream had been fulfilled. Over recent years, new waves of immigrants have come to America seeking the same opportunity offered to my mother and her family. Most yearn for freedom and are honest and hardworking people willing to do tasks and jobs that native-born Americans are unwilling to perform. There are certainly better ways to integrate them into our society than to have masked men arrest them on the street and drag them to the so-called Alligator Alcatraz camps in the Florida Everglades. This treatment is vile and an affront to our Constitution and our principles of equal protection under the law. It must be stopped. Also, I wonder how many native-born Americans today could pass the U.S. citizenship test and answer correctly questions from an immigration judge, such as aspiring citizens are still required to do, just as my mother did.
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Harvard to transgender rights: The many lawsuits against Donald Trump
Donald Trump, the first convicted felon elected president of the US, has spent much of his career in courtrooms. From his days as a real estate mogul to his time in the White House, Trump has faced lawsuits over everything from personal misconduct to sweeping policy changes. These legal fights involve everyday people, advocacy groups, and even entire states, all challenging actions they see as unfair or unlawful. While serious federal cases—like those accusing him of tampering with the 2020 election or mishandling classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate—were dropped in late 2024, many other lawsuits remain active. Some of the most personal lawsuits against Trump come from women who say he harmed them and then lied about it. E. Jean Carroll, a former magazine columnist, won two major cases against him. In 2023, a New York jury decided Trump sexually abused her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s and defamed her by calling her claims a hoax on social media. She was awarded $5 million. In 2024, another jury found Trump liable for further defamation, granting her nearly $84 million. Trump is appealing both rulings, and the cases could end up at the Supreme Court. Another woman, Summer Zervos, a former contestant on Trump's reality show The Apprentice, also sued him in 2017 for defamation. She claimed Trump sexually assaulted her and then publicly denied it, damaging her reputation. Her case has moved forward after a court rejected Trump's attempt to dismiss it, but it's still unresolved. Trump's knack for making bold public statements has also landed him in court for defamation in other contexts. In 2024, the Central Park Five, five men wrongfully convinced of rape in 1989, sued him for claiming they were guilty despite their exoneration years ago. Similarly, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, former FBI officials, sued Trump in 2023, saying he targeted them for political reasons. After their private text messages criticising Trump were made public, he attacked them, leading to professional and personal fallout. A judge allowed the case to move forward, even requiring Trump to give a deposition. Trump's tough immigration policies have led to lawsuits from individuals caught in their crosshairs. In 2025, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man, became a symbol of these policies' human cost. He was deported to a prison in El Salvador without a hearing, even though a court had ordered he not be sent there. Another case involves Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish graduate student in Massachusetts. In 2025, she was arrested by federal agents after co-writing an essay criticising Israel in a student newspaper. Ozturk spent six weeks in detention, describing it as a terrifying ordeal meant to silence her. She sued, arguing her arrest violated her free speech rights, and a judge ordered her release while her case continues. Trump's policies also include a massive travel ban affecting 19 countries, like Afghanistan, Haiti, and Venezuela, with strict limits on entry. He's also ended asylum access at the southern border and paused the US Refugee Admissions Program, moves that advocacy groups say violate the Constitution. Courts have temporarily blocked some of these actions, but legal scholars warn that a 2018 Supreme Court ruling makes challenging them tough. One of Trump's most controversial moves was an attempt to end birthright citizenship, which grants US citizenship to anyone born on American soil. His executive order aimed to stop children of undocumented or temporary residents from becoming citizens. An expectant mother, backed by immigrant rights groups and several states, sued, saying the order violates the Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees citizenship by birth. Courts have put the policy on hold, and a major lawsuit led by the A.C.L.U. is moving forward as a class action. The Supreme Court has weighed in on procedural issues but hasn't decided the policy's fate. Trump has taken aim at transgender Americans, issuing orders that cut federal support for gender-affirming care for people under 19 and declare that only two sexes—male and female—exist in federal policy. He also banned transgender individuals from serving in the military, calling them a 'disruption.' States, advocacy groups, and transgender people have sued, arguing these rules violate constitutional rights and anti-discrimination laws. Federal judges have blocked parts of these orders, but the Supreme Court allowed the military ban to move forward while lawsuits continue. Trump's legal troubles in education go back to his business days and extend to his current policies. In 2018, he settled a $25 million lawsuit over Trump University, a program that promised to teach real estate secrets. Over 5,000 students, including Tarla Makaeff, said they were misled by false promises and pressured into paying thousands for worthless seminars. Makaeff, a small business owner, shared how she lost her savings chasing Trump's 'guru' advice, only to find the courses were a sham. Today, Trump's administration faces new lawsuits over education policy. A group of 24 states and Washington, D.C., sued after he froze $6 billion in federal grants for schools, hitting programs for migrant students, English learners, and after-school activities. Harvard University is also fighting back, suing over Trump's threat to cut $9 billion in federal funding because the school wouldn't meet demands to ensure 'viewpoint diversity.' Harvard's leaders say this is an attack on academic freedom, sparked by Trump's criticism of campus protests over the Gaza conflict. Trump's business dealings have long drawn legal fire. In 2022, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump, his adult sons, and aide Allen Weisselberg, accusing them of lying about property values to get better tax deals and loans. In 2024, a judge ordered Trump to pay $355 million plus interest. Trump's team hit back, accusing James of mortgage fraud and asking the Justice Department to investigate her, but no charges have been filed. Trump's push to reshape the federal government has led to lawsuits from workers and institutions. He brought back a rule called 'Schedule F,' which makes it easier to fire career federal employees, potentially for political reasons. Federal workers, many with decades of service, say they're being targeted for their expertise or opinions. Labor unions and others have sued, claiming this violates their rights. Trump also tried to shut down the Department of Education, led by Education Secretary and former WWE wrestler Linda McMahon, but a judge stopped it, saying it oversteps his power. Teachers' unions have rallied, arguing that closing the department would gut public schools. Trump's economic and environmental moves have also sparked lawsuits. Twelve states, including New York and Arizona, sued in 2025 to stop his tariff policies, which they say have thrown the economy into disarray. On the environment, 22 young people sued over Trump's orders to boost oil, gas, and coal industries, arguing these policies harm their health by worsening climate change.
New York Post
12-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Yusuf Salaam owes six figures in taxes, despite speaking fees
City Councilman Yusef Salaam — one of the exonerated Central Park Five — owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid federal taxes, despite making big money from speaking fees, The Post has learned. The anti-cop councilman owes between $100,000 and $250,000 to the IRS, his 2024 annual financial disclosure to the city Conflicts of Interest Board shows. Salaam, 51, insisted in the forms he is 'in the process of repaying all taxes' for the past two years. 5 Salaam owes big money to the IRS, financial disclosures reveal. Gregory P. Mango The Harlem pol won his seat in 2023, then took office at the start of 2024 — so it's not clear when the taxes owed date back to. His office declined to comment, and the IRS is barred from disclosing tax return information. Salaam maintains his mountain of debt despite making a killing in speaking fees since his surprise victory in 2023. He charges around $31,000 a pop for a virtual event — and closer to $40,000 to come talk about criminal justice in person. He's had at least 36 speaking engagements since announcing his run in 2023. 5 Salaam was 16 when the court proceedings took place in 1990. ASSOCIATED PRESS Since taking office last year, he raked in up to $250,000 in fees alone, records show — on top of the $148,500 salary he gets for his Council gig. The father of 10 also declared getting '$500,000 or more' annually from a trust, estate or other beneficial interest, likely the terms of his 2014 settlement with the city. NYC ended up paying $40.75 million to the members of the Central Park Five to settle a civil rights suit. Salaam's share was $7.125 million. 5 Salaam was arrested along with four other Black and Latino teenagers in the Central Park case in 1989. Andrew Savulich 5 Salaam served nearly seven years in prison on the since overturned conviction. NY Post File Photo This isn't the first controversy for the councilman, who's also chairman of the Public Safety Committee overseeing the NYPD. Last year he was caught motoring around the Big Apple with out-of-state license plates and alleged illegally tinted windows. He was living in Georgia for six years before running for office in the Big Apple and still had his Peach State plates. 5 Salaam says he's been in the process of repaying all taxes for the past two years. Ron Sachs – CNP for NY Post Salaam has been a vocal critic of the NYPD since being elected and among the lawmakers who pushed the controversial 'How Many Stops Act' that buries cops in paperwork. He was one of five Black and Latino teenagers wrongly accused, convicted and imprisoned for the assault and rape of a woman jogging in Central Park in 1989. After his arrest at age 15, Salaam served nearly seven years behind bars, before a re-examination of the case led to his conviction being tossed in 2002 — after career criminal Matias Reyes confessed to the attack and DNA evidence confirmed Reyes' involvement. Reyes had confessed during interrogation to being at the Central Park crime scene, but the admission was later determined to be coerced.
CNBC
28-06-2025
- Politics
- CNBC
Trump loses latest bid to get Central Park Five defamation lawsuit tossed
A federal judge on Friday dealt another blow to President Donald Trump's efforts to throw out a defamation lawsuit against him filed by plaintiffs formerly known as the Central Park Five. U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone said that Pennsylvania's Anti-SLAPP law, designed to protect defendants from lawsuits targeting protected speech, does not apply in federal court, rejecting Trump's motion to dismiss the case. "The only issue before the Court is whether Plaintiffs' claims for defamation, false light, and intentional infliction of emotional distress ("IIED") can survive given Pennsylvania's Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, otherwise known as its Anti-Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation Statute," Beetlestone wrote in a 13-page filing. "Pennsylvania's Anti-SLAPP Statute (a state law) does not apply here, in federal court," she wrote in the filing, adding: "Accordingly, Defendant's Motion shall be denied." Five men who as teenagers were wrongfully convicted in the so-called Central Park Five jogger rape case sued Trump in October, accusing the then-Republican presidential nominee of defaming them. They cited a number of statements Trump made during his Sept. 10 presidential debate against former Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing him of falsely stating that the men killed somebody and pled guilty to the crime. "These statements are demonstrably false," they wrote in their filing against Trump. The five men — Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray and Korey Wise — spent years in prison for the rape and assault of a white female jogger, a crime they were later exonerated of and did not commit. Trump has tried to dismiss the defamation lawsuit against him, but has not been successful. Judge Beetlestone in April also threw out Trump's motion to dismiss the case against him in a different filing.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Biographer: This Is What Trump Really Thinks About Black People
Donald Trump's biographer has given some insights into the way he thinks the president perceives the Black community. 'Clearly, he has some issue with Black people,' Michael Wolff told The Daily Beast Podcast on Thursday. 'The world is a better place to him without Black people, or without having to be aware of Black people, without Black people somehow in what he considers a zero sum game with white people.' The president has a long history of incendiary rhetoric and actions described by his critics as racist, though he stringently denies those allegations and even told reporters back in 2018 he was 'the least racist person you have ever interviewed.' In 1973, the Department of Justice sued Trump and his companies for discriminating against Black renters, and under the Obama administration he was one of the most vocal proponents of the 'birther' conspiracy theory. He's also continued to maintain that the Central Park Five, a group of mostly Black teenagers, were responsible for the rape of a white woman in 1989, despite all five men having been fully exonerated in 2002. He launched his 2016 election campaign with a speech accusing Mexico of deliberately sending 'criminals' and 'rapists' across the border into the United States. The following year, he described participants at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, as 'very fine people,' before in 2018 referring to African countries as 's---holes' during an Oval Office meet about immigration. 'Trump certainly regards Black people as profoundly different from white people,' Wolff further said during his sit-down with the Daily Beast. 'I mean the word racist now becomes in the Trump world a kind of high praise, because it's meant to suggest the liberal overreach and the liberals call anybody racist.'
