July 26, 2018
VOL. 31, No. 76
LEAKED TAPE REVEALS TRUMP CAUGHT ON TAPE
In California, literacy is a constitutional right: Some school districts may be breaking law
DISCUSSING HUSH PAYMENT TO FORMER PLAYBOY MODEL
By Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor
A state judge recently ruled in a 2017 lawsuit, declaring literacy is a constitutional right in California and many school systems violate that maxim. Now, districts, educators and parents from the Coachella Valley, where the suit originated, to points north and west are explaining their take on the controversial issue. In a ruling on Monday, a California Superior Court judge found that low literacy rates in school districts across California indicate a violation of the state’s constitution. “It’s the first ruling in the state of California that acknowledges that children have a right
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A secretly recorded tape of Donald Trump by his longtime personal lawyer was played on CNN Tuesday night in which the two can be heard talking about a potential payment for a Playboy model’s story about an alleged affair and the soon-to-be president is heard discussing whether to “pay with cash.” The audio recording , surreptitiously made by Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen two months before the 2016 presidential election, was provided to CNN by Cohen’s attorney, Lanny Davis. The conversation between Trump and Cohen came weeks after the National Enquirer’s parent company reached a $150,000 deal to pay former Playboy model Karen McDougal for her story of a 2006 affair, which it never published, a tabloid practice known as catch and kill. Trump denies the affair ever happened and his campaign had said he knew nothing about the payment. Trump and Cohen appear to be discussing buying the rights to McDougal’s story from the Enquirer’s parent company. Cohen can be heard on the tape saying that he needed to start a company “for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David,” a possible reference to David Pecker, Trump’s friend and president of the National Enquirer’s parent company, American Media Inc. When Cohen begins to discuss financing, Trump interrupts him and asks, “What financing?”
“We’ll have to pay,” Cohen responded. The audio is muffled, but Trump can be heard saying “pay with cash,” though it isn’t clear if he is suggesting to pay with cash or not to pay with cash. Cohen immediately says, “No, no, no” and Trump can then be heard saying, “check.” Trump’s current attorney, Rudy Giuliani, told The Associated Press that he’s had an expert enhance the recording and the president says “don’t pay with cash.” “It clearly indicates that the president did not want to pay with cash. Suggesting otherwise is ridiculous and is inconsistent with the rest of the conversation, during which it was discussed doing it through a corporation,” Giuliani said. Giuliani said Cohen, as Trump’s lawyer, thought it would be best if he could buy the rights to McDougal’s story and the recording captures the two of them discussing how to do that. “Cohen says I have to pay him. The president brings up cash and says don’t pay with cash and says ‘check,’ He wants it memorialized,” Giuliani said. “Cohen then says ‘No, no, no, no’ and he cuts off
the tape. He obviously cuts it off in midsentence and that in itself is suspicious.” “The president wanted to do it the right way. If you wanted to hide something, you would not do it by corporation or check,” he said. The payment was never made and Giuliani said he didn’t know why that was the case and hadn’t discussed it with
Trump. “Listen to the tape. Donald Trump is not shocked money is being paid about someone named Karen McDougal,” Davis said during an interview with CNN. Davis said his client - who is under investigation by federal officials in New York - “has been disparaged and insulted and called all kinds of things.” “He’s got truth on his side and he’ll continue to tell the truth,” Davis said. Davis did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP on Tuesday night.
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LAX WORKERS THREATEN WALKOUT
OVER LOW SEVERANCE PAY By City News Service An estimated 600 ground operations workers at Los Angeles International Airport could soon walk off the job over a labor dispute – – a move that could create a major disruption at LAX and beyond, it was recently reported. Nicolas Fernandez, who represents employees with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said Monday that Swissport International plans to eliminate its cabinet-cleaning, ramp, mechanics and passenger-service departments, although
its cargo and fueling departments will remain in operation, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. Swissport employs more than 1,000 people at LAX. At issue are the severance packages the aviation services company has proposed. Fernandez says they are inadequate. Swissport, he said, wants to pay $600 to employees who have been with the company for up to two years, $800 for workers who have logged two to five years, $1,000 to employees with five to eight years experience, $1,200 for those
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with eight to 15 years and $1,400 to workers who have been with Swissport
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