An Appeals Court Rejected Trump’s Effort to Delay His Fraud Trial
Also, a government shutdown is looking likely. Here’s the latest at the end of Thursday.
Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial over accusations that he inflated the value of his properties by billions of dollars could begin as soon as Monday, after a New York appeals court rejected the former president’s attempt to delay it.
This afternoon’s decision set aside for now a lawsuit Trump filed against the trial judge, who on Tuesday found him liable for having committed fraud. Trump argued that the judge ignored an earlier appeals court decision that raised the notion that some of the accusations against him might be too old to go to trial.
The civil fraud trial would be decided by the judge, Justice Arthur Engoron, not a jury, and it would resolve other aspects of the case, most notably whether Trump and his company would face financial penalties. New York is seeking to recover $250 million in ill-gotten gains.
Trump can still appeal Justice Engoron’s order, but it is unclear whether the court will consider that. If that ruling stands, Trump may lose control over some of his most well-known New York real estate, including Trump Tower in Manhattan and two golf clubs in New York.
Separately, federal prosecutors accused Trump’s lawyers of trying to employ an arcane law to “intentionally derail” the timing of his trial on charges of mishandling classified documents.
The U.S. is nearing a government shutdown
Funding for the federal government will expire at midnight on Saturday — and hundreds of thousands of federal workers will be furloughed — if members of Congress do not pass a spending bill before then.
The hold up is largely because of a group of about 10 right-wing rebels who have vowed to vote against any temporary funding measure. At the same time, dozens of Republicans — particularly those in purple districts — are toiling to head off the backlash from voters for the chaos sown by some of the most extreme members of their party.
A bipartisan group of senators has agreed to a deal to temporarily keep the government open, but so far the Republican-led House has been unable, or unwilling, to take a similar step — making a shutdown more likely with each passing hour.
Nagorno-Karabakh’s government said it would disband
The breakaway government of Nagorno-Karabakh said today that it would cease to exist by the end of the year, formally ending more than 30 years of separatist rule. The announcement came after Azerbaijan regained control of the breakaway enclave in a swift attack a week ago.
The Nagorno-Karabakh government said that ethnic Armenian residents of the territory should make their own decisions about whether to live under Azerbaijani rule or leave. The government of Armenia said that 76,000 people, roughly half of the region’s entire population, had left Nagorno-Karabakh to seek safety in Armenia.
New York is rebounding, mostly for the rich
In New York City, the recovery from the pandemic has been steady — but exceedingly unequal. Wages are up, but mostly for the affluent; jobs are returning, but many are low-paying; unemployment is down, but remains high for Black and Hispanic residents. The mixed signals highlight a widening chasm: Manhattan, which now has the biggest income gap of any large county in the country, is recovering, but many of its residents are not.
More top news
-
Netherlands: Three people were killed after a gunman opened fire at a house and then at a medical school in Rotterdam.
-
War: After months of grueling combat and heavy casualties, the front line in Ukraine remains largely unchanged.
-
China: The property giant Evergrande suspended its stock and said its billionaire chairman was under investigation, fueling fears of a wider crisis.
-
Congress: The first hearing in House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into President Biden yielded no new or incriminating information.
-
2024: Republican presidential candidates bickered with one another during their second debate last night. Here are five takeaways.
-
Economy: Drivers, car dealers and auto-parts suppliers may soon begin to feel the effects of the autoworkers’ strike.
-
Tech: Internal messages obtained by The Times show how Huawei, the Chinese telecom-equipment maker, tried to court Greek officials and fight an American-led effort against its technology.
TIME TO UNWIND
Dating after 60 on ‘The Golden Bachelor’
Tonight, ABC will premiere a new spinoff of “The Bachelor,” its popular dating show that typically follows a house full of 20- or 30-something-year-old women who compete for the love of one man. This show’s twist: All of the contestants are between the ages of 60 and 75.
“The Golden Bachelor” follows Gerry Turner, 72, on his quest to find a partner. (Ideally, a “high-energy” person who might like pickleball or golf, he said.) The show is an effort by the network to appeal to the last generation of people who reliably watch prime-time television, and spotlights a largely ignored demographic in the ever-growing world of dating shows.
For those dating after 60, there may be bad dates and false starts, but romance can be infinitely better after decades of life experience.
Remembering Michael Gambon
Michael Gambon, an Irish-born actor who made his mark in London in the 1970s for his stage and screen work, died last night at 82.
Over his career, he took on roles including Edward VII, Oscar Wilde and Winston Churchill, though he was best-known for playing Albus Dumbledore, the firm but kindly headmaster of the Hogwarts wizarding school in the “Harry Potter” films. Gambon wasn’t the original choice for Dumbledore, but when he took over the character in 2003, already late in his career, he quickly made it his own.
“I just stick on a beard and play me, so it’s no great feat,” Gambon said. “Every part I play is just a variant of my own personality.”
Dinner table topics
-
Summer of Beyoncé: The Renaissance tour is a blueprint for how to cultivate pleasure and hold onto it at all costs.
-
Unruly pets: After the president’s dog bit (another) Secret Service officer, trainers weighed in on how to handle a dog’s aggression.
-
Lost treasure: Christian Agostino von Hassell lost a trove of family heirlooms intertwined with European history when he encountered New York’s unforgiving laws governing storage lockers.
-
A quandary: Consultants boost college applications. Is it wrong to use one for my child?
WHAT TO DO TONIGHT
Cook: This pasta and spiced tuna sauce is a staple in many Somali households
Watch: “Flora and Son,” a musical comedy about an Irish mother, is a Critic’s Pick.
Listen: Spend some time with these five essential Gram Parsons songs.
Exercise: This is the best time of year to run. Start with short distances.
Bundle up: These are the best down jackets to grab this fall.
Travel: Here’s how to spend 36 hours in Chicago.
Hunt: Which New York City house would you buy with a $1.2 million budget?
Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.
ONE LAST THING
A potty-mouthed racing sensation who became a cult star
Yuki Tsunoda has had an up-and-down year as a Formula 1 driver. In his first several races, he outperformed expectations, only to fall behind in recent competitions. Yet few other drivers have inspired such a cult following.
Tsunoda, 23, who is Japanese, is wildly popular in his home country. With his baby face, he quickly gained a reputation for cursing volubly on the radio that drivers use to give feedback to engineers and mechanics — audio that is also broadcast to fans during races.
Have an irreverent evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew
Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.
We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.