My coverage of Trump’s historic arraignment

"The events in New York City have, obviously, been a long time coming. This is a historic day and the implications of what happened at the courthouse in Lower Manhattan will have massive implications for this country." 

—Mary Trump, niece of the former president.

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WHEN a big story unfolded in the United States April 4, we are proud to report that we are part of it. 

We covered the historic arraignment of former US President Donald Trump in the Manhattan Criminal Court.

Arriving outside the courthouse in Collect Pond Park on Centre Street in the Lower Manhattan before 12 noon, I immediately jumped into action.  

Pro-Trump protesters led by the New York Young Republicans and anti-Trump protesters, both carrying mascots, streamers, and placards,

engaged in a loud and fierce shouting match like archenemies while the New York Police District (NYPD) cops watched in the middle, preparing to referee in case any untoward incident occurred.  

NYPD and the Secret Service made sure the opposing camps wouldn’t clash physically by limiting their movements in separate areas. Lawmen installed security barriers where the warring protesters hurled invectives without bumping and pushing each other.

The presence of lawmen was overwhelming. They surrounded the major thoroughfares around the parameters of the courthouse. I saw patrol cars and cops as far as on Lafayette and Broadway Streets when I walked to the Canal Street after the event.    

For two hours, I stayed on the side where the pro-Trump protesters had converged as it was difficult to immediately cross the isle on the side of the anti-Trump hecklers due to security arraignments. 

 

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Once journalists were able to get inside the heavily guarded and monitored Collect Pond Park, it’s difficult to cross or transfer from one area to another as the crowd grew boisterous and rowdy hurling accusations and counteraccusations like they wanted to eat each other alive.

I spent the remaining hours on the side of the anti-Trump protesters after Mr. Trump arrived and proceeded to the courtroom to “surrender.” 

The historic arraignment was covered by international press from different countries. I saw several TV crew and stand up reporters from Japan, China, Mexico, Great Britain, Canada, among other countries.   

Most reporters weren’t allowed inside the courtroom except for at least five photojournalists, who were ordered to leave before the start of the arraignment.

The protesters insulted and cursed each other before, during, and after the arraignment, where Mr. Trump pleaded not guilty on 34 felony counts.

The raps, the first former any former US president, included falsifying business records after paying porn model Stormy Daniels with hush-money to buy her silence before the 2016 presidential election through his fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen.

Anti-Trump rallyists appeared to have outnumbered Trump’s defenders who had been abandoned by right-wing provocateur and rally organizers, Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) and George Santos (R-New York).

The two GOP solons appeared to have chickened out and were frightened when demonstrators with whistles and drums drowned them out shortly after they reached the rally.

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There was no major movement on Centre Street in front of the courthouse’s main entrance when Mr. Trump arrived before two o’clock in the afternoon where he was whisked to the courthouse’s side entrance.   

NYPD cops occupied half of the Centre Street in front of the Collect Pond Park, where the bulk of media people, including TV equipment installed by major networks, were waiting.

Following Mr. Trump’s arraignment, two documents were unsealed and they were a study in contrasts.

One was a 13-page statement of facts—a narrative adopted by the grand jury outlining what was described as a more than two-year-long “unlawful scheme” by the former president to influence the 2016 presidential election by “identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit (his) electoral prospects.”

The other was the 16-page indictment itself, which outlined the criminal charges pending against Mr. Trump. This document described a far more narrow range of wrongdoing—34 counts of falsifying business records related to how the former president and his company falsely accounted for payments to his former attorney Cohen in 2017 to reimburse the attorney for a $130,000 payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels before the election.

In New York, falsifying business records is a felony when there is an “intent to defraud” that includes an intent to “commit another crime or to aid or conceal” another crime, it was learned.

Prosecutors in this case will have to prove that Mr. Trump is guilty of maintaining false business records with the intent to hide the $130,000 payment to Daniels in the days before the 2016 election to cover up an alleged 2006 affair.

I left the courthouse at past four o’clock in the afternoon.

There was no mugshot and Mr. Trump, who was not handcuffed, immediately went back to Mar-a-Lago in Florida. 

 

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SURFING THE WEB KEEPS OUR BRAIN YOUNG. The glut of information on the internet can seem mind-numbing, but the stimulation we get from wading through it exercises our brain, which may keep it more youthful. 

Scientists who connected older Web surfers (all were 55 and up) to a brain-scanning MRI machine found that searching the internet, like reading a book, stimulates the brain.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

 

 

I don’t take sides

“Journalism without a moral position is impossible. Every journalist is a moralist. It's absolutely unavoidable.”

—Marguerite Duras

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

I’VE noticed that some American journalists take sides when they cover political events, especially the ongoing Donald Trump donnybrook.

Either they are identified as “conservative” or “liberal” press. 

I thought these two prominent ideologies are only for politics or politicians. 

I thought media practitioners are independent, neutral or nonpartisans. 

CNN and other networks and broadsheets that deal the Democratic administration of President Joe Biden with kid gloves, for instance, have been tagged as “liberals”, while rival Fox News and other networks and broadsheets that pamper Mr. Trump and the Republican Party, have been labeled as “conservatives.”

In the United States, the political ideology has been described with the left–right spectrum. Liberalism as the predominant left-leaning ideology and conservatism as the predominant right-leaning ideology.

I’m neither liberal nor conservative. I am slightly moderate and always see to it apolitical when I cover events in the United States that involve political personalities and their rivalries. 

I don’t take sides. I present both sides of the coin and quote prominent firebrands from both political spectrums. It’s my job to inform and help educate the readers, not deform the facts to please my bias and prejudice.  

Telling it as it is makes me free from suspicion and accusation as biased.

 

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Objectivity, fairness, and calling spade a spade continue to be my mantra and philosophy as a journalist.

I give my own views as an opinion maker, but I stick to facts; I value objectivity and fairness when I write a straight news. 

I am proud to cover the Trump indictment brouhaha and other big stories in the United States as an independent journalist. 

When former State Secretary Hilary Clinton lost to Mr. Trump in the 2016 presidential election, I managed to control my emotion as a Clinton admirer and didn’t display any enmity or irritation while I reported the result “live” on radio in the Philippines. 

The stories I wrote about the Trump-Clinton setto, as well as the Trump-Biden slugfest were all hedged with fairness and objectivity, modesty aside. 

Surprisingly, there are journalists who “justify” the indictment of Mr. Trump reportedly for 30 counts of criminal cases (as of this writing the court hasn’t unsealed them yet) in relation to hush money (the act of paying or buying the silence of a person) the former president allegedly paid porn nymphet Stormy Daniels. 

There are journalists who follow the narratives of Mr. Trump’s Republican supporters that what Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, did was a “political vendetta” and “election interference.” 

Both the “conservative“ and “liberal” journalists sometimes become the news themselves, not the purveyors of truth or reporters of straight news and objectivity.

I will never sag in this level.

 

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BAD NEWS AND GOOD NEWS. How common is a brain aneurysm? Research says many people have them—up to 4 percent have it at autopsy (meaning sure death), but many show no symptoms. About 5 percent of people will reportedly develop a brain aneurysm during their lifetime, but only about 10 percent of them will experience a rupture. In other words, there is a big chance of survival—if we don't belong in the 10 percent! If this happens, the trip to Kingdom Come will be suspended if not canceled!

DAMAYAN ACTIVITIES. Damayan Migrant Workers Association, with a mission to empower low-wage workers to fight for their labor, health, gender, and immigrant rights in New York City, recently celebrated Women at the March Members of fighting anti-Asan Hate.

Established in 2002 to build leadership at the grassroots level and eliminate labor trafficking, fight labor fraud and wage theft, and  demand fair labor standards to achieve economic and social justice, Damayan also held an activity related to anti-Asian hate. 

March Members Meeting was held at The People’s Forum, Manhattan became a community-building event. 

It sought to unify and fortify the Filipino migrant worker community rocked by the recent wave of anti-Asian hate and violence.  Most recently, a Filipino mother-and-son were viciously attacked at Corona, Queens by a trio shouting racial slurs at them. The community then came together at a rally decrying anti-Asian hate, showing support to the survivors.

“It is fitting that International Women’s Month was also being celebrated at the  March Members Meeting, paying tribute to all the Filipino migrant women workers, recognizing their  hard labor overseas and their personal sacrifices that have supported their families back home and propped up the Philippine economy,” Damayan announced. “These women workers, who are mostly domestic workers, face the danger of racial hate crimes and violence everyday as they ride the subways and walk in the streets of Manhattan to go to their jobs.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

No handcuff for Trump

 

“Anyone who thinks my story is anywhere near over is sadly mistaken.”

—Donald Trump

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE expect to watch former President Donald Trump walk inside the Manhattan Criminal Court before the scheduled arraignment for at least 30 counts of criminal cases filed against him in relation to hush money payment to a porn star before the 2016 presidential election at 2:15 in the afternoon on April 4 (Tuesday).

We will be in the vicinity before 12 noon and witness history unfold in New York City, where a former US president has been indicted and will face a grand jury, the first in the history of the United States.

We learned from Joe Tacopina, Mr. Trump’s lawyer in the case, that he did not expect the Mar-a-Lago-based former president to be handcuffed even if other details remain unknown, including whether Mr. Trump will have his mugshot and fingerprints taken.

New York state law does not allow for the public distribution of mugshots.

Because the charges against him did not include any violent felonies, we learned that Mr. Trump is expected to be released after his arraignment.

The indictment remained under seal as of this writing. It followed an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg that centered on a $130,000 payment fixer Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former lawyer, made to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the election where Republican Trump faced and defeated Hilary Clinton of the Democratic Party.

 

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The case of former senator Ping Lacson shouldn’t be compared to the case of overstaying traveler and Pamplona, Negros Oriental massacre suspected mastermind Rep. Arnie Teves.

Lacson, a defeated presidential candidate, only asked Teves to get a good lawyer. For the record, he never made any suggestion to hide from the law like what he did when the former senator was ordered arrested by the Manila Regional Trial court on February 5, 2010 as the principal accused in the murders of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.

Somebody might have tipped him of the warrant of arrest, thus Lacson fled the country on the evening of January 5 on Hong Kong-bound Cathay Pacific flight CX 904. 

In other words, Lacson became a fugitive. Actually, Lacson is a bad example and his “trick” will probably give other fugitives an idea on what to do once a warrant of arrest has been issued against them.

As of this writing, Teves remained “missing.” He reportedly extended his stay abroad.

The murder case filed against Teves weren’t related to the murder of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo and eight others. They were the murders that happened in 2019. 

The Department of Justice (DoJ) hasn’t yet formally charged Teves for Degamo’s killing although he has been tagged as one of the suspected masterminds.

 

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The overview laid out by the U.S. Department of State—Bureau of Consular Affairs on visas for the foreign media, press, and radio is clear: 

“Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States must first obtain a visa, either a nonimmigrant visa for temporary stay, or an immigrant visa for permanent residence. 

“Media (I) visas are for representatives of the foreign media, including members of the press, radio, film, and print industries, traveling temporarily to the United States to work in their profession engaged in informational or educational media activities, essential to the foreign media function. Activities in the United States while on a media (I) visa must be for a media organization having its home office in a foreign country. 

“Activities in the United States must be informational in nature and generally associated with the news gathering process and reporting on current events.”

Those intending to fraudulently claim as media workers, especially shady vloggers paid by politicians for propaganda purposes and attempt to apply for a journalist visa (thinking they can’t make it if they apply for a tourist visa), please be warned there are additional documents that may be requested to establish if they are qualified. As examples:

A journalist working under contract or free lance to a foreign media organization will need to present a valid contract of employment.

An employee of an independent production company, with a few exceptions, will need to present a credential issued by a professional journalistic association.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

 

 

 

 

What does Trump’s indictment mean to Filipinos

“What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate.”

— Donald Trump

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WHEN it comes to indicting a former president, the Philippines is “ahead” of the United States.

Before Donald Trump was indicted by the Manhattan grand jury in New York March 30 for hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election to become the first American former president indicted for a crime, Joseph “Erap” Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo became the first two former presidents to be indicted for separate crimes in the Philippines.

Mr. Estrada was sentenced to life in prison after an anti-graft court found him guilty of plunder on September 11, 2007. He was pardoned by his successor, then President Arroyo.

Mrs. Arroyo, on the other hand, was arrested for electoral sabotage (remember “Hello Garci”?) at the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig on November 18, 2011.

Under hospital arrest, Mrs. Arroyo, now a Pampanga representative, was also charged for misuse of millions of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) funds and was released on bail on July 25, 2012.

“No one is above the law” was the line used by critics of both Mr. Estrada and Mrs. Arroyo’s that was also used by Mr. Trump’s critics.

 

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Thus Mr. Trump’s indictment, although the first for a former US president, was not really something new or earthshaking for most Filipinos who value and believe in the rule of law.

There were Filipinos who considered the arrest of both former Philippine presidents to be politically motivated.

Just like Mr. Trump’s loyal supporters, especially some GOP lawmakers, who blamed President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party for Mr. Trump’s legal predicament.

Mr. Trump has denounced the indictment and lashed at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He also denied any sexual relations with Daniels or Stephanie Gregory Clifford in real name, which was viewed by legal experts to be a “weak” defense.

Another former Filipino president, Rodrigo Duterte, also faces a possible indictment this time by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the bloody drug war during his presidency.

Mr. Duterte, in a latest speech, again called the ICC “mga putang ina” or SOB, his trademark.

New Yorkers beamed with pride as former President Donald Trump was indicted in his hometown, reported the New York Daily News which quoted Lisa Fithian, 62, as saying, “This is like a holiday. We should be popping champagne. This is a historic day. It’s a long time coming. We’re grateful for the DA and the courage of the grand jury.”

“What I did, I did at the direction of, for the benefit of, and in cooperation with Donald J. Trump,” Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former lawyer who testified against him, said. “And so, I ended being forced to plead guilty. I was charged, I was fined, and I was ultimately sentenced to several of these things that they’re looking at with Donald. What’s good for one has to be good for all.”

 

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LAST SUPPER. There were 69 percent increase in portion sizes at the Last Supper over the past 1,000 years, according to researchers who studied 52 paintings that depict the meal (Time).

LONGING FOR SWEET ITALIAN CUISINE? An Italian meal may contain as much monosodium glutamate (MSG) as an Oriental meal since both tomatoes and cheese are natural sources of this substance.

VITAMIN. Women may find B12 helpful--as part of a B complex--during and just prior to menstruation while elderly people frequently have difficulty absorbing vitamin B12 and require supplementation by injection.

If we are a vegetarian and have excluded eggs and dairy products from our diet, then we need B12 supplementation. If we keep regular "Happy Hours" and drink a lot, B12 can be a most effective revitalizer.

Cancer is more common among people who are obese than people who are at or below their ideal body weight.

Smoking, caffeine, refined sugar, and pollution can all raise our cholesterol level. Amino acids arginine and omithine can help us gain less--even as we eat more. 

Products marked as aren't necessarily low-calorie, and some products using artificial sweeteners contain more calories than if they had natural sugar.

THERE IS ALSO SOFTNESS IN HIM. 43 percent of all men have cried because of love-related issues. (Askmen).

(PG 13) It's been estimated that the practice of autoerotic asphyxiation (temporarily suffocating yourself while masturbating) takes the lives of 250 to 1,000 people each year.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)