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Tag: General News

  • PH Refinery Receives 450,000 Barrels Of Crude Oil From NNPCL, Begins Production In Two Weeks, Says Kyari

    Mele-Kyari.

    – Senate Disowns Report On Exposing Fraud In Refineries Rehabilitation

    The Grouo Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, Mele Kyari has said that the Port Harcourt Refinery has received 450,000 barrels of crude for processing following the mechanical completion of the plant in December, last year.

    He said this during a session with the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Investigation of Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) in the nation’s refineries.

    The Port Harcourt refinery located in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria has been operational since 1965. It is the oldest and the biggest of the three government-owned oil refining sites in the West African country.

    The oil refinery complex consists of a 60,000 barrels per day (bpd) old refinery that started operations in 1965 and a 150,000bpd new refinery that came on stream in 1989.

    Despite having a combined crude processing capacity of 210,000bpd, the Port Harcourt refinery, like other state refineries of the country, had been operating only at a fraction of its capacity over the last few decades due to process inefficiency and lack of maintenance. This had led to the growing reliance of Nigeria, Africa’s largest crude producer, on imports of refined petroleum products.

    The PHRC rehabilitation project, which costs about $1.5bn, is an EPCIC project that covers Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation, and commissioning phases.

    For Area-5, which is a segment of the refinery that will produce 60 million barrels per day, the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Installation have all been completed. The mechanical completion signifies the closure of the construction and installation phases, according to NNPCL.

    The milestone was achieved under a Health, Safety and Environment record, which stood at over 9.5 million man-hour with zero Loss Time Injury.

    On April 7, 2021, the NNPC officially signed a contract with Tecnimont SPA for the $1.5bn rehabilitation programme of the Port Harcourt Refining Company.

    Parties in the agreement also announced the commencement of the project following the signing of the contract at the headquarters of the company in Abuja

    The rehabilitation project, being undertaken in three phases, is expected to be completed by 2025. But the first phase of the project, which is the mechanical completion phase, was done by the NNPC in December

    The new Port Harcourt refinery comprises a Crude Distillation Unit (CDU), a Vacuum Distillation Unit (VDU), a Naphtha Hydrotreating Unit (NHTU), a Catalytic Reforming Unit (CRU), a Continuous Catalyst Regeneration (CCR) Unit, a kerosene hydrotreating unit, a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit, and a dimersol unit to convert propylene into a gasoline blendstock.

    It also houses a butamer isomerisation unit, an alkylation unit, apart from hydrogen purification, fuel gas vaporiser, sour water and caustic treatment units.

    The old refinery comprises a CDU, a CRU, and a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) facility.

    The refinery complex uses four turbo-generators of 14MW an hour of electricity generation capacity each and four boilers of 120 tonnes (t) an hour of steam generation capacity each.

    The refinery products include petrol, diesel, LPG, aviation and domestic kerosene, low pour fuel oil (LPFO), and heavy pour fuel oil (HPFO).

    Speaking during the session wkth the lawmakers, the GCEO called for the cooperation of all stakeholders in the rehabilitation process, stressing that “we are all serving this country dutifully and loyally. Nigerians must understand that gradually, we shall get this task done.”

    Kyari assured Nigerians that the delivery date of the Port Harcourt and other refineries remains sacrosanct.

    “We will make sure that promises that we made about the rehabilitation of these refineries are kept. We did a mechanical completion of PHRC in December. Now, we have crude oil already stocked in it. It is currently undergoing regulatory compliance test before we restream it. I assure you that this refinery will start in next two weeks.

    “For Warri, we have also done mechanical work on it. It is undergoing regulatory compliance processes that we are doing with our regulators. Kaduna will be ready by December this year, but we have not reached that stage. We believe that it will also be ready on schedule,” the GCEO stated.

    Meanwhile, the Senate has dismissed media reports claiming that it will expose all “frauds associated with the contracts and management of the Turn Around Maintenance of the nation’s refineries”.

    A news report last week claimed that the Senate through its Ad-hoc Committee on Investigation of Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) in the nation’s refineries has vowed to “expose all frauds associated with the contracts and management of the process.”

    Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, who expressed displeasure over the “unfortunate reports” at an interactive session on Thursday, said the National Assembly couldn’t have declared verdict on an issue that is still under investigation.

    “I apologise for the reports. I was quoted out of context”, Senator Uba said at the interactive session.

    The Senator further noted that the Committee’s concern was aimed at getting the nation’s refineries fully rehabilitated and returned to their respective optimal refining capacities so as to ensure nationwide petroleum products sufficiency and safeguard Nigeria’s energy security.

    The Senate Ad-hoc Committee is expected to visit the three refineries in Kaduna, Warri and Port Harcourt soon for an on-the-spot assessment of work progress.

    PH Refinery Receives 450,000 Barrels Of Crude Oil From NNPCL, Begins Production In Two Weeks, Says Kyari is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

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  • Fact Check: Hopping to conclusions? No, Easter has not been ‘replaced’ with Transgender Day of Visibility

    Has Easter been replaced?

    Nope, the internet is just hopping to conclusions.

    “Trans activists replaced Easter with the Transgender Day of Visibility,” posted conservative influencer Ian Miles Cheong on X. “Easter is no more.”

    The March 14 post featured an infographic from the LGBTQ+ advocacy organization PFLAG that announced the “Transgender Day of Visibility” on March 31. 

    Easter Sunday falls on the same day this year, but that is just a coincidence.

    Transgender Day of Visibility, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the transgender community, has been on March 31 every year since its creation in more than a decade ago.

    It is a fixed date like the Fourth of July, Veterans Day, or Christmas.

    But Easter’s date changes each year.

    The Christian holiday celebrating Jesus Christ’s resurrection is also observed by children with chocolate bunnies and egg hunts. It falls on March 31 this year. In 2023, it fell on April 9, and the year before, on April 17. 

    Easter’s date is based on the lunar calendar, and always falls on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. Other roving holidays such as Thanksgiving or Memorial Day are based on a certain week in a given month.

    The Easter Bunny’s favorite workday has not been replaced by the Transgender Day of Visibility.

    If anything is to blame for a crowded calendar, it’s the moon.

    We rate this claim False. 



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  • 49ers’ Maliek Collins tasked with replacing mainstay Arik Armstead

    With longtime defensive tackle Arik Armstead on his way to Jacksonville, the man who will assume his role for the 49ers in 2024 is only looking to be himself.

    “I don’t think you replace a person like Arik Armstead, the person he is in the community, the person he is on the field, Maliek Collins told local reporters Thursday on a conference call. “I’m just here to add my skillset and bring who I am to the table.”

    Collins, 28, arrived in exchange for the first of the 49ers’ two seventh-round picks in the 2024 draft. The 49ers also confirmed previously reported deals with defensive tackle Jordan Elliott and Yetur Gross-Matos to two-year deals and a one-year contract to bring back Kevin Givens.

    The 49ers have yet to announce the signing of edge rusher Leonard Floyd.

    Joining Armstead on his way out from the 49ers is Ray-Ray McCloud, a wide receiver and return specialist who reportedly agreed to terms with the Atlanta Falcons.

    None of the exits come as a big surprise, as Armstead’s availability due to repeated injuries mde his $17.4 million salary and $28.4 cap number problematic. Armstead, the longest tenured 49er at the time of his release,  played in 21 of 34 regular season game the last two seasons due to knee and plantar fasciitis issues.

    Armstead played 859 snaps for the 49ers over the last two seasons while Collins was playing 1,302 snaps for Houston.

    According to Bleacher Report, Armstead will get $51 million over three seasons in Jacksonville, where the G.M. is Trent Baalke. Without signing bonus money or guarantees made public as of yet, it’s hard to know if that figure is truly representative of what Armstead will earn.

    Baalke was the G.M. in 2015 when Armstead was a first-round draft pick. Collins presumably much cheaper than Armstead should he have elected to take a pay cut, with two years left on his current contract with $8 million guaranteed this season.

    At 6-foot-2, 310 pounds, Collins comes in with a lower center of gravity than the 6-foot-7 Armstead. He is coming off his best season in terms of sacks (five) and quarterback hits (18) under DeMeco Ryans, the former 49ers defensive coordinator.

    “DeMeco called me ot to inform me the trade had went through,” Collins said. “I was grateful for that. I think that just showed his character, that he would call and break the news himself. We said our thank yous and he said I couldn’t be going to a better organization with great people.”

    Collins, a former third-round draft pick by Dallas out of Nebraska in 2016, played four seasons with Dallas and one with the Las Vegas Raiders. He has spent the last three with Houston and has had his eye on 49ers line coach Kris Kocurek since meeting with him at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine when Kocurek was with the Detroit Lions.

    “I’ve actually been waiting to be coached by him my whole career,” Collins said. “I met with him a lot during the combine process back when I came out and I’ve come full circle.”

    Collins came out the same year as Hargrave, and said the two work out together in the offseason.

    According to The Athletic, a straight trade of Collins for Armstead was scuttled when the Texans instead signed edge rusher Danielle Hunter.

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  • T-Pain, Busta Rhymes Among Those Performing At Tequila Fest In May

    Tequila Fest is returning to Chuckhansi Park for its second year.

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  • We can’t give up on Ukraine

    As Ukraine enters a third year of war since Russia’s full-scale invasion, it’s more important than ever to support the Ukrainian people in their ongoing fight for freedom.

    The war, far from being a distant conflict, affects people around the world. The Russian government’s behavior — from abusing global food and energy markets to violating Ukraine’s sovereignty — directly attacks the freedom and democracy underpinning global security.

    People who care about their own security and the global system that protects everyone should support Ukraine’s fight for freedom. After all, the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine is not a one-off event.

    From backing separatists in Moldova to military interventions in Chechnya and Georgia and its attempted annexation of Crimea, Russia has systematically worked to exert influence and control in neighboring countries and territories.

    Soldiers sitting at table outdoors amid rubble of destroyed buildings (© Dmitry Belyakov/AP)
    Russian soldiers rest at Minutka Square, in Grozny, Chechnya, in February 2000. Russia’s bombing of the Chechen capital took such a heavy toll on the city’s buildings that Russian troops struggled to find an intact office for their commandant. (© Dmitry Belyakov/AP)

    “If Putin takes Ukraine, he won’t stop there,” U.S. President Joe Biden recently warned, speaking from the White House. “He’s going to keep going. He’s made that pretty clear.”

    Standing up for democracy

    Democracy matters, and the values of freedom and independence do not defend themselves.

    Russia shows the world what authoritarianism looks like: government opponents murdered, protesters arrested, media outlets shut down. Stopping its war against Ukraine is vital.

    Two police officers holding Aleksey Navalny with his arms behind his back (© Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images)
    Police officers detain Russian opposition leader Aleksey Navalny. Navalny died in custody in January. (© Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images)

    As European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted in May 2023, “Ukraine is on the front line of the defense of everything we Europeans cherish: our liberty, our democracy, our freedom of thought and of speech.”

    Why doesn’t Ukraine negotiate a truce?

    The reality is the Kremlin has not negotiated in good faith, nor will it.

    After Russia’s initial invasion in 2014, the two sides met under the Minsk Agreements to end the fighting. During the negotiations, Ukraine upheld its commitments while Russia used the time to prepare for its larger invasion.

    Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine and its partners undertook intense diplomatic efforts with Russia to prevent escalation and dissuade Putin from further violence.

    Woman walking on city sidewalk past large green armored vehicle with soldier sitting on top (© Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
    A woman walks past a Russian military personnel carrier outside a Ukrainian military base on March 18, 2014, in Simferopol, Ukraine. (© Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

    Ukraine carried out 200 rounds of meetings with Russia between 2014 and 2022, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

    “We agreed on, I think, 20 cease-fires with them,” said Kuleba, speaking to Foreign Affairs in January. “All of them failed. … They were all broken by Russia.”

    What if Russia promised to respect Ukraine’s borders in exchange for Ukrainian territory?

    Russia already said it would respect Ukraine’s borders — and broke its word.

    Before Putin started annexing its territory and killing Ukrainian people in 2014, Ukraine already had a security guarantee from Russia.

    Contrary to Putin’s absurd assertions about Russia’s historical claims on Ukraine, Moscow already recognized Ukraine’s sovereignty in 1991, when Ukraine voted overwhelmingly for independence from the Soviet Union. Russia further guaranteed Ukrainians’ security in 1994 as part of a deal that included Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons.

    People putting ballots into ballot boxes (© Liu Heung Shing/AP)
    Ukrainians cast their ballots in Kyiv on December 1, 1991, during their first presidential election and a referendum on independence from the Soviet Union. (© Liu Heung Shing/AP)

    Those assurances were not worth much, which is why Ukrainian officials do not want a cease-fire now.

    “Instead of ending the war, a cease-fire would simply pause the fighting until Russia is ready to make another push inland,” Kuleba said. “If the front line were frozen now, there is no reason to believe that Russia would not use such a respite to plan a more brutal attack in a few years.”

    Does the war affect me now?

    Russia’s invasion affects people’s everyday lives all over the world.

    Man rolling grocery cart past shelf of pasta in large supermarket (© Luca Bruno/AP)
    Packages of pasta on sale in a supermarket in Milan, northern Italy, as food prices have risen all over Europe, driven in part by the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine (© Luca Bruno/AP)

    The ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s fields, grain storage facilities and ports have dramatically disrupted global food markets, making access to food more difficult for millions of people.

    What’s more, because Russia uses energy as a weapon of war — depriving vulnerable communities of heat in winter — the war has driven up oil prices around the world.

    Is support accomplishing anything?

    Ukraine is a democratic, independent and sovereign nation. The world’s continued support helps it remain so.

    Ukraine has already made progress. It has taken back more than 50% of the territory illegally seized by Russia in early 2022 and has broken the Russian blockade in the Black Sea, imposing severe costs on the Russian navy.

    Teacher pointing at paper on table as four small children look on in makeshift classroom in subway station (© Andrii Marienko/AP)
    A teacher goes over a lesson in an underground kindergarten in a subway station in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on January 20. City officials opened kindergartens in underground subway stations to protect children from the Russian missile strikes that hit Kharkiv every day. (© Andrii Marienko/AP)

    Ongoing aid is keeping Ukraine in the fight. Humanitarian support such as food, fuel and medicine keeps Ukrainians alive. Economic aid pays the salaries of schoolteachers and officials and enables businesses to stay open. Donated air defense systems shoot down Russian bombs, drones and missiles.

    It’s been more than two years since Russian troops launched their full-scale invasion. “The brave people of Ukraine fight on, unbowed in their determination to defend their freedom and future,” Biden said on February 23. “People around the world understand that the stakes of this fight extend far beyond Ukraine.”



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  • Sick! Twice-Deported Illegal Accused Of Raping Four Children Ages 6-12 While Teaching At Church School


    Illegal alien from El Salvador charged with heinous crimes in Maryland

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told The National Desk (TND) on Thursday that an illegal alien was arrested earlier this week and charged with molesting four children.

    33-year-old Ervin Jeovany Alfaro-Lopez of El Salvador was working as a teacher in a Maryland church when the sexual assaults allegedly took place.

    Under the Barack Obama administration in 2015, Lopez was arrested for illegal entry into America, but was released on a $7,500 bond.

    During Donald Trump’s presidency, the DOJ ordered Lopez to be deported on two separate occasions in both 2018 and 2020.

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    According to ICE, the illegal immigrant was back in America this time without ever having been processed at the border, meaning he bypassed Border Patrol altogether.

    The suspect’s first victim came forward in May 2023, which encouraged three other victims of sexual abuse to eventually come forward.

    After the next victims went to the police, Lopez’s charges were increased to 12 counts of sexual assault dating all the way back to November 2014.

    The victims’ ages ranged from 6-12 at the time of their abuse, and investigators believe there might be more victims who have yet to come forward.

    Disturbing court documents reveal Lopez would inappropriately touch his students when they were watching a movie in a dark room or when they had their eyes closed to pray.

    The illegal immigrant and suspected child rapist is currently being held without bond at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit.

    As Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and millions of other Americans have been trying to warn, “The federal government has put the American people in jeopardy,” by allowing the nation to be invaded.

    Sheriff Bradshaw made the remark this week after three illegals in his county kidnapped and raped a woman at two different locations.

    It’s time to secure the border and deport illegal aliens en masse if we are going to have any chance at saving America from completely collapsing into a Mad Max hellhole.



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  • Constitution Review Will Focus On Electoral Reforms, Gender Related Bills – Speaker Abbas Assures EU Delegation

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon. Tajudeen Abbas has told the European Union of his readiness to champion reforms in Nigeria through the National Assembly, including electoral reforms, empowerment and more inclusion of women in politics and governance.

    In a statement signed by Musa Abdullahi Krishi, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, Abbas noted that part of the reforms is having a roadmap for timely passage of the ongoing amendments to the 1999 Constitution.

    The Speaker made this known while receiving the 19 EU countries’ ambassadors to Nigeria in his office in Abuja on Thursday.

    The delegation was led by the Ambassador of EU to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Samuela Isopi. Several members of the House, the Clerk to the National Assembly, Sani Magaji were in attendance.

    Speaker Abbas said: “I want to inform you that there is uniqueness this time in the approach we are taking on the Constitution review. In the past, we observed that we did not start it in good time, and that also affected our time of completing it. That usually affects the quality of bills that are supposed to be transmitted to state legislative assemblies for them to also concur.

    “This time around, we told ourselves that we need to start earlier and we need to use a roadmap. We need to also determine how long it will take us to finish our own job at the National Assembly level. That is the reason why you can see that the Constitution review committee that we kick-started a few weeks ago, started earlier than the preceding assemblies.”

    He added: “I want to categorically inform you that the Constitution review committee has been given 24 months to complete all its work. We want to make sure that by the time we are at the mid-term of our mandate, all issues that have to do with Constitution review have been concluded at the level of the National Assembly so that we have clear one-and-a-half years to be able to reach out to the states Houses of Assembly and ensure that they do the needful, for us to return it (amendment bill) back to Mr President for assent.

    “We are giving you the commitment that we are starting early ,and we have a timeline and timetable, and will ensure that we finish our assignment at the National Assembly in good time.”

    The Speaker also said, key issues to be addressed in the Constitution amendment will include the role of Nigerian women in governance and women’s participation in politics, which he said “are issues that we are taking very seriously this time around.”

    “We reflected on what happened in the 9th Assembly… on why some of these very important bills did not see the light of day. We have decided now to map strategies, to ensure that first and foremost the bills that have to do with women are well accepted by the National Assembly – first and foremost,” he stated.

    Speaker Abbas disclosed that the chairmen and members of the House Committees on Women Affairs, and Women in Parliament have been mandated to lead the stakeholders’ engagement and lobbying for the gender-related bills “for them to really be on the same page with the women folk when the time comes for voting.”

    He added that the House would also send a delegation to understudy some African countries, like Uganda and Rwanda, which now have unique models for women’s participation in governance.

    The Speaker thanked the EU member countries for their support of Nigeria while urging them to do more for the country.

    “I am also particularly delighted that the small initiative that we came up with at the beginning of the 10th Assembly is being accepted by the European community… the issue of friendship groups. We believe that it is a small window of opportunities that the various countries in the world and the Nigerian Parliament or the Nigerian Government can be able to deepen their understanding of our legislation, to bring about a lot of economic development to our countries.

    “We are grateful that some of the members (of the House) that we have appointed to lead the friendship groups have started making impacts, particularly in the European Union.”

    Earlier in her address, Ambassador Isopi noted that the European Union is a champion and advocate of democracy and the National Assembly is the symbol of democracy in Nigeria. She also noted that the EU is West Africa’s largest neighbour, adding that the EU and Nigeria have an interest in working together on stability, peace and development of the whole region.

    The ambassador said: “As you know, there are 19 European member states present in Nigeria and the size of the group gives you an idea; it is a signal of the importance that is attached by European Union institutions and member states to Nigeria, and to the partnership between Nigeria and the European Union. Meeting with you and working with you as a leader of the Nigerian Parliament is very important to us.”

    Those who commended the Speaker and the House in their respective remarks include the President of the Council of the EU/Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria and the Swedish, German, Spanish, French and Bulgarian Ambassadors to Nigeria.

    Constitution Review Will Focus On Electoral Reforms, Gender Related Bills – Speaker Abbas Assures EU Delegation is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

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  • Fact Check: A potential TikTok ban passed the U.S. House, but the legislation’s future is uncertain

     

    The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation March 13 that could ban TikTok in the United States, but a recent Facebook post seemingly reacting to the news overstates what happened. 

    “WOW,” the March 13 post said. “They really just banned TikTok… we got 6 months left to use it.” 

    This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

    The House passed a bill 352-65 that would force TikTok to divest from its Beijing-based parent company or face a nationwide ban, The Washington Post reported. There was bipartisan support for the measure.

    But the U.S. Senate hasn’t yet voted on the legislation, and some senators “have expressed concern that it may run afoul of the Constitution by infringing on millions of Americans’ rights to free expression and by explicitly targeting a business operating in the United States,” the Post said.

    President Joe Biden has said he’ll sign the legislation if Congress passes it. But the measure’s future is uncertain, and there’s no six-month timeline.

    We rate this post False.

     



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  • NY prosecutors open to delaying Trump’s hush-money trial

    By Michael R. Sisak | Associated Press

    NEW YORK — New York prosecutors said Thursday they are open to delaying the start of Donald Trump’s New York hush-money criminal trial by up to a month to give the former president’s lawyers time to review evidence that was only recently turned over.

    The Manhattan district attorney’s office said in a court filing that it’s not opposed to adjourning the start of the trial for up to 30 days. Jury selection in the trial is scheduled to begin March 25.

    Trump’s lawyers are seeking an 90-day delay or the dismissal of charges against Trump, alleging violations of what’s known as the discovery process, where the sides exchange evidence. The new records came from the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, which previously investigated the hush-money arrangement at the heart of Trump’s New York criminal case.

    The defense has also sought to delay the trial until after the Supreme Court rules on Trump’s presidential immunity claims, which his lawyers say could apply to some of the allegations and evidence in the hush-money case. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments April 25.

    The judge in the hush-money case, Juan Manuel Merchan, has yet to rule on either request.

    Since March 4, Trump’s lawyers have received at least 84,000 pages of records from the federal prosecutor’s office in Manhattan, including a batch of 31,000 pages on Wednesday, according to a court filing.

    The records pertain to a federal investigation that touched on the hush-money matter and led to prison time for former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.

    Federal prosecutors in 2018 charged Cohen with campaign finance violations related to the hush-money payments, with evading taxes related to his investments in the taxi industry and with lying to Congress.

    Cohen, who blamed Trump for his legal problems, pleaded guilty and served about a year in prison before being released to home confinement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    He is now a key prosecution witness in the Manhattan district attorney’s case. Trump and his lawyers have portrayed Cohen as completely untrustworthy.

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  • See Charles Barkley’s Reaction To Kenan Thompson’s Impression Of Him

    ‘Saturday Night Live’ legend Kenan Thompson explains how he does his impression of CNN’s Charles Barkley.

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