Top Stories this AM: A criminal probe into Trump Org.; Cruz's Cancun comedy; divorce just got harder in China

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  • Trump in trouble? NY Trump Org. investigation is now criminal

    The New York attorney general has joined the Manhattan District Attorney's criminal investigation into the Trump Organization. How much legal trouble could the former president be facing? Brian Williams discusses that with MSNBC Legal Analyst Neal Katyal.

  • New York state mounts criminal probe of Trump Organization finances

    The New York attorney general's office said on Tuesday it has now opened a criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump's company, increasing the legal risk for Trump and his family. Attorney General Letitia James has been investigating whether the Trump Organization falsely reported property values to secure loans and obtain economic and tax benefits. The latest announcement marked another escalation of the legal jeopardy Trump faces four months after leaving office, taking to three the number of known criminal investigations of the former Republican president.

  • Fox News filed to dismiss a $1.6 billion defamation suit by vote-machine company Dominion. The suit claims Fox promoted baseless claims of election fraud from Giuliani and others.

    Giuliani falsely claimed Dominion's machines flipped votes to Biden. Fox said it "had a free-speech right to interview the president's lawyers."

  • NY attorney general says Trump Org probe is now criminal

    The New York attorney general's office said Tuesday that it is conducting a criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump's business empire, expanding what had previously been a civil probe. “We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the company is no longer purely civil in nature," Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for Attorney General Letitia James, said in a statement. “We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA,” Levy said.

  • Biden will not impose sanctions on the head of Nord Stream 2, a prized Russian gas pipeline the US has been trying to kill for years

    Despite being opposed to the pipeline, the Biden State Department is waiving sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and CEO Matthias Warnig, Axios said.

  • New York AG: "We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity"

    The New York attorney general's office said Tuesday night it has informed the Trump Organization that its investigation into the company "is no longer purely civil in nature" and is now also a criminal one.Why it matters: The attorney general's office is now working with the Manhattan district attorney's office, which has been investigating the Trump Organization for potential bank, tax and insurance fraud.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Driving the news: New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) announced in 2019 that her office was investigating Trump Organization finances. Her office filed a lawsuit last August to compel the organization to comply with subpoenas for an investigation into whether former President Trump and his company improperly inflated the value of its assets on financial statements.Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for James, said in an emailed statement Tuesday: "We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA." Levy declined to comment further. What they're saying: Representatives for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment on the news, first reported by CNN.But Trump has previously denied any wrongdoing and accused James of "politically motivated harassment" and called Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's investigation a political "witch hunt."Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

  • NY AG's probe of Trump Organization is now also criminal investigation

    The New York Attorney General's office has evolved its investigation into former President Trump’s eponymous company to encompass potential crimes.

  • GOP seeks political opening amid tense Israel-Hamas fighting

    Republicans trying to drive a wedge between Democrats and chip away at President Joe Biden’s support are zeroing in on the violence in the Middle East, laying blame on his administration and aiming to make his liberal critics the face of the party heading into the midterm elections. Ted Cruz of Texas and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, both potential White House hopefuls in 2024, have focused in particular on Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and other progressives for criticizing Israel amid an escalating volley of missiles and airstrikes in Hamas-controlled Gaza that has killed hundreds of civilians over the last week. The approach represents a new strategy for Republicans who have struggled to land consistent and effective criticism of Biden and his fellow Democrats during the opening months of his presidency.

  • New York opens criminal investigation into Trump

    In another escalation of Donald Trump's legal woes, New York state's investigation into the former U.S. president's company has now become a criminal probe.The New York attorney general's office said it opened the investigation on Tuesday, now going beyond what began as a civil case. Attorney General Letitia James has been looking into whether the Trump Organization falsely reported property values to secure better loans, and to gain economic and tax benefits. In a statement, a spokesman for James's office said, "We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the organization is no longer purely civil in nature." The spokesman added they would be working alongside the Manhattan District Attorney.Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance has been investigating Trump for more than two years for possible tax and insurance fraud, in dealings before Trump became president.The Trump Organization could not immediately be reached for comment.Though Trump has said that the investigation is politically motivated - overseen by Democrats.The case becomes the third known criminal investigation against the former Republican president.

  • Olympics - Human rights activists urge athletes to boycott Beijing Games

    Beijing is set to host the Olympics in February 2022, but the IOC has faced criticism over its decision to award the country the Games in light of China's human rights record. The calls for a full boycott came ahead of a U.S. congressional hearing at which the Winter Olympics and China's human rights record were being discussed.

  • Analysis: Supreme Court jumps into U.S. culture wars with abortion, gun cases

    The Supreme Court has placed itself back on the frontlines of the U.S. culture wars by taking up major cases on abortion and guns, with rights cherished by millions of Americans - and potentially the future of the nation's top judicial body itself - on the line. And to add to the drama, rulings in the two cases are expected to come next year in the run-up to mid-term elections in a politically polarized United States that will decide if President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats maintain control over both chambers of Congress. The conservative-majority court on Monday agreed to hear Mississippi's bid to revive a Republican-backed state law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a case that could undercut the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized the procedure nationwide.

  • Ex-DOJ Official Warns Trump: 'This Is A Letter Talking About Jail Time'

    Former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal says the former president as well as his two adult sons are facing a serious legal threat.

  • EXPLAINER: The Supreme Court takes a major abortion case

    The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide a major abortion case that could dramatically alter decades of rulings on abortion rights and eventually lead to dramatic restrictions on abortion access. It's been nearly 50 years since the court announced in its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that women have a constitutional right to abortion. COULD THIS BE THE CASE THAT OVERTURNS ROE V. WADE?

  • Shareholders of Rio Tinto Group (LON:RIO) Must Be Delighted With Their 356% Total Return

    When you buy shares in a company, it's worth keeping in mind the possibility that it could fail, and you could lose...

  • New York AG investigating Trump Organization in "criminal capacity"

    New York Attorney General Letitia James launched a civil probe into the company in 2019, but that investigation "is no longer purely civil in nature"

  • The FBI is investigating a possible scheme to illegally fund Sen. Susan Collins' 2020 reelection in Maine

    A naval contractor whom Collins once helped is being accused of illegally funding her 2020 reelection by transferring $150,000 into a super PAC.

  • Actor Charles Grodin has died at 86

    Actor Charles Grodin, a familiar face on TV and in the movies, has died of bone marrow cancer at age 86.

  • NY AG Letitia James adds ‘criminal capacity’ to probe of Trump organization

    The James investigation examines whether the Trump Organization lied about property value to get loans, avoid taxes. New York Attorney General Letitia James is adding a criminal component to her civil probe into the financial practices of the Trump Organization. The investigation has been underway since 2019, looking into whether the Trump Organization — with former President Donald Trump and his sons in leadership — misled banks and insurance companies by inflating property value to attain loans.

  • Adult Swim To Produce Digital Short Series Based On Its Hit Shows Including ‘Rick And Morty’

    Adult Swim said Wednesday it is expanding its creative portfolio with the production of four all-new digital short series based on breakout characters from four of the network’s series: Rick and Morty, Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell, Robot Chicken and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Each mini spinoff is 8-10 episodes and will be […]

  • Meghan Markle Makes Surprise Cameo in Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey's 'The Me You Can't See' Trailer

    Meghan Markle makes a surprise appearance in the first trailer for Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey’s Apple TV+ docuseries, ‘The Me You Can’t See.’ The first look at the series also features emotional moments from the Duke of Sussex and talk show icon. The docuseries will have appearances from Lady Gaga, Glenn Close, former Toronto Raptors player DeMar DeRozan, Robin Williams' son, Zak, Phoenix Suns player Langston Galloway, Olympic boxer Virginia ‘Ginny’ Fuchs and celebrity chef Rashad Armstead. ‘The Me You Can’t See’ premieres Friday, May 21 on Apple TV+.