Senator Bob Menendez is set to announce his re-election bid on Monday, doubling down on his defense as fellow Democrats are calling on him to resign after he was charged with accepting bribes for favors.

The Democratic senator will hold a press conference in his home state of New Jersey, speaking publicly for the first time since he and his wife Nadine Arslanian Menendez were indicted by a federal grand jury over corruption allegations in an investigation that focused on a luxury car, $400,000 in gold bars and cash, plus payments toward a home mortgage allegedly received by the couple.

Menendez, who is up for re-election in 2024, is expected to announce he will run for a fifth term. He will speak at 11:30 am at Hudson County Community College. Hudson County is where he got his start in politics, serving as mayor of Union City.

Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and his wife Nadine Arslanian arrive for a state dinner in honor of French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House in December 2022; the couple has been charged on three criminal counts related to bribery and extortion

But support for the embattled Democrat is waning. More than two dozen Democrats in New Jersey have called on him to resign.

And, Rep. Andy Kim, who cleaned up the Capitol after the rioters left on Jan. 6, 2021, announced he’s running for Senate, setting up a tough primary challenge for Menendez. 

‘This is not something I expected to do, but I believe New Jersey deserves better,’ Kim said in a statement. ‘We cannot jeopardize the Senate or compromise our country´s integrity. I believe it´s time we restore faith in our democracy, and that´s why I am stepping up and running for Senate.’ 

It is the second round of bribery charges for Menendez.  A 2015 case ended in mistrial after a jury failed to reach a verdict on all counts and a judge acquitted him on some charges.

But, in contrast to eight years ago, when many in the party stood by him, multiple Democrats – including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman – have called on Menendez to resign. 

‘The alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Senator Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state,’ Murphy said. As governor, he would appoint a senator to replace Menendez should he resign.

Notably, New Jersey’s other Democratic Senator, Cory Booker, has been silent on Menendez. 

Menendez himself has remained defiant – although he has stepped down from his position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Rep. Andy Kim announced he will run for Senate in 2024, setting up a Democratic primary challenge with Menendez – above, Kim garnered national attention when he helped clean up the Capitol after the January 6 insurrection

Senator Menendez and his wife Nadine are charged with accepting gold bars as bribes 

Menendez called the investigation ‘an active smear campaign of anonymous sources and innuendos to create an air of impropriety where none exists.’

‘The excesses of these prosecutors is apparent,’ Menendez said. ‘They have misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office. On top of that, not content with making false claims against me, they have attacked my wife for the longstanding friendships she had before she and I even met.’

He also claimed he is being ‘falsely accused’ because he is a ‘Latin American’ who rose from a humble childhood to the United States Senate.

‘Those behind this campaign simply cannot accept that a first generation Latin American from humble beginnings could rise to be a U.S. senator,’ he said. 

Republicans see an opening to win a Senate seat if Menendez stays on the ballot.

But former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has ruled out a run, sticking with his campaign to be the Republican presidential nominee.

‘I have no interest in being in the United States Senate,’ Christie told Meet the Press host Kristen Welker in a Sunday morning interview.

Fred Daibes, Chairman and CEO of Daibes Enterprises, in his Edgewater office 

The 27-page indictment, unsealed on Friday, claims that Bob and Nadine Menendezt had an improper relationship with three New Jersey businessmen: Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, who allegedly paid the couple in exchange for Menendez to use his influence in Washington D.C. to their benefit.

The couple face three criminal counts each: conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. The three businessmen face charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to commit honest services fraud

The indictment also charges the senator with providing ‘sensitive U.S. Government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt.’ 

David Schertler, a lawyer for Nadine Menendez, said she ‘denies any criminal conduct and will vigorously contest these charges in court.’ 

The indictment outlines a series of texts, payments and actions the couple allegedly took to help the three businessmen, actions from which they financially benefited.

The probe listed several ‘bribes’ paid to them. ‘Those bribes included cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle, and other things of value,’ the indictment said.

A June 2022 raid on their New Jersey home found ‘over $480,000 in cash – much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe,’ the indictment notes, adding Nadine had over $70,000 in a safe deposit box. 

It also found two one-kilogram gold bars and eleven one-ounce gold bars.

The indictment alleges that Menendez tried to disrupt a federal criminal prosecution of Fred Daibes in exchange for the money and other items of value. Daibes is an old friend of Menendez, has fundraised for his Senate campaign, and allegedly has ties to the Genovese mob family.

The indictment charges Menendez ‘promised to and did use his influence and power’ to pressure President Joe Biden to nominate a U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey who Menendez ‘believed could be influenced by Menendez with respect to the federal criminal prosecution of Fred Daibes.’

Menendez recommended and Biden later nominated Phillip Sellinger as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, the top federal prosecutor in the state. 

Daibes has been under investigation before. New Jersey authorities have tracked high-ranking mobsters meeting with Daibes repeatedly over the last decade, the Daily Beast reported. 

Daibes provided the couple with gold bars and envelopes of cash, the indictment states. 

‘Multiple gold bars provided by Daibes were found during the court-authorized June 2022 search; of the couple’s home, the indictment states. It also says the senator performed a web search for ‘how much is one kilo of gold worth’ and that the envelopes of cash had the fingerprints of Daibes and his driver. 

Cash was found in envelopes during a June 2022 raid of Menendez home

The luxury Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible worth more than $60,000

The investigation also focused on 40-year-old New Jersey businessman, Wael Hana, who has known Nadine since before she started dating Menendez.

Hana, who is originally from Egypt, operated the company IS EG Halal in New Jersey and it soon became the sole entity authorized to certify that any halal food product imported into Egypt from anywhere in the world had been prepared according to Islamic law. 

According to the indictment, Menendez ‘improperly advised and pressured an official at the United States Department of Agriculture for the purpose of protecting a business monopoly granted to Hana by Egypt and used in part to fund the bribes being paid to Menendez through Nadine Menendez.’ 

The designation of IS EG Halal surprised U.S. agriculture officials. Previously, several other companies had been doing that certification, but they were dismissed by Egyptian agriculture officials in favor of IS EG Halal, which had no previous experience in the field.

The indictment charges Menendez with using the power of his position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to influence the State Department regarding policy in Egypt and with sending Nadine ‘highly sensitive’ about Egypt that he got in Senate briefings that she, in turn, gave to Hana.

As a senator, Menendez could put a ‘hold’ on State Department funding to the country. 

In a text to his wife, Menendez tells her: ‘I am going to sign off this sale to Egypt today. Egypt: 46,000 120MM Target Practice Rounds and 10,000 Rounds Tank Ammunition: $99 million.’

Nadine then forwarded it to an Egyptian official who replies with the thumbs up emoji.

Senior NHS doctors have demanded an 11 per cent pay rise as they take to picket lines for the third time this year.

Junior doctors will then stage a joint walkout with the senior medics tomorrow and continue their own action until 7am on Saturday.

While sick Brits have been told to use emergency care as normal, health chiefs have warned patients face ‘the highest level of risk in living memory’.

But Dr Vishal Sharma, chair of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) consultants’ committee, which is coordinating the action, this morning claimed a ‘save level of service’ would be provided.

Consultants walked out of hospitals at 7am this morning as part of a 48-hour strike and are providing a ‘ Christmas Day’ level of service – meaning routine appointments and operations set to be significantly disrupted. Pictured, consultant members of the BMA on the picket line outside University College London hospital in August

The BMA also said it had written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Steve Barclay outlining the ‘key asks’ needed to end the pay dispute.

In the letter sent to Mr Sunak yesterday, Dr Sharma said the BMA has always been clear that ‘strikes could be avoided if the Government was to present us with a credible offer that we could put to our members.’

He added: ‘We are willing to negotiate with Government at any stage, but for strike action to be stood down we need to be able to present our members with an offer and cannot cancel strikes simply to enter talks.’ 

The BMA says consultants pay has been cut in real-terms since 2008 and is calling for pay restoration and reform of the pay review body that advises ministers on salary increases.

It claims their income has increased by 14 per cent over this period. 

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, he also said: ‘This has happened because the NHS staff across across the whole sector are really demoralised, they’re really burnt out and they’ve been forced into taking strike action.’

He said consultants wanted an above-inflation pay award for this year, which in April was running about 11 per cent.

‘That’s a very similar amount to what was offered to doctors in Scotland and it shows it’s absolutely possible to actually do that, if there’s the right political will,’ he added.

Last month, BMA members in Scotland accepted the SNP Government’s offer of a 14.5 per cent pay increase for junior doctors and doctors in training over two years. 

Consultants in England have already  staged four days of strike action, while junior doctors have taken to the picket lines on 19 separate days. 

But last week NHS bosses blamed medic strikes for heaping extra pressure onto already struggling hospitals — with 400,000 appointments rescheduled this summer due to walkouts. 

Some 885,154 appointments have been postponed since NHS industrial action — which has involved staff including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and paramedics — kicked-off in December.

If all community and mental health figures are included, the total rises to more than 940,000 — though this will not reflect the overall number of actual cancellations, due to some duplication of data.

NHS leaders also said the real impact of strikes is masked by the data, as many hospitals have stopped booking in surgeries and other appointments on announced strike days. 

Fresh NHS data last week also showed around 7.68million patients in England — or one in seven people — were in the queue in July for procedures such hip and knee replacements. 

The toll marks the highest figures logged since NHS records began in August 2007.

For comparison, around 4.4million were stuck in the system when the pandemic reached the UK. 

But this morning Dr Sharma said the growing NHS waiting lists ‘have not been caused by the strikes’ and ‘were going up well before the pandemic’.

England’s backlog, for procedures like hip and knee replacements, now stands at 7.6million, official figures revealed last week. It means roughly one in seven people across the country are currently stuck in the system awaiting care. More than 380,000 patients have gone a year without being treated, often in agony

He said this had led to ‘huge pressure on the whole NHS workforce’, adding that ‘the consultant workforce is absolutely burnt out’ and struggling to recruit.

The NHS Confederation however, which represents all NHS organisations, said increasing numbers of patients, including cancer patients, are seeing their appointments rescheduled more than once due to strikes.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the organisation, said: ‘This is likely to be the biggest walkout the NHS has ever seen, will cause serious disruption, and put patients at the highest level of risk in living memory.

‘Leaders are concerned that this dangerous situation is being underestimated by the Government, telling us that this feels much different and more complex than previous strikes.’

Many are reporting ‘greater difficulties in rota planning and having to cancel huge numbers of elective operations and appointments in advance’, he added. 

‘This is much worse than before as we’re now seeing patients who have already had an operation cancelled due to industrial action be hit again with a cancellation to their rescheduled appointment,’ he said.

‘Leaders have also told us that this time round a higher number of operations and appointments for cancer patients are being cancelled, meaning that some of the very sickest patients may be suffering the most.’

In July consultants and junior doctors were given a six per cent pay rise under No. 10’s pay offer.

At the time, Rishi Sunak said the deal, announced in July for 2023/24, was the Government’s ‘final offer’. 

Nurses, paramedics and other NHS staff received a five per cent rise and ‘NHS backlog bonus’.

The BMA however immediately rejected the rise, vowing to crack on with strike action. 

The action today also comes as the Government this week outlined plans to extend strike laws to ensure more healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, in hospitals provide a minimum level of cover.

The regulations, which could come into force next year, would mean doctors and nurses would have to provide a certain level of cover after being issued with a ‘work notice’ by employers on what is needed to maintain ‘necessary and safe levels of service’.

In July, the new strike law was granted Royal Assent, allowing ministers to impose minimum levels of service during industrial action by ambulance staff, firefighters, railway workers and those in other sectors deemed essential. 

Currently life-and-limb cover has to be provided in hospitals during strike action, but the extent of that is negotiated locally. 

Steve Barclay told Sky News this morning: ‘What we’re announcing today is how we protect time-critical hospital services, so things like chemotherapy, things like dialysis, because we recognise the right to strike is important, but we’ve got to balance that with also the right of patients to key treatments.’

He claimed France and Italy already had such measures in place.

Consultants in England have already staged four days of strike action, while junior doctors have taken to the picket lines on 19 separate days. Last week NHS bosses blamed medic strikes for heaping extra pressure onto already struggling hospitals — with 400,000 appointments rescheduled this summer due to walkouts. But this morning Dr Sharma said the growing NHS waiting lists ‘have not been caused by the strikes’ and ‘were going up well before the pandemic’. Pictured BMA consultant members on the picket line outside Leeds General Infirmary in July 

The action today also comes as the Government this week outlined plans to extend strike laws to ensure more healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, in hospitals provide a minimum level of cover. Steve Barclay told Sky News this morning: ‘What we’re announcing today is how we protect time-critical hospital services, so things like chemotherapy, things like dialysis, because we recognise the right to strike is important, but we’ve got to balance that with also the right of patients to key treatments’

But Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said the Government’s proposed minimum service levels risk ‘worsening industrial relations at a time when we need Government and unions to get around the table and enter into talks to avert further escalation and disruption to patient care.’

She said: ‘Strike action in the NHS over the past ten months has undoubtedly been disruptive for patients and staff.

‘This legislation – as well as the consultation announced today- doesn’t address any of the issues underlying current strike action, including dissatisfaction with pay and working conditions.

‘With unprecedented joint action by consultants and junior doctors just days away, we need government and unions to sit down and talk urgently.’

Last week however, Mr Barclay said there would be no more talks about pay with the BMA, claiming, ‘we made a fair and final settlement in terms of pay’. 

Yesterday, NHS national medical director professor Sir Stephen Powis said: ‘The NHS has simply never seen this kind of industrial action in its history. 

‘This week’s first ever joint action means almost all planned care will come to a stop, and hundreds of thousands of appointments will be postponed, which is incredibly difficult for patients and their families, and poses an enormous challenge for colleagues across the NHS.’  

Emergency care – through A&E departments and 999 – is still available but patients have been told to contact NHS 111 or their local pharmacy for minor health worries. 

Hospital patients who have an appointment and ‘who haven’t been contacted should attend as normal’, Sir Stephen added. 

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By Kim Komando For Dailymail.Com

Published: 12:04 EDT, 20 August 2023 | Updated: 12:11 EDT, 20 August 2023

The internet is moving past ‘quiet quitting’ – when someone does only the bare minimum at work, putting in only the effort required to get the job done.

Gallup’s latest worker poll found nearly six in 10 adults in America are quiet quitting after the pandemic caused people to prioritize their ‘me time’.

But a new trend that piggybacks on this premise has emerged – the ‘lazy girl’ job. The term went viral thanks to a TikTok video with millions of views.

These are the 25 most sought-after lazy girl jobs

TikTok videos about the phenomenon have gone viral. The premise piggybacks on the idea of ‘soft quitting’

The premise of a lazy girl job is simple: Low stress, low effort, with lots of flexibility and freedom.

These jobs are remote, require no overtime, are physically safe, and there’s minimum to no supervision.

TikTokker @gabrielle_judge defined them as jobs with laid-back bosses and comfortable salaries that pay the bills but don’t require a chaotic work schedule. It’s the antithesis of the ‘girl boss’ movement or ‘leaning in’ — constant hustling and long hours to climb to the top.

What kind of jobs are we talking about, exactly?

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Searches for ‘lazy girl jobs’ are up 1,267% over the past month, according to Workamajig. 

Gen Zers, especially, are interested. It’s even popular enough that it’s got a Wikipedia page.

Workamajig crunched the numbers (TikTok search volume) to find the 25 most popular lazy girl roles. Together, #lazygirljob and #lazygirljobs have a combined 25 million-plus views.

Using KeywordTool, we analyzed various roles aligned with the ‘lazy girl jobs’ trend, according to TikTok and Reddit users, to find the most searched on TikTok. Data was pulled by searching different jobs—like ‘Community Moderator job’ —and ranked based on the number of TikTok searches they’ve had on the app in the U.S. as of August 10 to determine TikTok’s most popular ‘lazy girl jobs.’ Search data is correct as of August 10, 2023, and analyzed over the preceding year. 

Maybe it’s the branding

Many complaints about the term come from those who say it paints a bad picture. Social media strategist Michael Durwin told the Wall Street Journal the movement makes sense, but the name is all wrong. ‘I think younger women are using it almost in a way that they don’t understand the damage it can do,’ he says.

But would the term have gone so viral with a more acceptable term like ‘work-life balance?’ Probably not.

Viral trick to get past AI resume-screening bots 

How can you get a lazy girl job? It’s time to start applying, but you need the right resume. 

The algorithms that scan resumes are picky — but social to the rescue once again. Here’s a viral hack jobseekers say really works.

It’s called ‘white fonting.’ Copy the relevant keywords from a job you’re applying to, paste them into your resume, and then change the font color to white.

The color change makes the keywords invisible to a real person reading, but AI bots will pick them up and potentially bump you to the top of the list.

It’s not always a guaranteed win, so be mindful of the process where you’re applying. 

Some programs and job sites automatically scan your resume and input sections into an application. If that’s the case, your white font may also slip through to human eyes.

Marshalls cuts 250 jobs as property market weakness slows demand

• Adjusted profit before tax down by 26% to £33.2m year-to-year for Q1 
• The group’s adjusted EBITDA down by 8% to £58.8m over the same time period

By Daniel Fessahaye

Published: 07:11 EDT, 16 August 2023 | Updated: 07:11 EDT, 16 August 2023

Marshalls slashed around 250 jobs in the first half as the building materials supplier’s profits were rocked by a slowdown in the property market.

The paving stone specialist’s adjusted profit before tax was down by 26 per cent to £33.2million year-to-year for the six months to 30 June. 

CEO Martyn Coffey said the job cuts were necessary after ‘challenging’ market conditions ‘led to a material reduction in volumes across all three of our reporting segments’.

CEO Martyn Coffey said the job cuts were necessary after ‘challenging’ market conditions ‘led to a material reduction in volumes across all three of our reporting segments’ 

Marshalls shares were down by 1.16 per cent to 255p in morning trading on Wednesday. 

Rivals Travis Perkins and SIG have also been hit by the building slowdown, which has been driven by rising interest rates and their impact on mortgage rates. 

Earlier this month, Travis Perkins said that it expects adjusted operating profits, which shrunk by 31 per cent in the first half, of about £240million for the full year, compared to £295million in 2022.

SIG also warned that profits are set to come in at the lower end of forecasts, amid ailing demand across Europe and a spike in operating costs.

Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey also warned this month that higher mortgage rates are weighing on potential customers’ ability to afford to buy new homes.

Marshalls, which benefited from homeowners upgrading their gardens and driveways during the pandemic, said it had seen a ‘marked’ softening in demand during some months in 2022.

Coffey added: ‘This resulted in a significant decline in Group profitability compared to the first half of 2022. We have responded by taking action to improve our agility, reduce capacity, take cost out of the business, and manage cash. 

‘Regrettably, these actions necessitated in a reduction of approximately 250 roles across the organisation. However, we have been careful to ensure that we have sufficient latent manufacturing capacity that will allow us to respond quickly when there is an improvement in market conditions.’

The group’s interim results continued a trend in its decline in profitability.

In October, Marshalls issued a profit warning as the cost of living crisis forced households to cut back on landscape projects.

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Beyond Meat sales plunge as demand for plant alternatives fades

• Reported revenue was down by 30.5% year-to-year at $102.1m from April to June 
• California-based company adjusted its full-year revenue forecast to $360-380m

By Daniel Fessahaye

Updated: 09:40 EDT, 8 August 2023

Beyond Meat revenues collapsed in the second quarter as demand for its plant-based burgers and sausages waned despite price cuts.   

The group’s reported revenue was down by 30.5 per cent year-to-year at $102.1million (£80.4million) from April to June, the US company told investors this week. 

California-based Beyond Meat now expects full-year sales of between $360million and $380million, slashing previous forecasts of between $375million and $415million.

The California-based company adjusted its full-year revenue forecast to $360-380million

Beyond Meat shares fell sharply in US trading.

Beyond Meat president and CEO Ethan Brown highlighted tough comparisons with the second quarter of 2022, which saw the company’s sales boosted by the post-pandemic reopening of stores and restaurants.

Brown also told investors an ad campaign launched by the group last week will better explain its ‘clean and simple’ manufacturing process, and highlight the product’s credentials.

He previously revealed Beyond Meat was finding it difficult to appeal to new customers because of perceptions that its products are unhealthy and overly processed. 

However, the group’s net loss for the period narrowed to $53.5million from $97.1million a year earlier.

He said: ‘We’re going to be much more aggressive in our marketing.

‘It is an education issue. The facts are there. The health benefits of our products are very strong.’

Plant-based meat alternatives demand wanes  

The emergence of a spate of meat alternatives businesses, including rivals like Impossible Foods, was initially met with fanfare, with firms attracting substantial valuations. 

Consumers were attracted by the prospect of potentially healthier and more environmentally friendly meat alternatives. 

However, momentum has not been sustained, with analysts at PGIM recently claiming demand had already ‘either plateaued or peaked’.

The asset manager said: ‘Plant-based meats have dominated headlines, but reality does not match the hype.

‘Only a few years ago – as fast- food chains began to offer Beyond Meat burgers – There were expectations for continued exponential growth and drastic changes in consumer preferences.

‘But growth rates have faltered, and today, the alternative meat market remains a tiny sliver – less than 0.2 per cent – of the $1.7trillion global meat market.

‘In fact, alternative meat demand is in decline while global demand for animal-based meat is set to grow by 14 per cent by 2030.’

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Senate Judiciary Democrats wrote a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts demanding Samuel Alito recuse himself from future cases involving tax and ethics issues after the justice told Congress to stay out of the court’s business. 

‘Congress did not create the Supreme Court,’ Alito told the Wall Street Journal in an interview. ‘I know this is a controversial view, but I’m willing to say it. No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court – period.’ 

The Senate Democrats accused the conservative justice of violating the existing ethics rules with the interview. 

Congressional Democrats advanced legislation to impose new ethics rules after a series of reports of justices accepting lavish vacations and other perks that present potential conflicts of interest. 

Dick Durbin, chair of the Judiciary Committee, wrote that Alito had violated the court’s Statement on Ethics and Principals by ‘by opining on the constitutionality of legislation under consideration by the U.S. Senate’ Alito likely violated a Statement of Ethics the court released in April by ‘creating an appearance of impropriety in the minds of reasonable members of the public.’

Senate Judiciary Democrats wrote a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts demanding Samuel Alito, above, recuse himself from future cases involving tax and ethics issues after the justice told Congress to stay out of the court’s business

Dick Durbin, chair of the Judiciary Committee, wrote that Alito had violated the court’s Statement on Ethics and Principals by ‘by opining on the constitutionality of legislation under consideration by the U.S. Senate’ Alito likely violated a Statement of Ethics the court

The Democrats also noted that one of the Wall Street Journal interviewers, David Rivkin, is representing the plaintiffs in a tax case to be heard next term before the Supreme Court – Moore v. United States.   

‘Mr. Rivkin’s access to Justice Alito and efforts to help Justice Alito air his personal grievances could cast doubt on Justice Alito’s ability to fairly discharge his duties in a case in which Mr. Rivkin represents one of the parties,’ Durbin said, arguing Alito should not decide tax cases. 

But Roberts does not have the authority to order Alito to recuse under current rules – Alito can only choose to recuse himself. 

The Democrat-led Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill last month that would force the Supreme Court to adopt a stronger ethics policy. 

Last month Alito went to war with ProPublica after the publication released a report revealing the justice enjoyed a luxury fishing expedition to Alaska, likely worth tens of thousands of dollars, courtesy of a Republican megadonor. 

Alito did not recuse himself from cases involving the billionaire’s companies on multiple occasions when they later came before the court.

Rather than respond to investigative news site ProPublica when its reporters asked him for comment, Alito chose to go on the attack.

On Tuesday evening, he slammed the not-yet-published report as ‘misleading’ with his own lawyerly account of the trip, reflecting what appears to be growing anger among justices that their integrity is being questioned.

‘ProPublica has leveled two charges against me: first, that I should have recused in matters in which an entity connected with Paul Singer was a party and, second, that I was obligated to list certain items as gifts on my 2008 Financial Disclose Report,’ he wrote in an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal.

‘Neither charge is valid.’

Leonard Leo, center, on the 2008 fishing trip with a guide and other guests. He is a key player in shepherding conservative judicial figures on to benches around the country

 In July 2008, Justice Samuel Alito (center) traveled to Alaska thanks to billionaire conservative donor Paul Singer (right) and stayed at a luxury fishing lodge that charged more than $1000 a night. They are seen here with another guest in a photo obtained by ProPublica

Meanwhile, a string of revelations about ties between Justice Clarence Thomas and a Texas billionaire has coincided with a steep drop in public confidence in the nation’s top court.

Hours after Alito’s rebuttal had posted on Tuesday evening, ProPublica published its scoop,

It includes a photograph of a beaming Alito holding a monster King Salmon beside billionaire Singer during their July 2008 trip.

The hedge fund manager flew the justice to Alaska on a private jet – a trip that could have cost as much as $100,000 if Alito had paid for it himself, the report says.

He stayed at at a commercial fishing lodge owned by another prominent businessman. Three years earlier that same figure hosted Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in 2016.

ProPublica said its reporting of Alito and Scalia’s travel included examination of planning emails, Alaska fishing licenses, and interviews with dozens of people including private jet pilots, fishing guides, former high-level employees of both Singer and the lodge owner, and other guests on the trips.

And it said Alito did not report the trip on his annual disclosure.

During the trip, ProPublica said the group flew on one of the lodge’s planes to a waterfall in Katmai National Park. That evening they dined on Alaskan king crab legs or Kobe filet.

At the final dinner, a guest bragged that they were drinking $1000 bottles of wine, according to a guide.

In the years that followed, Singer’s hedge fund was involved in multiple legal wrangles including at least 10 that ended up at the Supreme Court.

In 2014, he won a decade-long battle with Argentina when the court voted 7-1 in his favor, winning $2.4 billion in the process. Scalia did not remove himself from the case, voting with majority.

In his pre-emptive response, Alito insisted he had not duty to recuse himself.

‘My recollection is that I have spoken to Mr. Singer on no more than a handful of occasions, all of which (with the exception of small talk during a fishing trip 15 years ago) consisted of brief and casual comments at events attended by large groups,’ he wrote.

‘On no occasion have we discussed the activities of his businesses, and we have never talked about any case or issue before the court.’

Ministers must provide ‘strong blueprint’ on how to roll out electric car charging infrastructure Britain ‘craves’

By John Abiona For The Daily Mail

Updated: 03:36 EDT, 19 June 2023

Ministers must provide a ‘strong blueprint’ on how to roll out the electric vehicle charging infrastructure Britain ‘craves’, according to Nat Rothschild.

The billionaire financier and chairman of Volex, which makes power cords and charging plugs for EVs, has joined calls for the UK to take advantage of rising demand for plug-in cars.

While the Government aims to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, there are fears that Britain’s EV revolution is stalling for lack of evenly distributed public charging points.

Concern: There are fears that Britain’s EV revolution is stalling for lack of evenly distributed public charging points

Rothschild said: ‘Volex is seeing real momentum here – our order books are strong and our products have never been in more demand, so much so that we now have four sites involved in the manufacture of EV products across the globe. 

‘The opportunity is clear – what we need is a strong blueprint from government as to how to roll out the EV infrastructure the UK craves.

‘It’s a great opportunity to roll into future industries and, in turn, secure more long-term skilled jobs and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.’ 

But he also warned that the Government is under increasing pressure to meet its ‘ambitious’ net-zero targets as consumers ‘are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental importance of their daily commutes’.

Volex will update the market on its financial year on Thursday. It expects revenues of £554m – a rise of 15.5 per cent higher, with profits of £51m 17.4 per cent up.

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Vice President Kamala Harris enthusiastically reaffirmed her support for President Joe Biden‘s re-election bid on Sunday even as a growing number of their fellow Democrats cast doubt on the commander-in-chief’s 2024 ambitions.

During a wide-ranging interview on NBC News’ Meet The Press, Harris also tried to avoid weighing in directly on the Justice Department’s bombshell investigation into Donald Trump‘s handling of classified documents.

However, she did say that ‘people are going to demand justice’ in a broad sense, calling upon her past as a US prosecutor,  and added that they would ‘rightly’ be doing so.

It comes as the White House continues to maintain that the president himself has not been briefed on the operation nor has he discussed it. 

Ever since the FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida last month, concerns have been raised about the visual of a Democrat president’s government investigating a political rival – should the ex-president formally declare his 2024 candidacy.

Asked whether Biden has any plans to file for re-election after the November midterm elections, Harris replied, ‘Listen, the president has been very clear that he intends to run again.’

‘And if he does, I will be running with him proudly,’ she added in the pre-taped discussion.

Vice President Kamala Harris sat down for a wide-ranging pre-taped interview with NBC’s Meet The Press that aired on Sunday, September 11

The California Democrat’s vote of confidence for Biden comes as other members of their party raise concerns about his prospective candidacy – chiefly, his age.

Democrat Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, who is running for Senate there, called for a ‘generational change’ in leadership just a day before Biden visited his state.

And another left-wing Senate hopeful, Wisconsin Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, opted not to appear with Biden during a Labor Day speech in Milwaukee. 

The president will be 81 years old on Election Day 2024, a new record that surpasses the one he currently holds.

Harris would not say on Sunday if or how she and Biden had discussed the ‘worst case scenario’ of his passing away while in office.

‘I pray that it does not. And listen, I think that there is no question that the role and the responsibility of vice president is a very important one. And Joe Biden knows that more than anybody. He and I talk about it,’ the vice president said.

‘And it is the job of working with the president, doing what I can to be a great partner, to take on and help take on some of the biggest issues that impact our country, both domestically and in terms of foreign policy. And so that’s the work that I do.’

Harris’ enthusiastic support for President Biden running for re-election comes as multiple Democrats running for higher office have tread gingerly around him and his local appearances

Meanwhile she took a swipe at Donald Trump when asked her thoughts on the DOJ charging him over the classified documents scandal, stating: ‘The president and I and our administration, unlike the previous administration, have been very, very careful to make sure that there is no question about any kind of interference’

Another future campaign trail concern for Biden and Harris would come if the Justice Department went forward with charging Trump, in the event its investigation proves he mishandled classified documents in violation of federal law.

Political experts have said it’s highly unlikely that federal charges will get in the way of Trump mounting a campaign. 

But it may pose a headache for Biden amid already-mounting GOP accusations that his officials are weaponizing the Justice Department against his top political opponent.

On Sunday, Harris declined to weigh in on whether those concerns should factor into the government’s potential charges against the former president.

However, she did later suggest she supported calls for ‘justice’ when asked if charging Trump would prove too divisive.

The interview aired as she and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff took part in New York City’s September 11th memorial

‘I wouldn’t dare tell the Department of Justice what to do. As a former prosecutor, I will tell you, I am not in the business of telling a prosecutor what to do with their case because they know best the facts and the evidence as applied to the law,’ Harris said.

Taking a shot at Trump’s tight hold over his own Justice Department, she said: ‘And certainly, the president and I and our administration, unlike the previous administration, have been very, very careful to make sure that there is no question about any kind of interference in terms of the decisions that the Department of Justice makes.’

Host Chuck Todd pressed, ‘Let me try to go to 60,000 feet. What do you say to the argument that it would be too divisive for the country to prosecute a former president?’

‘I think that our country is a country that has gone through different periods of time where the unthinkable has happened, and where there has been a call for justice, and justice has been served,’ the vice president answered.

‘And I think that’s potentially going to always be the case in our country that people are going to demand justice and they rightly do.’

‘I’m just grateful that someone wants to see my t*s!’ Kelly Brook, 43, says she’s flattered by demand for topless shots on social media – and insists she never airbrushes her posts

By Jason Chester for MailOnline

Published: 11:22 EDT, 9 May 2023 | Updated: 11:35 EDT, 9 May 2023

After more than 25-years in the public eye one might assume Kelly Brook is fed up with the demand for topless shots – but she insists the continued interest in her famous curves is a constant source of flattery.

The presenter originally established herself as a model after winning a beauty competition when she was 16 and would quickly become a lads mag favourite with glossy spreads in the likes of Loaded, FHM and GQ.

Now 43-years of age, recently married to French model Jeremy Parisi and a co-host on Heart Radio’s Drive Time show, Kelly’s modelling is usually restricted to Instagram, where she boasts an impressive 1.3million followers.  

But she welcomes the continued demand for bikini shots, and insists she never resorts to airbrushing or modifying any of the pictures she shares on social media. 

She told The Sun: ‘The only type of messages I get are “Kelly, why are you posting pictures of your garden? We want to see your t*ts!” I get stuff like that, which I just laugh at, but then I’m older.

Keep it coming: Kelly Brook insists the continued interest in her famous curves is a constant source of flattery as she approaches her mid-40s

Iconic: The presenter originally established herself as a model after winning a beauty competition when she was 16 and would quickly become a lads mag favourite with glossy spreads in the likes of Loaded, FHM and GQ

Old times: Kelly modelling alongside the world’s First 3-D talking poster at London’s Waterloo Station in 1997

‘I guess I’m just grateful that someone wants to see my t*ts. When you get past 40, you become more grateful.’ 

Kelly, who became an ambassador for weight loss milkshake brand SlimFast in 2019, admits to  doctoring her social media content in the past, but now promotes a more wholesome image online. 

‘I think there was a time when I did do that,’ she said. ‘And I didn’t realise what message that was sending out.

‘And for that I’m much more responsible now and I don’t edit pictures, and I don’t change my body. And I don’t do any of that.’ 

She added: “When I look at my skinniest time, sometimes there were some of the hardest times in my life. I could have just lost my dad or would have gone through something quite dramatic and have not had an appetite and lost loads away. I wouldn’t want to be that person again.’ 

Happy couple: Now 43-years of age, married to French model Jeremy Parisi (pictured) and a co-host on Heart Radio, Kelly’s recent swimsuit modelling is usually restricted to Instagram 

Flattered: ‘I guess I’m just grateful that someone wants to see my t*ts. When you get past 40, you become more grateful,’ she said (pictured aged 28 in 2008, and right in 2021)

Centre stage: Kelly attends a photocall for Littlewood’s catalogue at London’s Circus Restaurant in 1998 

Kelly has joined London based rapper and presenter Big Narstie for a new campaign on behalf of SlimFast, eight years after he collapsed while appearing on Celebrity Bake Off – an incident that prompted a major lifestyle change. 

She said: ‘When they said that they found a new ambassador, I racking my brain, I was like, “Well, who can it be?”

‘When you’ve been on this weight loss journey, or you’ve been using a product for so long, it can become like you’re doing the same thing all the time and so it’s just about injecting that new bit of energy.

‘I just think it’s so brilliant that you got involved because it just makes it more inclusive, it broadens it out.’ 

She added: ‘I’ve always said my husband loves SlimFast he’s always drinking SlimFast shakes because of the protein in it, so it’s great that men realise that they can have it as well and they can be a part of it.’ 

Getting involved: Kelly has joined London based rapper and presenter Big Narstie for a new campaign on behalf of SlimFast

Spokesperson: Kelly became an ambassador for weight loss milkshake brand SlimFast in 2019

BUSINESS LIVE: Lloyds beats profit forecasts; Barratt Developments boasts demand rebound; Haleon profits miss expectations

By Live Commentary

Published: 02:29 EDT, 3 May 2023 | Updated: 07:11 EDT, 3 May 2023

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