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Diddy blasts prosecutors for 'destroying his reputation' as he makes third bid for release on bail LISTEN: The Trial of Diddy – bringing you the biggest and most shocking details from the rapper’s downfall each week. Available wherever you get your podcasts now By DANIEL BATES FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 15:23 EST, 21 November 2024 | Updated: 16:43 EST, 21 November 2024 e-mail 17 View comments Diddy has claimed that his 'reputation has been destroyed' as he made a third bail application while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges . The disgraced hip hop mogul said that the 'allegations and aggressive and deceptive media tactics' by prosecutors had already shredded his public image and only an acquittal could reverse that. Diddy claimed the charges that he ran a decade-long criminal enterprise were 'fictional' and that prosecutors were putting a 'theatrical spin' on the truth. The 55-year-old hitmaker, real name Sean Combs, sought to discredit his accusers - including his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Diddy said that a second 'victim' wasn't even a victim because she was 'voluntarily intimate with Mr Combs for years'. Diddy is accused of organizing orgies called 'Freak Offs' in which women were drugged and forced into marathon-long sex sessions, sometimes with male prostitutes . He has denied sex trafficking and racketeering among other charges and is due to go on trial in May of next year. Diddy has already been denied bail twice, including a $50million bail package involving round the clock monitoring by security guards and home detention . Sean 'Diddy' Combs, pictured in a September court sketch, submitted his third bail application while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges Lawyers for the disgraced rap mogul sought to discredit his accusers - including his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura , and claimed his second victim was ' voluntarily intimate' with him A hearing is due to take place on Friday at the federal court in New York for this third attempt to get free. In his third bail application, Diddy's lawyers wrote: 'Mr Combs fully intends to face these charges. 'The prospect of a conviction does not materially change his incentives here, where his reputation has already been destroyed by the government's allegations and aggressive and deceptive media tactics, and can only be rebuilt by winning at trial'. Diddy's legal team took aim at the two victims cited by prosecutors in their legal filings for the previous bail applications. They said that the 'narrative the government presented was fictional' and that they were putting a 'theatrical spin' on things. The filing criticized the security camera video of Diddy attacking Ventura at the Intercontinental Hotel on March 5, 2016, and claimed that the full version is not as damning as the version leaked to CNN. In fact, it was just a 'sad glimpse into a decade-long consensual relationship', the filing from Diddy's lawyers states. They said that the shocking footage was 'edited' and 'manipulated' in order to make it look worse than it was. The rapper has been accused of arranging 'Freak Offs,' described as 'elaborate and produced sex performances' arranged and directed by Combs The disgraced rap mogul remains incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after being repeatedly denied bail The incident was merely a 'domestic dispute in which he ran down the hall of the hotel to recover his clothes and cellphone'. Read More Diddy's chilling handwritten 'to do list' for family member seized in jail cell raid Nor is there 'one piece of evidence' backing up the claim Ventura was trafficked, the document states. Diddy's lawyers also say that there is 'no second victim at all' as the second victim in the indictment was 'voluntarily intimate with Mr Combs for years'. Prosecutors have argued that Diddy continues to obstruct justice while in prison, and that no set of bail conditions would stop him from influencing the jury and tampering with witnesses. They brought up a video his children posted on his birthday earlier this month as evidence that he is coordinating a 'public relations' campaign from behind bars. The filing criticized the security camera video of Diddy attacking Ventura at the Intercontinental Hotel on March 5, 2016, and claimed that the full version is not as damning His defense fired back at prosecutors claim that his children's birthday video for him on November 4 was for a 'public relations' campaign by saying they were 'grasping at straws' In their filing, Diddy's lawyers fired back and said: 'Grasping at straws, the government makes much of Mr Combs' request that his family make an Instagram post to celebrate his birthday. 'We do not believe that a social media post showing his family's love and birthday wishes violated the court's order, even if it presents him in a more positive light than the overwhelmingly unfavorable media coverage which has dominated the public narrative about Mr Combs for the past year'. During the hearing on Friday, the judge is expected to deal with questions about alleged prosecutorial misconduct which Diddy's lawyers say could lead to the case being dismissed. The dispute concerns notes seized by a Bureau of Prisons investigator during an October 28th raid on Diddy's cell in the Metropolitan Detention Centre (MDC) in Brooklyn, where he is being held . Prosecutors used some of the notes to argue that Diddy was still trying to obstruct justice by paying a female witness to make a positive statement about him on Instagram. Diddy's lawyers have claimed that this material is privileged and said in court this week that they need to find out more information before deciding what the remedy could be. But the matter is so serious that the case could need to be dismissed, or the team of four female prosecutors may need to be recused, defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said. Diddy was arrested on September 16 and has been in the MDC ever since then. He appeared relaxed in court during the hearing on Wednesday and was smiling and joking with his lawyers. Earlier this week, he was hit with five new civil lawsuits, the latest in a deluge which is expected to come to more than 100 when they are all filed. The new claims include one from a woman who says that she was drugged and raped at one of Diddy's infamous 'White Parties' in the Hamptons in New York . Diddy's lawyers deny all the civil allegations. Diddy New York Instagram Share or comment on this article: Diddy blasts prosecutors for 'destroying his reputation' as he makes third bid for release on bail e-mail Add comment
Former federal prosecutor Elie Honig wrote on Friday in an opinion article that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg —who brought the criminal hush money case against President-elect Donald Trump earlier this year—"poisoned the well" for other Trump cases. Trump, who was found guilty in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election, was initially set to be sentenced on July 11. However, presiding judge Juan Merchan agreed to postpone the sentencing until after the November 5 election, and was expected to deliver the sentence on November 26. However, Merchan on Friday postponed Trump's sentencing indefinitely. Trump, meanwhile, denies Daniels' allegations that the two had a sexual encounter in 2006 and has maintained his innocence, calling the case politically motivated. "The problem is not only that Bragg charged his case—which was plainly the least serious of the four indictments, even if we assume that it was legally valid—but that it was the first to be indicted and the only one tried. He poisoned the well for everything that followed. If you have four arguments and you lead with the worst one, you're sabotaging your own cause," Honig, a senior CNN legal analyst, wrote in a New York Magazine article. Honig also wrote that Trump's hush money case is now moving to its "final resting place—back on the same scrap heap it came from." Newsweek has reached out to Bragg's office for comment via email on Saturday. In his Friday order, Merchan did not announce a new sentencing date. He gave Trump's legal team until December 2 to file an argument for dismissal in light of Trump's election victory, while prosecutors will have one week to respond. Merchan also delayed his decision on another argument from Trump's team that the case should be dismissed on the grounds of presidential immunity. He was originally supposed to decide on those motions by November 19. Trump's communications director, Steven Cheung, said in a statement emailed to Newsweek on Friday, "In a decisive win for President Trump, the hoax Manhattan Case is now fully stayed and sentencing is adjourned. President Trump won a landslide victory as the American People have issued a mandate to return him to office and dispose of all remnants of the Witch Hunt cases. All of the sham lawfare attacks against President Trump are now destroyed and we are focused on Making America Great Again." Outside of this case, Trump has three other indictments: a federal classified documents case in Florida, which was dismissed by Judge Aileen Cannon this summer on grounds that Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel Jack Smith was not properly appointed, a federal indictment related to alleged 2020 election interference, and a state indictment in Georgia also tied to alleged 2020 election interference. The president-elect maintains his innocence in those cases as well. Smith is reportedly planning to step down after Trump's inauguration and has begun winding down the federal cases he oversees. Trump has publicly vowed to fire Smith within "two seconds" of being sworn in, and according to The Washington Post, he plans to fire Smith's entire team. In his Friday opinion article, Honig, who discloses he is a friend and former colleague of Bragg, wrote: "It's over now; Bragg's case will never reach a conclusion, and Trump is headed back to the White House. He's not getting sentenced now or in 2029. The DA has done enough damage. It's time to let it go." Trump is expected to serve in office until January 2029, and in a court filing this week Bragg's office suggested consideration of "non-dismissal options" such as "deferral of all remaining criminal proceedings until after the end of Defendant's upcoming presidential term," meaning the office may still want to prosecute Trump upon completion of his presidential term.
Jharkhand Election Results: JMM Claims VictoryAfter a week of rumours and misinformation, Kelowna RCMP have set the record straight about a video that's recently gone viral. A video has been circulating various social media sites showing a woman yelling in a local convenience store and along with her dog, who aggressively barked at the store attendants. Someone in the store who was "trying to buy a sandwich" filmed the whole incident. According to RCMP, the incident took place over a year ago, on Sept. 19, 2023 at the Canco gas station in the 1100-block of Ethel Street. "Officers attended where it was determined an unknown female attacked two store employees and attempted to coerce her dog into biting them," said Kelowna RCMP in a press release. The incident was captured on cell phone video which was provided to police at the time. The next day, the woman was found and arrested for assault. She was released with an undertaking scheduled for court at a later date. Just over a month later, RCMP concluded their investigation at the request of the victims affected because the woman had never returned to the store and one of the victims no longer lives in the province. “For reasons unknown, this video only recently surfaced on social media over a year after the incident was reported and investigated by police,” RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Michael Gauthier. “In this particular case, when the victims of the offence(s) are no longer interested in pursuing charges, we are obligated to cancel the Undertaking and conclude the matter as is.”
ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge's husband's adorable reaction to her NFL Live outfit Laura Rutledge wore a chic outfit - which no one loved more than her husband He left a simple yet adorable comment under her series of Instagram photos READ MORE: ESPN fans declare reporter Laura Rutledge 'hottest woman on TV' By EMILY LEFROY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 22:59, 21 November 2024 | Updated: 23:00, 21 November 2024 e-mail View comments Fans have declared her a must-watch on TV - and no one agrees more than Laura Rutledge's loving husband. The 36-year-old looked stunning while reporting from the ESPN headquarters for NFL Live on Wednesday night, posting a series of pictures of her eye-catching outfit. The former Miss Florida wore a black fitted turtleneck with a long metallic silver skirt, finishing off her sleek look with some sateen-finish thigh-high boots. She wore her long, blonde, wavy hair half up, with most of it over her shoulders, and paired the look with silver accessories. Laura's comment section was met with a wave of messages from admiring fans - but no one more in awe of her than her loving husband, Josh Rutledge. The former Boston Red Sox infielder left a simple, but effective, comment on the three images: three love-heart eye emojis. Fans chimed, sharing their own admiration of for the reporter's style. 'Wowza! You look beautiful, Laura. Love your style,' one fan gushed. The 36-year-old was in Bristol, Connecticut at the ESPN headquarters for NFL Live, posting a series of pictures of her outfit 'That skirt and those boots,' another enthused. 'Had a chance to catch the show, you were looking extra gorgeous today. The fit was on point,' chimed in another. 'You look incredible as always, especially loving the hair,' someone else added. Josh, 35, isn't shy when it comes to showing his love for his wife, often leaving loved-up comments on social media. The couple have been married since 2013 and share two children. Their eldest, daughter Reese, is five and their son Jack turned one in May. In October, the blonde beauty showed off her gorgeous figure while sporting a matching leather blazer and skirt. Laura had taken a trip to Tuscaloosa to provide coverage for the face-off between Alabama and Missouri, which saw the Crimson Tide winning 34-0 against the Tigers. The reporter took to her Instagram following the game to show off the chic look she opted for during the college football game. The former Miss Florida wore a a black fitted turtleneck with a long metallic silver skirt, finishing off her sleek look with some sateen-finish thigh-high boots She wore her long, blonde, wavy hair half up, with most of it over her shoulders, and paired the look with silver accessories The couple have been married since 2013 and share two children. Their eldest is a girl, Reese, is five and their son Jack, turned one in May Laura's comment section was met with a wave messages from admiring fans - but no one more in awe of than her loving husband, Josh Rutledge The beauty let her curled blonde locks fall down her back and threw on a gold necklace to tie her look together. The series of shots that saw her in game-day mode were captioned: 'Sweet Home Alabama.' Laura left fans swooning as she showcased her enviable figure in a brown leather jacket, which she paired the blazer with a matching skirt and a pair of chic white heels. In addition to giving fans all there is to know about college football as a SEC Nation host, Laura has become known for her gorgeous looks and made showcasing her style on social media a weekly affair. Boston Red Sox Share or comment on this article: ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge's husband's adorable reaction to her NFL Live outfit e-mail Add commentCould comeback spark winning streak for West Virginia or NCCU?Could comeback spark winning streak for West Virginia or NCCU?
ROME (AP) — In 2020, it was a run to the Champions League quarterfinals just as Bergamo was becoming the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic . Last season, it was an upset victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final to end the German club’s European-record unbeaten run at 51 games. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
COIMBATORE : The Coimbatore city police booked All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary ‘Mayura’ Jayakumar and two others for issuing threats to party functionaries. A group of party functionaries complained against Jayakumar to Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, who arrived at Coimbatore International Airport by road from Palakkad in Kerala to take a flight to New Delhi last Sunday night. It is alleged that Jayakumar and INTUC president ‘Kovai’ Selvan entered into a wordy duel at the airport on Sunday night. As tension prevailed, the CISF sleuths intervened and persuaded the two factions to leave the spot. The video of the incident went viral on social media causing embarrassment to party functionaries. Selvan lodged a complaint the next day against Jayakumar. Based on his complaint, the Coimbatore city police booked Jayakumar and two others (Tamil Selvan and Krishnamurthy) on charges of verbally abusing and issuing death threats. Further inquiries are on. Tension has been up in the party after some members of the District Congress Committee passed a resolution to remove Jayakumar from his post alleging that he misused his position.
The United States Postal Service might have found a way to unite a nation bitterly divided after this month's election: It will release a Betty White stamp. The beloved actor known for roles in "The Golden Girls," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Boston Legal" and others will be on a 2025 Forever stamp, USPS announced this past week. White died in late December 2021 , less than three weeks before her 100th birthday. The Postal Service hasn't announced a release date for the stamp. Betty White speaks Sept. 17, 2018, at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. “An icon of American television, Betty White (1922–2021) shared her wit and warmth with viewers for seven decades,” the Postal Service said in announcing the stamp, which depicts a smiling White based on a 2010 photograph by celebrity photographer Kwaku Alston . “The comedic actor, who gained younger generations of fans as she entered her 90s, was also revered as a compassionate advocate for animals.” Boston-based artist Dale Stephanos created the digital illustration from Alston's photo. "I'd love to send a letter back to my 18-year-old self with this stamp on it and tell him that everything is going to be OK," Stephanos posted on Facebook . Regardless of personal politics, self-proclaimed supporters of Republican President-elect Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris reacted with delight on social media. "Betty White was my hero, all of my life! I actually had a doll when I was a little girl I named Betty White," one Trump supporter posted on X , formerly Twitter. “Something to make this awful week a little better: We’re getting a Betty White stamp,” a pro-Harris X account posted. White combined a wholesome image with a flare for bawdy jokes . Her television career began in the early 1950s and exploded as she aged. “The only SNL host I ever saw get a standing ovation at the after party," Seth Meyers posted on Twitter after her death. "A party at which she ordered a vodka and a hotdog and stayed til the bitter end.” Allen Ludden and his wife Betty White, who love to play games, continue a two year gin rummy battle in which she's ahead by a cumulative 6,000 points in Westchester, N.Y. on April 29, 1965. They do it professionally on TV. He's the master of ceremonies on "Password," and she makes frequent guest appearances on game shows. They play games to relax at home. (AP Photo/Bob Wands) Allen Ludden and his wife Betty White admire magnolia blossoms on the lawn of their country home in Westchester, N.Y. on May 14, 1965. (AP Photo/Bob Wands) Actress Betty White in 1965. (AP Photo) Betty White shares a moment backstage at the 28th annual Emmy Awards with Ted Knight after they each won an Emmy for their supporting roles in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." On the series Miss White played Sue Ann Nivens while Knight played newscaster Ted Baxter. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 17, 1976: (L-R) "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" co-stars - Ed Asner, Betty White, Mary Tyler Moore and Ted Knight - all won awards at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 28th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Shubert Theatre on May 17, 1976 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by TVA/PictureGroup/Invision for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences/AP Images) Actress Betty White with Ted Knight at the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, Sept. 13, 1981. (AP Photo/Randy Rasmussen) Betty White and Anson Williams don't seem to faze Buckeye, a St. Bernard, during an awards ceremony during which Williams was honored by the Los Angeles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as a friend and lover of animals. Ms. White presented a humanitarian plaque to Williams at the event, which was held in Hollywood, California, Friday, May 1, 1982. (AP Photo/Marc Karody) Actress Betty White with actor John Hillerman arriving at Emmy Awards, Sept. 22, 1985 in Pasadena, California. (AP Photo/LIU) Actresses Betty White Ludden, left, and Mary Tyler Moore, right, smile at each other in Los Angeles, Friday, June 22, 1985 during Annual Meeting of Morris Animal Foundation, at which Ludden announced her retirement as President of the animal health group, held at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) These four veteran actresses from the television series "The Golden Girls" shown during a break in taping Dec. 25, 1985 in Hollywood. From left are, Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur and Betty White. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) Actress Betty White poses in Los Angeles, Ca. in June, 1986. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) Betty White stands backstage at the NBC TV Bob Hope "I Love Lucy" special on Sept. 16, 1989. (AP Photo/Djansezian) Michael J. Fox and Betty White, winners of Emmys for best actor and actress in a comedy series, stand backstage at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California, Sunday, Sept. 21, 1986 after receiving their honors. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac) Comedienne Betty White places her hand on the star that was presented posthumously to her husband, Allen Ludden, during ceremonies inducting him into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Thursday, March 31, 1988. Ludden was honored with the 1,868th star of the famed walkway — between those of White and Tyrone Power. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) Estelle Getty, who plays Sophia, poses with her new husband, who plays Max, and the other "Golden Girls" after taping of episode on Friday, night, Nov. 5,1988 in Hollywood. Left to right are Rue McCLanahan (Blanche), Getty, Gilford, Bea Arthur (Dorothy) and Betty White. (AP Photo/Ira Mark Gostin) Former cast members of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, sans Mary Tyler Moore, are reunited for the Museum of Television and Radio's 9th annual Television Festival in Los Angeles Saturday, March 21, 1992. From left are Gavin MacLeod, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, Betty White and Ed Asner. (AP Photo/Craig Fujii) Actress Betty White, left, writer/producer David E. Kelley, actress Bridget Fonda, and actor Oliver Platt pose at the premiere of their movie "Lake Placid," Wednesday night, July 14, 1999, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Betty White, from "Golden Girls," and Mr. T, Lawrence Tureaud, from "The A Team," pose for photographers at NBC's 75th Anniversary Party, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2002, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rene Macura) Actors Betty White, left, Georgia Engel, second left, Gavin MacLeod, center, Valerie Harper, second right, and John Amos pose for photographers during arrivals at CBS's 75th anniversary celebration Sunday, Nov. 2, 2003, in New York. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano) Actress Betty White laughs as an African eagle roosts overhead at the Los Angeles Zoo Monday, Feb. 20, 2006, in Los Angeles, where White was honored as Ambassador to the Animals by the city for her decades of dedication to the humane treatment of animals. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) Betty White poses for photographers on the red carpet before Comedy Central's "Roast of William Shatner," Sunday, Aug. 13, 2006, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rene Macura) Betty White arrives at the 34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, on Friday, June 15, 2007. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Beatrice Arthur, left, Betty White, center, and Rue McClanahan, of the Golden Girls, arrive at the TV Land Awards on Sunday June 8, 2008 in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Actor Henry Winkler, center, is seen Beatrice Arthur, right, and Betty White at the TV Land Awards on Sunday June 8, 2008 in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) In this Nov. 24, 2009 file photo, actress Betty White poses for a portrait following her appearance on the television talk show "In the House," in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) Actress Betty White poses for a portrait on the set of the television show "Hot in Cleveland" in Studio City section of Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Actress Betty White is seen on stage at the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010 in Universal City, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Betty White, a cast member in "You Again," poses with fans holding Betty White masks at the premiere of the film in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) Actress Betty White wears a U.S. Forest Ranger hat after being named an Honorary Forest Ranger by the US Forest Service, at the Kennedy Center in Washington Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010. White has stated in numerous interviews that her first ambition as a young girl was "to become a forest ranger, but they didn't allow women to do that back then". (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) Betty White, left, Bradley Cooper and Scarlett Johansson arrive at the MTV Movie Awards in Universal City, Calif., on Sunday, June 6, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Betty White, left, Kristen Bell, center, and Jamie Lee Curtis, cast members in "You Again," pose together at the premiere of the film in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) Betty White, left, accepts the Life Achievement Award from Sandra Bullock at the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) From left, actresses Betty White, Wendie Malick, Valerie Bertinelli, and Jane Leeves pose for a portrait on the set of the television show "Hot in Cleveland" in Studio City section of Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Alec Baldwin, left, and Betty White are seen on stage at the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Betty White attends a book signing for her book 'If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't)' at Barnes & Noble in New York, Friday, May 6, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes) Actress Betty White attends a press conference prior to the taping of "Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute To America's Golden Girl" on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Vince Bucci) Actress Betty White arrives on a white pony as she is honored at a Friars Club Roast sponsored by Godiva, Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at the Sheraton Hotel in New York. (AP Photo/Starpix, Marion Curtis) Betty White, at left, attends her wax figure unveiling at Madame Tussauds on Monday, June 4, 2012 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Katy Winn/Invision/AP) From left, Sgt. 1st Class Chuck Shuck, Actress Betty White and The 2012 American Hero Dog Gabe pose during 2012 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012, in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Ryan Miller/Invision/AP) Betty White and Cloris Leachman onstage at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the JW Marriott on Saturday, April 20, 2013 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP) Ellen DeGeneres, left, presents Betty White with the award for favorite TV icon at the People's Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Betty White, left, speaks at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Looking on from right are Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!Trump administration to review its relationship with PKK terror group: Turkish foreign ministerThe left’s autopsy of its very predictable electoral defeat has become a comedy show. Joe Scarborough is on bended knee , licking the boots of an incoming president he has likened to Hitler. Nancy Pelosi, who first defended Biden’s mental capacity before coldly whacking him, is now blaming him for Kamala Harris’s loss . Activist “journalists” claim that Harris ran a “perfect” campaign and blame voters “who gave up on democracy.” The self-preening typifies much of what’s wrong with the contemporary American left. It’s a culture driven by its own self-exaltation and social credit scores rather than self-examination. Moral condescension and virtue signaling are its chief currency. Sociologist Musa al-Gharbi’s new book on the hypocrisy of elites, “ We Have Never Been Woke ,” captures this bonfire of the vanities. Using immigration as an example, he points to the self-dealing of elites who “have disposable servants who will clean your house, watch your kids, walk your dogs, deliver prepared meals to you” but mask their avarice in sanctimonious virtue. Meanwhile, the migrant waves over-saturate labor markets, steal working-class jobs and lower pay scales. For working Americans, this wealth transfer is yet another assault by the same liberal elites who drove the neoliberal consensus on free trade that enriched themselves — all while hollowing out working-class communities and transferring jobs abroad through unfair trade laws. Most workers lost real wages under the Biden administration. The de rigueur of the left is to cry bigotry when the working class and others object to this self-dealing. The college educateds get fat while expressing moral condescension towards anyone that questions their “multiculturalism over nation” pathos or their victimhood obsessions. Pretty clever gig if you can get it. But al-Gharbi drills down on exactly why the virtue signaling is so important to elites. In a world where universities “overproduce” the sheer number of elites, it’s become the method by which elites try to differentiate themselves and distinguish their higher social credit vis-à-vis their peers. “‘[W]okeness’ has become key a source of cultural capital among contemporary elites,” the author argues. This is perhaps why the post-modern, deconstructionist left has adopted so many policy and cultural positions — on crime, critical race, critical gender, climate absolutism, the mimicry of “river to sea” terrorist rhetoric — that play to these insular needs of donors and activists, but alienate Democrats from most voters. Rather than reading the election results, Democrats seem to be doubling down. The Post this week reported that the White House is encouraging more migrant surges with, among other things, a glitchy ICE app that allows the 230,000 illegal migrants in New York (and potentially millions elsewhere) to merely “check in” with immigration officials online rather than in person. This is music to the ears of the criminal cartels who thrive on the promise of minimal in-country monitoring and ease of evasion. The Post also reports the White House continues to battle Texas’s efforts to fortify border barriers to deter the most imminent, pre-inauguration migrant wave — yet another encouragement for the cartels. Democrats pontificated for the last four years on the virtues of democracy yet seem to be defying the clearly expressed will of the voters in favor the “virtuous” elites. One possible explanation is that they cynically believe an aggravated migrant crisis will complicate the incoming administration’s cleanup of efforts. But the irony here is that their sanctimony closes their ears; rather than superior, it leaves them intellectually impoverished. To wit, a worsened mess likely makes the new administration cleanup crew look more competent and heroic. This dynamic is at play today across multiple policy fronts. In 2021, for example, a new Biden administration had the proverbial wind at its back on climate policy. But like most of West Europe, it fleeced the opportunity with condescending preachiness and NetZero austerity policies like EV mandates that imposed high costs on American workers and consumers while doing nothing to restrain the rapidly growing carbon emissions elsewhere on the planet. As a result, the public throughout the West has become skeptical, and the major international initiatives — COP29 and the Paris Agreements — look closer to their death beds. Again, this sets the stage for the incoming administration to capitalize on newly emerging, more cooperative financing models to develop economically promising renewables and carbon capture technologies. How ironic would it be for the Trump administration to find the needed common ground on climate internationally to advance the issue. Elsewhere, the administration’s slow-walking the needed offensive armaments to Ukraine and its schizophrenic approach on Israel — pledging support one day and then, with yet more virtue signaling, undermining Israel’s efforts to root out the genocidal terrorists in places like Rafah — has also left the world more unstable and set a more favorable stage for Trump’s potential triumphalism on the world stage. And this is the point. Priggishness and moral condescension, absent any meaningful factual backing, is not just vacuous pseudo-intellectualism but, because it imperiously tries to shut down debate rather than discovering knowledge, it leaves its practitioners all the dumber. It may be the most important autopsy lesson the left could learn from the election.