Who is Darrin Gayles? Meet the Obama-appointed judge handling Trump's $10B lawsuit against Murdoch, WSJ
Gayles, a United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, is a former US attorney who was appointed by Obama in 2014. At the time, a vote of 98-0 unanimously confirmed him in the Senate. Gayles went on to become the first openly gay Black man to serve on the federal bench. His appointment to Trump's case happened randomly.
Trump's lawsuit was filed in federal court in Miami on July 18. It accuses the newspaper, its parent companies, executives and journalists of falsely claiming that Trump wrote a 50th birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. Trump's lawsuit reportedly names Rupert Murdoch and his News Corp, WSJ publisher Dow Jones, executive Robert Thomson, and two WSJ journalists whose bylines were there in the story.
Who is Darrin Gayles?
Gayles served as a judge of Florida's 11th Judicial Circuit for over ten years in the past, according to St. Thomas University's website. 'Judge Gayles was appointed to the County Court of that circuit by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush in 2004. In 2011, former Florida Governor Charlie Crist elevated Judge Gayles to the Circuit Court, where he served until his federal appointment. Judge Gayles was retained on both courts without opposition in 2006 and 2012, respectively,' the website states.
Gates is a graduate of Howard University and The George Washington University Law School. His career in law began in 1993 as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County, Florida. He subsequently worked for the U.S. Department of Justice as an Assistant District Counsel for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). He later worked as Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and served in that office's Appellate, Major Crimes, and Narcotics Sections until he was appointed to the County Court in 2004.
Gayles is notably a former co-chairman of the 11th Judicial Circuit's (Florida) Professionalism Committee. He actively volunteers in many of South Florida's civic and charitable organizations, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, 100 Black Men of South Florida, and the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project.
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Business Standard
14 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Trump plays golf in Scotland as protesters rally against his visit
President Donald Trump played golf Saturday at his course on Scotland's coast while protesters around the country took to the streets to decry his visit and accuse United Kingdom leaders of pandering to the American. Trump and his son Eric played with the US ambassador to Britain, Warren Stephens, near Turnberry, a historic course that the Trump family's company took over in 2014. Security was tight, and protesters kept at a distance wand unseen by the group during Trump's round. He was dressed in black, with a white USA cap, and was spotted driving a golf cart. The president appeared to play an opening nine holes, stop for lunch, then head out for nine more. By the middle of the afternoon, plainclothes security officials began leaving, suggesting Trump was done for the day. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered on the cobblestone and tree-lined street in front of the US Consulate about 160 kilometres away in Edinburgh, Scotland's capital. Speakers told the crowd that Trump was not welcome and criticised British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for striking a recent trade deal to avoid stiff US tariffs on goods imported from the UK. Protests were planned in other cities as environmental activists, opponents of Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza and pro-Ukraine groups loosely formed a Stop Trump Coalition. Anita Bhadani, an organiser, said the protests were kind of like a carnival of resistance. June Osbourne, 52, a photographer and photo historian from Edinburgh wore a red cloak and white hood, recalling The Handmaid's Tale. Osbourne held up picture of Trump with Resist stamped over his face. I think there are far too many countries that are feeling the pressure of Trump and that they feel that they have to accept him and we should not accept him here, Osbourne said. The dual-US-British citizen said the Republican president was the worst thing that has happened to the world, the US, in decades. Trump's late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland and the president has suggested he feels at home in the country. But the protesters did their best to change that. I don't think I could just stand by and not do anything, said Amy White, 15, of Edinburgh, who attended with her parents. She held a cardboard sign that said We don't negotiate with fascists. She said so many people here loathe him. We're not divided. We're not divided by religion, or race or political allegiance, we're just here together because we hate him. Other demonstrators held signs of pictures with Trump and Jeffrey Epstein as the fervour over files in the case has increasingly frustrated the president. In the view of Mark Gorman, 63, of Edinburgh, the vast majority of Scots have this sort of feeling about Trump that, even though he has Scottish roots, he's a disgrace. Gorman, who works in advertising, said he came out because I have deep disdain for Donald Trump and everything that he stands for. Saturday's protests were not nearly as large as the throngs that demonstrated across Scotland when Trump played at Turnberry during his first term in 2018. But, as bagpipes played, people chanted Trump Out! and raised dozens of homemade signs that said things like No red carpet for dictators, We don't want you here and Stop Trump. Migrants welcome. One dog had a sign that said No treats for tyrants. Some on the far right took to social media to call for gatherings supporting Trump in places such as Glasgow. Trump also plans to talk trade with Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president. But golf is a major focus. The family will also visit another Trump course near Aberdeen in northeastern Scotland, before returning to Washington on Tuesday. The Trumps will cut the ribbon and play a new, second course in that area, which officially opens to the public next month. Scottish First Minister John Swinney, who is also set to meet with Trump during the visit, announced that public money will go to staging the 2025 Nexo Championship, previously known previously as the Scottish Championship, at Trump's first course near Aberdeen next month. The Scottish Government recognises the importance and benefits of golf and golf events, including boosting tourism and our economy, Swinney said. At a protest Saturday in Aberdeen, Scottish Parliament member Maggie Chapman told the crowd of hundreds: We stand in solidarity, not only against Trump but against everything he and his politics stand for. The president has long lobbied for Turnberry to host the British Open, which it has not done since he took over ownership. In a social media post Saturday, Trump quoted the retired golfer Gary Player as saying Turnberry was among the Top Five Greatest Golf Courses he had played in as a professional. The president, in the post, misspelled the city where his golf course is located.
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First Post
14 minutes ago
- First Post
Cambodia, Thailand agree to ceasefire talks following Trump's warning
US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Cambodian and Thai leaders have agreed to meet immediately to negotiate a ceasefire, following three days of intense border fighting. read more A Cambodian military personnel stands on a BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher, around 40 km (24 miles) from the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple, after Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery on Friday. Reuters US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Cambodian and Thai leaders had agreed to meet immediately to work out a cease-fire, as he sought to broker peace after three days of fighting along their border. During a visit to Scotland, Trump stated on social media that he had spoken with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand's acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, and warned them that if the border conflict continued, he would not make trade deals with either of the Southeast Asian governments. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace,' Trump wrote as he gave a blow-by-blow account of his diplomatic efforts. Before Trump spoke to the two leaders, clashes on the Thai-Cambodian border persisted into a third day and new flashpoints emerged on Saturday as both sides said they had acted in self-defense in the border dispute and called on the other to cease fighting and start negotiations. More than 30 people have been killed and more than 130,000 people displaced in the worst fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in 13 years. There were clashes early on Saturday, both sides said, in the neighbouring Thai coastal province of Trat and Cambodia's Pursat Province, a new front more than 100 km (60 miles) from other conflict points along the long-contested border. The two countries have faced off since the killing of a Cambodian soldier late in May during a brief skirmish. Troops on both sides of the border were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand's fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse. As of Saturday, Thailand said seven soldiers and 13 civilians had been killed in the clashes, while in Cambodia five soldiers and eight civilians had been killed, said Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata. Following calls for restraint on both sides from Trump's senior aides, he became directly involved on Saturday, speaking to each leader and saying he relayed messages back and forth. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'They have agreed to immediately meet and quickly work out a Ceasefire and, ultimately, PEACE!,' Trump wrote, saying both countries wanted to get back to the 'Trading Table.' He has sought to reach separate deals with dozens of countries in response to his announcement of wide-ranging tariffs on imports to the U.S. 'When all is done, and Peace is at hand, I look forward to concluding our Trading Agreements with both!' Trump said. He offered no details on the ceasefire negotiations he said Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to hold. The Thai and Cambodian embassies in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In the Thai border province of Sisaket, a university compound has been converted into temporary accommodation, where a volunteer said more than 5,000 people were staying. Samrong Khamduang said she left her farm, about 10 km from the border, when fighting broke out on Thursday. The 51-year-old's husband stayed behind to look after livestock. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We got so scared with the sound of artillery,' she said. 'But my husband stayed back and now we lost the connection. I couldn't call him. I don't know what is happening back there.' In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the chair of the ASEAN regional bloc, said he would continue to push a ceasefire proposal. Cambodia has backed Anwar's plan, while Thailand has said it agreed with it in principle. 'There is still some exchange of fire,' Anwar said, according to state news agency Bernama. He said he had asked his foreign minister 'to liaise with the respective foreign ministries and, if possible, I will continue engaging with them myself – at least to halt the fighting'. Security council meeting Thailand's ambassador to the United Nations told a Security Council meeting on Friday that soldiers had been injured by newly planted land mines in Thai territory on two occasions since mid-July - claims Cambodia has strongly denied - and said Cambodia had then launched attacks on Thursday morning. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Thailand urges Cambodia to immediately cease all hostilities and acts of aggression, and resume dialogue in good faith,' Cherdchai Chaivaivid told the council in remarks released to media. Cambodia's defense ministry said Thailand had launched 'a deliberate, unprovoked, and unlawful military attack' and was mobilizing troops and military equipment on the border. 'These deliberate military preparations reveal Thailand's intent to expand its aggression and further violate Cambodia's sovereignty,' the ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Cambodia called for the international community to 'condemn Thailand's aggression in the strongest terms' and to prevent an expansion of its military activities, while Bangkok reiterated it wanted to resolve the dispute bilaterally. Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over jurisdiction of various undemarcated points along their 817-km (508-mile) land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the disputes. Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but tension escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD That led to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths. Cambodia in June said it had asked the court to resolve its disputes with Thailand, which says it has never recognized the court's jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach.
Mint
20 minutes ago
- Mint
Trump dials Thailand, Cambodia to end clashes, says both ‘ready to rejoin US trading table' after ceasefire
Trump claimed that Thailand and Cambodia desire peace amid the ongoing border clashes and are eager to continue trade with the United States. In a post on his official Truth Social handle, Trump wrote, 'I just had a very good call with the Prime Minister of Cambodia, and informed him of my discussions with Thailand, and its Acting Prime Minister. Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace. They are also looking to get back to the 'Trading Table' with the United States, which we think is inappropriate to do until such time as the fighting STOPS." He added, "They have agreed to immediately meet and quickly work out a Ceasefire and, ultimately, PEACE! It was an honour to deal with both Countries. They have a long and storied History and Culture. They will hopefully get along for many years to come. When all is done, and Peace is at hand, I look forward to concluding our Trading Agreements with both!' Thailand and Cambodia's ongoing border dispute intensified as they exchanged heavy artillery fire for the third consecutive day on Saturday. The fighting resulted in 33 deaths and displaced over 168,000 people from their homes along the border, reported AP. Several artillery and small arms fire were reported near several border villages, expanding the conflict area that started on Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border injured five Thai soldiers. Cambodian and Thai officials accused each other of initiating the clashes. In response, both nations recalled their ambassadors, and Thailand shut its border with Cambodia. According to the Cambodian authorities, 12 new deaths were reported on Saturday, the total death toll stood at 13, while The Thai military announced that a soldier was killed, increasing the death toll to 20, mostly civilians. Cambodia's Information Minister Neth Pheaktra stated on Saturday that the clashes have led to the evacuation of 10,865 Cambodian families, totalling 37,635 individuals, from three border provinces to safer areas. Meanwhile, Thai authorities reported that over 131,000 people have left their border villages. The 800-kilometer (500-mile) border between Thailand and Cambodia has been contested for decades, though previous conflicts have been brief. The most recent tensions arose in May when a confrontation resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier, leading to a diplomatic dispute and stirring unrest within Thailand's politics.
