After Long Union Fight, Trump Taj Mahal Ironically Closing on Work Weekend day

The Trump Taj Mahal is approximately to become the fifth Atlantic City casino to close its doorways once and for all in 3 years. Its closing will signal a final end towards the Trump casino brand once and for all.
Union members protest outside the Trump Taj Mahal, which will close its doorways on September 4, 2016. Icahn Enterprises says it has lost $100 million on the endeavor.
In the midst of commercial action by members of the Unite Here Local 54 Union, who’ve been picketing the Taj for months, investor Carl Icahn has given up on the casino that is stricken will shutter it permanently on September 4.
That closure date hits right in the center of Labor Day, which might be a coincidence that is wild or it could be a deliberate and final insult to the union, which Icahn blames for derailing his last-ditch try to conserve the Taj.
Icahn stepped in to rescue the casino in 2014, when its previous owners, Trump Entertainment, declared bankruptcy. The billionaire corporate raider owned the bulk of its $286 million financial obligation, which he ended up being ready to convert into equity.
Icahn additionally said he was willing to invest $100 million within the property, if, and just if, he had been granted concessions that are certain the town. These included the temporary cessation of worker pension and healthcare benefits, which may have become the focus of the squabble between Icahn Enterprises as well as the casino workers’ union.
Out $100 Million
According to Local 54 leader Bob McDevitt, Icahn has opted for to ‘burn the Trump Taj Mahal down’ in an effort to ‘punish’ strikers.
‘ For a few million dollars, he may have had labor peace and a work that is content,’ McDevitt stated in a statement. ‘But instead he’d rather slam the doorway shut on these workers that are long-term to punish them and attempt to break their strike. In the long run, he’ll have to live with what he’s done to working people in Atlantic City.’
But according to Tony Rodio, chief executive of Icahn Enterprises’ casino subsidiary Tropicana Entertainment, the employees’ demands have made the continued operation of the casino impossible.
‘Currently, the Taj is multimillions that are losing month, and now with this particular attack, we see no path to profitability,’ Rodio said. He included that Icahn Enterprises had lost around $100 million since it annexed the Taj.
Bankrupt Eighth Wonder
The casino was declared to end up being the ‘eighth wonder of the world’ by the current Republican presidential nominee when he opened it in 1990, at a high price of $1 billion. In 1991, it became the wonder that is first of globe to get under since the Colossus of Rhodes ended up being destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BC.
In 2009, Trump offered their Atlantic City casino interests to a combined group of venture capitalists, who formed Trump Entertainment. While he has had nothing to do aided by the management of the Taj since, he had been able to negotiate a deal whereby he retained a ten percent stake in the casino in substitution for the employment of their famous brand name.
Nevertheless, in 2014, incensed by just what he saw as Trump Entertainment’s mismanagement for the Taj and its sister Atlantic City property the Plaza, he litigated to have his name eliminated from both casinos. He later relented following their friend that is old Icahn intervention. He also relinquished the stake when Trump Entertainment declared for bankruptcy security.
The Labor Day weekend closure for the Trump Taj Mahal will keep only seven casinos operating into the beachside resort, that has been fighting problems that are financial years.
FBI Busts Significant Mafia Crime Syndicate, Included Illegal Gambling Ops
A Mafia that is massive arm engaged in illegal gambling, extortion, gun-running, and fraud, among other crimes, was smashed by the FBI on Thursday. Bureau agents arrested 46 alleged mob associates, soldiers, capos, and one reputed boss, all in locations up and down the East Coast.
Joey Merlino, the reputed employer of the Philadelphia Mafia, was one of 46 alleged mobsters arrested up and down the East Coast on Thursday, following A fbi that is major and infiltration and bust. (Image: miamiherald.com)
Alleged members of the Genovese, Gambino, Lucchese, and Bonanno crime families, four of this new York Mob’s top five families, were taken into custody. Key among those arrested ended up being Joseph ‘Skinny Joey’ Merlino, the boss that is alleged of Philadelphia Mob. Merlino has beaten murder costs into the past, but served prison time for racketeering.
The set of suspects reads like something out of ‘Casino’ or ‘Goodfellas,’ with nicknames like ‘Tony the Cripple,’ ‘Mustache Pat,’ ‘Muscles,’ ‘Tugboat,’ ‘Nicky the Wig,’ and ‘Big Vinny.’
Diversification associated with Mob
The scale that is sheer scope of the operations shows that the Mafia is still a force become reckoned with in present-day America. The vast empire that is criminal stretched from Massachusetts to Florida, said US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara.
Most of the defendants are alleged to be part of a group called the East Coast LCN Enterprise, an ‘organized unlawful enterprise,’ according to the indictment, that was formed following a pact between the four New that is targeted York and also the Philadelphia Mafia.
‘ The Mob remains a scourge on this populous city and around the country,’ said Bharara. ‘From loan-sharking and gambling that is illegal to credit card and health care fraud, and even firearms trafficking, today’s Mafia is fully diversified.
‘As alleged, threatening to assault, maim, and kill people who block off the road of the unlawful schemes continues to be the play that is go-to the Mob’s playbook.’
Bharara was notably the lead prosecutor in the Black Friday busts of major poker sites PokerStars and Full Tilt in 2011. The sites were, at that time, running outside of the range of legality in the US.
Undercover Agents
The arrests follow a joint investigation between the FBI and New York’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), which spanned several years and included infiltration by an undercover FBI agent to the ranks of the corporation.
Investigators have actually amassed thousands of hours of testimony gathered through wiretaps and the cooperation of a witness. The 32-page indictment, unsealed on Thursday, details incidents of assaults, threats, and arson.
Prohibited gambling had been a big myfreepokies.com way to obtain the organization’s income, in accordance with the indictment. It owned an establishment in nyc that held poker tournaments and took bets on horses, and additionally operated sports businesses that are betting in ny, Florida, New Jersey, and Costa Rica.
All defendants plead not bad, and the majority were released on $300,000 relationship, while some were retained, without any bail having been set.
Summer Olympics Underway in Rio as City’s Preparation Takes Center Stage
Over 11,000 athletes have been in Rio de Janeiro to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics, but the victory that is greatest can come by way of a safe and secure 16-day event. (Image: Jewel Samad/AFP)
The 2016 Summer Olympics officially kickoff this evening in Rio de Janeiro, and even though the athletes, fans, and media are prepared for the competitions, itsn’t quite therefore clear that the city itself is.
Starting ceremonies begin at 8 pm time that is local Rio.
The city that is brazilian 60 minutes ahead regarding the United States’ coveted Eastern time area. NBC will wait its protection by an hour to air the event at 8 pm ET alternatively of 7 pm, much to your dismay of numerous fans.
More than 11,000 athletes will compete in 39 sport procedures now through the closing ceremonies on August 21. But after years of planning and preparation, or lack thereof on the component of Rio, plenty of serious concerns linger as the globe’s best sporting tournament starts.
Uh-Oh de Janeiro
The controversy surrounding the 2016 Summer Olympics will probably have impact that is lasting the games. Brazil is the first South American country to play host to an Olympics, and its own severe shortcomings in adequately preparing Rio is expected to push Olympic organizers back to holding the occasion in more stable areas of the world.
Africa has become the continent that is only never host an Olympics. That likely won’t change anytime soon.
While Rio’s mishandling will have long-term consequences, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and nations across the world are more worried about the next 16 days in Rio.
- Zika: The most serious problem in Rio is actually the smallest. Mosquitos infected with Zika, a virus that will cause severe birth defects, stays rampant.
- Water: Sewage-infested waters surrounding the city contain high quantities of germs. Open-water swimmers have been told to not submerge their heads while competing.
- Crime: Rio is definitely an city that is impoverished some locals have actually nothing to readily lose. And by having a local law enforcement agency that pales compared to first-world nations, crime is of utmost concern. a 22-year-old moroccan boxer was arrested just this morning after attempting to rape two maids.
- Terrorism: The United States has over 1,000 spies in Rio monitoring terror threats and doing every thing they can to keep Team USA safe. Military forces are also on standby.
- Housing: Several countries have actually deemed the athletes’ village uninhabitable. Team USA basketball countered by renting a luxurious cruise liner effective at accommodating 296 guests due to their remain in Rio.
Let the Betting Begin
In Nevada and Las vegas, nevada, the sportsbooks get it right more often than they go wrong. Oddsmakers in las vegas are experts at setting lines on sports they know in and out, but this year’s Olympics presents a series of challenges for the bookies, and potentially a series of preferred odds for gamblers.
For the first time since the 2000 Olympics, Nevada sportsbooks are providing odds in the games. The Nevada Gaming Commission opted to include specific amateur contests in February of 2015.
While every book in the Silver State knows football, baseball, baseball, and ice hockey, numerous aren’t quite as familiar with gymnastics, curling, speed walking, javelin, and other Olympic disciplines.
If you have been a follower that is devout of slalom or handball and think you know significantly more than Vegas, now might function as the time to place a wager.
For the rest of the country outside of Nevada edges, day-to-day fantasy sports operators are providing a smattering of contests.
Hillary Clinton Campaigns Through Nevada, Condemning Donald Trump
Hillary Clinton doesn’t believe her GOP opponent Donald Trump is competent sufficient to assume the Oval Office. The Democratic presidential nominee made two stops this week within the all-important swing state of Nevada, where she spent a considerable amount of her time decrying Trump’s business record and disposition that is general.
Hillary Clinton invested lots of time going after Donald Trump while campaigning in Nevada. Latest polls show her offensive attack, coupled with a devastating week for her opponent, is working. (Image: Andrew Harnik/AP)
Appearing before A las vegas, nevada crowd on August 4, Clinton called Trump ‘temperamentally unfit’ to be president. She also attacked their record that is corporate in Atlantic City and nevada.
‘I went to Atlantic City and I also came across a number of small businesses, too as workers, plumbers and painters, cup installers, marble installers, at one of is own resorts. They finished the work . . . and they presented their bill, as well as the Trump people said, ‘No, we are maybe not going to pay you, » Clinton advertised.
Though Trump was mainly taken out of the Trump Taj Mahal since 2009, when Trump Entertainment Resorts filed for bankruptcy, the property, and along with it the Trump casino brand, will turn off for good on Labor Day.
Before criticizing Trump, Clinton praised Nevada Senator Harry Reid (D) who introduced the candidate that is democratic the event. Reid, who’s served in Congress representing Nevada since 1983, is pro-gambling, but has also expressed support for the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA), the gambling that is anti-online, an uncommon stance in the first state to legalize online poker in America.