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Disgraced WWE mogul Vince McMahon fired back at a former employee who accused him of sex trafficking and sexual harassment, claiming she would sneak into his penthouse apartment to get in his bed before slinking back to her fianc’s den in the same building, according to a court filing.

McMahon alleged that 43-year-old Janel Grant willingly took part in a sexual relationship with the wrestling tycoon for three years and denied all of her explosive charges — including that he defecated on her head in response to her lawsuit filed in a Connecticut federal court Tuesday.

The filing laid out a litany of alleged lies that Grant lobbed at McMahon in the lawsuit she filed last January — after he failed to fork over $3 million in hush money to keep their relationship a secret.

Chief among McMahon’s claims was that Grant “would often visit” him at his Stamford condo “at all hours, including at 2:30 a.m., to pursue their affair and then return back to her condominium” where she lived with her fianc, attorney Brian Goncalves, according to the filing.

McMahon — who resigned as executive chairman of WWE-parent TKO Group Holdings following Grant’s lawsuit — and Goncalves lived four floors apart in the Park Tower Stamford, the luxury 36-story condo building formerly known as Trump Parc Stamford.

Grant’s lawyer said that Grant and Goncalves had called off their engagement and that he “allowed her to stay in the apartment as she rebuilt her life.”

Vince McMahon has never known a storyline that he doesnt twist to fit his own shameful narrative,” Ann Callis told The Post.

The Post has sought comment from Goncalves.

In her lawsuit, Grant claimed she was “dealing with profound grief” when she met McMahon in March 2019.

McMahon’s filing alleged that Grant fabricated aspects of her life story — including lying about “devoting years to around-the-clock caregiving” of her dying parents and “struggling financially” when they met.

Grant’s father lived in a senior home in Stamford before he passed away and was not cared for by his daughter, the filing alleged.

Her mother died in 2017 — two years prior to Grant meeting McMahon, it was alleged in the document.

Callis said Grant’s father was in in-home hospice until his final dying days “where Janel continued to care for him around the clock.”

“Prior to his death, she had been caring for her blind, wheelchair-bound mother. Using the grief of someone who lost both of her parents is an all new level of disgusting, Callis said.

The filing asked the court to stay Grant’s lawsuit so as to allow the two parties to settle any disputes in binding arbitration.

Grant was employed by McMahon at WWE headquarters in Stamford between June 2019 and March 2022.

She sued to invalidate a nondisclosure agreement that she signed in which she made her bombshell allegations.

Grant had received $1 million of the $3 million payout but McMahon withheld the next installment, scheduled to be disbursed in early February, after she filed her lawsuit.

The lawsuit accused McMahon of defecating on her head during a threesome and using sex toys on her that he named after wrestlers — claims that McMahon has called “salacious,” “false,” and “pure fiction.”

She also alleged that McMahon directed her to have sex with other execs and an unnamed wrestling star, as well as sharing nude photos and explicit videos of her without her consent with other WWE employees, according to her lawsuit.

John Laurinaitis, WWE’s former head of talent relations and general manager, was also named in the lawsuit.

The Post reached out to Laurinaitis for comment.

Laurinaitis attorney, Edward Brennan, had said that the 61-year-old ex-pro wrestler, known in the ring as Johnny Ace, denies all of the allegations made against him in the complaint and asserts that he is a victim in this matter, not a protagonist.

In an earlier bizarre twist in the case, McMahon’s attorneys produced a gushing love letter — obtained by The Post — that they say Grant wrote to McMahon in an email that was dated Dec. 24, 2021. However, Callis has claimed her client was coerced into writing the letter.

The email was obtained from Grant’s laptop computer by a law firm hired by WWE’s board to investigate claims against McMahon, who is the subject of a federal probe over allegations that he sexually assaulted and trafficked other women.

McMahon has denied the allegations.

“After almost 3 years together, it like my life isnt even real to me unless youre there and in it and Im sharing it all with you,” Grant wrote in the Christmas Eve letter to McMahon which was obtained by The Post.

Callis had told The Post that McMahon instructed Grant to write the letter.

Frankly its pretty disgusting that Vinces weeks-late attempt to defend his horrendous behavior behavior he claims to this day never happened is to try to showcase letters that Vince himself coerced her to write, Callis said.

His psychological torture of her continues as is typical of abusive predators who respond to women speaking out with increased threats. While Janel isnt a stranger to his intimidation tactics, this is a new low even for him.

McMahon’s attorney, Jessica Taub Rosenberg, denied that her client coerced Grant to write the letter, calling the claim “revisionist history.”

“She wrote it of her own accord,” Rosenberg, a lawyer with Kasowitz Benson Torres, told The Post. “The fact that the letter shows it was the 24th draft speaks volumes.”

A spokesperson for Grant told The Post that McMahon would often request that she write love letters that resembled those exchanged by celebrities and which were published in magazines.

Additional Reporting by Shannon Thaler

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Business

Hollywood is dying – but insiders fear Trump’s tariff threat may hasten demise

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Hollywood is struggling, but some fear Trump's foreign film tariffs might do more harm than good

At Sony Production studios in Culver City, an area of Los Angeles steeped in the movie business, a steady stream of cars and lorries comes and goes through the security gate.

It occupies the MGM lot which dates back to 1924. Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz and Citizen Kane were shot here and, more recently, Interstellar and The Dark Knight Rises. But this is no longer the beating heart of movie making.

In Tinsel Town the bright lights of the film industry have been fading for some time. Production in Hollywood has fallen by 40% in the last decade, sometimes moving to other states like New Mexico, New York and Georgia, but more often outside the US entirely.

Ask Martha a question about this story

A recent survey of film and TV executives indicates that Britain, Australia and Canada are now favoured locations over California when it comes to making movies.

San Andreas, a blockbuster film about a California earthquake, was shot in Australia. In America, a film about an Irish family settling in New York, was shot in Canada.

Although about a California disaster, San Andreas was actually shot in Australia. Pic: Jasin Boland/THA/Shutterstock
Image:
Although about a California disaster, San Andreas was actually shot in Australia. Pic: Jasin Boland/THA/Shutterstock

Trump’s movie tariff could deal knock-out blow to UK film industry, union says

More on Tariffs

The exodus of the film industry from Hollywood is mostly owing to economic reasons, with other countries boasting lower labour costs and more expansive tax incentives. But as productions have moved overseas, studios across Los Angeles are frequently empty and those who work behind the scenes are often out of work.

President Trump has approached this problem with a familiar reaction – sweeping tariffs, a 100% tariff on all foreign made films coming into the USA.

‘It’s a different kind of situation than producing cars overseas’

Justine Bateman is a filmmaker and sister of actor Jason Bateman. She is glad Trump is looking for solutions but does not understand how the tariffs will work. “I will say, I’m very glad to hear that President Trump is interested in helping the film business. But part of the problem is we just don’t have very much detail, do we?” she says.

“He’s made this big announcement, but we don’t have the detail to really mull over. He doesn’t even say whether it’s going to be films that are shown in the cinema or streaming movies, for example.

“Tariffs can be a profitable situation for when we’re just talking about hard goods, but something like a film and, particularly if you’ve got an American film that takes place in the south of France, you want to be in a particular location.

“So it’s a different kind of situation than producing cars overseas and bringing them back here.”

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At the Hand Prop Room in Los Angeles, they supply props for TV and film. The warehouse is brimful of virtually any prop you could imagine, from portraits of former presidents, to replica handguns to African artefacts and 18th century teapots. The walls are decorated with posters from some of the productions they’ve supplied, including Babylon, Oppenheimer and Ghostbusters.

Reynaldo Castillo believes the tariffs could be harmful to Hollywood unless properly thought through
Image:
Reynaldo Castillo believes the tariffs could be harmful to Hollywood unless properly thought through

‘It needs to be thought through’

In the past five years, the prop shop has been impacted by the COVID pandemic, by both the writers’ and actors’ strikes and the globalisation of the film industry. Business is at an all time low.

“It’s not helping when so many productions are not just leaving the state, but also leaving the country,” says Reynaldo Castillo, the general manager of the Hand Prop Room. “It’s Hollywood, we have the infrastructure that nobody else has and I think maybe to a certain point we took it for granted.

“I think we can all agree that we want more filming to stay in the country to help promote jobs. But you also don’t want to do something to hurt it.

“How does it work? Are there exceptions for X, Y, and Z? What about independent movies that have small budgets that are shot somewhere else that would destroy their ability to make something? It needs to be thought through and make sure it’s implemented the right way.”

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Politics

US Senate crypto bills stall amid Trump ties and ethics concerns

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US Senate crypto bills stall amid Trump ties and ethics concerns

US Senate crypto bills stall amid Trump ties and ethics concerns

Efforts to pass crypto legislation in the US Senate face mounting resistance amid growing ethical concerns around US President Donald Trump’s ties to crypto.

In a May 5 letter to the Office of Government Ethics, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Jeff Merkley said that Trump and his family stand to personally profit from an investment involving UAE state-backed firm MGX, crypto exchange Binance and World Liberty Financial (WLFI).

The senators called for an urgent probe, warning the deal may violate the US Constitution’s Emoluments Clause and federal bribery statutes.

At the center of the controversy is WLFI’s USD1 stablecoin, reportedly chosen for a $2 billion investment MGX plans to make into Binance.

The senators said the transaction amounts to a potential backdoor for foreign influence and self-enrichment, with Trump’s allies allegedly set to receive hundreds of millions of dollars:

“This deal raises the troubling prospect that the Trump and Witkoff families could expand the use of their stablecoin as an avenue to profit from foreign corruption.”

Further complicating ethics concerns, Trump hosted a $1.5 million-per-plate dinner on May 5 at his golf club in Sterling, Virginia. The event came just days after hosting a $1 million-per-plate fundraiser for the MAGA super PAC.

He also plans to hold a gala dinner with major Official Trump (TRUMP) memecoin holders on May 22, despite multiple US lawmakers expressing concerns.

US Senate crypto bills stall amid Trump ties and ethics concerns
Source: Elizabeth Warren

Related: America’s crypto renaissance is already failing; but we can fix it

GENIUS Act faces roadblocks

The Trump family’s controversial $2 billion crypto deal comes as the Senate prepares to vote on the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act and other crypto-related bills.

The fallout is already being felt in Congress. Some Democratic lawmakers are pushing for additional hearings before advancing any legislation, while others question whether Trump’s personal stake in digital assets is undermining bipartisan support for crypto regulation.

On May 5, Senate Majority Leader John Thune signaled a willingness to amend the GOP-backed stablecoin legislation to pass the bill in the coming weeks.

Speaking to reporters, Thune said changes can be made on the floor and that he is waiting to hear what Democrats are asking for, per a report from Politico.

Internal GOP challenges also remain, with Senator Rand Paul expressing uncertainty about backing the bill, according to the report.

The stalling isn’t limited to the Senate. House Financial Services Committee ranking member Representative Maxine Waters plans to block a Republican-led event discussing digital assets on May 6.

The hearing, “American Innovation and the Future of Digital Assets,” will discuss a new crypto markets draft discussion paper pitched by the House agricultural and financial services committee chairs, Representatives Glenn Thompson and French Hill, respectively.

Related: Elizabeth Warren joins call for probe of Trump over crypto tokens

Crypto community slams political pushback

Prominent crypto figures are speaking out as political resistance threatens to derail stablecoin legislation in the Senate.

“Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer haven’t learned their lesson,” Tyler Winklevoss, co-founder of Gemini, posted on X.

“If they want Democrats to continue losing elections, they will continue standing in front of crypto legislation like the stablecoin bill which they are stalling out in the Senate.”

US Senate crypto bills stall amid Trump ties and ethics concerns
Source: Tyler Winklevoss

Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions

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Technology

DoorDash to buy British food delivery firm Deliveroo for $3.9 billion in overseas push

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DoorDash to buy British food delivery firm Deliveroo for .9 billion in overseas push

A Deliveroo rider near Victoria station in London, England, on March 31, 2021.

Dan Kitwood | Getty Images

LONDON — British food delivery firm Deliveroo on Monday said it has agreed to a takeover offer from American rival DoorDash that values the company at £2.9 billion ($3.9 billion).

Deliveroo, which lets users order hot meals and groceries via an app, said its board agreed to an offer from DoorDash to acquire all issued and to be issued shares in the company for 180 pence a share.

That marks a 44% premium to Deliveroo’s closing price on April 4, the last business day prior to DoorDash’s initial offer letter.

Deliveroo shares jumped to a three-year high last week after the company confirmed it had received a takeover offer from DoorDash.

The transaction values Deliveroo at £2.9 billion on a fully diluted basis, the company said.

DoorDash said that the financial terms of the acquisition were final and would not be increased unless a third party steps in with a rival bid.

“I could not be more excited by the prospect of what DoorDash and Deliveroo will be able to accomplish together. We’ll cover more than 40 countries with a combined population of more than 1 billion people, enabling us to provide more local businesses with the tools and technology they need to thrive,” said Tony Xu, CEO and Co-founder of DoorDash.

International expansion

The acquisition deal marks an end to Deliveroo’s tumultuous ride as a public company.

Once viewed as a British tech darling, Deliveroo saw its shares tank 30% in 2021 in one of the worst trading debuts on the London Stock Exchange. Shares have continued to fall from that point and are down more than 50% from the firm’s £3.90 IPO price.

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