Long viewed as the most formidable challenger to Donald Trump in the Republican US presidential nominating contest, Ron DeSantis boasts a record of ultra-conservative legislative wins...

Former president Donald Trump has again lashed out at Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Truth Social, ahead of a week in which it is expected he will be indicted for 2020 election interference in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Returning to themes of attack he has deployed before, he called Ms Willis “RACIST” and criticised her professional record combating crime in Atlanta. He called the city “one of the deadliest communities in the US” with “gang members roaming the streets”, adding that they are treated with “kid gloves”. Toward the end of the rambling sentence, the former president got to his point, saying he had heard — without providing evidence — that Ms Willis is using the potential indictment against him as a “campaign and fundraising CON JOB”. Mr Trump has attacked Ms Willis on numerous occasions — with an increasingly desperate tone — including a recent baseless allegation of an extramarital affair with a gang member. In response, the district attorney has issued a memorandum to staff about the new lie told about her instructing them not to comment publicly on the matter. The former president rounded out his latest diatribe by yet again describing his 2 January 2021 phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as “perfect” and that it was his “duty and right” to challenge election fraud as president. Mr Trump wrote in full on his social media platform on Saturday morning: “I hear that RACIST Fulton County (Atlanta) District Attorney ‘Phoney’ Fani Willis, who weakly presides over one of the deadliest communities in the US, with thousands of murderers, violent criminals & gang members roaming the streets while going untried, free, & are treated with ‘kid gloves’, is using a potential Indictment of me, and other innocent people, as a campaign and fundraising CON JOB, all based on a PERFECT PHONE CALL, AS PRESIDENT, CHALLENGING ELECTION FRAUD - MY DUTY & RIGHT!” In a publicly released recording of the call, Mr Trump attempts to pressure Mr Raffensperger into “finding him votes” despite there being no evidence of electoral fraud or other issues. The then-president insisted he had won the state but still said he wanted to find 11,780 votes to clear the margin by which Joe Biden had triumphed in the November 2020 election. The call is expected to be just one part of a multi-faceted indictment handed down by the Fulton County grand jury which has heard evidence of the multiple ways in which the former president and his allies attempted to overturn the results of the election. Late on Friday night, Mr Trump broke an unusually prolonged silence on Truth Social — in which he had predominantly only reposted videos — by sharing his two cents on the naming of David Weiss as special counsel in the Justice Department’s investigation of Hunter Biden. The former president wrote: “David Weiss was picked by the two Democrat Senators from Delaware under “Blue Slip.” He would not have been picked by me. But I have a great idea. Why don’t they use Deranged Jack Smith[?].” Mr Trump continued: “Weiss has been investigating Hunter for 4 years, giving him the ‘sweetheart’ deal of all sweetheart deals. But a brilliant Judge in Delaware saw through it all. Now, I read, the Department of Injustice wants a new Judge and Jurisdiction. But so do I, with far stronger reasons than Hunter & Crooked Joe. MAGA!!!” Mr Weiss was nominated to the post of US Attorney for the US District Court for the District of Delaware by Mr Trump. The former president has tried to get his federal election interference case moved out of the District of Columbia and over to West Virginia to what he sees as a chance to get a better jury. Many of the more than 1,000 people charged with crimes relating to the Capitol riot of 6 January 2021 have tried this and all have been denied as their crimes took place in Washington, DC. Read More Georgia DA Fani Willis tells staff to ignore Trump’s ‘derogatory and false’ attacks Rising political threats take US into uncharted territory as 2024 election looms Prosecutors seek Jan. 2 trial date for Donald Trump in his 2020 election conspiracy case Prosecutor in Hunter Biden case is given special counsel status by attorney general

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Former president Donald Trump on Monday suggested he will soon face criminal charges in the long-running federal probe into his alleged unlawful retention of national defence information at his Palm Beach, Florida property. Writing on his Truth Social website, Mr Trump asked how the Department of Justice could “possibly charge” him for having hoarded classified documents at his home and office when similarly classified documents have been found at locations linked to other prominent figures, including President Joe Biden. He also suggested he should not face charges because his 2016 election opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was not indicted for having received emails containing information later deemed to have been classified on a private email service she used during her time in government service. “HOW CAN DOJ POSSIBLY CHARGE ME, WHO DID NOTHING WRONG, WHEN NO OTHER PRESIDENT’S WERE CHARGED, WHEN JOE BIDEN WON’T BE CHARGED FOR ANYTHING, INCLUDING THE FACT THAT HE HAS 1,850 BOXES, MUCH OF IT CLASSIFIED, AND SOME DATING BACK TO HIS SENATE DAY WHEN EVEN DEMOCRAT SENATORS ARE SHOCKED,” he said, writing in all capital letters for emphasis. “ALSO, PRESIDENT CLINTON HAD DOCUMENTS, AND WON IN COURT. CROOKED HILLARY DELETED 33,000 EMAILS, MANY CLASSIFIED, AND WASN’T EVEN CLOSE TO BEING CHARGED!” He added that “only Trump” is facing charges for unlawful retention of classified documents and called the probe “the greatest witch hunt of all time”. The ex-president’s irate social media post came as his attorneys wrapped a meeting with Department of Justice officials in Washington. Last month, Mr Trump’s legal team sent Attorney General Merck Garland a letter demanding an opportunity to meet with him regarding what they described as “unfair treatment” of the former president at the hands of Jack Smith, the special prosecutor Mr Garland named to oversee the documents probe late last year. According to the New York Times, the two-hour session did not include Mr Garland or his deputy, Lisa Monaco. It was also unclear what Mr Trump’s attorneys — James Trusty, John Rowley and Lindsey Halligan — discussed with prosecutors. But experts say such meetings between defence attorneys and prosecutors represent a common final step before prosecutors seek indictments against targets of federal investigations. A Washington, DC grand jury that has been hearing evidence in the documents case is reportedly set to meet this week. Read More Cornel West jumps into 2024 race as third-party candidate Scholar, activist Cornel West says he will run for president in 2024 as 3rd-party candidate Elon Musk under fire for hosting RFK Jr for 2024 discussion on Twitter Spaces- live

By Alistair Bell (Reuters) -Ted Kaczynski, former math professor and "twisted genius" who came to be known as the Unabomber