Colorado and Idaho represent two different poles of state-level political homogenization

Donald Trump has abruptly cancelled his proposed news conference at which he claimed he was going to unveil a report that would clear him of any wrongdoing and charges he tried to interfere with the presidential election in Georgia. The former president took to Truth Social on Thursday evening to say that he would not be going through with the Friday media event – scheduled for 11am est – at the advice of his lawyers. “Rather than releasing the Report on the Rigged & Stolen Georgia 2020 Presidential Election on Monday, my lawyers would prefer putting this, I believe, Irrefutable & Overwhelming evidence of Election Fraud & Irregularities in formal Legal Filings as we fight to dismiss this disgraceful Indictment by a publicity & campaign finance seeking D.A., who sadly presides over a record breaking Murder & Violent Crime area, Atlanta. Therefore, the News Conference is no longer necessary!” he wrote on Truth Social. Mr Trump had vowed to hold the press conference after being indicted this week on 13 felony counts in Georgia, where he and members of his campaign sought to alter the results of the 2020 presidential election and prove baseless claims of voter and election fraud. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, whose office is overseeing the prosecution of the former president in Georgia, has given Mr Trump a surrender date of no later than 25 August. That would likely see Mr Trump and the other defendants appear in court in Atlanta during the week of 5 September. The district attorney’s office has proposed a 4 March trial date for Mr Trump, which would be just one day is one day before Super Tuesday, in which voters in more than a dozen states cast their primary votes for the GOP presidential nomination. Mr Trump is now facing four different trials, two at the federal level, one in Georgia and one in Manhattan, with prosecutors jostling for windows to prosecute the Republican frontrunner. He has pleaded not guilty to every charge in court and insisted on his innocence on social media. Read More Trump abruptly cancels news conference on Georgia ‘proof’ as he tries to delay trial by years – live updates Trump proposes date for trial for subverting 2020 election – in three years Trump attacks on judges may be ‘crossing the line,’ but experts say he will avoid punishment

Germany's Daniel Altmaier won the fifth longest ever French Open match on Thursday as 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva made the last 32, providing a tantalising...

Two years after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the United States has begun easing rules that could allow commercial airlines to fly over the country in routes that cuts time and fuel consumption for East-West travel

Deena Manzanares and Surae Chinn said they got an email after interviewing Kouri Richins that read, 'YOU KNOW SHE KILLED HER HUSBAND!!!'

The former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has died at the age of 86. Berlusconi, who amassed a fortune after founding Italy’s largest media company, had been suffering from leukaemia and recently developed a lung infection. He died at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan. The former prime minister suffered from a range of health conditions in recent years, including prostate cancer, heart ailments and a spell in hospital with Covid-19 in 2020. He was readmitted to the same hospital in Milan on Friday where he recently spent almost six weeks for treatment for the lung infection. Doctors said he had chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia, a rare type of blood cancer but not one that is considered to be acute. His personal physician Dr Alberto Zangrillo had said the lung infection diagnosis was linked to his leukaemia. Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto expressed “great, enormous pain” over the news of his death. “He leaves a huge void, because he was a great,” he wrote. “It’s the end of an epoch, the closing of an era. I loved him very much. Goodbye Silvio.” Berlusconi dominated Italian politics for almost 20 years, leading the centre-right party Forza Italy from 1994 to 2009, before taking the helm of successor party The People of Freedom until 2013. The right-wing populist led four governments across three spells as prime minister of Italy – from 1994 to 1995, from 2001 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2011. His last few years in the country’s top job were marred by allegations of corruption and tales of “bunga bunga” sex parties at his lavish villa outside Milan. He was accused of unlawful sex with 17-year-old nightclub dancer known only as “Ruby the Heartstealer” – but he was acquitted on appeal in 2014, after several women testified that his bung bunga parties were merely “elegant dinners”. Berlusconi made his name and the bulk of his huge fortune beginning with his business dealings in the 1980s. He was the controlling shareholder of Italian media giant Mediaset, and owned the football club AC Milan from 1986 to 2017. The tycoon was convicted of tax fraud in 2012 and was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, later shortened to one year of community service. In 2019 he staged an unlikely political comeback by winning a seat in the European parliament. Italian national news channels ran sombre coverage of the news of Berlusconi’s death, with Sky News’ foreign editor Andrew Connell noting that coverage on Sky TG24 was “something akin to the death of a royal”, describing him as a “unique politician known well beyond Italy”. Forza Italia forms part of far-right prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition government, but Berlusconi held no position in her cabinet and the two clashed over the 86-year-old’s friendship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin – Ms Meloni has voiced her strong support for Ukraine since the war broke out in February 2022. On his 86th birthday, while the war raged, Mr Putin sent Berlusconi best wishes and vodka, and the Italian boasted he returned the favour by sending back Italian wine. Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister and leader of the far-right League party, penned a lengthy tribute on Twitter to “one of the greatest ever, in all fields, from all points of view, without equal”. Former centre-left prime minister Matteo Renzi referred to Berlusconi’s divisive legacy in his own tribute on Monday. “Silvio Berlusconi made history in this country. Many loved him, many hated him. All must recognise that his impact on political life, but also economic, sport and television, has been without precedence,” he wrote. Political blogger Dario D’Angelo tweeted: “Whether you loved him or you hated him, it matters little today. With Silvio Berlusconi goes a part of your life. Of our life.” Berlusconi controlled his business empire through Fininvest, a family holding company with assets worth €4.9bn (£4.19bn) at the end of 2021. Before his death, Silvio owned 61.3 per cent of Fininvest, while Pier Silvio and Marina Berlusconi, his two children from his first marriage, each owned a 7.65 per cent stake. The future of his business interests will likely depend on how he has chosen to distribute his 61 per cent stake between his five children from two marriages. Eldest daughter Marina is expected to play a prominent role, though Berlusconi never publicly named a successor to take charge of the company. Read More Silvio Berlusconi, scandal-scarred ex-Italian leader, dies at 86, according to his TV network Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi was also successful in soccer at AC Milan and Monza Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi dies aged 86 Reports: Former Italian Premier Berlusconi readmitted to hospital 3 weeks after release Four villages ‘liberated’ in Ukraine’s first gains of counteroffensive How much has the Madeleine McCann investigation cost?

Donald Trump claimed his arraignment in Washington DC was a “persecution” shortly after leaving court, telling reporters “this is a very sad day for America”. “When you look at what is happening, this is a persecution of a political opponent, this was never supposed to happen in America,” the former president said, speaking from the steps of his private plane. He then went on to claim that he has a “substantial” lead in both the Republican primary and against Joe Biden. “This is the persecution of the person that is leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading Biden by a lot. If you can’t beat him, you persecute him or you prosecute him, you can’t let this happen in America.” A recent nationwide poll has Republican voters favouring Mr Trump over his nearest rival Ron DeSantis by 54 per cent to 17 per cent. Read More Moment Trump arrives in Washington DC for arraignment over January 6 probe Trump leaves for Washington DC ahead of arraignment DeSantis says DC jury would ‘convict a ham sandwich’ if it was Republican

Asian and European stock markets wobbled Monday after President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached a deal on lifting the US debt ceiling...

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

A man accused of killing a doctor and wounding five other people in a shooting at a Taiwanese-American

Speaker Kevin McCarthy left the US Capitol late Tuesday afternoon saying the two parties had yet to reach

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