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The indictments against Donald Trump may help him get the Republican presidential nomination, but they’re harming his prospects of winning the general election against President Joe Biden. That’s among the results of a new poll from Politico Magazine and Ipsos which has revealed that the American people are taking the cases against Mr Trump seriously, with the survey revealing the electorate’s particular focus on the 2020 election subversion proscution brought by the Department of Justice. The poll also shows that most Americans remain sceptical of Mr Trump’s arguments that the cases against him have no merit and that they’re part of a politically motivated witch hunt and a weaponization of the justice system. Compared to a previous Ipsos survey from June, the numbers are moving in a negative direction for Mr Trump, specifically regarding the timeline of a trial and whether Mr Trump should be imprisoned if he’s convicted. The more recent poll was conducted between 18 and 21 August, about two and a half weeks after the second federal indictment against Mr Trump was handed down and some days following the former president being charged on 13 counts in Fulton County, Georgia. With 1,032 respondents, the poll had a margin of error of 3.2 per cent. The poll also found that most Americans think Mr Trump should stand trial before the 2024 election. Federal prosecutors have suggested a trial date of 2 January 2024 for the DoJ’s 2020 election case while Mr Trump’s lawyers have argued that the trial should wait until April 2026, the latter giving Mr Trump ample time to attempt to get re-elected, possibly return to the West Wing and shut down the case against him. The American people as a whole agree with the timeline of the Department of Justice — 59 per cent said they think the trial should occur before the GOP primaries and 61 per cent said they think it should take place before the general election. There’s a large partisan split between the parties with 89 per cent of Democrats saying the trial should take place before the general election, but only 33 per cent of Republicans agreeing. And among the most important group to win over in an election — independents — 63 per cent say the trial should happen before the election. After Mr Trump’s indictment in Florida regarding his alleged mishandling of classified documents, only 48 per cent of independents said the trial in that case should happen before the election. Mr Trump has similar problems when it comes to the number of Americans who believe he’s guilty in the federal election subversion case — 51 per cent believe he is. That includes 88 per cent of Democrats, 14 per cent of Republicans and 53 per cent of independents. Forty-four per cent of Americans said that a conviction of Mr Trump in the federal election subversion case wouldn’t affect their willingness to support Mr Trump, while 32 per cent said the outcome of the trial would affect how they voted, meaning that Mr Trump may lose support in a highly polarized race. Meanwhile, 13 per cent — a group made up mostly of GOP voters — said a conviction would make them more likely to vote for Mr Trump. Another potential issue for the former president is that there are still many Americans who know little about the allegations against him, meaning that his polling figures may worsen as voters tune into the news ahead of the election. Between a quarter and a third of respondents in the poll said they don’t understand the charges against Mr Trump well. If Mr Trump is convicted in the federal election subversion case, 50 per cent of Americans say he should go to prison, including 87 per cent of Democrats, 11 per cent of Republicans and 51 per cent of independents. When asked if the federal election subversion case was based on a “fair evaluation of the evidence”, 59 per cent of Americans agreed. Twenty-three per cent of Republicans said the indictment was fair, while the figure for Democrats was 89 per cent and 64 per cent for independents. While Mr Trump has been arguing that the Biden administration has been weaponizing the justice system, more Americans think Mr Trump is guilty of this. Fifty-three per cent of Americans said that the Trump administration used the Department of Justice to go after political enemies without evidence, compared to 45 per cent who said the same about the Biden White House. But 44 per cent of Americans — 20 per cent of Democrats and 40 per cent of independents — said the indictment of Mr Trump was an attempt to get an advantage for Mr Biden. The poll also measured the approval ratings of Mr Trump and Mr Biden in connection to the cases against the former president. Mr Trump received a net favourability rating of -31 per cent while Mr Biden received -9 per cent. Read More Eric Trump denies report of $422m Mar-a-Lago sale days before his dad’s Georgia arrest Kanye West’s latest link to Trump is captured in a grinning mug shot Trump cashes in on historic mug shot with ‘never surrender’ merch as last co-defendants booked at jail: Live

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William Hardison Sr had been due to be evicted from his home in the Pittsburgh suburb of Garfield on Wednesday 23 August. When sheriff’s deputies showed up at around 11am to serve the eviction order, the 63-year-old opened fire sparking an hours-long lockdown of the neighbourhood. Armed officers from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsburgh police, the FBI and SWAT crews descended on the densely populated area in the northeast of the city. Hundreds of shots were fired across several hours in exchanges between Hardison and law enforcement officers, as neighbours’ homes were peppered with bullets. The dramatic stand-off ended just after 5pm, when Pittsburgh Public Safety announced the gunman had been pronounced dead. Police later confirmed they had killed him with “deadly force”. According to family members, Hardison had believed he owned the house at the centre of the eviction order. It had previously belonged to his brother, who died recently, and been sold to a private firm, family said. Hardison was reportedly also a so-called “sovereign citizen”, who believed that he was not bound by federal or state laws. What we know about the shooting At a press conference after on Wednesday afternoon, Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin Kraus said that seven deputies had gone to serve the eviction notice at a property on the 4800 block of Broad Street and North Mathilda Street. The deputies tried to talk to Hardison to bring him out of the house, but he refused, according to the sheriff. “We tried to make contact, we were outside the house, called for him, tried to bring him out peacefully to execute the order but clearly that was not on the cards today.” Mr Kraus said the suspect had fired from first and second floor windows, and through walls at the deputies. “It was a pretty lengthy gun battle,” Mr Kraus said. “We certainly did not expect this, we had no information that this individual was this dangerous.” Authorities declared an “active shooter” situation. Neighbours barricaded themselves in their homes as shots rang out around the street. One told CBS News that shots had came through her living room window and bathroom, leaving shattered glass “everywhere”. Police repeatedly shot tear gas into the home, and placed drones above the property, but two or three were shot down by the suspect, Mr Kraus said. “He had a lot of ammunition in that house, we were all strapped with ammunition but all had to call for more ammunition. We tried to give him every opportunity to come out but it elevated to the SWAT team’s response.” Shortly before 5pm, CBS News reported that the gunman had been spotted injured in the house by a drone. Hardison was pronounced dead at 5.08pm, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. The shooting forced the postponement of Pittsburgh’s City in the Streets event. The White House said President Biden had been briefed on the shooting. What his family are saying A family member was called to the scene of the shooting by police at about 3pm in an attempt to negotiate with Hardison, CBS News reported. He returned about an hour later in tears looking “devastated”, according to witnesses. William Hardison Sr’s son, who is also called William Hardison, had earlier pleaded with his father to “stand down”. William Hardison Jr told WTAE he and his family had been trying to get hold of his father all day. Addressing his father directly as the stand-off was unfolding, he said: “Hey dad please surrender, please give up. You have children and grandchildren who love you dearly. Please stand down.” He described his father as “a very stern individual”. “He’s a man’s man. When he believes in something, he’s going to fight tooth and nail for something.” Mr Hardison Jr said his father believed he owned the house. “My uncle passed away, he only had a few more years left to pay on the house. So why would they close on something for $25,000 when hundreds of thousands of dollars had been put into the house?” According to Action News, the property was sold to a company called 907 East Street. A judge issued an eviction notice for it last week. What we know about the suspect Hardison Sr had a lengthy criminal past. Public records show he had been convicted of carrying a firearm without a licence, forgery, harassment, and an accident involving death or injury. Sources told WTAE he identified as a “sovereign citizen”, which meant he did not believe he had to respect laws or pay taxes. Sovereign citizens are extremists who have been linked to the murder of police officers, fraud, and ant-government scams, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. “Sovereigns hold truly bizarre, complex, antigovernment beliefs that are rooted in racism and anti-Semitism,” the watchdog group states. “They believe they get to decide which laws to obey and which to ignore, and they don’t think they should have to pay taxes. They participate in protests against governments or use ‘paper terrorism’ – filing bogus lawsuits and fake liens on properties – to carry out their mission of disorder. Sometimes, they get violent.” Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto addressed the suspect’s links to the movement during Wednesday’s press conference. He said police do not have any information about Hardison Sr being a sovereign citizen “but I’m sure we will uncover a lot about the suspect and his associations as we move forward.” Read More Pittsburgh shooting suspect dead after police shootout over eviction notice in Garfield neighbourhood: Live updates Police defend ‘deadly force’ as Pittsburgh active shooter is killed during hours-long standoff Police respond to ‘active shooter’ in Pittsburgh as ‘hundreds of rounds’ fired in Garfield neighbourhood

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that he granted the US attorney investigating Hunter Biden special counsel status. Mr Garland announced that David Weiss, who has served as the US Attorney for Delaware since 2018, would serve as special counsel and he had informed relevant members of Congress about the nomination. The move is a shift from July when Mr Weiss informed Congress that he had not requested special counsel designation for his investigation into the president’s son. But on Tuesday, Mr Weiss requested such status. “I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel,” Mr Garland said on Friday. “This appointment confirms my commitment to provide Mr. Weiss all the resources he request.” Mr Weiss had previously been investigating Hunter Biden since 2019. Mr Garland and the Department of Justice allowed Mr Weiss to stay on board as US attorney when Joe Biden took office in 2021 to continue his investigation of Hunter Biden. In July, Hunter Biden looked set to enter into a plea deal for unpaid taxes and lying on a federal application for a firearm. Republicans, including former president Donald Trump, had decried the agreement as a sweetheart deal. Many Republicans argued that Hunter Biden received preferential treatment because he is the president’s son despite the fact that Mr Trump nominated Mr Weiss and Republicans in the Senate voted to confirm him in 2018. Then in late July, Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to two of the charges after the presiding judge questioned whether the deal would prohibit the federal government from prosecuting him for other crimes he might have committed in the future. The White House referred to remarks from Mr Garland and the Justice Department when asked by The Independent. Mr Garland said that Mr Weiss’s office would not be subjected to day-to-day supervision but would have to comply with regulations, procedures and policies of the Justice Department. Mr Weiss would also be mandated to write a report of his investigation once it concludes. “ As with each special counsel who has served since I have taken office, I am committed to making as much of his report public as possible, consistent with legal requirements and department policy,” he said. “Today's announcement affords the prosecutors agents and analysts working on this matter, the ability to proceed with our work expeditiously and to make decisions indisputably guided only by the facts and the law.” Mr Garland’s announcement comes the same day that former president Donald Trump’s legal team appeared in court in Washington, DC and earned a win as US District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled that a protective order against Mr Trump would only apply to sensitive material such as jury transcripts, witness interview records and other documents. Mr Trump faces charges for his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election after a federal grand jury indicted him in response to a presentation from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office. Mr Garland nominated Mr Smith to investigate Mr Smith to investigate Mr Trump. In addition, the attorney nominated Robert Hur to investigate classified documents found in locations associated with President Biden earlier this year. But House Oversight & Accountability Committee blasted the move by Mr Garland. “Let’s be clear what today’s move is really about,” the statement said. “The Biden Justice Department is trying to stonewall congressional oversight as we have presented evidence to the American people about the Biden family’s corruption. Our Committee will continue to follow the Biden family’s money trail and interview witnesses to determine whether foreign actors targeted the Bidens, President Biden is compromised and corrupt, and our national security is threatened.” Read More Hunter Biden’s plea deal appears at risk of falling apart. What happens next? Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to two tax charges after court chaos around deal with prosecutors Judge shuts down Trump lawyer as he claims protective order would give Biden an ‘advantage’ EXPLAINER: What are special counsels and what do they do? Attorney General Garland will appoint special counsel in Hunter Biden probe Utah man killed after threats against Biden believed government was corrupt and overreaching