Ukraine moves official Christmas Day holiday to Dec. 25, denouncing Russian-imposed traditions
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday signed a law moving the official Christmas Day holiday to Dec. 25 from Jan. 7, the day when the Russian Orthodox Church observes it
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Trump defiant ahead of secret docs court appearance
Donald Trump arrived in Miami on Monday to face charges of hoarding classified documents, in a legal reckoning that goes far beyond misconduct accusations the former US president...
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Israel Latest: Blinken Set to Return as US Tries to Contain War
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Russia's top general Gerasimov shown in a video, first time since failed June 24 mutiny
MOSCOW Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of Russia's armed forces, was shown by the defence ministry
2023-07-10 14:52
5 things to know for May 25: Ron DeSantis, Russia, Debt limit, January 6, Florida
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2023-05-25 18:48
Donald Trump wants classified documents trial delayed until after 2024 election
Donald Trump is now seeking to have his federal criminal trial delayed until after the 2024 election, citing his status as a candidate for president and other legal arguments which experts say lack any grounding in actual law. In a court filing in Miami late on Monday, Mr Trump’s lawyers asked the judge to indefinitely delay his trial on charges over his handling of classified documents, saying that due to the extraordinary nature of the case it would not be possible to try it before the presidential election. In the 12-page filing, they called the government’s case against him “extraordinary” and claim it “presents a serious challenge to both the fact and perception of our American democracy” because Mr Trump is seeking his party’s nomination to run against the incumbent president who defeated him in 2020, Joe Biden. “The Court now presides over a prosecution advanced by the administration of a sitting President against his chief political rival, himself a leading candidate for the Presidency of the United States. Therefore, a measured consideration and timeline that allows for a careful and complete review of the procedures that led to this indictment and the unprecedented legal issues presented herein best serves the interests of the Defendants and the public,” they said. While prosecutors had asked Judge Aileen Cannon to set a trial date of 11 December, the former president has opposed that request on the grounds that to “begin a trial of this magnitude within six months of indictment is unreasonable, telling, and would result in a miscarriage of justice” for him and his co-defendant, longtime aide Walt Nauta. In a brief order issued shortly after Mr Trump’s arraignment last month, Judge Cannon set a trial date for 14 August, but Special Counsel Jack Smith later asked for the four-month delay the ex-president and his co-defendant now oppose. Instead, Mr Trump is seeking an indefinite delay to the proceedings against him. “Based on the extraordinary nature of this action, there is most assuredly no reason for any expedited trial, and the ends of justice are best served by a continuance,” his attorneys wrote in Monday’s filing. “The Court should, respectfully, before establishing any trial date, allow time for development of further clarity as to the full nature and scope of the motions that will be filed, a better understanding of a realistic discovery and pre-trial timeline, and the completion of the security clearance process,” they said, adding later that the trial should also be delayed because Mr Trump’s presidential campaign “requires a tremendous amount of time and energy,” and makes trial preparation too difficult. Mr Trump’s attorneys also say that the case poses “significant” legal questions that could see the case dismissed long before trial, and suggest in their filing that they plan to argue that Mr Trump declassified the documents at issue, challenge the constitutionality of the Classified Information Procedures Act — the law used to allow classified evidence in criminal trials — and they further suggest that it would be impossible to select an impartial jury during the 2024 election. “Proceeding to trial during the pendency of a Presidential election cycle wherein opposing candidates are effectively (if not literally) directly adverse to one another in this action will create extraordinary challenges in the jury selection process and limit the Defendants’ ability to secure a fair and impartial adjudication,” they said, citing a Justice Department policy that “cautions against taking prosecutorial action for the purpose of affecting an election or helping a candidate or party” even though that policy pertains only to investigations and indictments, not the conduct of criminal cases that have already been brought. The ex-president’s lawyers later suggested that they intend to repeat baseless legal claims Mr Trump has advanced on his Truth Social page, namely the argument that under the Presidential Records Act and a 2012 court precedent regarding tapes belonging to former president Bill Clinton, he had the right to keep the documents at issue in this case. “Contrary to the Government’s assertion regarding the nature of the legal issues in this matter ... this case presents novel, complex, and unique legal issues, most of which are matters of first impression. As noted above, this Court will need to evaluate the intersection between the Presidential Records Act ... and the various criminal statutes forming the basis of the indictment. These will be questions of first impression for any court in the United States, and their resolution will impact the necessity, scope, and timing of any trial,” they said. Continuing, they also said they plan to challenge the constitutionality of the Espionage Act under which Mr Trump is being prosecuted, as well as Mr Smith’s ability to indict a former president. Mr Smith’s office has not yet responded to the filing. Last month, Mr Trump was indicted on 37 federal charges over his handling of classified documents, including national defence information, after leaving the White House. The indictment, which was unsealed on Friday (9 June), alleges that Mr Trump deliberately lied to and misled authorities so that he could hold onto documents that he knew were classified. On at least two separate occasions, Mr Trump then showed some of the classified documents to people not authorised to see them, the indictment alleges. Stunning photos revealed that many of the documents were stored around a toilet, shower and ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago estate. The charges include 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information and single counts of false statements and representations, and counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document, concealing a document in a federal investigation and a scheme to conceal. He pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment in a Miami federal courthouse, becoming the first current or former US president ever charged with a federal crime. Mr Trump’s longtime aide Walt Nauta was also charged with six obstruction- and concealment-related charges after he allegedly helped move boxes of documents from Mar-a-Lago to Mr Trump’s residence and then lied to investigators about having any knowledge of the handling of the papers. The two men appeared in court together but Mr Nauta did not enter a plea as he did not have legal counsel in Florida. Mr Nauta appeared for his arraignment last week where he pleaded not guilty. Read More Trump news – live: Trump wants classified documents trial delayed to after 2024 as Georgia grand jury meets Trump’s co-defendant wants to delay routine hearing on classified documents case Ron DeSantis reveals wife Casey’s reaction to being called ‘America’s Karen’ Pence shuts down voter who blamed him for certifying Biden’s 2020 win Trump’s co-defendant wants to delay routine hearing on classified documents case Ex-Congressman suggests Hunter Biden alleged laptop data fabricated
2023-07-11 21:26
At least 189 bodies found at US 'green' funeral home
Authorities were alerted about the Colorado "green burials" funeral home after reports of foul odour.
2023-10-18 23:18
U.S. farm leaders, visiting China, talk up agriculture trade
By Dominique Patton BEIJING Dozens of U.S. agriculture industry representatives gathered in Beijing on Thursday to meet Chinese
2023-11-02 17:52
Andrew Tate's legal rep leaks accuser's audio confessing to misconduct, labeling herself as 'Boy who cried wolf': 'Rotten human being'
Andrew Tate's legal rep alleged the woman used to trap men and wreak havoc in their lives
2023-08-09 18:29
Judge recommends one year in jail for Carlee Russell, accused of faking her own kidnapping, but Internet isn't convinced
Carlee Russell, the Alabama woman who staged her own kidnapping was found guilty and faces a potential one-year jail term
2023-10-12 20:58
Trump news - live: Trump tries to quash Georgia grand jury report as employee accused of lying to prosecutors
Federal prosecutors investigating Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election results have questioned his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, among other witnesses to see if the former president acknowledged behind closed doors that he had lost – while continuing to push false claims to election fraud to his supporters. Mr Kushner testified in Washington DC last month, according to a report from The New York Times, and maintained that the former president believed the election was stolen, a source briefed on the matter said. It has also emerged that other key administration figures including Alyssa Farah Griffin and Hope Hicks were also questioned. The revelation came as Hunter Biden’s lawyers sent Mr Trump a cease-and-desist letter warning him to not “incite” violence against the president’s son on social media. Abbe Lowell warned Mr Trump’s attorneys that his rhetoric against Hunter could lead to another Paul Pelosi-style attack, saying “We are just one such social media message away from another incident.” Elsewhere, special counsel Jack Smith told a federal judge there is “no basis in law or fact” for indefinitely postponing Mr Trump’s federal trial and urged the court to proceed with jury selection in December. Read More Hunter Biden lawyers tell Trump to end attacks warning they’re ‘one social message away’ from causing violence Jared Kushner and Hope Hicks have testified in front of grand jury investigating Jan 6, reports say Prosecutors say there is ‘no reason’ to delay Trump documents trial until after 2024 election Americans are widely pessimistic about democracy in the United States, an AP-NORC poll finds
2023-07-15 01:50
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