Christopher Cruz Ayala, the son of the arson victim, and Jason Smith were named as accused by detectives

Guatemala’s top electoral authority says that it has blocked the suspension of President-elect Bernardo Arévalo’s Seed Movement, at least temporarily giving the party back its legal status and cutting off an attempt by rials to weaken Arévalo

Montana officials are seeking to downplay a first-of-its-kind trial over a state’s obligations to protect residents from climate change

Donald Trump’s lawyers appeared to ignore the judge’s orders in their latest filing in the case related to the former president’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Special counsel Jack Smith and the Trump defence team submitted their suggestions for when a hearing may be held on a proposed “protective order”. Last week, the special counsel’s office requested an order restricting what Mr Trump can share about the case. The judge ordered that a date between 9 and 11 August be agreed upon. The special counsel said his team would be available on any of those days while Mr Trump’s team ignored the judge’s order and suggested 14 or 15 August, CBS News noted. In a filing on Monday night, the special counsel office wrote that Mr Trump was attempting to “litigate this case in the media”. This came after Mr Trump objected to the proposal that public discussion of the discovery evidence in the case be restricted. “The defendant’s principal objection to it—as defense counsel stated publicly yesterday, and in conference with Government counsel—is that it would not permit the defendant or his counsel to publicly disseminate, and publicize in the media, various materials obtained from the Government in discovery,” the office wrote. “But there is no right to publicly release discovery material, because the discovery process is designed to ensure a fair process before the Court, not to provide the defendant an opportunity to improperly press his case in the court of public opinion.” The filing came shortly after Mr Trump’s attorneys requested that the judge in charge of the case give permission to the ex-president to use large parts of the discovery materials in the case during his campaign to return to the White House. Over the course of 13 pages, the attorneys responded to the government’s motion for a protective order banning Mr Trump from sharing any of the material that is set to be handed over by the prosecution during the pre-trial discovery process. Mr Trump faces charges of conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding. The defence lawyers argued that the standard protective order would mean that the judge, Tanya Chutkan, would be able to “censor” Mr Trump and put in place “content-based restrictions” on his “political speech”. Prosecutors pointed to Mr Trump’s frequent “public statements on social media regarding witnesses, judges, attorneys, and others associated with legal matters pending against him”. They had asked the judge to impose an order barring Mr Trump from sharing discovery materials “directly or indirectly to any person or entity other than persons employed to assist in the defense, persons who are interviewed as potential witnesses, counsel for potential witnesses, and other persons to whom the Court may authorize disclosure”. Read More Trump will have mugshot taken ‘if warranted’ after expected indictment, Georgia Sheriff says Who are the 2024 presidential election candidates? Meet the Republicans and Democrats campaigning Trump rails against ‘bulls***’ charges in latest angry rant over indictment

The brutal death of Lilie James has renewed a spotlight on a national "epidemic" of violence against women.

By Brad Brooks LUBBOCK, Texas The North Texas town of Perryton was struck by one or more tornados

Ted Cruz was among more than 30 senators urging US Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint Davis Weiss as special counsel to lead investigations into Hunter Biden. That was 19 September 2022. Less than a year later, on 11 August, Mr Garland announced that Mr Weiss would receive special counsel status. But the Republican senator from Texas is now calling the appointment of the same person he was urgently recommending a “wildly inappropriate” pick to lead the investigation. “This appointment is camouflage and it’s cover-up. I think it’s disgraceful,” he told Fox News on 13 August. Mr Weiss, who has served as the US Attorney for Delaware since 2018, has led federal investigations into President Joe Biden’s son since 2019. Last month, Hunter Biden was reportedly prepared to enter a plea deal following charges stemming from unpaid taxes and a federal application for a firearm. That deal appeared to fall apart, and Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to two of the charges after a federal judge questioned whether the deal would prohibit other potential prosecutions. IRS whistleblowers speaking to Republican members of Congress who are eager to prosecute the president’s son have claimed that it was necessary that Mr Weiss be designated special counsel powers because he could not pursue prosecutions in other jurisdictions outside of Delaware, as the US attorney for that state. Whistleblowers also testified that US Department of Justice officials had prevented Mr Weiss from seeking felony tax evasion charges in California and Washington DC. Mr Cruz is now accusing Mr Weiss of either being an “active participant” in covering up “criminality” and obstructing justice by “protecting” the president, or “he was just complicit.” “He was so weak that he couldn’t stop the partisans in main justice from turning it into a political effort to protect Joe Biden,” Mr Cruz said. But in their letter to Mr Garland last year, Mr Cruz and 32 other senators said it is “important” that Mr Weiss receive special counsel status to “allow him to investigate an appropriate scope of potentially criminal conduct, avoid the appearance of impropriety, and provide additional assurances to the American people that the Hunter Biden is free from political influence.” Mr Cruz now accuses Mr Weiss of spending “the last five years covering it up”. The senator has also been requesting information from Mr Weiss this month, sending a letter with a list of questions surrounding whistleblower testimony, none of which accuse Mr Weiss of wrongdoing. The Independent has requested comment from his office. His apparent about-face follows other objections from GOP officials who had also previously called for Mr Weiss to step in as special counsel. Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, another senator who signed last year’s letter, claimed that Mr Garland only appointed Mr Weiss because “he knows Weiss will protect Hunter Biden.” In her appearance on Fox News, she called Mr Weiss “a collaborator”. “The sweetheart deal that he had cooked up for Hunter Biden, now they’re going to give him a sweetheart deal with a special counsel and run out the plot,” she said. “Merrick Garland, he owes the American people better than to do something like this.” South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham – another signatory – told NewsNation that the appointment “poured gasoline on a political fire.” He told Fox News that he believes Mr Weiss has been “compromised” after a “sweetheart” plea deal fell apart. And Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley – who acknowledged signing the letter during an appearance on Fox News – said that Mr Weiss has “pulled punches” and “didn’t investigate as he should’ve.” Read More Matt Gaetz suggests he wants to be America’s next attorney general: ‘A boy can dream’ Trump and Hunter Biden legal blockbusters rock Washington – but offer a contrast House Democrats call for investigation into Clarence Thomas over corruption claims Georgia prosecutors have text messages linking Trump team to voting system breach, report says

By Andrew Hay Prosecutors say they have evidence pointing to the possibility the armorer for the movie "Rust"

By Gram Slattery WASHINGTON Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has

'The CDC has a responsibility to talk about the health risks, but they have been derelict in doing that,' a doctor said in response

BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday he discussed with U.S. President Joe Biden efforts

Megan and Kevin Morgan were celebrating their anniversary in Hawaii with their son when the wildfires broke out