List of All Articles with Tag 'ame'

Colorado dentist and father-of-six James Toliver Craig leaned back in his chair and twiddled his thumbs through his handcuffs on Wednesday, his beard unkempt above his orange prison jumpsuit, as court took a brief recess from a preliminary hearing on the first-degree murder charge he faces for allegedly poisoning his wife. The casual display came shortly after the prosecution laid out a litany of evidence they say supports their case that Craig deliberately poisoned his spouse of more than two decades, Angela Dawn Pray Craig, with shakes while pursuing a relationship with a Texas orthodontist. Craig, 45, was arrested one day after Angela, 43, was pronounced dead on 18 March following her third hospitalisation in a month for a host of concerning and worsening symptoms. Prosecutors on Wednesday revealed Craig was also now facing a second charge without specifying what it was. But testimony from the Arapahoe County Coroner and lead detective – as reporters and several of Angela’s relatives sat in the courtroom – included a number of explosive claims. According to evidence given by Arapahoe County Coroner Dr Kelly Lear, samples showed that Angela had an arsenic level of 68 around 11.50am on 15 March – but that level had increased to 330 just after 8.20pm. That would be “consistent with her receiving additional cyanide exposure in that time period,” Dr Lear said. The cause of death she listed in her report was acute “cyanide and tetrahydrozoline poisoning; the manner of death is homicide,” she testified Wednesday. Tetrahydrozoline is the decongestant used in Visine eye drops. The dentist had researched other types of poison before his wife’s death, including an internet search for oleander, Aurora Police Detective Bobbi Olson testified on Wednesday. A search warrant obtained for an exam room computer at his dental practice found that, in the weeks leading up to Angela’s final hospitalization, Craig had searched for “how to make murder look like a heart attack,” “is arsenic detectable in an autopsy” and “how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human?” Det. Olson also testified about how hospital staff, then police, were informed by Craig’s business partner and his wife about their concerns regarding the dentist’s behavior. Ryan Redfearn and his wife, Michelle, who has a PhD in nursing, had been informed by staff at the joint dental practice he owned with Craig that his business partner had ordered a delivery of potassium cyanide to the office. He had instructed an office employee to look out for a private package but it was mistakenly opened by another worker after it arrived on 13 March, Det. Olson said. A staff member “reconstructed the box, put the packaging slip back in; prior to doing that, she saw that it said ‘potassium cyanide,’ described the container, said it was like a tinfoil cardboard type container” she’d never seen before in the dental practice, Det. Olson said. “There was also a biohazard type sticker on the box, as well; she put it back together and then handed it to Mr Craig.” The dentist was later seen leaving with the container, the detective said. The employee googled potassium cyanide and its symptoms, connected them to Angela’s illness and told the Redfearns, who then told nursing staff, who called police. Det. Olson said both Redfearns were interviewed in the early morning hours of 16 March. At that time, Michelle Redfearn pointed out to police the previous recent hospital visits Angela had made, the detective said. Mr Redfearn, meanwhile, told police that Craig had filed for bankruptcy in 2021 and the debt payments were being covered by his own part of the business to the tune of $18,000 a month. He said he’d informed his partner in January that he “needed to work more, be around more, take less time off and that he was going to have to take a pay cut,” the detective testified. Craig’s pay was $39,000 in January and less than $16,000 the following month, she said. The dentist had taken out four life insurance policies on his wife from two companies totaling nearly $4.5million, the court heard. Throughout all of this, prosecutors allege Craig was enjoying his burgeoning relationship with Texas orthodontist Karin Cain, who is named in the charging documents. Det. Olson on Wednesday confirmed that the dentist continued to write letters to Ms Cain from jail after his arrest professing his love for her. Just hours before Wednesday’s hearing, Ms Cain broke her silence to claim that Mr Craig lied to her about the state of his marriage and that she would never have gotten involved with him if she had known the truth. Rather than being his “mistress”, the Texas orthodontist said they had only met three weeks prior to his wife’s death at a dentistry conference. “I don’t like the label,” she said. “If I had known what was true, I would not have been with this person.” Ms Cain shared doubts that she played a part in Mr Craig’s alleged murderous motive, as she said they had never planned a future together. “There’s no way I’m a motive. There’s been no planning a future together,” she said. Ms Cain said that she met Mr Craig at the dental conference in February and that he lied to her by claiming his marriage was over and that he did not live in the same home as his wife. At the time, Ms Cain was also in the middle of divorcing her husband of three decades. While she was “not looking for love,” she said that they bonded over their apparent shared experiences and shared devotion to their children. In total, they spent just three days together at the conference, meeting on a Thursday before parting ways – her to Texas, him to Colorado – on Saturday. After that they messaged constantly and she felt “so connected” to her new companion, she said. She planned to visit him in Colorado but the first trip fell through. The second planned trip came in March when she said Mr Craig told her his wife was ill. The day before she was due to arrive in Denver, she said that Angela had a seizure and was placed on life support, with a low chance of survival. While she said she reconsidered going to Colorado at that time, Mr Craig allegedly encouraged her by saying that he could do with her support. They went for dinner twice, she said, where she noted his behaviour seemed odd. “He at no point seemed stressed or anxious,” she said. “I mean really I had to drag it out of him like, ‘Are you sure you’re ok?’” Days later, Angela was dead. Now, Ms Cain says she feels lied to by the person she felt she was falling in love with. “I don’t have any sort of headspace in my reality where it fits” what she has now learned in the criminal affidavit, she said. “I didn’t willingly have a relationship with somebody who was in a marriage.” Read More Poison shakes, an illicit affair and ‘crocodile tears’: What we know about Denver’s alleged killer dentist Prosecutors set to present evidence against Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife's shakes Colorado dentist is charged with murder for allegedly poisoning wife who complained of headaches for weeks

The suspect in a hostage standoff at Caesars Palace has been identified as 35-year-old fugitive Matthew Mannix, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. A probable cause affidavit obtained by The Independent revealed that Mr Mannix was experiencing “drug-induced” schizophrenia when he allegedly held a 26-year-old woman hostage inside a room on the 21st floor of the resort on Tuesday. Hotel security first informed authorities of a domestic dispute in room 2128 around 9.30 PDT. Mr Mannix was arrested nearly five hours later after allegedly claiming that he “had a magazine full of rounds” and “would pull the trigger” — no mention of firearms recovered from the scene was made in official records. He was charged with kidnapping in the first degree, coercion with force, destroying property, resisting arrest without a firearm and disregard for the safety of a person. Following Mr Mannix’s arrest, the hostage victim told law enforcement that she was afraid to leave the room because her alleged captor had a knife and she also thought he would throw her out of the window he broke in the room. According to the incident report, Mr Mannix and the victim previously knew each other and had been experiencing a “transient lifestyle” on the Las Vegas strip and binging on narcotics for several days. As crisis negotiators talked with Mr Mannix, he allegedly spoke over the woman and threatened to “cut her tongue out of her mouth” so she wouldn’t engage with law enforcement at the scene. After she was rescued, police noted that the victim had cuts and bruises on her legs, some of which could have been caused by a beating. Employees at Caesars Palace first tried to check on the guests after receiving several complaints of noise coming out of room 2128, which they believed to be a domestic dispute. When security approached the room, they reportedly found a man believed to be Mr Mannix barricaded inside and threatening to “shoot someone” if police tried to breach the room. The threats continued and at some point, a female also yelled that the man “had a knife.” Las Vegas Police, a SWAT team and medical responders arrived at the scene to handle the hostage situation. Mr Mannix reportedly refused to let the 26-year-old woman out of the room and continued to open and close the door while allegedly threatening to “pull the trigger.” The woman eventually attempted to reach the door, but Mr Mannix then allegedly dragged her to the bed “as he body slammed her ... and began to have intercourse with her.” Mr Mannix is also accused of throwing large objects out of the window of his hotel room, sending guests on the pool deck running for cover. Bystander video showed broken glass and debris littering various decks at the Caesars as guests ran for safety. An investigator noted that the pool deck was left littered with furniture and glass and the property damage inside the room was “some of the most severe I have seen in my 18 years as a detective.” The damage caused is estimated to be upwards of $50,000. Mr Mannix was finally taken into custody at 2.40pm PDT. He reportedly told investigators during questioning that the victim was her “girlfriend and he loved her” and that “he would pay for everything that he damaged.” “[Mr Mannix] was so high that he was paranoid and had a schizophrenic episode where he was yelling random comments and numbers and saying that he would pay for everything because he has a lot of money,” the affidavit read. Las Vegas police also said that Mr Mannix is wanted in Colorado and has four protection orders against him. He appeared in court on Wednesday and his bail was set at $750,000. Mr Mannix is being held at the Clark County Detention Center. Read More Suspect in Caesars Palace hostage standoff identified as wanted fugitive Matthew Mannix - live Caesars Palace hostage-taker named as fugitive Matthew Mannix

A Tennessee surgeon was shot dead in an exam room on Tuesday after a patient allegedly lay in wait for hours to ambush him, authorities say. The surgeon, identified as Dr Benjamin Mauck, was killed in front of patients and employees at Campbell Clinic Orthopedics in Collierville, a city about 30 miles east of Memphis, Police Chief Dale Lane told reporters on Tuesday night. A suspect, who has not been identified, fired a handgun before running from the clinic and was apprehended by police about five minutes later without incident, Mr Lane said. Witnesses told WREG that a patient had been threatening to harm a clinic employee for the past week. “This appears to be a one-on-one interaction,” Mr Lane said during a press conference. “It was in an exam room … It was a health care worker and he was a patient.” Mr Lane said the gunman spared the “many” patients and employees who were in the clinic at the time. Police are yet to reveal a motive for the shooting, which Mr Lane described as “horrific”. Dr Mauck was a specialist hand, wrist and elbow surgeon who was named on Memphis Magazine’s 2023 Top Doctors List last week. In a statement, Cambell Clinic Orthopedics confirmed they had “experienced a single shooter event” at their Collierville health centre. “We are shocked and heartbroken to confirm the incident resulted in the tragic loss of one of our highly respected and beloved physicians, Dr Ben Mauck. We ask that you please lift his family in prayer. “We appreciate our local law enforcement officers who responded within minutes. We will continue to work closely with authorities as this remains an active investigation.” The health centre has closed all of its clinics on 12 July. Tennessee Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari called for stricter gun regulations in the wake of the shooting. “Tragedies like this underscore the urgent need for common sense — like reinstating background checks and gun licenses, and establishing new reforms like an order of protection so police can remove firearms from a person who is threatening others,” she said in a statement. Dr Mauck had previously worked as a surgeon at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, and completed his medical school training at the University of Tennessee-Memphis. The tragic incident comes two years after a gunman opened fire at a Kroger grocery store in Collierville. Uk Thang, a disgruntled contractor, killed one employee and injured more than a dozen before taking his own life. This article was amended on 12 July to correct the location of Collierville. Read More Las Vegas SWAT team captures man who held hostage in Caesars Palace hotel room after tense standoff A soccer coach left his phone in a restaurant. Police found a trove of videos of unconscious boys being raped Trans youth and families condemn ‘heartbreaking’ Tennessee court ruling against gender-affirming care

The man at the center of a right-wing conspiracy theory surrounding January 6 and the attack on the US Capitol has filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News and Tucker Carlson for amplifying a “fantastical” story alleging he is an undercover federal agent who incited a riot. A lawsuit from Ray Epps follows a cease-and-desist letter sent to the network earlier this year, demanding that Carlson retract his “false and defamatory” statements about him and deliver a “formal on-air apology” for the “lies” he promoted. “Fox’s role in creating and disseminating destructive conspiracy theories has already been well documented,” according to the lawsuit filed in Delaware Superior Court on 12 July. Mr Epps and his wife Robyn – who both voted for Donald Trump and were “loyal” viewers of Fox and its now-former most-watched personality – were subject to campaign of “falsehoods” that “have destroyed Ray’s and Robyn’s lives,” according to the complaint, which seeks unspecified damages. The lawsuit follows a historic $787m settlement between Fox and Dominion Voting Systems, which accused the network of spreading false statements about its business in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Fox also has settled a lawsuit from a former producer for Carlson for $12m after she accused the company of “fostering a toxic workplace” where “truth remains a fugitive”. Though he joined the crowd on January 6, Mr Epps did not enter the Capitol, and he has not been charged with a crime – fuelling accusations from Carlson and others that federal prosecutors are protecting him. On his now-former program, Carlson said there is “no rational explanation” why this “mysterious figure” who “helped stage-manage the insurrection” had not yet been charged. “Fox repeatedly published defamatory falsehoods about Epps, including by broadcasting and rebroadcasting defamatory statements by Tucker Carlson who devoted over two dozen segments to Epps and by republishing those falsehoods” across Fox platforms, according to the lawsuit. Those claims have also been echoed by Republican members of Congress making Mr Epps the subject of legislative hearings – including on the day of the lawsuit’s filing, as House Republicans grilled FBI director Christopher Wray about alleged federal agents at the scene of the attack. “I will say this notion that somehow the violence at the Capitol on January 6 was part of some operation orchestrated by FBI sources and agents is ludicrous and is a disservice to our brave, hardworking dedicated men and women,” Mr Wray said in his sworn testimony to the House Judiciary Committee. More than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the riots, including more than a dozen people who have been found guilty on treason-related charges for conspiring their attack and 350 people who were convicted of assaulting or resisting law enforcement. Mr Epps also was interviewed by the House select committee investigating the events surrounding and leading up to the Capitol attack. Following Carlson’s on-air statements and a wave of allegations surrounding Mr Epps across social media, the couple received threatening messages, including death threats and a plastic bag with a bullet casing inside and voicemails threatening to burn their house down, according to the complaint, which includes several examples of harassing emails, letters and text messages. The couple was reportedly forced to move out of their home and into an RV. “Epps was not a federal agent. He was a loyal Fox viewer and Trump supporter,” the lawsuit states. Had the US Department of Justice charged him with a crime, Carlson “would have hailed Epps a hero,” according to the filing. ”After destroying Epps’s reputation and livelihood, Fox will move on to its next story, while Ray and Robyn live in a 350-square foot RV and face harassment and fear true harm,” the lawsuit alleges. “Fox must be held accountable.” The Independent has requested comment from Fox. Carlson, in his first interview since his exit from the network in the wake of the Dominion settlement, said he doesn’t know why he was fired. The network announced that Carlson “agreed to part ways” days after Fox agreed to the settlement with the voting machine company over bogus claims that Carlson privately disputed but amplified on air. Fox Corporation also reached a $12m settlement a lawsuit from Abby Grossberg, a former producer for Tucker Carlson Tonight, who alleged a culture of misogyny at the network in a federal complaint that depicted an environment where women are routinely verbally violated “by a poisonous and entrenched patriarchy.” This is a developing story Read More Everything we know about Ray Epps, the man conservatives blame for the Capitol riot Tucker Carlson’s Twitter show is haemorrhaging viewers with 85% drop from first episode, reports say Tucker Carlson doesn’t know why he was fired from Fox FBI director shoots down ‘ludicrous’ January 6 conspiracy theory

FBI director Christopher Wray has rejected a far-reaching conspiracy theory that undercover federal agents orchestrated or encouraged rioters to storm the halls of Congress on January 6. In his sworn testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on 12 July, Mr Wray shot down claims that have been invoked by members of a far-right gang, pundit Tucker Carlson, Republican officials and right-wing conspiracy theorists who have alleged that a deadly riot at the US Capitol was instigated by federal informants and agents. More than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the riots, including more than a dozen people who have been found guilty on treason-related charges for conspiring their attack and 350 people who were convicted of assaulting or resisting law enforcement. “I will say this notion that somehow the violence at the Capitol on January 6 was part of some operation orchestrated by FBI sources and agents is ludicrous and is a disservice to our brave, hardworking dedicated men and women,” Mr Wray told the committee. He also rejected allegations that a man named Ray Epps was working undercover to provoke a riot, a claim at the center of a brewing lawsuit from Mr Epps against Carlson and Fox News – accusations that are “demonstrably (and already proven to be) false,” his attorney wrote in a cease-and-desist letter to the network earlier this year. Though he joined the crowd on January 6, Mr Epps did not enter the Capitol, and he has not been charged with a crime – fuelling accusations from Carlson and others that federal prosecutors are protecting him. Carlson has said there is “no rational explanation” why this “mysterious figure” who “helped stage-manage the insurrection” had not yet been charged. Facing ongoing threats fuelled by baseless statements, Mr Epps has sued Fox News for defamation. “Fox repeatedly published defamatory falsehoods about Epps,including by broadcasting and rebroadcasting defamatory statements by Tucker Carlson who devoted over two dozen segments to Epps and by republishing those falsehoods” across Fox platforms, according to a lawsuit filed on the day of the hearing. During the hearing on Wednesday, Republican US Rep Andy Biggs of Arizona referenced a claim made by an attorney for a member of the neo-fascist group the Proud Boys who was convicted after assaulting police officers, breaking into the Capitol and smoking a celebratory cigar on January 6. Mr Biggs claimed that 40 undercover agents were at the scene, an allegation that was also made in a court filing from a Proud Boys attorney in a seditious conspiracy case earlier this year. “You don’t know whether there were undercover federal agents, FBI agents, in the crowd and at the Capitol on January 6?” Mr Biggs asked. “I want to be very careful because there have been a number of court filings related to some of these comments and I want to make sure I stick within that,” Mr Wray replied. “I do not believe there were undercover agents on scene.” A lawyer for Dominic Pezzola – a member of the Proud Boys who used a stolen police shield to bash through a window into the Capitol – claimed in court filings that at least 40 undercover agents were present. Earlier this year, when he testified in his own defense at trial, Pezzola repeatedly invoked the conspiracy theory, admitting that he did not have any evidence that Mr Epps was involved. Pezzola was found guilty by a jury of robbery and assaulting, resisting or impeding police. Read More Ray Epps sues Fox News and Tucker Carlson for ‘defamatory attacks’ after January 6 He claimed to have dirt on the Bidens. Now the DoJ say he’s a Chinese spy. Who is Gal Luft? Fox reaches $12m settlement with former producer who sued company over ‘toxic’ workplace Georgia grand jury sworn in to consider Trump charges over attempts to upend 2020 election

Save up to 80 percent on select games and toys during this year’s Prime Day event, plus discover the best Meta Quest 2 deals, LEGO discounts, and more.

An eight-count indictment against Israeli professor and think tank co-founder Gal Luft appeared in a small, 137-word item on page 10 of the New York Post. Under the headline “Anti-Biden witness indicted”, it described Mr Luft, 57, as “a key figure in House Republicans' investigation of the Biden family” and said the charges against him are for “arms trafficking and conspiring to flout US sanctions on Iran”. It ended with a line about how Mr Luft claims the case is an attempt to stop him “testifying to Congress about allegations the first family received payments from individuals with ties to Chinese military intelligence and that the Bidens had an FBI mole who shared classified information with their Chinese benefactors”. The low-key treatment was a far cry from how the anti-Biden tabloid covered Mr Luft just days earlier, when Post columnist Miranda Devine – a frequent purveyor of conspiracy theories about President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter – wrote a column exclusively on a video on which Mr Luft claims he is being “hunted” by the FBI and facing “the rest of his life on the run”. Mr Luft’s dispatch to the Post came from parts unknown – as he has been a fugitive since February. He disappeared shortly after posting bail following his arrest by Cypriot authorities pursuant to an Interpol warrant on suspicion of arms trafficking. At the time, he tweeted that the arrest was part of a “politically motivated extradition request” by the US. “I've been arrested in Cyprus on a politically motivated extradition request by the US … claiming I'm an arms dealer. It would be funny if it weren't tragic. I've never been an arms dealer. DOJ is trying to bury me to protect Joe, Jim [and] Hunter Biden,” he said. Mr Luft’s Israeli lawyer, Mordechai Tzivin, told Ynet that his client was being targeted because he provided derogatory information about the Bidens to the FBI in 2019. The accusations "would be a good way to shut him up," Mr Tzivin said, “because he knows a lot of information on Hunter”. He added that it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that prominent Democrats would try to have his client killed. “If this would have happened in Russia, they would have carried out a 'diplomatic car crash,' but luckily, he is in a safe location where no one can hurt him,” he said. Despite Mr Luft’s claim that the arms charges coincide with his emergence as a figure in the Republican-led crusade to tar the Bidens with corruption allegations, it’s not clear from the public record that he ever said a word about Mr Biden or his son prior to his arrest. But the Israeli-American academic – who was once a Lieutenant Colonel in the Israeli Defense Forces and more recently served as co-director of the DC-based Institute for the Analysis of Global Security – has been critical of US foreign policy since Mr Biden took office with the aim of restoring relations with America’s democratic allies. In January, his think tank released a report that accused the US of “pursuing illegal economic policies” by way of an "extremely trigger-happy" use of sanctions, most notably against Russia. And last year, he appeared on CNBC to criticise the Biden administration’s efforts to impose a worldwide oil price cap on Russian oil to keep Moscow from using petrodollars to finance the war in Ukraine. “It's kind of a ridiculous idea in my view,” Mr Luft said. "That's not how the oil market works," he said. "This is a very sophisticated market, you cannot force the prices down." He also spoke to the South China Morning Post in August last year about who the Chinese government would tap to lead its foreign ministry after that year’s Communist Party Congress and last September penned an op-ed for the same publication in which he complained that the Ukraine war had become “a quagmire” and ridiculed Mr Biden’s prediction that US sanctions would have an effect on Moscow’s economy. “To date, Russia’s economy has contracted by 4 per cent – a far cry from President Biden’s suggestion at the beginning of the war that it would halve. If anyone is nearing implosion, it is probably Europe’s heavily indebted economies, facing an unprecedented pre-winter energy crisis, inflation, deindustrialisation and a growing social unrest already causing fissures in the Western alliance,” he said. Indeed, the first mention of Mr Luft’s claims against the Bidens came in his February post-arrest tweet. And though Republicans have now embraced his claims to have been speaking out against the president and his family since 2019, there’s no evidence he voiced his alleged concerns to anyone, even though unproven claims about the Bidens have been a fast-track to stardom in GOP media circles since Donald Trump’s first impeachment. Based on that pattern, it might be reasonable to conclude that Mr Luft is hoping to garner himself enough goodwill in the GOP that, should he remain a fugitive, a future Republican president — perhaps Mr Trump — will pardon him. Read More ‘Whistleblower’ who accused Bidens of corruption is charged with arms trafficking and violating Iran sanctions GOP cries foul over spy charges for Biden ‘whistleblower’ Top Republicans are gearing up to investigate the Hunter Biden case. Here's what to know. Dems call for probe into whether Gal Luft made claims about Biden to help China Biden and Zelenskyy praise each other despite divisions over Ukraine war Finland's new finance minister apologizes for racist comments in 2008 blog post

A pair of top Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are asking Chairman James Comer to look into whether the accused foreign agent who claims to be a “whistleblower” against President Joe Biden and his son was acting to further Chinese interests when he accused the Bidens of crimes. In a letter to Mr Comer, Ranking Member Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Representative Daniel Goldman of New York expressed “concern” that the Oversight Committee “has been manipulated” by alleged arms dealer Gal Luft, who they described as “an apparent con man who, while a fugitive from justice, attempted to fortify his defense by laundering unfounded and potentially false allegations through Congres”. The alleged GOP whistleblower, an Israeli-American think tank founder, was indicted last November on charges that he allegedly trafficked arms, acted as a foreign agent for China and violated US sanctions on Iran. Mr Luft, who was arrested in February by Cypriot authorities, jumped bail while awaiting extradition to the US and has been on the run ever since. While he claims he is being persecuted by the federal government because he provided derogatory information about the Biden family to the FBI in a 2019 interview, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said in a statement that he “engaged in multiple, serious criminal schemes”. “He subverted foreign agent registration laws in the United States to seek to promote Chinese policies by acting through a former high-ranking U.S. Government official; he acted as a broker in deals for dangerous weapons and Iranian oil; and he told multiple lies about his crimes to law enforcement,” Mr Williams said. Mr Raskin and Mr Goldman noted that the false statement charges against Mr Luft “eviscerate” his credibility, even as Mr Comer has continued to call him “a very credible witness” despite the fact that Mr Luft remains a fugitive from justice. They also pointed out that Mr Luft is alleged to have lied to FBI agents during the same March 2019 interview at which he claims to have provided information to the bureau about Hunter Biden, and suggested that Mr Luft’s claims against the president and his son may be part of a Chinese-backed effort to undermine US interests and Mr Biden’s presidency. “It appears as if Mr. Luft sought ‘whistleblower’ status from you in an effort to defend himself from criminal prosecution while a fugitive from justice. Worse yet, this latest episode also raises concerns that Mr. Luft may be manipulating your investigation not only for his own self-interest but perhaps also in furtherance of the CCP’s efforts to undermine U.S. security interests and the President of the United States,” they said. “These recent revelations naturally raise broader concerns about the credibility and motivations of other purported whistleblowers that Congressional Republicans have relied on to support unfounded and baseless allegations. Sadly, the Luft episode severely undermines the credibility of the critical function of whistleblowers in this body”. The Democratic representatives called on Mr Comer to stop withholding documents relating to Mr Luft from members of the minority on the committee, and asked him to initiate an investigation into whether his panel has been manipulated by Mr Luft in service of a foreign power. “In order to protect the Congress’s institutional credibility and to reassure the American people that the CCP is not using Republicans’ investigations as a vehicle to undermine the United States government, we urge you to immediately initiate an investigation into whether the Committee may have been unwittingly duped by Mr. Luft in furtherance of the CCP’s interests, as well as any potentially false statements made by Mr. Luft to Members of Congress or congressional staff,” they said. Read More He claimed to have dirt on the Bidens. Now the DoJ say he’s a Chinese spy. Who is Gal Luft? GOP cries foul over spy charges for Biden ‘whistleblower’ ‘Whistleblower’ who accused Bidens of corruption is charged with arms trafficking and violating Iran sanctions DC promises a 'very, very robust' police presence to maintain public safety over July 4 holiday GOP had evidence disproving Biden bribery claims in 2019, top Democrat says Finland's new finance minister apologizes for racist comments in 2008 blog post

PresidentJoe Biden is set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today as world leaders gather for day two of a key Nato summit. The bilateral meeting, which will take place at 3.45pm local time (8.45am ET) in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, comes after Jake Sullivan warned that Ukraine’s entry into Nato membership would lead to “war with Russia”. “Every Nato ally, including the United States, needs to look squarely at the fact that admission to Ukraine into NATO at this juncture means war with Russia. That is an inescapable fact,” he told CNN on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, Mr Zelensky slammed Nato leaders for not extending membership to Ukraine, calling the inaction “absurd” while Nato leaders – including Turkey – said they would happily welcome Sweden into the membership. Last week, Mr Biden said he thinks Ukraine is “not ready” for membership. Following the meeting between the US and Ukrainian presidents, Mr Biden will deliver a speech to Nato leaders highlighting how the US and its allies are supporting Ukraine in the war. Preparation for this “big speech” was given as the reason behind Mr Biden’s decision to shun a dinner with Nato leaders on Tuesday night. Read More Biden will meet Zelensky at Nato summit in Lithuania as war with Russia rages on Palace insists King Charles didn’t mind when President Biden ‘broke protocol’ and patted him on back Awkward moment as King Charles appears to snap at Biden’s chat with Windsor Castle guard

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that inflation ticked up by only 0.2 per cent in June and had its lowest 12-month increase in more than two years in a welcome turn of events for President Joe Biden. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers showed that inflation rose 0.2 per cent last month after it had only ticked up 0.1 per cent in May, in a sign that inflation is easing up. Meanwhile, the all-items index rose 3.0 per cent for the past twelve months ending in June, its lowest 12-month increase since March of 2021.

Far-right Rep Majorie Taylor Greene has introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorisation Act that “directs the president to withdraw the US from Nato.” “They are not a reliable partner whose defense spending should be paid for by American citizens. For the better part of the last decade, Germany has contributed only around one per cent of its GDP to finance Nato obligations while the United States is paying around four per cent of our GDP to defend Nato countries,” Ms Greene said in announcing the amendment. She added that the US “has been financing and promising to defend Nato countries for decades and paying more than its fair share.” “Western European countries could and should be stepping up their financial contributions to ensure the security of Nato. Instead, they are entirely beholden to Russia and US taxpayers expected to foot the bill,” Ms Greene concluded. The Georgia congresswoman’s amendment comes the same day that President Joe Biden expressed the US’ “ironclad commitment to NATO” in a tweet amid a Nato summit in Lithuania. Earlier on Tuesday, Nato leaders wrote in a declaration that “Ukraine’s future is in NATO,” adding, “We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance when allies agree and conditions are met.” Read More Biden news – live: President skips Nato leadership dinner as White House blames ‘big speech’ prep Turkey's pledge of support for Sweden's NATO entry is tied to goals on security and EU membership Biden blames busy schedule for skipping Nato leadership dinner

Donald Trump has lost the protection of the Justice Department in his defamation lawsuit brought by magazine columnist E Jean Carroll. On Tuesday, the DOJ said in a court filing that the former president does not have presidential immunity in the case, saying he was not “acting within the scope of his office and employment as President of the United States” in 2019 when he denied raping Ms Carroll. This paves the way for the defamation suit to proceed through the courts. This legal blow came the same day that a grand jury was sworn in on Tuesday in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of the investigation into the efforts of the former president and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating Mr Trump after he called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in early 2021 and urged him to “find 11,780 votes” to flip the state in his favour. Meanwhile, Mr Trump is also seeking to have his federal criminal trial relating to the Mar-a-Lago classified documents delayed until after the 2024 election. Read More Trump strains relations with Iowa Republicans with no-show at charity event Trump says ‘damaged’ DeSantis is ‘desperately trying to get out’ of 2024 race Trump’s encounter with Guy Fieri at UFC fight sparks mixed reactions Trump lawyer Alina Habba leaves his defence team in New York fraud case