List of All Articles with Tag 'america'

Former president Donald Trump says a third criminal indictment against him will become public at 5.00 pm ET, just hours after the Washington, DC grand jury hearing evidence in the probe into his attempts to overturn the 2020 election ended work for the day. The ex-president appeared to announce the impending charges against him late Tuesday in a post to his Truth Social website. “I hear that Deranged Jack Smith, in order to interfere with the Presidential Election of 2024, will be putting out yet another Fake Indictment of your favorite President, me, at 5:00 P.M,” he wrote. He suggested that the reason charges for attempting to overturn the 2020 election unlawfully did not appear against him after he left office in 2021 is because “they” wanted to do so in the thick of his 2024 primary election campaign. He added: “Prosecutorial Misconduct!” In a second post, the ex-president suggested the new charges were filed to distract from Republican efforts to promote unproven claims of corruption against President Biden. The former president has a history of making public new criminal charges against him before they have been disclosed by prosecutors. After a Florida grand jury charged him with unlawfully retaining national defence information and obstruction of justice, Mr Trump announced the new case against him in a Truth Social post while the case was still sealed. Mr Trump currently is set to go on trial in two separate criminal cases next year: The federal case against him in Florida is schedule to go before a jury in May 2024, and he will stand trial in a New York State courtroom on charges of allegedly falsifying business records starting in March 2024. The charges thought to be filed against the ex-president were revealed in a target letter sent to his attorneys last month. It is understood that prosecutors were investigating him for violating three parts of the US criminal code covering conspiracy to defraud the United States, deprivation of rights under colour of law, and witness tampering. More follows... Read More It's Kamala Harris vs. Ron DeSantis in the fight over Florida's new teachings on slavery Trump says ‘fake’ charges coming today from Jan 6 grand jury — live updates Trump allies in Michigan charged for illegally accessing voting machines

Donald Trump’s Save America PAC is reportedly running out of cash as a result of the extensive legal bills his campaign is facing as it fights fires on several fronts. The PAC began last year with $105m but is now down to just $4m, according to The New York Times, after paying off costly lawyers’ fees picked up defending Mr Trump in a variety of cases concerning everything from his business practices and personal history to his retention of classified documents since leaving the White House. Meanwhile, Fani Willis, district attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, has said that her investigation into the 45th president’s energetic efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the Peach State is “ready to go”, suggesting a potential indictment could be imminent. Separately, another indictment is also looming from Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who is also probing Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the vote and his role in inciting the Capitol riot of 6 January 2021. On Tuesday, the grand jury assigned the case met again heightening anticipation. Whichever materialises first will represent the Republican’s third of the year. Read More Mar-a-Lago property manager is the latest in line of Trump staffers ensnared in legal turmoil Trump's early work to set rules for nominating contest notches big win in delegate-rich California What is an indictment? Donald Trump is facing his third and fourth of 2023

A trio of Republican House committee chairs is demanding information from the Department of Justice on the pending plea and diversion agreements between prosecutors and Hunter Biden as part of their ongoing effort to inflict political damage on his father, President Joe Biden. In a letter to US Attorney General Merrick Garland, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, and Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith said the decision by Delaware US Attorney David Weiss to allow Hunter Biden to plead guilty to two misdemeanour tax charges and enter into a deferred sentencing agreement on a single charge of lying on a gun background check form “raise serious concerns ... that the Department has provided preferential treatment toward Mr. Biden in the course of its investigation and proposed resolution of his alleged criminal conduct”. Mr Biden, who is President Biden’s youngest and only surviving son, has admitted to what have been well-documented struggles with alcohol and drugs, and during an aborted plea hearing last week said he’d been in and out of rehabilitation facilities on numerous occasions over the last few decades. During that court appearance, US District Judge Maryellen Noreika objected to a provision of the diversion agreement which stated that she — not prosecutors — would be responsible for determining whether Mr Biden might have breached the agreement’s terms, which would necessitate new criminal charges. The judge said the provision in question was “not standard” and “different from what I normally see” and suggested it violates the separation of powers in the US Constitution because it would put the judicial branch in the position of making a charging decision that is an executive branch function. Legal experts have opined that the provision at issue was an attempt by the department to protect Mr Biden from a situation in which a future Republican administration would manufacture charges against him. The current GOP frontrunner for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination, Donald Trump, has repeatedly pledged to jail Mr Biden, his father, and numerous other prominent Democrats. The GOP representatives asked Mr Garland to provide them with data on how often, if at all, the Delaware US Attorney’s office and the Justice Department have included similar provisions in diversion agreements. They also demanded information on who — prosecutors or Mr Biden’s defence attorneys — suggested that the agreement should place a final decision on new charges in a judge’s hands, and asked Mr Garland to provide a list of pretrial division agreements for other defendants who’ve been charged with the same gun-related offence as Mr Biden, as well as “all documents and communications referring or relating to each similar pretrial diversion agreement entered into by the Department in the last ten years”. Additionally, the committee chairs asked Mr Garland to provide a “generalized description of the nature of the Department’s ongoing investigation” into Mr Biden and an “explanation of why the Department originally agreed to a plea agreement” with Mr Biden if there are ongoing probes into him. It is unlikely that Mr Garland will provide any response that satisfies the GOP representatives, as the Justice Department’s policy for decades has been to not comment on ongoing investigations, even in response to congressional inquiries. Read More House Oversight chair admits GOP can’t back up Biden bribery accusations Hunter Biden’s ex-business partner testifies to Congress. Here’s what to know Biden acknowledges Hunter’s daughter Navy in public for first time

Watch as US vice president Kamala Harris delivers remarks at the 20th Women’s Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church Quadrennial Convention. Ms Harris has travelled to Florida to speak at the event, which comes coincidentally after Florida governor Ron DeSantis challenged her to come to the state. In a letter sent on Monday, Mr DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican Party’s nomination in the 2024 presidential election, touted Florida as the “number one state in the nation for education”. The vice president has been busy over the last few weeks, which saw her already visit Florida in July. Ms Harris was on a trip to speak at an event in Jacksonville, where she spoke out against some changes to how African-American history is taught in Florida. During her visit to the Ritz Theatre and Museum in Jacksonville, Harris lamented how damaging it is when schools don't discuss historical crimes as part of the curriculum. Read More DeSantis wants to meet with Kamala Harris over Florida’s Black history curriculum Biden goes west to talk about his administration's efforts to combat climate change Tim Scott rebukes DeSantis for new Florida Black history curriculum on slavery

Relatives of “cult mom” Lori Vallow’s victims have decried her unhinged claims during her sentencing trial. Vallow was sentenced on Monday to spend the rest of her life behind bars over the killings of her 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan, her nine-year-old son Joshua “JJ” Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell. Vallow, 50, was convicted in May on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft in the murders that prosecutors say she and allegedly Mr Daybell plotted as part of their doomsday cult beliefs. In a shocking statement addressing the court just moments before she was handed down five consecutive life sentences without parole, Vallow said that her children “were happy and busy in the spirit world” and that she knew “her friend Tammy ... is also very happy and extremely busy.” Tammy’s sister Samantha Gwilliam has since slammed Vallow’s remarks. Ms Gwilliam was in court during the sentencing and deliver her victim impact statement along with her aunt Vicki Hoban and JJ’s grandparents Kay and Larry Woodcock. “I don’t know who she was talking to but she wasn’t talking to my sister,” Ms Gwilliam told Pretty Lies and Alibies podcast host GiGi McKelvey. The Woodcocks also described Vallow’s statement as “vile BS” in an interview with NewsNation. “This is part of her farse, her hoax, and she is never going to give it up. It’s just more of her crap, there is no other way to put it,” Ms Woodstock said. “To say that JJ and Tylee were happy and busy ... and then her friend Tammy? I mean get out of here.” Ms Woodstock and her husband had been frantically trying to establish contact with JJ before the little boy and Tylee vanished in 2019. They reported the children missing shortly after Vallow moved with them from Arizona to join Mr Daybell in Idaho. Tylee and JJ were missing for nine months before their bodies were found in June 2020 at a pet cemetery in Mr Daybell’s residence in Rexburg, Idaho. Tylee’s remains were discovered burned, while JJ was strangled to death and found still in his pyjamas and with a plastic bag over his head and duct tape over his mouth. “I had to sit there and I couldn’t say a word. She is absolutely playing this system, Mr Woodstock told NewsNation. “There is no way that she is a special being, that she talks to God, that she talks to the kids, that she talks to Tammy. That is a ridiculous statement. I can tell you right now that she is nothing but a five-gallon bucket of BS.” Tammy’s aunt Vicki Hoban also told the outlet that she believed Vallow didn’t take accountability for her actions as part of another plot to seek a new trial. District Judge Steven Boyce rejected Vallow’s request for a new trial last month. “I think she is creating a narrative now that will make her look crazy, which I don’t believe, I think she is just trying to figure out how to maybe get a new trial,” Ms Houb said. “It was just a slap in the face for her to continue to talk about Tammy as a friend. She was murdered in cold blood.” Tammy died a month after the children went missing. She was an otherwise healthy 49-year-old when she was initially believed to have died of a cardiac event — an autopsy later determined that her cause of death was asphyxiation. Mr Daybell is expected to stand trial over JJ, Tylee and Tammy’s death next year. Mr Daybell and Vallow were slated to stand trial together before Judge Boyce ruled in March that the cases would be severed. On Tuesday, Ms Woodluck took to Twitter to celebrate the news that Vallow had been booked into prison after her custody was transferred to the Idaho Department of Corrections. Arizona prosecutors are now expected to file for her extradition to the state so she can stand trial in the death of her fourth husband Charles Vallow, who was shot to death by Vallow’s late brother Alex Cox just months before her children vanished. “Hope the worst for her. She doesn’t deserve anything good. Someday I’ll forgive, just not quite yet,” Ms Woodstock tweeted. “It’s a great day to be alive!!! Thanks to all for your support. It’s meant everything to us.” Read More Lori Vallow - update: ‘Cult mom’ smirks in new mug shot after denying murders in bizarre sentencing statement Lori Vallow finally broke her silence at sentencing. It was too late Napping in court, three words and typing too loudly: Bizarre moments from Lori Vallow’s murder trial

New Jersey Lt Gov Sheila Oliver has died one day after being hospitalised for treatment for an undisclosed medical issue while serving as acting governor. Ms Oliver was taken to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston on Monday, while Governor Phil Murphy was in Italy on a family vacation. Her family confirmed her death at the age of 71 in a statement on Tuesday. “It is with incredible sadness and a heavy heart that we announce the passing of the Honorable Sheila Y. Oliver, Lieutenant Governor of the State of New Jersey,” the family said in a statement to ABC7. “She was not only a distinguished public servant but also our cherished daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and hero.” No cause of death has been released. In a statement, Gov Murphy said he and his family were “incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of our dear friend, colleague, and partner in government.” Ms Oliver, a Democrat, was selected as Gov Murphy’s running mate in 2017, and was a “trailblazer in every sense of the word”, he said. In 2010, she became the first Black woman to serve as Speaker of the General Assembly, and was the second Black woman in US history to lead a house of a state legislature. “I knew then that her decades of public service made her the ideal partner for me to lead the State of New Jersey. It was the best decision I ever made.” Democratic Senate President Nicholas Scutari is serving as acting governor, the governor’s spokesperson Mahen Gunaratna said. The governor will be returning to the US “soon”, Mr Gunaratna added. Along with serving as Gov Murphy’s top lieutenant, Ms Oliver also oversaw the Department of Community Affairs, which coordinates state aid to towns and cities and supervises code enforcement. She had been twice elected to the lieutenant governor’s role in 2017 and 2021, becoming the second person to hold the post in New Jersey. Born and raised in Newark, Ms Oliver earned a degree in sociology from Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University before being elected to the Essex County board of chosen freeholders in 1996. Ms Oliver had served on the New Jersey assembly since 2004. “She brought a unique and invaluable perspective to our public policy discourse and served as an inspiration to millions of women and girls everywhere, especially young women of colour,” Gov Murphy said in a statement. “Beyond all of that, she was an incredibly genuine and kind person whose friendship and partnership will be irreplaceable.” Ms Oliver’s family requested privacy, and said details of a memorial service would be provided at a later date. Read More New Jersey sues federal highway officials in bid to stop New York City's plan to charge big tolls Manhattan architect, family man and accused serial killer: Who is Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann? Chris Christie slams Trumps as ‘Corleones with no experience’ New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, first Black woman to serve as state Assembly speaker, dies at 71 The first generation of solar panels will wear out. A recycling industry is taking shape Blue blood from horseshoe crabs is valuable for medicine, but a declining bird needs them for food

Gilgo Beach suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann will appear in court on Tuesday for the first time since he pleaded not guilty in the bombshell case two weeks ago. Mr Heuermann will face a hearing at Suffolk County Court in Long Island, New York, according to court filings. It comes days after authorities revealed that a “massive amount” of evidence had been recovered from Mr Heuermann’s home in Massapequa – and after his estranged wife Asa Ellerup pleaded for privacy, saying the couple’s children “cry themselves to sleep” over the shock arrest and that she herself often wakes up “shivering” from the trauma. The 59-year-old suspect was arrested on 13 July and charged with six counts of murder in the deaths of Amber Castello, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy. He is also the main suspect in Maureen Brainard-Barnes’ killing. The women, all sex workers in their 20s, went missing in 2009 and 2010. Their remains were later found along a stretch of roadway in the Long Island shoreline community of Gilgo Beach. Mr Heuermann pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance on 14 July, where he cried: “I didn’t do this.” Read More Rex Heuermann’s wife pleads to be left alone after his arrest for Gilgo Beach murders Police rule out link between Gilgo beach killings suspect and unsolved murders in Atlantic City in 2006 How the Gilgo Beach serial killer turned the Long Island shore into a graveyard

“Cult mom” Lori Vallow has been sentenced to life in prison with no parole for the murders of her two children in a dramatic case that gripped the nation. Vallow, 50, was convicted in May of killing her seven-year-old son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan, who vanished without a trace in September 2019. She was also found guilty of conspiring to kill her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy, who died in October 2019. The verdict came after prosecutors convinced a jury that Vallow and Mr Daybell conspired with her brother Alex Cox to murder Tammy, JJ and Tylee as part of their bizarre cult beliefs – but also for financial purposes so that they could collect Tammy’s life insurance money and the children’s social security and survivor benefits. Before the sentence was handed down, the court heard victim impact statements from several family members devastated by the harrowing saga that’s seen countless twists and turns over four years. To the surprise of many, Vallow spoke herself and appeared to show no remorse for the deaths of her children and Tammy, claiming they were “busy” and “happy” in heaven. She appeared emotionless as the sentence was handed down. Read More Lori Vallow finally broke her silence at the sentencing. It was too late Lori Vallow claims ‘no one was murdered’ as she breaks silence in bizarre sentencing statement ‘Monster’ Lori Vallow is confronted by victims’ sobbing families at sentencing: ‘Cruel campaign of terror’

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said that the investigation into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia is “ready to go” – in a hint suggesting a potential indictment could be imminent. “The work is accomplished,” she told WXIA over the weekend. “We’ve been working for two and half years. We’re ready to go.” DA Willis said that there will be people unhappy with the outcome of the probe and praised the actions of local officials who ramped up security around the courthouse in Georgia last week. The DA previously indicated that any charging decisions would likely come in August. Separately, an indictment may also come soon in DOJ special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the election and into the January 6 Capitol riot. This comes after Mr Smith’s office added additional charges against the former president in the case involving his handling of classified documents on leaving the White House. Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira was charged in the case last week, becoming the third defendant. He appeared in court on Monday, and will be formally arraigned next week. He has not entered a plea. Read More Mar-a-Lago property manager is the latest in line of Trump staffers ensnared in legal turmoil Trump's early work to set rules for nominating contest notches big win in delegate-rich California What is an indictment? Donald Trump is facing his third and fourth of 2023

Lori Vallow’s attorney claimed that the “cult mom” who murdered her two children and conspired to kill her new lover’s wife is “misunderstood” and is actually “all about love” as he asked the judge for leniency at her sentencing hearing. The 50-year-old convicted killer appeared in Fremont County Courthouse in Idaho on Monday morning to be sentenced for the murders of her two youngest children Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and conspiracy to murder her new husband Chad Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell. Sitting slouched cross-legged at the defence table, Vallow kept her head down and refused to look her victims’ devastated family members in the eyes as they gave heartwrenching impact statements to the court and as prosecutors asked that she spent the rest of her life behind bars with no chance of parole. In a defence statement, Vallow’s attorney John Thomas asked the judge to give her “hope” that the “most hated woman in America” could one day be free from prison. “I think Lori Daybell is the most hated woman in America right now and maybe in the world. That hate will never bring closure to the victims,” he said. The attorney began his bizarre statement by saying that he used to be a prosecutor but realised that “I don’t think Jesus Christ was a prosecutor”. “He is our greatest advocate. And now I sit next to Lori Vallow,” he said. He went on to claim that Vallow – who conspired to kill her children and love rival – is “misunderstood” and people who know her, know she is actually “about love”. “People who truly know her know she’s about love. We didn’t always get along and our team has had a lot of misunderstandings,” he said. “But Lori’s overarching theme is about love. She is very different than who she plays on tv. She’s smart, insightful, witty.” Mr Thomas argued that Vallow’s sentence should be a fixed term to give her an incentive to rehabilitate herself with an eye to possibly being released from prison aged 70. “If we give her a fixed term we protect her from society until her 70s and she helps other inmates and becomes a better person.” After Mr Thomas finished his sentencing recommendation, Vallow took the opportunity to address the court herself. She shockingly claimed that “no one was murdered” as she broke her silence for the first time over the horrific murders of her two children and her lover’s wife in a chilling statement at sentencing. In the bizarre remarks, the so-called “cult mom” read out a Bible quote, spoke of visiting “heaven” and continued to channel her doomsday cult beliefs while claiming “I have had many communications with Jesus Christ”. While her victims’ loved ones were forced to listen in horror, she claimed that she had communicated with her murdered children Tylee Ryan and Joshua “JJ” Vallow as well as “her friend” Tammy Daybell from beyond the grave – and that they are “very happy”. Ultimately, Judge Steven Boyce was not swayed by either argument and Vallow was sentenced to five life sentences, three consecutive, without the possibility of parole. Read More Lori Vallow had two alleged accomplices in her children’s murders. One will never face justice Cult beliefs, hazmat suits and charred remains: Key revelations from Lori Vallow’s murder trial A doomsday cult, murders and children buried in a pet cemetery: The twisted case of Lori Vallow Lori Vallow claims ‘no one was murdered’ as she breaks silence in bizarre sentencing statement

Police in Los Angeles are hunting for around 11 suspects after a security guard was beaten to death outside a popular Hollywood nightclub. The shocking attack unfolded at around 2am on Sunday outside the Dragonfly Hollywood nightclub close to Santa Monica Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The security guard, a 32-year-old man who has been identified as Daniel Sandifer by The Los Angeles Times, was working at the Hollywood hotspot at the time when he was confronted by the large group of people. The altercation quickly turned violent with witnesses reporting seeing the group beating and stomping on Sandifer, according to ABC7. Officers arrived on the scene to find Sandifer lying in the street unresponsive. They performed life-saving measures on him but he was pronounced dead from his injuries upon arrival at the hospital. Now, a manhunt is underway to find up to 11 suspects responsible. It is not clear whether the group of people knew the victim prior to the violent attack. It is also unclear if the group had frequented the club that night for Dragonfly’s “Signature Saturday” event. The Dragonfly describes itself as the “most popular Hip Hop night club scene LA has to offer” with several famous faces including Tyga and Megan Thee Stallion known to have partied there in the past. It remained closed on Sunday and its “Sunday Night Fever” event was cancelled in the wake of the tragedy. Dragonfly posted an Instagram story on Sunday announcing the closure and saying it was mourning the death of its bouncer. “As we begin to process and mourn the loss of our colleague, Dragonfly will be closed,” the post read. “Our hearts are with his family at this time.” The LAPD is asking anyone who witnessed or recorded the incident to come forward with information. “We know that oftentimes people will record these types of incidents on their cellphone,” Detective Samuel Marullo told ABC7 from the scene. “We would encourage them to share that with us as it can help bring a sense of justice to this person’s family.” He added that investigators are canvasing the neighbourhood for security cameras which may have picked up the events surrounding the attack. “One thing we know was that there was a lot of people present – a lot of people on the street – many of whom left the scene prior to police arriving.” Law enforcement officials have not publicly identified Sandifer yet but a cousin of the man, Evette Sandifer, identified him to The LA Times. Ms Sandifer said her cousin was a hardworking man who took care of his two daughters and was the primary caretaker of his grandmother who is in hospice. Ms Sandifer said: “I’m sure the club provided some footage. That’s on them, but everybody has cellphones nowaday. We need to get some suspects and hold them accountable.” Anyone with information can contact LAPD’s West Bureau Homicide at (213)382-9470. Read More Hollywood nightclub death – latest: Security guard fatally beaten outside Dragonfly club as 11 suspects on run Hospital security guard fatally shot while on the job by suspect later killed by Portland police

US troops in Niger have been restricted to the American military base in Agadez, Niger, as the Biden administration works to restore democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum to power.