List of All Articles with Tag 'americas'

Children under the age of 16 no longer have to obtain permission to work in Arkansas. To mark the day that the child labour law rollback went into effect, social media users circulated a photo of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders wearing a massive smile - with frowning children sitting beside her. The photo was taken on 8 March 2023 when Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an education bill into law. But New York Times reporter Hannah Dreier resurfaced the photo on X – formerly known as Twitter – on Tuesday to highlight another bill that went into effect that day—the “Youth Hiring Act of 2023”—to try to illustrate how kids may be feeling about the new law. The post drew a wide range of reactions from social media users, from criticism to sarcastic comments. Orlando Sentinel reporter J.C. Carnahan wrote sarcastically, “The kids look enthused about it. What could go wrong?” “The kids in this photo look super stoked,” another said similarly, and yet another wrote, “kids look thrilled.” Another user remarked, “Talk about turn back the clock--good ol’ Huck-a-Buck just returned her state to the early 1900s. Way to go!!” One user went so far as to say, “They’d rather put little kids to work (because kids will be glad to get any amount of money) than raise the minimum wage.” Ms Sanders’ communications director spoke to NPR after the governor signed the bill into law in March: “The Governor believes protecting kids is most important, but this permit was an arbitrary burden on parents to get permission from the government for their child to get a job. She added, “All child labor laws that actually protect children still apply and we expect businesses to comply just as they are required to do now.” In 2022, the Department of Labor reported that there were 3,876 minors illegally employed; the highest figure in the past 10 years. A March report by the Economic Policy Institute said that 14 states have either introduced or passed bills that roll back child labour laws. Read More Sarah Huckabee Sanders travels to Europe for 1st overseas trade mission as Arkansas governor Arkansas librarians are suing to block state law that threatens them with jailtime Sarah Huckabee Sanders says she never meant job applicants to write what they admire most about her

After Special Counsel Jack Smith handed down yet another indictment against former President Donald Trump—this time with criminal charges over 2020 election interference—fellow 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis took the opportunity to defend Mr Trump, as well as make campaign promises. The Florida Republican governor wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, moments after the indictment was handed down. He wrote, “As President, I will end the weaponization of government, replace the FBI Director, and ensure a single standard of justice for all Americans.” He admitted that he has not read the indictment, but “believe we need to enact reforms so that Americans have the right to remove cases from Washington, DC to their home districts.” Mr Trump was indicted in a US District Court in Washington, DC. Mr DeSantis continued, “Washington, DC is a ‘swamp’ and it is unfair to have to stand trial before a jury that is reflective of the swamp mentality.” He continued, “One of the reasons our country is in decline is the politicization of the rule of law. No more excuses—I will end the weaponization of the federal government.” Mr DeSantis’ post echoes claims from Mr Trump. Following the indictment announcement, the Trump campaign put out a statement, writing: “This is nothing more than the latest corrupt chapter in the continued pathetic attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their weaponized Department of Justice to interfere with the 2024 presidential election, in which Donald Trump is the undisputed frontrunner, and leading by substantial margins.” Mr Trump has consistently led Mr DeSantis in the polls, as the two men vie for the Republican nomination. It’s unclear how the latest indictment will affect the former president’s favourability. The former president was charged on four criminal counts and the indictment lists six unnamed co-conspirators on Tuesday. Read More Dismal turnout for Ron DeSantis ‘one-dollar beer’ campaign event Matt Gaetz calls DeSantis ‘thirsty’ for Kamala Harris invite It's Kamala Harris vs. Ron DeSantis in the fight over Florida's new teachings on slavery

Rudy Giuliani has flipped out over Donald Trump’s latest indictment on charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election, after he was identified as an unnamed co-conspirator in the charging documents. In a bizarre rant on right-wing network Newsmax on Tuesday night, the man said to be “co-conspirator 1” in the indictment furiously claimed that special counsel Jack Smith should be indicted for indicting Mr Trump. “The people lying are the people bringing this… They should be indicted for conspiracy against rights,” he fumed. The attorney – who is facing calls from an attorney disciplinary committee to be disbarred – went on to accuse Mr Smith of being an “unethical lawyer”. “So here’s what I say to Jack Smith,” he fumed. “After the Supreme Court threw out your case, which should have been a disgrace... you should have gone and found another profession because you don’t belong in this one.” “This one will be your legacy, violating the rights of free speech of an American citizen. Nevermind whether he was president or not.” He continued: “It could be anybody. It could be a homeless person. You don’t get to violate people’s first amendment rights, Smith. No matter who the hell you are, no matter how sick you are with Trump derangement syndrome.” In a somewhat unhinged moment, the former New York City mayor then brandished a copy of Mr Trump’s indictment to the camera before slamming it back down on the table. “This isn’t the first time you’ve acted like an unethical lawyer,” he said. “It should be the last.” On Tuesday, a grand jury which has spent months hearing evidence in special counsel Mr Smith’s investigation returned a federal indictment against the former president. Mr Trump was charged with four counts of: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. The indictment – Mr Trump’s second federal indictment and third overall – allegedly conspired with his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election in an attempt to sabotage the vote of the American people. While the former president is the only person charged, the indictment refers to six co-conspirators who worked with him to try to overturn the election. The six individuals – four attorneys, one Justice Department official and one political consultant – have not been named in the charging documents because they have not yet been charged with any crimes. But based on the details in the indictment and records already known about the events leading up to the January 6 Capitol riot, the identities of five of the six co-conspirators are clear. The individual known as co-conspirator number one appears to be former New York City mayor and Mr Trump’s former attorney Mr Giuliani. The indictment refers to co-conspirator 1 as an “attorney who was willing to spread knowingly false claims and pursue strategies that the Defendant’s 2020 re-election campaign attorneys would not”. Multiple quotes attributed to co-conspirator 1 match those previously attributed to the former New York City mayor. On 6 January 2021, co-conspirator 1 left a voicemail for a US senator, according to the indictment. “We need you, our Republican friends, to try to just slow it down so we can get these legislatures to get more information to you,” he said. “I know they’re reconvening at 8 tonight, but it … the only strategy we can follow is to object to numerous states and raise issues so that we get ourselves into tomorrow – ideally until the end of tomorrow.” The quotes match a previously-obtained transcript of a call made by Mr Guiliani to Senator Tommy Tuberville that day. Mr Giuliani’s attorney Robert Costelllo acknowledged to The New York Times that it “appears that Mayor Giuliani is alleged to be co-conspirator No. 1”. He went on to denounce the indictment as “election interference” and a violation of the first amendment. Mr Giuliani is widely-known to have been a key player in Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and last week admitted in a lawsuit settlement that he had made false statements about two Georgia election workers who he falsely accused of rigging votes. Read More Trump indictment – live: Trump hit with 2020 election probe charges as he likens it to ‘Nazi persecution’ Who are Trump’s six alleged co-conspirators in the 2020 election probe case? Jack Smith held nothing back. Here’s what the Trump indictment really means Republicans rage against Jack Smith after latest indictment of Donald Trump Trump called Pence ‘too honest’ after vice president refused to join 2020 scheme Jesse Watters calls latest Trump indictment ‘political war crime’ on Fox News

Donald Trump has been hit with his third indictment – this time for conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election in an attempt to thwart the vote of the American people. A grand jury, which has spent months hearing evidence in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation, returned a federal indictment on Tuesday. The former president was charged with four counts of: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. While the former president is the only person charged, the indictment refers to six co-conspirators who worked with him to try to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The six individuals – four attorneys, one Justice Department official and one political consultant – have not been named in the charging documents because they have not yet been charged with any crimes. However, based on the details in the indictment and records already known about the events leading up to the Capitol riot, the identities of five of the six co-conspirators are clear. Co-conspirator 1: Former New York City Mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani The individual known as co-conspirator number one appears to be former New York City Mayor and Mr Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani – who is widely-known to be a key player in Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The indictment refers to co-conspirator 1 as an “attorney who was willing to spread knowingly false claims and pursue strategies that the Defendant’s 2020 re-election campaign attorneys would not”. Multiple quotes attributed to co-conspirator 1 match those previously attributed to the former New York City mayor. On 6 January 2021, co-conspirator 1 left a voicemail for a US senator, according to the indictment. “We need you, our Republican friends, to try to just slow it down so we can get these legislatures to get more information to you,” he said. “I know they’re reconvening at 8 tonight, but it … the only strategy we can follow is to object to numerous states and raise issues so that we get ourselves into tomorrow – ideally until the end of tomorrow.” The quotes match a previously-obtained transcript of a call made by Mr Guiliani to Senator Tommy Tuberville that day. Mr Giuliani’s attorney Robert Costelllo acknowledged to The New York Times that it “appears that Mayor Giuliani is alleged to be co-conspirator No. 1”. He went on to denounce the indictment as “election interference” and a violation of the first amendment. Mr Giuliani railed against the historic indictment in an appearance on Newsmax on Tuesday night. “The people lying are the people bringing this… They should be indicted for conspiracy against rights,” he fumed. Co-conspirator 2: Former Trump lawyer John Eastman Co-conspirator 2 – described in the indictment as an “attorney who devised and attempted to implement a strategy to leverage the Vice President’s ceremonial role overseeing the certification proceeding to obstruct the certification of the presidential election” – appears to be Mr Trump’s former lawyer John Eastman. Mr Eastman can be identified through the mention of co-conspirator 2 writing a “two-page memorandum” falsely outlining how then-vice president Mike Pence could overturn the 2020 presidential election on January 6. This memo was first reported in Bob Woodward and Robert Costa’s book “Peril” before Mr Eastman himself released a longer six-page memo to the media laying out his claims. Beyond the memo, quotes cited to co-conspirator 2 match quotes of Mr Eastman previously revealed in court in Georgia, including an email which read:“Although the President signed a verification for... back on Dec. 1, he has since been made aware that some of the allegations... has been inaccurate,” the email read. “For him to sign a new verification with that knowledge... would not be accurate.” Mr Eastman’s lawyer released a statement on Tuesday night where he slammed the indictment and ruled out any possibility that he could take a plea deal. The indictment is “a misleading presentation of the record to contrive criminal charges against Presidential candidate Trump and to cast ominous aspersions on his close advisors,” attorney Charles Burnham said in a statement. “If Dr. Eastman is indicted, he will go to trial. If convicted, he will appeal.” Co-conspirator 3: Former Trump “Kraken” lawyer Sidney Powell Co-conspirator 3 is described in the indictment as “an attorney whose unfounded claims of election fraud the Defendant privately acknowledged to others sounded ‘crazy’” – a description that appears to match Sidney Powell. Former Mr Trump lawyer Ms Powell mounted what she claimed to be a “Kraken” case against the election results – a case which would blow up the case that President Joe Biden won. However, her case did no such thing and was actually filled with conspiracy theories. The indictment alleges that co-conspirator 3 filed a lawsuit against Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on 25 November 2020 alleging that there was “massive election fraud”. The lawsuit was then dismissed on 7 December 2021. The dates and details of this lawsuit matches the federal lawsuit Ms Powell filed against Mr Kemp. Co-conspirator 4: Former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark Jeffrey Clark, a former top Justice Department official under Donald Trump, appears to be the individual named only as co-conspirator 4. The indictment describes co-conspirator 4 as “a Justice Department official who worked on civil matters and who, with the Defendant, attempted to use the Justice Department to open sham election crime investigations and influence state legislatures with knowingly false claims of election fraud”. In the charging document, prosecutors describe several encounters and documents involving Mr Clark which were previously detailed in the final report released by the House Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot. One of these was a meeting between Mr Trump and co-conspirator 4 at the White House on 22 December 2020. This meeting – which was allegedly a violation of DOJ policy “restricting contacts with the White House to guard against improper political influence”. The charging document and the Jan 6 report also refer to the same letter sent by co-conspirator 4 claiming that the DOJ had identified “significant concerns” that may have impacted the outcome of the election. Co-conspirator 5: Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro Co-conspirator 5 is described in the indictment as “an attorney who assisted in devising and attempting to implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification proceeding”. That attorney appears to be attorney and Mr Trump ally Kenneth Chesebro. Mr Chesebro’s actions as well as specific quotes from documents from the January 6 committee report match up precisely with that of co-conspirator 5. On 13 December 2020, Mr Chesebro sent an email to Mr Giuliani outlining the fake electors plot. That same email was detailed in the January 6 report and cited as being sent by Mr Chesebro. Co-conspirator 6: Mystery political consultant Co-conspirator 6 is the only individual whose identity remains a mystery. The indictment describes them as a “political consultant who helped implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification proceeding”. It states that back on 7 December 2020, the political consultant spoke with co-conspirator 1 – identified as Rudy Giuliani – and handed him a list of attorneys in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin who he believed could help with the fake elector scheme in their respective states. Read More Trump indictment – live: Trump hit with 2020 election probe charges as he likens it to ‘Nazi persecution’ ‘Our country is more important than one man’, says Mike Pence as Trump indicted Criminal conspiracies and civil rights abuses: Trump charges to overturn 2020 election, explained Republicans rage against Jack Smith after latest indictment of Donald Trump Trump called Pence ‘too honest’ after vice president refused to join 2020 scheme Jesse Watters calls latest Trump indictment ‘political war crime’ on Fox News

Ten people have been injured after a stolen car plowed into a busy sidewalk in Midtown Manhattan. The driver, aged 20, slammed into the crowd while being pursued by police at East 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, near Grand Central Station, during Tuesday evening’s rush hour. The victims, ranging from six years old to 72, were transported to nearby Bellevue Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the New York Police Department said. Video from the scene showed a 2018 maroon Hyundai Tucson with Illinois plates with a badly-damaged front. The car was reported stolen from the Bronx in July. The NYPD said that officers had tried to pull over the vehicle to determine if it was the stolen car but the driver refused. A cyclist was also hit during the chase and a yellow cab. After making a U-turn and driving in the wrong direction on Lexingon Avenue, the maroon Hyundai hit a black Toyota head-on. People on the street prevented the driver from fleeing until he was arrested. Police are still seeking a female passenger of the maroon Hyundai who fled the scene. Read More North Carolina hit-and-run that injured 6 migrant workers was accidental, police say 3 US Marines died of carbon monoxide poisoning in a car. Vehicle experts explain how that can happen

Donald Trump was indicted on 1 August on four charges by a grand jury hearing evidence in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The indictment also described six unnamed co-conspirators. The former president was informed shortly beforehand and posted the news on Truth Social that he would soon be indicted. This is Mr Trump’s third criminal indictment, his second federal indictment, and his first for his alleged conduct while in office as president. He has been ordered to make an initial appearance in federal court in Washington on Thursday, while the case has been assigned to US district judge Tanya Chutkan, who was appointed by Barack Obama. In a brief statement, Mr Smith placed the blame for the violence squarely on Mr Trump’s shoulders, saying the 6 January 2021 riot “was fueled by lies”. The Trump campaign said he had always followed the law and characterized the indictment as a “persecution” reminiscent of Nazi Germany. “President Trump will not be deterred by disgraceful and unprecedented political targeting!” it added. Read Trump’s indictment from the January 6 grand jury in full Read More Donald Trump’s third indictment explained Why Trump is charged under a civil rights law used to prosecute KKK terror Takeaways from the Trump indictment that alleges a campaign of 'fraud and deceit' Criminal conspiracies and civil rights abuses: Trump charges to overturn 2020 election, explained

Fox Business reportedly buried their coverage of Donald Trump's indictment under a graphic accusing president Joe Biden of creating distractions following scandals in his family. In the graphic blasted on TV screens, "Biden's Scandal Distractions" can be seen written in red next to Mr Trump's image followed by a timeline of the former president's past indictments overlapping row surrounding Mr Biden and his family. Mr Trump was indicted on Tuesday for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, the third time in four months that the former president has been criminally charged. The four-count, 45-page indictment charges Mr Trump with conspiring to defraud the US by preventing Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory and depriving voters of their right to a fair election. Mr Trump was ordered to make an initial appearance in federal court in Washington on Thursday. Minutes after the former president announced on Truth Social that he was to be indicted, Fox News host Jesse Watters compared the criminal charges against Mr Trump to "15 dozen" atomic bombs. "This is legal warfare, if it was political, it would have been political war crime. This is overkill. It is an atrocity. It is like not just dropping one atomic bomb, you drop 15 dozen," he said. "This is the establishment terrified at Donald Trump's re-election." Fox News last month expressed regret for showing an onscreen message that called President Biden a “wannabe dictator” who had his political rival arrested. The chyron appeared beneath split-screen video boxes that showed Mr Trump addressing supporters live in New Jersey, and Mr Biden speaking at the White House earlier in the day. The message read, “Wannabe dictator speaks at the White House after having his political rival arrested.” Fox in a statement said the “chyron was taken down immediately and was addressed.” Mediaite reported that the message was onscreen for 27 seconds and was not removed when the telecast was rerun late at night. Read More Trump indictment – live: Grand jury charges Trump on four counts in 2020 election interference probe How the Trump fake electors scheme became a 'corrupt plan,' according to the indictment Why Trump is charged under a civil rights law used to prosecute KKK terror Trump team compares charges on 2020 election interference probe to ‘Nazi persecution’ CNN host rails against Donald Trump comparing prosecutors to Nazis Takeaways from the Trump indictment that alleges a campaign of 'fraud and deceit'

The Donald Trump campaign’s comparison of the latest criminal charges against him to Nazi Germany is “beyond the pale, in terms of offensiveness and ignorance”, CNN’s Jake Tapper has said. The former president was indicted on Tuesday on four charges by a grand jury hearing evidence in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. This is Mr Trump’s third criminal indictment, his second federal indictment and his first for his alleged conduct while in office as president. In response to the indictment, the Trump campaign issued a statement that the charges against him amounted to election interference along with the comparison to Nazi Germany. “The lawlessness of these persecutions of President Trump and his supporters is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, the former Soviet Union, and other authoritarian, dictatorial regimes,” a part of the lengthy statement said. “These un-American witch hunts will fail.” Tapper denounced Mr Trump for the ignorant comparison while his colleague Kaitlan Collins, who read his full statement said it was a glimpse of the Trump team’s argument to challenge the charges. “They’re saying it’s persecution and that it is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s and the former Soviet Union. Just giving you a kind of window into the argument they’re going to be making tying this all back to the campaign,” Collins said. The remarks also drew criticism from activists and civil rights organisations. “Comparing this indictment to Nazi Germany in the 1930s is factually incorrect, completely inappropriate and flat out offensive,” said Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. “As we have said time and again, such comparisons have no place in politics and are shameful.” The reaction by CNN’s Tapper was followed by Fox News host Jesse Watters’ outburst of comparing the indictment to a war crime on the order of the atomic bombing or germ warfare. “This is overkill,” Watters said in a segment on Tuesday. “This is political germ warfare. These are political war crimes. It’s an atrocity. It’s like not just dropping one atomic bomb, you drop 15 dozen.” Later in his show, Watters shopped short of refuting the various charges against Mr Trump, but rather said they shouldn’t be considered significant crimes. The latest legal woe comes for Mr Trump as he faces the prospect of yet another potential indictment in Georgia where the former president was recorded on a phone call pressuring top officials to “find” him enough votes to reverse his loss in the state to Joe Biden during the 2020 election. Read More Trump indictment live updates: Grand jury charges Trump on four counts in 2020 election interference probe Revealed: ‘Monster’ care worker raped elderly dementia patients - but authorities don’t know how many How prosecutors could charge Trump with racketeering in Georgia case Trump indicted on four counts in 2020 election interference probe – live Takeaways from the Trump indictment that alleges a campaign of 'fraud and deceit' The judge assigned to Trump's Jan. 6 case is a tough punisher of Capitol rioters

Special Counsel Jack Smith said in a statement that the insurrection on January 6 was an “unprecedented assault” on democracy. The prosecutor spoke following the indictment of former President Donald Trump in relation to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Mr Smith said the indictment “sets forth the crimes charged in detail. I encourage everyone to read it in full”. “The attack on our nation's capitol on January 6 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy,” he added. “As described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies. Lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the US government – the nation's process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.” “The men and women of law enforcement who defended the US Capitol on January 6 are heroes. They are patriots and they're the very best of us,” the special counsel said. “They did not just defend a building or the people sheltering in it, they put their lives on the line to defend who we are as a country and as a people.” Mr Smith added: “They defended the very institutions and principles that define the United States.” A grand jury in Washington, DC voted to indict Mr Trump on four counts on Tuesday, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. The indictment states that Mr Trump took part in a “conspiracy to defraud the United States by using dishonesty, fraud, and deceit to impair, obstruct, and defeat the lawful federal government function by which the results of the presidential election are collected, counted, and certified by the federal government”. It states that he conspired to “corruptly obstruct and impede the January 6 congressional proceeding at which the collected results of the presidential election are counted and certified” and orchestrated a “conspiracy against the right to vote and to have one’s vote counted”. On Tuesday evening, Mr Smith said, “Since the attack on our capital, the Department of Justice has remained committed to ensuring accountability for those criminally responsible for what happened that day”. “This case is brought consistent with that commitment and our investigation of other individuals continues,” he added. “In this case, my office will seek a speedy trial so that our evidence can be tested in court and judged by a jury of citizens. In the meantime, I must emphasize that the indictment is only an allegation and that the defendant must be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” Prosecutors claim that Mr Trump had six co-conspirators, five of which were attorneys. Mr Trump and the “co-conspirators used knowingly false claims of election fraud to get state legislators and election officials to subvert the legitimate election results and change electoral votes for the Defendant’s opponent, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., to electoral votes for the Defendant,” the indictment states. They also argue that Mr Trump “pushed officials in certain states to ignore the popular vote; disenfranchise millions of voters; dismiss legitimate electors; and ultimately, cause the ascertainment of and voting by illegitimate electors”. Mr Smith ended his statement by thanking “the members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who are working on this investigation with my office, as well as the many career prosecutors and law enforcement agents from around the country who have worked on previous January 6 investigations. “These women and men are public servants of the very highest order and it is a privilege to work alongside them.” Read More Trump indictment - live: Trump faces four criminal charges in indictment over 2020 election interference Marjorie Taylor Greene calls for Jack Smith’s office to be defunded amid Trump indictment DeSantis calls new Trump indictment ‘unfair’ - while pushing his own campaign

The body of a Goldman Sachs staffer has been pulled from a New York City waterway nearly three days after he vanished from a concert venue. Twenty-seven-year-old John Castic was last seen at a concert at The Brooklyn Mirage in the Brooklyn neighbourhood of East Williamsburg. The NYPD said earlier this week that Castic, originally from Illinois, left the venue around 3am on Saturday. His father, Jeffrey Castic, told Fox News Digital that his body was found floating in a section of Newtown Creek on Tuesday afternoon less than two miles from where he vanished. “They have found his body and confirmed it’s him,” Mr Castic told the outlet. “It appears to have been death by misadventure. His wallet and phone were found on him.” Castic’s body was first noticed by a passerby who alerted law enforcement. NYPD Harbor units then responded to the scene and recovered his remains. Castic graduated DuPaul University in 2020 and went on to work at different firms before joining Goldman Sachs as a senior analyst in August 2022. “He was so smart but, in the end, he did something dumb, and it cost him,” Mr Castic told Fox. “We think he might have been impaired, we do not know, and it was just a lapse of judgment.” Law enforcement does not suspect foul play at this time, according to The New York Post. Castic’s friend Sara Kostecka told the outlet that the young man was an “amazing friend.” “He is very charismatic, high-energy with a good sense of humor,” Ms Kostecka told the Post. “Whatever happened, he did not deserve this.” Read More Ira Sachs wanted to make 'a film of intimacy.' It got him an NC-17 rating Rex Heuermann’s defence buried in mountain of evidence as he faces court in Gilgo Beach murders case Lori Vallow - update: ‘Cult mom’ smirks in new mug shot after denying murders in bizarre sentencing statement

A Washington DC grand jury has voted to charge former president Donald Trump with TK counts of violating three sections of the federal criminal code as he and a group of allies schemed to find a way to somehow keep him in the White House for a second term despite losing the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. The grand jurors, who have spent months hearing evidence and witness testimony as part of a long-running probe into Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn his election loss and the January 6 attack on the Capitol which sprung from those efforts, approved the indictment against Mr Trump on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding, and deprivation of rights under colour of law on Tuesday after a four-hour presentation by Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith and his team of prosecutors. Specifically, the indictment alleges that the ex-president engaged in a “conspiracy to defraud the United States by using dishonesty, fraud, and deceit to impair, obstruct, and defeat the lawful federal government function by which the results of the presidential election are collected, counted, and certified by the federal government,” conspired to “corruptly obstruct and impede the January 6 congressional proceeding at which the collected results of the presidential election are counted and certified,” and conspired against “conspiracy against the right to vote and to have one’s vote counted”. The latest charges against Mr Trump are some of the most serious allegations levied against the twice-impeached, now thrice-indicted former president, and are just the first of two possible sets of charges that he could face as a result of his efforts to unlawfully reverse the result of his defeat nearly three years ago. A separate grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia has also been hearing evidence about efforts by Mr Trump and his allies to pressure Peach State officials into reversing his loss to Mr Biden there, and the district attorney who has been supervising that process has said charges be approved against multiple targets in the coming days. The addition of a second federal indictment to the legal troubles facing Mr Trump is certain to complicate his quest to return to the White House by winning next year’s presidential election. He is scheduled to be tried in two separate criminal cases against him, including on the federal charges against him and co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira which are pending in a Florida federal court as a result of their alleged roles in the ex-president’s alleged unlawful retention of national defence information and obstruction of justice. A separate case against him for allegedly falsifying business records in his former home state of New York is set to go to trial in March 2024, while the federal case in Florida is scheduled for trial in late May 2024. The ex-president has maintained that the multiple investigations against him amount to “election interference” and a politically motivated “hoax,” and has repeatedly attacked the prosecutors investigating him in extremely personal terms. These latest charges against Mr Trump are the result of an eight-month investigation by Mr Smith, who was appointed by US Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022 to supervise a pair of probes focusing on the ex-president’s conduct. In addition to investigating the ex-president’s alleged unlawful retention of national defence information, Mr Smith was also handed control long-running probe into the events leading up to the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, when a riotous mob of Mr Trump’s supporters stormed the seat of the US legislature in hopes of blocking the final certification of his loss to Mr Biden. While prosecutors in the office of the US Attorney for the District of Columbia have charged more than 1,000 people for various crimes committed during the riot — including rare seditious conspiracy charges against members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers extremist groups — the charges against Mr Trump [and his co-defendants] are the first to be brought against anyone for the efforts to overturn the election which arguably led to the Capitol attack. Mr Trump was impeached for inciting the attack with just days left in his presidency, and though a majority of senators voted to convict him, they fell short of the two-thirds supermajority required to sustain a conviction. But the ex-president and his co-defendants are not being charged for organising, inciting or fomenting what was the worst attack on the Capitol since British troops set it ablaze in 1814. Instead, the charges against them are for crimes which prosecutors allege to have been committed as Mr Trump sought to employ a variety of strategies by which he and his allies thought he could reverse or override the will of voters, including pressuring state legislatures to use their own authority to replace swing state electors for Mr Biden with electors for Mr Trump. Mr Trump and his allies also pushed state officials, most notably Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, to act to decertify Mr Biden’s wins in swing states, according to prosecutors. Figures connected to Mr Trump’s campaign also spearheaded an effort to submit forged electoral college certificates to the National Archives and to the Senate, while Mr Trump personally sought to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence into unilaterally throwing out the legitimate electoral certificates for Mr Biden in favour of the forged ones listing Mr Trump as the winner. The case currently pending against him in the Southern District of Florida arose out of a criminal referral from the National Archives and Records Administration after officials discovered documents bearing classification markings in a set of 15 boxes which the agency had retrieved from Mr Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago, the 1920’s-era Palm Beach mansion turned private beach club where he maintains his primary residence and post-presidential office. Investigators later discovered more than 100 additional documents with classification markings during an 8 August 2021 search of Mr Trump’s property, and in June charged him with unlawfully withholding the documents from the government and obstructing efforts to determine whether all the classified documents in his possession had been returned. Read More Trump indicted for his efforts to overturn 2020 presidential election results. Follow live updates Prosecutor involved in Jan. 6 cases says indictment has been returned as Trump braces for charges It's Kamala Harris vs. Ron DeSantis in the fight over Florida's new teachings on slavery Trump begs Congress to help save him from his legal troubles Who is Jack Smith? The ex-war crimes prosecutor who is coming for Trump Donald Trump is the first former president arrested on federal charges. Can he still run in 2024?

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