Analysis-DeSantis 2024 campaign escapes battering by Hurricane Idalia - for now
By Gram Slattery WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Residents of Florida were largely spared a devastating blow from Hurricane Idalia this week, and
2023-09-01 04:24
Mexico seizes 9700lbs of cocaine after wild helicopter and boat chase in the Pacific
More than 9700 pounds of cocaine were seized by the Mexican Navy after a high-speed chase across the Pacific Ocean resulted in a huge drug bust. Footage captured by the Mexican Navy shows two operations taking place off the Pacific coast of Mexico near Oaxaca, chasing down the boats at rapid speed. The Navy then used helicopters to lower down to board and take control of the vessels. After a two-day operation that took place last week on 22 and 23 August, the Navy secured three boats. Eleven people were detained and turned over to the prosecutors. Along with the large quantity of cocaine, 1,300 gallons of fuel was also found on the boats. According to the UN, the global production of cocaine has dramatically increased over the past two years since its downturn during the Covid-19 pandemic. When cocaine is imported into Mexico, it is often trafficked inland toward the United States concealed in vehicles, although maritime vessels have also been used as well. Drug-related violence has increased recently, with convenience stores, trucks and cars being set alight by drug cartels in Michoacan to block roads and enforce extortion demands. Three men and three youths aged 16 and 17 were arrested during the attack. 1,200 troops were sent by the Mexican Government after the weekend to disperse the cartels from blocking the roads. Read More Help us find loved ones missing after decades of violence in Mexico, mothers tell government Mexico sends 1,200 more troops to Michoacan state after weekend of cartel violence Mexican Navy hopes to expand net-snagging hooks to protect endangered vaquita porpoises
2023-09-01 03:59
'This is a life-changing event': Floridians start an arduous recovery as Idalia keeps thrashing North Carolina
Tropical Storm Idalia keeps pounding the Southeast's Atlantic coast, bringing strong winds and storm surge in North Carolina while parts of Florida's west coast grapple with "significant damage" from the most powerful hurricane to slam its Big Bend region in more than a century.
2023-09-01 03:56
Texas Supreme Court allows ban on gender-affirming care for most minors to take effect Friday
Texas' Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a new law that prohibits most gender-affirming care procedures for minors in the state to take effect Friday, refusing to reinstate a district court judge's stay on the law.
2023-09-01 03:46
Convicted murderer escapes prison outside Philadelphia
An inmate considered "extremely dangerous" escaped a prison in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Thursday morning, according to local officials.
2023-09-01 02:54
Trump moves to sever his own Georgia election fraud case from co-defendants seeking speedy trial
Donald Trump has moved to sever Georgia case from the defendants seeking a speedy trial, arguing that it would violate his right to a fair process. “President Trump moves the Court to sever his case from those of his co-defendants who have demanded a speedy trial ... and who have a scheduled trial date of October 23, 2023,” lawyer Steven Sadow wrote in a filing on Thursday. The filing states that the timeline wouldn’t allow for the counsel to “have sufficient time to prepare President Trump’s case”. “Requiring less than two months preparation time to defend a 98-page indictment, charging 19 defendants, with 41 various charges including a RICO conspiracy charge with 161 Overt Acts, Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer, False Statements and Writings, Forgery, Influencing Witnesses, Computer Crimes, Conspiracy to Defraud the State, and other offenses would violate President Trump’s federal and state constitutional rights to a fair trial and due process of law,” Mr Sadow adds. Mr Trump’s motion comes after two of his codefendants in the election subversion case have asked the judge to sever their trials from the rest of the accused – including the former president. Lawyers Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro have both requested speedy trials in the case. On Wednesday, they each formally requested that their cases be separated from the wider indictment, something that – if granted – would prevent Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from holding one trial for all 19 defendants at once. DA Willis previously revealed her plans to hold one trial for all the accused this October. In requesting speedy trials, Georgia state law now requires Ms Powell and Mr Chesebro’s trials to begin before early November. Judge Scott McAfee has already ordered Mr Chesebro’s trial to start on 23 October, while Ms Powell’s request is pending. Mr Trump is against such a hasty timeline, employing his longtime legal tactic of attempting to slow things down and drag out the process until after the 2024 election. But now, if the cases are severed, this could lead to delays in a wider trial for the remaining defendants, including Mr Trump. The requests from Ms Powell and Mr Chesebro mark the first attempts from the defendants to try to break up the massive case into smaller individual trials. Their respective motions were filed on Wednesday as the defendants and the prosecution work to set the framework for the process. Ms Powell and Mr Chesebro both deny all wrongdoing in the case. In her filing, lawyers for Ms Powell said that she “did not represent President Trump or the Trump campaign” in connection to the 2020 election and didn’t have an “engagement agreement” with Mr Trump or his campaign. “She appears on no pleadings for Trump or the Campaign,” the lawyers wrote. “She appeared in no courtrooms or hearings for Trump or the Campaign. She had no contact with most of her purported conspirators and rarely agreed with those she knew or spoke with.” Her insistence comes despite Mr Trump saying in the middle of November 2020, shortly after he lost the election, that he had “added” Ms Powell to his “great team” of attorneys working on legal challenges to the election results. When Ms Powell subsequently shared bizarre conspiracy theories that millions of votes had been flipped in an international plot to take down Mr Trump, his campaign removed her from the legal team and announced that she was “practising law on her own”. Now, her lawyers have also tried to distance herself from the other attorneys charged in the Georgia case, saying that she “went her own way” following the 2020 election and that “many of her purported coconspirators publicly shunned and disparaged Ms Powell beginning in November 2020”. The filing also argued that her legal career had shown her adherence to “integrity” and “the rule of law” while pushing the baseless claim amplified by many on the right that retired General Michael Flynn was the subject of “charges completely concocted against him by a politicized FBI”. Also on Wednesday, Mr Chesebro’s lawyers requested that the judge push Ms Willis to “disclose” the names of the 30 unindicted co-conspirators included in the indictment. Mr Chesebro was behind Mr Trump’s plan to put forward fake electors to win the electoral college and he argued that he needs the identities of the individuals in order to prepare his defence in the case. On Wednesday morning, Ms Willis filed a motion requesting that Judge McAfee advise the defendants in the case of the consequences of requesting a speedy trial, noting the demands on their procedural and evidentiary rights. “By filing their speedy trial demands in this case, the Defendants have personally, willfully and deliberately narrowed numerous options that would otherwise be available to them under Georgia law,” the filing states. Read More Trump moves to ditch Georgia co-defendants and dodge televised court appearance after not guilty plea - live Why Biden is taking the short stairs on Air Force One Proud Boy Joe Biggs sentenced to 17 years in prison for Jan 6 seditious conspiracy
2023-09-01 02:49
US Army charges military doctor with sexual assault in case with at least 23 victims
The US Army has charged a military doctor with alleged sexual assault in a case with at least 23 victims that could be the service’s largest abuse case in years. Major Michael Stockin, 37, was charged following a year-long Army investigation, reported The Washington Post. Military officials say that Maj Stockin, an anesthesiologist working at a pain clinic at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, was barred from treating patients in February 2022. Charges against the doctor “include abusive sexual contact and indecent viewing” in violation of military law, Army spokesperson Cynthia Smith said in a statement. The Army has not yet released the specific charges, with Ms Smith calling it “inappropriate” at this time. One soldier told The Post last week that he had reported the doctor after being treated by him at the pain management clinic in January 2022. He alleged that he was seeking treatment for a back injury, but was asked by Major Stocking to drop his trousers while he allegedly touched his ankles and legs. The doctor is also accused of holding the soldier’s genitals. The Post says that a charge sheet it obtained shows Maj Stocking has been charged with one count of sexual assault in that case Maj Stockin’s lawyer, Robert Capovilla, said that the Army was in the process of scheduling a hearing in the case. “The Government and the Defense are in the process of scheduling the Article 32 Preliminary Hearing in Major Stockin’s case. Our sincere hope is that the Army prioritizes Major Stockin’s privacy and his Constitutional right to a fair trial moving forward,” he said in a statement to The Independent. “It’s no secret that the Army has faced immense pressure from Congress and the Media on how they’ve handled sexual assault cases in the past. From my view, much of that criticism is exaggerated. The Army is far more aggressive in pursuing sexual assault allegations than nearly any other legal jurisdiction that I’ve worked with.” And he added: “That being said, the Army cannot forget that Major Stockin is cloaked in the presumption of innocence and my sincere hope is that the Army does everything in its power to ensure a fair process for Major Stockin and not just the alleged victims. “The Army has been investigating this case for more than a year and the Defense must be given adequate time and resources to properly prepare our defense.” Ryan Guilds, a lawyer representing alleged victims in the case, told The Post that he was “deeply concerned” about a lack of communication from the Army. Read More Thousands of Afghans still in limbo as ministers miss own deadline to slash resettlement backlog US, Indonesia and 5 other nations hold war drills amid China concerns Grant Shapps replaces Ben Wallace as defence secretary – but top military brass ask if he’s up to the job
2023-09-01 02:28
Hurricane Idalia's price tag could reach $20 billion, according to Moody's Analytics
Hurricane Idalia caused billions of dollars in damage, but the price tag won't be nearly as high as other major hurricanes, Moody's Analytics said Thursday.
2023-09-01 02:27
General Brice Oligui Nguema: Who is Gabon's coup leader?
Who is General Brice Nguema, the man who overthrew the president he was supposed to protect?
2023-09-01 00:58
U.S. judge sentences former Proud Boys leader to 17 years for role in Jan. 6 attack
By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON A federal judge sentenced former far-right Proud Boys leader Joseph Biggs to 17
2023-09-01 00:52
Tropical Storm Idalia drenches Carolinas as Florida counts cost
Up to 9in (23cm) of rain and life-threatening flash flooding could hit parts of eastern North Carolina.
2023-09-01 00:47
Fishing with fear as Philippines stands up to China
Fishermen are on the frontline of a worsening territorial standoff as Manila asserts itself against China.
2023-09-01 00:15