
DeSantis says ‘of course’ Trump lost in 2020 as ex-president attacks US Women’s team after loss - latest
Florida Gov Ron DeSantis admitted in an interview with NBC News that former president Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, as he seeks to recalibrate his campaign. Mr DeSantis initially told NBC News’s Dasha Burns in an interview that will air on NBC Nightly News on Monday evening that whoever is inaugurated on 20 January is considered the winner, in a dodge answer. “Whoever puts their hand on the Bible on Jan 20 every four years is the winner,” he said. When pressed, Mr DeSantis said that President Biden defeated Mr Trump. “No, of course he lost,” he said of Mr Trump. “Joe Biden’s the president.” Meanwhile, Mr Trump had a meltdown on Sunday night where he attacked President Joe Biden, striker Megan Rapinoe and “wokeness” for the US’s unexpected early defeat in the Women’s World Cup. The former president took to Truth Social to bizarrely claim the loss was a sign of the influence “Crooked Joe Biden” has had on the nation. He also somehow blamed the “WOKE”-ness and cruelly trolled Rapinoe for missing a penalty. Read More Judge tosses Trump's defamation suit against writer who won sexual abuse lawsuit against him Rudy Giuliani selling $6.5m NYC apartment as legal woes pile up Judge dismisses Trump defamation lawsuit against E Jean Carroll for CNN statements Trump asks supporters heavily leading question about participating in GOP debate Ron DeSantis admits ‘of course’ Donald Trump lost the election
2023-08-08 03:51

Thousands of flights delayed as bad weather threatens Eastern US
More than 1,100 flights have been canceled Monday across the United States -- and more than 3,000 delayed -- as severe weather threatens many eastern states.
2023-08-08 03:28

Rudy Giuliani selling $6.5m NYC apartment as legal woes pile up
Rudy Giuliani, the ex-mayor of New York City and one-time lawyer for former President Donald Trump, has listed his Upper East Side apartment for $6.5m amid legal challenges. Property records and court documents confirm his address is the same listed by Sotheby’s Realty. While the listing says the building “is distinctive for its magnificent gothic-inspired terra cotta and brick façade” the three-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment is also distinctive for being raided by the FBI in April 2021 over Mr Giuliani’s alleged dealings with Ukraine. The apartment was put up for sale just days after Mr Giuliani’s ex-client and ally, Mr Trump, was indicted for the third time. Mr Giuliani himself is facing a number of legal woes. A lawyer for the 79-year-old last week acknowledged to the New York Times that his client appeared to be the person identified as “Co-Conspirator 1” in the federal indictment accusing Mr Trump of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election in his favour. Robert Costello, Mr Giuliani’s attorney, said the indictment “eviscerates the First Amendment,” and denounced the filing as “election interference.” In his own words, Mr Giuliani said Special Counsel Jack Smith, who handed down the indictment, should be indicted. “The people lying are the people bringing this… They should be indicted for conspiracy against rights,” the former mayor said on Newsmax. His former assistant, Noelle Dunphy, filed a lawsuit in May against him for sexual assault, harassment, wage theft, and other claims. In the lawsuit, Ms Dunphy claimed that her former boss “made clear that satisfying his sexual demands – which came virtually anytime, anywhere – was an absolute requirement of her employment.” Bombshell tapes and transcripts of their conversations have been revealed in recent weeks. In one such tape, the man once called “America’s Mayor” allegedly said, “Come here, big t*ts. Your t*ts belong to me. Give them to me. I want to claim my t*ts.” Mr Giuliani also faces a defamation lawsuit in Georgia, in which he seemed to admit that he made statements that “carry meaning that is defamatory per se” about two of the state’s election workers after the 2020 election. A judge has asked him to clarify “precisely” what he meant, as the former mayor made “seemingly incongruous and certainly puzzling caveats.” Additionally, Dominion sued Mr Giuliani for defamation in January 2021, claiming he had made “defamatory falsehoods” in order to “promote a false preconceived narrative about the 2020 election.” The company is seeking $1.3bn in damages. The Independent has reached out to a lawyer for Mr Giuliani. Read More Federal judge wants Giuliani to clarify ‘incongruous’ and ‘puzzling’ court filing in Georgia defamation case Rudy Giuliani says Eminem should leave US and ‘take a knee someplace else’ after Super Bowl show Rudy Giuliani goes on unhinged rant claiming Mike Pence’s wife leads him around on a leash
2023-08-08 03:20

Extreme heat has killed 147 people in 5 counties, coroners report. The real number is likely much higher
The current death toll is a mere snapshot of the fatal toll this searing summer is taking. And experts say that estimate is likely far lower than the actual number of lives lost to the excruciating heat.
2023-08-08 02:25

South Korea Jamboree: 'Our scouts have been phenomenal' says Bedfordshire leader
A unit leader says youngsters have shown resilience at the ill-fated World Scout Jamboree.
2023-08-08 01:46

UK moves some asylum seekers to a barge on southern coast
By Toby Melville PORTLAND, England (Reuters) -Britain began moving some migrants on to a large residential barge on its southern
2023-08-08 01:45

DeSantis won’t rule out national abortion ban but suggests there’s no ‘mileage’ left in Congress
Ron DeSantis has not ruled out enacting a national abortion “ban” if elected president, after the Florida governor implemented state restrictions on abortion access at 15 weeks and six weeks of pregnancy within the last two years. But he suggested that there is no “consensus” in the US for members of Congress to implement a national ban, as abortion restrictions and the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade remain overwhelmingly unpopular. Asked by NBC’s Dasha Burns whether he would “veto any sort of federal bill” that would institute a nationwide ban, Mr DeSantis replied: “We will be a pro-life president and we will support pro-life policies.” In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to revoke a constitutional right to abortion care last year, Republican officials have repeatedly stated that the ruling merely left it up to individual states to decide. But anti-abortion lawmakers at the state level and in Congress continue to push for national restrictions that would also strike down state laws that protect and expand abortion access. Congressional Republicans have already passed several anti-abortion measures with national implications and have signalled the GOP’s readiness to ban abortion at certain gestational limits. President Joe Biden has promised to veto any such legislation, if it made it through Congress. In media appearances throughout his campaign, the governor has not directly answered whether he would support or veto legislation that would enact national abortion restrictions, suggesting that the issue should come from the “bottom up” with individual states determining policy. His statements have drawn criticism from influential anti-abortion group Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America, which called the governor’s position “unacceptable” to anti-abortion voters. Meanwhile, his campaign’s top donor has threatened to stop funding the candidate over his “extreme” position on abortion. And Donald Trump, who has taken credit for the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, has suggested that his rival for the 2024 Republican nomination for president has gone too far with a state law that bans abortion at six weeks of pregnancy, signed into law just one year after a 15-week limit was put in place. “Dobbs returned it to the political branches. I think the reality is that that basically means the states are going to have primary control over it,” Mr DeSantis told NBC. “You know, I do think the federal government would have an interest in, say, preventing post-birth abortions or things that are really horrific, but I don’t think that there’s enough consensus in the country to see a lot of mileage in Congress,” he added. There is no such thing as a “post-birth” abortion; killing an infant after birth is illegal in all states, and pregnancies resulting in the death of the fetus in the third trimester are exceedingly rare, and largely involve fetal anomalies and life-threatening medical emergencies. The vast majority of abortions take place within the first trimester, while roughly 1 per cent occur after 21 weeks, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The governor also suggested that Democratic officials support “infanticide”, echoing his remarks in a recent CNN interview claiming that “liberal state” allow “post-birth” abortion. “I would not allow what a lot of the left wants to do, which is to override pro-life protections throughout the country all the way up really to the moment of birth in some instances, which I think is infanticide,” he told NBC News. Ms Burns interrupted Mr DeSantis: “That’s a misrepresentation of what’s happening.” The governor also said that he does not support penalties for people who seek abortions. “Not at all,” he told Ms Burns. “No, I don’t think this is an issue about the woman. I think a lot of these women, you know, are in very difficult circumstances. They don’t get any support from a lot of the fathers. And a lot of them, the number one reason why women choose to have an abortion is because they’re not getting support and they feel abandoned. Now, in Florida we’ve provided support and we’ve put our money where our mouth is, but at the end of the day, you know, I would not support any penalties on a woman.” Mr DeSantis also told NBC that he does not support limits on contraception access. “And I think it should be available over-the-counter, and I think people should be able to have access to it,” he added. Read More Texas judge sides with women after harrowing testimony over anti-abortion law Alabama health care providers sue over threat of prosecution for abortion help ‘Walmart Melania’, ‘America’s Karen’ or ‘Tacky Onassis’: Why Casey DeSantis matters to the 2024 race Senator who once worked at a Planned Parenthood warns that Republicans are planning a national abortion ban
2023-08-08 00:54

Judge dismisses Trump's defamation lawsuit against Carroll for statements she made on CNN
A federal judge has dismissed Donald Trump's counter defamation lawsuit against E. Jean Carroll, dealing another legal blow to the former president.
2023-08-08 00:23

Judge Cannon asks about legality of using DC grand jury in Florida-based Mar-a-Lago case
Judge Aileen Cannon is asking the Justice Department and Donald Trump co-defendant Walt Nauta to weigh in on the legality of special counsel Jack Smith's ongoing grand jury activity in Washington, DC, which relates to the obstruction portion of the Mar-a-Lago documents case before her in Florida.
2023-08-07 23:51

German man arrested in France after wife allegedly held captive for 12 years
The woman was rushed to hospital with multiple injuries, including broken bones, police sources say.
2023-08-07 23:49

Vivek Ramaswamy has sudden about-face over stance on Juneteenth holiday
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy called for cancelling Juneteenth after he had previously posted a video celebrating the holiday, NBC News reported. Mr Ramaswamy spoke in Vail, Iowa, about how to make elections more secure. In his speech, he called for Election Day to be made a national holiday. “Cancel Juneteenth or one of the other useless ones we made up,” he said. In addition, he called for paper ballots and voter identification cards despite the fact there is little evidence of widespread voter fraud. When asked if he considers Juneteenth a “useless” holiday, he said, “I basically do.” Juneteenth commemorates when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas on 19 June 1865 and announced that enslaved people were officially freed. In the ensuing years, it became a day of celebration in Black communities across Texas. In 2021, Congress voted overwhelmingly and President Joe Biden signed legislation to make Juneteenth a national holiday. But two months ago, Mr Ramaswamy posted a video celebrating Juneteenth. “We don’t just look back and flog ourselves, that’s beside the point,” Mr Ramaswamy said. “What we celebrate is how far we’ve come, and as a first-generation American myself, you better believe I’m proud of it. Happy Juneteenth, everybody.” When asked by NBC News whether he thought Veterans Day or Memorial Day were useless, Mr Ramaswamy deferred. “I stand with the presumption of time-tested traditions,” he said, calling Juneteenth “redundant” of Martin Luther King Jr Day and Presidents Day. “The reason for making it a holiday was under political duress. It was a political hostage situation on the back of the death of George Floyd,” he said. Read More Vivek Ramaswamy's Hindu faith is front and center in his GOP presidential campaign Republicans rage against Jack Smith after latest indictment of Donald Trump over 2020 election conspiracy Indictment ignored, Trump barely a mention, as GOP candidates pitch Iowa voters to challenge him Vivek Ramaswamy's Hindu faith is front and center in his GOP presidential campaign GOP presidential hopeful Chris Christie says 'inhumanity' of war is palpable during visit to Ukraine
2023-08-07 23:21

Ex-FBI counterintelligence chief in talks to plead guilty over work he did for Russian oligarch
The former head of counterintelligence at the FBI's New York office is in talks to plead guilty to charges relating to work he allegedly did for a sanctioned Russian oligarch after leaving the government, according to a court order.
2023-08-07 23:19