Biden is turning the screw on Putin even as US denies role in Russia's insurrection
Russia's short-lived insurrection has handed Joe Biden the most perilous version yet of a dilemma that has confounded the last five US presidents: how to handle Vladimir Putin.
2023-06-27 12:22
‘I have a big pile of papers’: Trump heard on leaked Bedminster audio showing off secret documents
Former president Donald Trump was recorded in 2021 flaunting his possession of classified military documents, according to audio obtained by CNN. In the recording, which allegedly came from a meeting at Mr Trump’s Bedminster golf club and estate, the former president can be heard audibly shuffling documents and describing his “big pile of papers” to associates. “These are the papers,” Mr Trump says at one point, refering to a military document concerning Iran and US military joint chief of staff Mark Milley. “This was done by the military and given to me.” “They presented me this—this is off the record,” Mr Trump appears to say at another point in the recording, describing the information he is showing to others as “highly confidential” and “secret.” Mr Trump was indicted earlier this month and charged with 37 counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House, including willful retention of national defense secrets in violation of the Espionage Act, conspiracy to obstruct justice, corruptly concealing documents, concealing documents in a federal investigation, scheme to conceal, and making false statements. In May, CNN reported that among the evidence prosecutors used to build their case against the former president was an audio recording of a summer 2021 meeting, in which Mr Trump allegedly acknowledged holding onto a classified Pentagon document detailing potential battle plans against Iran. In the indictment, prosecutors quoted Mr Trump as saying the plan was “highly confidential,” “secret,” and that “as president, I could have declassified it.” The ex-president was then supposedly recorded adding: “Now I can’t, you know, but it’s still a secret.” In an interview with Fox News, Mr Trump denied possessing such a document. “That was a massive amount of papers and everything else talking about Iran and other things,” he said. “And it may have been held up or it may not but that was not a document. I did not have a document per se.” This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information. Read More Rape accuser files new lawsuit as Trump seethes over 2024 flop – live Where do Donald Trump’s family stand on him running in 2024? Trump revealed to have tweeted classified image from spy satellite
2023-06-27 08:57
FBI Director Christopher Wray to testify before House Judiciary Committee on July 12
FBI Director Christopher Wray will testify before the House Judiciary Committee on July 12 for an oversight hearing, two sources familiar with the panel's planning told CNN.
2023-06-27 07:54
Exclusive: CNN obtains the tape of Trump's 2021 conversation about classified documents
CNN has exclusively obtained the audio recording of the 2021 meeting in Bedminster, New Jersey, where President Donald Trump discusses holding secret documents he did not declassify.
2023-06-27 07:51
US gathered detailed intelligence on Wagner chief's rebellion plans but kept it secret from most allies
US intelligence officials were able to gather an extremely detailed and accurate picture of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's plans leading up to his short-lived rebellion, including where and how Wagner was planning to advance, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
2023-06-27 07:15
Cannon schedules July 14 hearing on how classified materials will be handled in Trump documents case
The first hearing for Donald Trump and the special counsel's office before Judge Aileen Cannon in the Mar-a-Lago documents case will be in Fort Pierce, Florida, on July 14.
2023-06-27 06:17
McCarthy floats potential impeachment inquiry into Garland over IRS whistleblower claims
Speaker Kevin McCarthy is floating the possibility that the House could open an impeachment inquiry into Attorney General Merrick Garland over Internal Revenue Service whistleblower allegations that Justice Department leadership improperly interfered in the Hunter Biden probe, which Garland has denied.
2023-06-27 02:53
DeSantis pitches crackdown on illegal immigration in first major policy proposal of his campaign
In his first major policy rollout of his 2024 presidential campaign, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday proposed a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration, including sending the US military to the border and mass detention and deportation of undocumented people.
2023-06-27 02:26
Greg Abbott mocked after falling for hoax story about Garth Brooks being booed off stage
Texas governor Greg Abbott is facing ridicule after he fell for a fake story on a satirical website that claimed country music star Garth Brooks had been booed off a stage for refusing to ban Bud Light. Mr Abbott shared a link to the parody site The Dunning-Kruger Times on his official Twitter account on Sunday that claimed Brooks had been targeted at the 123rd Annual Texas Country Jamboree in Hambriston after calling his conservative fans “a**holes”. “Go woke. Go broke,” Mr Abbott tweeted. “Good job, Texas.” There was just one problem: the jamboree didn’t exist, and neither did the city of Hambriston. The Dunning-Kruger Times, named after a cognitive effect where people with low expertise or ability overestimate their knowledge, labels itself as a “network of parody, satire, and tomfoolery”. “Everything on this website is fiction,” the site explains. The purported author of the story, headlined Garth Brooks Booed Off Stage at 123rd Annual Texas Country Jamboree, was listed as “patriot” Flagg Eagleton. Mr Abbott deleted the tweet without an explanation or apology, but it was preserved and roundly criticised on Twitter. “Gov Abbott just accidentally posted a satire article because he wants to hate on queer Texans and Garth Brooks so bad,” wrote Democratic Congressman Greg Casar. “The Texas Country Jamboree doesn’t exist. Hambriston, Texas is not real. And the Governor is not fit to tweet, much less govern,” he added. Teacher Judy Hockenbrough wrote that “poor Greg Abbott got caught in his lies this time”. “There are a couple of big problems with Abbott’s tweet: The city of Hambriston doesn’t exist and the article is completely fake. Abbott fails Texas everyday.” Mr Abbott frequently weighs in on culture war issues on social media, last week urging warring tech billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk to go through with their much-hyped MMA bout. He has also signed into law some of the country’s most punitive anti-LGBT+ legislation. Texas is facing crippling power outages amid an unprecedented heat wave. Meanwhile, Brooks, who has sold more than 157 million albums, has yet to respond publicly to the kerfuffle. In 2022, Brooks performed two sold-out concerts in Texas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and Houston’s NRG Stadium to a combined audience of about 147,000 fans. Read More Trump news – live: Supreme Court dismisses Democratic lawsuit over Trump hotel documents Fox News choose Jesse Watters to replace Tucker Carlson in primetime shakeup Texas Gov Greg Abbott bizarrely weighs in on Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg’s cage fight GOP state legislatures seek greater control over state and local election offices Texas gov Greg Abbott reacts to Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg’s cage fight Why are the Texas Rangers the only MLB team without a Pride Night?
2023-06-27 01:16
At least five Secret Service agents have testified before Jan 6 grand jury, report says
About five or six Secret Service agents have testified before the grand jury deciding if former President Donald Trump should be indicted for his actions in connection to the insurrection on January 6, 2021, sources have told NBC News. The grand jury is looking into the riot as well as the attempts to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power. The Secret Service agents who appeared were complying with subpoenas. It remains unclear how close the agents were to Mr Trump on January 6 as well as what information they provided to the grand jury. The investigation led by Special Counsel Jack Smith is separate from the investigation he also leads into Mr Trump’s alleged mishandling of national security information which led to the former president’s indictment and Miami arraignment. More follows...
2023-06-27 01:16
Biden says the US and its allies had nothing to do with Wagner Group's rebellion against Russia
President Joe Biden on Monday emphasized that the United States and its closest allies were not involved in the rebellion by the Wagner Group against the Russian government, his first public comments since the weekend mutiny.
2023-06-27 00:26
Supreme Court drops case concerning Trump hotel records
The Supreme Court on Monday dropped a case concerning a lower court opinion that allowed for a handful of members of Congress to sue a government agency for records related to the Washington, DC, hotel once owned by former President Donald Trump.
2023-06-26 22:52