Donald Trump’s lawyer on Sunday previewed a legal defence his client may make in court when his upcoming trial for his actions leading up to January 6 begins next year. Appearing on all the major networks, John Lauro fielded questions from journalists about the idea that Mr Trump was acting illegally when he approached then-Vice President Mike Pence with his plan for Mr Pence to halt or reverse the Senate’s certification of the 2020 election, allowing slates of false electors to be named to replace those set to vote for Joe Biden. Mr Lauro told journalists on NBC that Mr Trump had not directed his vice president to use his power as president of the Senate to interfere with the chamber’s process — instead, he characterised it as an “aspirational” request by the president. “Asking is aspirational. Asking is not action. It’s core free speech,” argued Mr Lauro on CNN. He went on to argue that Mr Pence’s refusal to comply with the request or demand was evidence itself that it had been the former. “I’m not saying that [the January 6 riot] was in any way appropriate, but the ultimate power of the presidency was transferred to Mr Biden,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash. It was the exact same language he used to describe Mr Trump’s overtures to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who was revealed to have been pressured by the president to intercede in that state after Joe Biden was declared the lawful victor. On a now-famous phone call, Mr Trump suggested that Mr Raffensperger would be able to “find” more than 10,000 votes for him that would push him past Mr Biden’s total in the state. "That wasn't a threat at all,” Mr Lauro claimed on NBC. “He was asking for [him] to get the truth...That was an aspirational ask." He would go on to claim that asking Mr Pence to commit an act that violated the US Constitution was not inherently a crime. However, some crimes simultaneously represent violations of one’s constitutional rights, and in the case of Mr Trump this argument could falls flat given that the government will argue that an obstruction of the Senate’s ability to certify the election essentially represented a violation of every American’s right to be represented by the lawfully-elected president. Mr Lauro’s whirlwind Sunday media tour comes as he and the Trump legal team are set to respond to a new filing by the Justice Department seeking to limit what Donald Trump can say publicly about his ongoing prosecution. The federal government has argued that Mr Trump’s recent comments on Truth Social vowing vengeance against those involved with the investigation will have a chilling effect on witnesses; the ex-president is already charged with witness tampering among the dozens of counts he faces. Read More Inside the courtroom, it was clear this indictment is different for Donald Trump Pence and Trump lawyer share opposite stories of what ex-president said ahead of January 6 Trump insists he isn’t a ‘scared puppy’ in defiant attack on Nancy Pelosi Pence and Trump lawyer share opposite stories of what Trump said ahead of January 6 Pence skirts crucial questions about Trump’s election indictment Inside the courtroom, it was clear this indictment is different for Donald Trump

At least three people have been killed and a blood transfusion centre bombed in Ukraine, as Russia unleashed a wave of intense drone and missile strikes after vowing to retaliate for a Ukrainian hit on Russian tankers in the Black Sea. Moscow’s second-largest airport also briefly suspended flights Sunday morning following what the Kremlin said was a foiled Ukrainian drone attack. The Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed publicly whether they were behind either raid. The Ukrainian air force said Sunday that in total Russian forces had launched 70 Iranian-made Shahed drones, as well as cruise and hypersonic missiles from aircraft over the Caspian Sea. Russian shelling in the northern region of Kharkiv also killed three people. It comes as senior officials from some 40 countries including the United States, China and India are taking part in talks in Saudi Arabia that Kyiv and its allies hope will lead to agreement on key principles for a peaceful end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia is not attending. Read More ‘Extremely dangerous’ Wagner fighters seeking to destabilise Nato, Poland warns EU imposes sanctions on dozens in Belarus over protest crackdown and support for Russia What Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska wants the world to know ‘With you until the end’: Defence secretary Ben Wallace’s dramatic pledge to Ukraine after first lady’s plea

Mike Pence was evasive when answering questions from a CBS reporter in a new interview touching upon Donald Trump’s indictment on charges related to the effort to overturn the 2020 election. The former vice president, whom Mr Trump’s team has spoken openly about cross-examining in the ex-president’s upcoming trial, has largely remained on Mr Trump’s side when it comes to the barrage of legal threats now facing him. But he has not reserved that same loyalty amid Mr Trump’s newest criminal charges, on which he refused to take a side. Speaking with Major Garrett, Mr Pence dodged questions about whether the prosecution of Mr Trump specifically was “politicised” — a charge the Trump team has levelled —while making those same gratuitious swipes at the Justice Department over unrelated issues, like the ongoing prosecution of Hunter Biden. “I don't want to prejudge this indictment. I don't know whether the government has the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to support this case,” said the former vice president, who was at the very centre of the events now being examined for prosecution by the Department of Justice. He lashed out at the January 6 committee and its conclusion, which has largely been borne out in the Justice Department’s latest indictment. He also attacked the DoJ and vowed to “clean house” in 2025 if elected — while carefully limiting his criticisms to the now-shuttered Robert Mueller investigation and the GOP’s allegations that the department slow-walked and watered down the prosecution of President Joe Biden’s son, who was charged this year. In the interview, he also answered whether he’d take the stand against his former boss if called to do so, telling Garrett that he had no plans to voluntarily testify but would obey a subpoena. “I have no plans to testify, but people can be confident we’ll- we’ll obey the law,” he said. Mr Pence is currently polling in the mid to low single digits in the Republican primary race, and has seen little traction among a primary base that largely remains loyal to Mr Trump and largely refuses to accept the fact that the ex-vice president’s interference on Mr Trump’s behalf to overturn or stall the election’s certification would have been unconstitutional. He has faced angry questions from voters on that very issue at campaign stop after campaign stop, while Mr Trump continues to attack him and insist that he should have worked to stop an imaginary theft of the 2020 election. The former president remains atop the GOP primary field, the odds-on favourite to win the nomination as most of his competition languishes in single-digit or low double-digit polling territory. Read More Defiant Trump claims ‘we need one more indictment’ before 2024 race in first speech since federal charges Mike Pence heckled by Trump supporters at town hall after rolling out mocking merch Trump has been charged. But what about his past? Trump goes on kooky rant about how long it takes to wash his ‘gorgeous head of hair’ Pence, Trump attorney clash over what Trump told his VP ahead of Jan. 6, 2021 DeSantis steps up dire warning to GOP about distraction from Biden, amid Trump's latest indictment

Former President Donald Trump attacked the nation’s capital as a “filthy and crime-ridden embarrassment” as the leading Republican

Donald Trump is on the defence after his third criminal indictment was handed to him this past week, lashing out at several people, including Nancy Pelosi, for providing commentary on his federal charges. The ex-president didn’t hold back against Ms Pelosi in a post on Truth Social on Sunday after the ex-speaker of the house said Mr Trump looked like a “scared puppy” attending his arraignment last week. “I purposely didn’t comment on Nancy Pelosi’s very weird story concerning her husband, but now I can because she said something about me, with glee, that was really quite vicious,” Mr Trump wrote. Ms Pelosi told MSNBC on Friday that when she saw Mr Trump emerge from his car for the arraignment in Washington DC she saw “a scared puppy” who “knows the truth that he lost the election”. Mr Trump appeared in federal court on Thursday to face four charges related to his alleged efforts and conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results. The ex-president responded to Ms Pelosi’s comments, saying that he wasn’t “scared” of his arraignment and he thought her comment was “mean.” “She is a Wicked Witch whose husbands journey from hell starts and finishes with her. She is a sick & demented psycho who will someday live in HELL!” Mr Trump continued. Mr Trump’s comment was a reference to Ms Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, who was attacked in his own home by an intruder last year. The intruder and attacker, later identified as David DePape, intended to take Ms Pelosi hostage and interrogate her. During the attack, Mr Pelosi sustained several serious injuries to his skull, arm and hand. Reports found Mr DePape was entangled with far-right rhetoric online. Some of his views included subscribing to Mr Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Those claims are what have landed Mr Trump with a third criminal, and second federal, indictment. Mr Trump has been charged with conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy against rights and obstruction of, and attempt to obstruct, an official proceeding. The charges stem from his alleged conspiracy to unlawfully change the results of the 2020 election in his favour. Ultimately Mr Trump’s claims of election fraud led to the January 6 riot that saw a mob of Trump supporters storm the Capitol building. Ms Pelosi was a target of rioters that day – some of who entered her office unlawfully. Following his arraignment, Mr Trump has spent time on his social media platform launching attacks on those who criticise him. Besides Ms Pelosi, the ex-president has attacked Mike Pence, Special Counsel Jack Smith, prosecutors in the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the judge presiding over his case. Read More Trump attacks indictment, ‘deranged’ Jack Smith and long showers in South Carolina speech - latest news Trump attacks ‘delusional’ Pence over key role in election indictment: ‘Gone to the dark side’ Pelosi says Trump looked like ‘a scared puppy’ during arraignment Pence, Trump attorney clash over what Trump told his VP ahead of Jan. 6, 2021 Giuliani must clarify his ‘puzzling’ court filing in Georgia defamation case Trump calls for Senate to save him from latest indictment

Donald Trump was in attack mode as he spoke to supporters Saturday evening in Columbia, South Carolina. The former president, not known for holding back against his enemies, was more combative than ever as he spoke at a South Carolina Republican Party fundraiser in the wake of his indictment on criminal charges related to his attempt to overturn the 2020 election. While some moments were clearly scripted and focused his rage against President Joe Biden and the Department of Justice, others were not as he veered into attacks against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Republicans tied to leadership in the Senate who have resisted his calls to use their power to help him — both on January 6, and now, as he faces criminal prosecution. “These guys, what they’re doing with this election interference ... the Senate needs to step up. The House is doing a lot of things…They have something on Mitch McConnell,” the former president argued, presumably meaning either Democrats or the Department of Justice, or both. “There’s no way he’s doing this. They got something on Mitch McConnell.” It was the kind of blunt attack, launched from the backyard of Senator Lindsey Graham, that is likely to cause further headaches for the Senate GOP caucus, which mercifully can avoid reporters’ questions about the matter until the end of the August recess. Mr Graham has traded blows publicly with McConnellworld in recent months, earning a vicious rebuke and accusations of flip-flopping from a former top aide to the Senate GOP leader. The remark could also be awkard for Senator Tim Scott, the other member of South Carolina’s Senate delegation, who is running against Mr Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination but has yet to take a strong line of attack against the former president. Mr Trump’s remarks about the House of Representatives “doing a lot of things” refers to the efforts by the House Judiciary Committee to battle the Department of Justice as well as prosecutors in Manhattan over their offices’ respective prosecutions of Mr Trump; those actions by the Judiciary panel, however, have largely amounted to show and have done little if anything to hinder the investigations themselves. Given the Democratic majority in the Senate, it’s not clear what else the president has in mind for his allies to accomplish. Some individual senators have taken to blocking appointments to various federal agencies until their demands are met, but these actions have not yet been undertaken or endorsed by GOP leadership. Others attacked by Mr Trump during his speech on Saturday included his former attorney general, Bill Barr, who has affirmed in public interviews that he believes the Department of Justice’s prosecutions of his ex-boss to be legitimate and serious, and Jack Smith, the special counsel leading the Department of Justice’s prosecution of Mr Trump in two matters: The alleged unlawful retention of classified material and other presidential records, and the campaign to overturn the election ending on January 6. His most scripted attacks were predictably aimed at Mr Biden however, whom he accused once again of using his power to enrich himself and his family. The charge has been leveled at his own family in the wake of their departure from the White House, in particular given a massive Saudi-backed investment into his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s business secured shortly after the end of his time in government. “Crooked Joe Biden only cares about enriching his family,” Mr Trump said. “I care about enriching your family.” “Under my leadership, we built the greatest economy in the history of the world,” said the former president.“When I get back in office, I’m going to reverse Bidenomics and restore the trajectory I created toward increasing this country’s financial prosperity.” Mr Trump was in Washington this past week for his indictment on charges related to the 2020 election. He entered a plea of not guilty as the number of criminal counts formally filed against him continued to climb, and immediately began making statements about the investigation that have forced prosecutors to seek a protective order from the judge that would limit what he can say publicly. He continues to persist as the far-and-away leader of the Republican 2024 primary field, even as it appears likely that he and/or members of his legal team could face further charges filed against them later this month in Georgia as a grand jury investigation into his efforts to change election results in that state comes to a head. The former president and his allies continue to wrongfully insist that the 2020 election was “stolen” by Mr Biden even as every reputable expert and agency with authority to monitor elections have said that his claims about the results are false. Read More DeSantis steps up dire warning to GOP about distraction from Biden, amid Trump's latest indictment Trump attacks ‘delusional’ Pence over key role in election indictment: ‘Gone to the dark side’ Mike Pence heckled by Trump supporters at town hall after rolling out mocking merch Trump goes on kooky rant about how long it takes to wash his ‘gorgeous head of hair’ Vivek Ramaswamy's Hindu faith is front and center in his GOP presidential campaign Trump demands Judge Tanya Chutkan be removed from election case after ruling against him

More than half of Americans say former President Donald Trump tried to stay in office though illegal means,

Donald Trump attacked Mike Pence as “delusional” days after the former vice president was revealed to play a central role in the latest federal indictment against him. Mr Trump appeared to be trying to do damage control on Truth Social after he was charged with four federal charges related to his alleged conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election and the subsequent attack on the Capitol. After attacking Special Counsel Jack Smith and the Department of Justice, Mr Trump turned his attention to his former vice president and current 2024 White House opponent. “Liddle’ Mike Pence, a man who was about to be ousted as Governor Indiana until I came along and made him V.P., has gone to the Dark Side,” Mr Trump wrote on Saturday. The statement appeared to be in reference to Mr Pence’s more recent outspoken condemnation of Mr Trump’s behaviour leading up to the 6 January riot. “I never told a newly emboldened (not based on his 2% poll numbers!) Pence to put me above the Constitution or that Mike was ‘too honest.’ He’s delusional, and now he wants to show he’s a tough guy,” Mr Trump added. The ex-vice president and 2024 candidate has begun selling merchandise that says “Too honest” – something Mr Trump allegedly told Mr Pence after he refused to engage in a scheme to unlawfully decertify election results. Then in a statement released after Mr Trump’s third criminal indictment, Mr Pence said: “Today’s indictment serves as an important reminder: anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States.” While giving a speech in New Hampshire this past week, Mr Pence also responded to a group of Trump supporters who questioned his loyalty to the United States for refusing to unlawfully decertify election results. The ex-president has maintained that he upheld his duty to the Constitution on 6 January. Seemingly, Mr Pence is capitalising on Mr Trump’s bad press to make himself appear as the more stable conservative candidate for president. As Mr Pence tries to appeal to GOP voters, Mr Trump is attempting to discredit the indictment and Mr Pence’s character. In his Truth Social post, Mr Trump continued: “I once read a major magazine article on Mike. It said he was not a very good person. I was surprised, but the article was right. Sad!” Mr Pence and Mr Trump worked closely together for the four years they were in office. Mr Trump’s latest attack comes after prosecutors in the Department of Justice (DoJ) appealed to Judge Tanya Chutkan to issue a protective order preventing Mr Trump and his attorneys from sharing information about the case. The proposed order directly mentioned Mr Trump’s love of ranting and attacking others on social media as a cause for concern that he could release sensitive information. At his arraignment on Thursday, Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya reminded Mr Trump: “It is a crime to intimidate or retaliate against anyone for providing information about your case to the prosecution or otherwise obstruct justice.” When asked if he understand the warning, Mr Trump nodded affirmatively. Read More Trump attacks indictment, ‘deranged’ Jack Smith and long showers in South Carolina speech - latest news Mike Pence heckled by Trump supporters at town hall after rolling out mocking merch DoJ requests protective order after Trump threatens revenge in Truth Social post DoJ requests protective order after Trump threatens revenge in Truth Social post

An Arizona woman has been arrested for allegedly trying to kill her estranged husband by poisoning his daily coffee for months - while he used hidden cameras to catch her in the act. Melody Felicano Johnson was indicted by a Tucson grand jury on charges of first-degree attempted murder (domestic violence), attempting to commit aggravated assault (domestic violence) and poisoning food or drink, according to court documents obtained by KVOA. She pleaded not guilty at an arraignment on Friday. Prosecutors say the plot to poison her husband Roby Johnson, a member of the US Air Force, began back in March when he noticed a strange smell in his coffee. The couple, who share a child and were living together while going through a divorce, were stationed in Germany at the time. A few weeks later, Roby Johnson investigated his suspicions with pool testing strips, which showed high levels of chlorine in the coffee pot, the indictment states. In May, he placed hidden cameras that allegedly captured Melody Johnson pouring something into the coffee maker. Roby Johnson reportedly told investigators that he pretended to drink the coffee until the couple returned in June to the US, where he was stationed at Davis Monthan Air Force Base. He then set up multiple hidden cameras again to catch her in the act. The footage showed Melody Johnson “take bleach, pour it into a container and then walk over and pour it into the coffee maker”, the indictment states. An official investigation was launched after Roby Johnson turned the footage over to police as he filed a report. He told investigators he believed Melody Johnson wanted to kill him to collect his death benefits. Melody Johnson is currently being held in the Pima County Jail on $250,000 bond after prosecutors convinced a judge she poses a flight risk, having recently purchased a house in the Philippines near her family. Her next court appearance is scheduled for 6 September.

By Amy Tennery Megan Rapinoe did not get the Women's World Cup farewell she wanted on Sunday, a

Federal prosecutors in Donald Trump’s latest indictment are seeking a protective order after he posted a perceived threat on Truth Social. A day after being arrested and pleading not guilty to four federal charges for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election, Mr Trump wrote on his social media site: “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” The Department of Justice cited that post in asking District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan for a protective order that would limit what discovery evidence Mr Trump and his legal team can share publicly. Special counsel Jack Smith’s team said such an order could help prevent a “harmful chilling effect on witnesses”. The Trump campaign then issued a statement insisting his post was not a threat of revenge but rather “political speech”. “The Truth post cited is the definition of political speech, and was in response to the RINO, China-loving, dishonest special interest groups and Super PACs, like the ones funded by the Koch brothers and the Club for No Growth,” the campaign said. Judge Chutkan is giving Mr Trump and his attorneys until Monday to respond to the protective order request. Read More Trump appears to stumble over his name and age at arraignment Will Donald Trump go to prison? Trump was told not to talk to witnesses in 2020 election conspiracy case. That could be a challenge. What is an arraignment? Here’s what to expect following Trump’s indictment

At least three people have been killed and a blood transfusion centre bombed in Ukraine, as Russia unleashed a wave of intense drone and missile strikes after vowing to retaliate for a Ukrainian hit on Russian tankers in the Black Sea. Moscow’s second-largest airport also briefly suspended flights Sunday morning following what the Kremlin said was a foiled Ukrainian drone attack. The Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed publicly whether they were behind either raid. The Ukrainian air force said Sunday that in total Russian forces had launched 70 Iranian-made Shahed drones, as well as cruise and hypersonic missiles from aircraft over the Caspian Sea. Russian shelling in the northern region of Kharkiv also killed three people. It comes as senior officials from some 40 countries including the United States, China and India are taking part in talks in Saudi Arabia that Kyiv and its allies hope will lead to agreement on key principles for a peaceful end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia is not attending. Read More ‘Extremely dangerous’ Wagner fighters seeking to destabilise Nato, Poland warns EU imposes sanctions on dozens in Belarus over protest crackdown and support for Russia What Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska wants the world to know ‘With you until the end’: Defence secretary Ben Wallace’s dramatic pledge to Ukraine after first lady’s plea