Long-time Donald Trump ally Rudy Giuliani has denied accusations that he may have flipped on his close friend. This comes on the heels of the former president’s announcement that he is readying himself for an indictment related to the Jan 6 riots and the revelation of three federal statutes, including conspiracy and obstruction, that could form the basis of fresh charges against him. “Any speculation that mayor Rudy Giuliani ‘flipped’ against president Donald Trump is as false as previous lies that America’s mayor was somehow a Russian agent,” tweeted Mr Giuliani’s adviser Ted Goodman. Mr Giuliani was previously New York city’s mayor, Mr Trump’s personal lawyer, and also a former US associate attorney general. “In order to ‘flip’ on president Trump – as so many in the anti-Trump media are fantasizing over – mayor Giuliani would have had to commit perjury because all the information he has regarding this case points to president Trump’s innocence,” he further said in his tweet. Mr Giuliani reportedly participated in a voluntary interview with prosecutors as part of what is known as a “queen for a day” deal, under which the ex-mayor can avoid indictment for anything he tells prosecutors about during the interview. The former Trump lawyer had his law license suspended in New York and Washington as a result of allegedly making multiple false representations while seeking to help Mr Trump overturn the 2020 election. In a critical turn for Mr Trump, prosecutors could ask a grand jury to return an indictment against him relating to the Jan 6 attack on the US Capitol and his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election as soon as this week, The Independent has learned. A source familiar with the special counsel’s probe and Department of Justice operating procedures told The Independent that the earliest an indictment could be handed down is late Thursday or Friday, after the deadline prosecutors set for Mr Trump to avail himself of their invitation to testify before the grand jury investigating crimes relating to the Capitol attack. Reports have said the charges could stem from three federal statutes: Conspiracy to commit offence or to defraud the United States, deprivation of rights under colour of law and tampering with a witness, victim or informant. The Independent has also learned that Mr Smith’s team is ready to bring charges against several of the attorneys who have worked for Mr Trump, including those who aided the ex-president in his push to ignore the will of voters and remain in the White House despite having lost the 2020 election. One of those figures is Mr Giuliani. Read More Next Trump indictment could drop as soon as this week Steve Bannon and Michael Flynn subpoenaed in Smartmatic lawsuits against Fox News and Newsmax Rudy Giuliani sparks backlash with bizarre appearance at Gilgo Beach murder suspect’s home Giuliani blames ‘deep state’ after Washington DC panel recommends he be disbarred over false 2020 claims Ex-Trump aide reportedly joins Giuliani in cooperating with special counsel in 2020 election probe

Michael Strahan revealed on 'GMA' which Hollywood film brings him the most 'comfort' during the Christmas season

Three explosions took place in Washington, DC over the weekend in what appears to be targeted attacks on businesses. An ATM, a Nike store, and a Safeway grocery store were all struck by explosions starting at about 4.30am on Sunday. The suspect remains on the loose and police are on the lookout for a vehicle used in the explosions. The attacks all occurred within 15 minutes, with the first taking place when the suspect blew up an ATM outside Truist Bank in the 2300 block of Washington Place in northeastern Washington. After leaving the scene in the car, the suspect detonated a second explosion at 4.36am at the Nike Store located in the 700 block of H Street. Nine minutes later, a molotov cocktail-style explosive was thrown at the Safeway grocery store on the 300 block of 40th Street before the suspect again left the scene by car. No injuries have been reported and the Metropolitan Police has said that the suspect didn’t appear to have been targeting the public as the explosions took place at closed businesses. Read More A DC Nike store, Safeway and ATM were targeted with explosives. Now the hunt is on to catch a hooded suspect Three Washington DC businesses targeted with explosive devices as hooded suspect on loose

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(Reuters) -Contract research firm ICON Plc said on Wednesday it is partnering with the U.S. government for a clinical trial

Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Legislature is talking about impeaching a newly elected liberal state Supreme Court justice even before she has heard a case

WASHINGTON U.S. President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden on Tuesday offered to testify publicly to a House Republican

Wall Street is mixed after a report showed inflation is making strides toward easing, even if it remains too high

Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday called for "accountability" for the events of January 6, 2021, marking a notable departure from the White House's policy of silence on former President Donald Trump's legal issues.

The death of the contentious former US secretary of state draws nostalgia and compliments in China.

Shares of Pfizer are falling before the opening bell as the company cut its full-year outlook, citing declining sales of its COVID-19-related products

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has rubbished Ukraine’s 10-point peace plan and warned the conflict will be resolved on the battlefield if the west stuck to it. Addressing the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Lavrov dismissed the west as an “empire of lies” and said the plan promoted by Kyiv was “completely not feasible”. In a letter to Lavrov last month, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres outlined four measures the U.N. could facilitate to improve Russia’s grain and fertilizer exports in a bid to convince Moscow to return to the Black Sea deal, which allowed Ukraine to export grain through the corridor and helped address a global food shortage. “We explained to the Secretary General why his proposals won’t work,” Lavrov said. “We don’t reject them. They’re simply not realistic. They cannot be implemented.” Earlier on Saturday morning, Ukraine launched another missile attack on Sevastopol in occupied Crimea, a Russian-installed official said, a day after an attack on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet left a serviceman missing and the main building smoldering. Sevastopol was put on air raid alert for about an hour after debris from intercepted missiles fell near a pier, Gov. Mikhail Razvozhayev wrote on the messaging app Telegram. Ferry traffic in the area was also halted and later resumed. Loud blasts were also heard near Vilne in northern Crimea, followed by rising clouds of smoke, according to a pro-Ukrainian Telegram news channel that reports on developments on the peninsula. Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, has been a frequent target for Ukrainian forces since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of the neighboring country almost 19 months ago. Ukraine‘s intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, told Voice of America on Saturday that at least nine people were killed and 16 injured as a result of Kyiv’s attack on the Black Sea Fleet on Friday. He claimed that Alexander Romanchuk, a Russian general commanding forces along the key southeastern front line, was “in a very serious condition” following the attack. Elsewhere, Ukraine said its heavy artillery was inflicting “hell” on Russian lines near Bakhmut. Captured by Russian forces in May, heavy weapons supplied by the west are inflicting significant damage on enemy lines, with the 155mm howitzers supplied by the US and NATO allies said to be proving key in the long-awaited counteroffensive. “They (the Russians) hate our hardware”, said 30-year-old unit commander Oleksandr. “That’s what we gather from our intercepts. We hear that we keep giving them hell and they keep wondering how much ammunition we have left.” Oleksandr described Klishchiivka - a village close to the devastated town of Bakhmut - as “one of the places they (the Russians) were clinging to. “We will see what’s next. We will develop our success.” Meanwhile, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has announced several support packages for Ukraine, including military, economic and humanitarian assistance. He has also pledged an extra show of diplomatic backing in steps intended to punish Russia over its war in Ukraine. In a news conference held with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr Trudeau confirmed that Canada would continue to “impose costs on Russia” and ensure that “those responsible for this illegal, unjustifiable invasion do not benefit from it.” "We stand here absolutely united in our defence of democracy and our condemnation of Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked, unjustified and unconscionable invasion of Ukraine”, Mr Trudeau added. Canada and Ukraine have agreed to form a working group with G7 partners to analyse the seizure and forfeiture of Russian assets, including from the Russian Central Bank. It has also added 63 Russian individuals to its sanctions list, including those who are “complicit in the kidnapping of children and the spreading of disinformation”, Mr Trudeau said. Read More Ukraine-Russia war - live: Kyiv inflicting ‘hell’ on Russian lines as counter-offensive escalates Russian foreign minister lambastes the West but barely mentions Ukraine in UN speech Zelensky meets Sudanese official during ‘technical stopover’ in Ireland Trudeau pledges Canada's support for Ukraine and punishment for Russia Zelensky gets standing ovation as he calls on Canada to ‘stay with’ Ukraine: ‘Moscow must lose’ The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary