Trump news – live: Trump gives ‘bravado’ defence for classified documents tape as he sues E Jean Carroll
Donald Trump is now suing E Jean Carroll for defamation, one month after he was found liable for sexually abusing her in a Manhattan department store and then defaming her by denying the attack took place. The former president filed a counterclaim on Tuesday claiming that she defamed him when she stood by her rape accusation in an interview with CNN one day after the jury verdict. The counterclaim was in response to the first of two lawsuits the magazine columnist brought against Mr Trump. In a civil trial in the second lawsuit last month, a jury awarded Ms Carroll $5m in damages. Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani has confirmed that he recently spoke to federal investigators as part of their probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Mr Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, was part of Mr Trump’s legal team who made false claims of election fraud. In other news relating to the former president’s legal troubles, Mr Trump’s new defence regarding the recording of him talking about classified military plans at his Bedminster golf club in 2021 was that it was “bravado” and there were no secret papers present among his other documents. Read More Kevin McCarthy knows he crossed the line with Donald Trump Trump's GOP support dips slightly after his indictment over classified documents, AP-NORC poll finds ‘Any Republican not named Trump’: Paul Ryan says former president is only candidate who would lose to Biden
2023-06-29 14:54
James Buckley, conservative senator and brother of late writer William F. Buckley, dies at 100
Former federal appeals court judge and New York Senator James Buckley has died at age 100
2023-08-19 04:51
Alibaba unveils open-sourced AI model similar to Meta's Llama 2
HONG KONG Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group's cloud computing unit released two open-sourced artificial intelligence (AI) models on
2023-08-03 15:26
Erik Larson's next book closely tracks the months leading up to the Civil War
The next book by Erik Larson, known for the best-selling “The Devil in the White City,” is a work of Civil War history inspired in part by current events
2023-10-18 21:15
What is the Espionage Act that Trump is being investigated under?
What do the transgender whistleblower Chelsea Manning, the 1950s Soviet spy Julius Rosenberg and former president Donald Trump all have in common? The answer, following the indictment arising from the discovery of classified documents at Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, is that all four have been investigated under suspicion of violating the Espionage Act of 1917. When the FBI raided Mr Trump’s property last August, they were looking for items that might violate the Act, which regulates the handling of confidential documents relating to national security. Most often used against spies, whistleblowers and government employees who leak documents to journalists, the Espionage Act carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. So what exactly is Mr Trump being investigated for? A contentious law with roots in First World War paranoia The Espionage Act is a controversial and often contested law that dates from America’s entry into the First World War against Germany in 1917. Even before joining the conflict, President Woodrow Wilson had urged Congress to crack down on immigrant groups and radical political movements that he claimed had “poured the poison of disloyalty into the very arteries of our national life”. At the time, German-Americans were a large and influential ethnic group, with those born in Germany comprising 2.7 per cent of the US population and 18.5 per cent of the foreign-born population, according to the census of 1910. Over 27 per cent of the nation’s “foreign white stock” spoke German as their mother tongue. There were German-language schools, churches, and newspapers throughout the country, which faced backlash from English-speaking groups. Passed just two months after Wilson joined the war and bolstered one year later in 1918, the Espionage Act criminalised many forms of dissent against the war, leading to jail sentences against speech-makers, leafleteers, film-makers and newspaper editors. The act’s more radical provisions were dismantled after the war, but other parts remain in force – including those listed in Section 793 of the US Code of Laws, which bans citizens from leaking or mishandling information relating to “national defence”. Since then, the Act has been used to prosecute the Soviet spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, the Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, National Security Agency leakers Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning and various other people who leaked US government secrets to journalists, the public or other nation states. What does the Espionage Act ban? US Code Section 793 forbids various forms of obtaining, leaking or failing to properly look after “information respecting the national defence”. For example, it forbids anyone to acquire any information about US national security facilities if they intend or have reason to believe that the information might be used “to the injury of the United States or the advantage of any foreign nation”. The Act also bans people lawfully entrusted with defence information that could harm the US from giving it to any unauthorised person, or from “wilfully retaining” it and failing to deliver it “to the officer entitled to receive it”. Another provision, wider in scope, makes it a crime for anyone trusted with such information (such as presidents) to let it be “removed from its proper place of custody”, lost, stolen, or otherwise waylaid “through gross negligence”. The same provision requires officials who become aware of such an incident to “make prompt report to his superior officer”, although it is unclear who Mr Trump’s “superior officer” would be in this case. According to the search warrant issued to agents last summer, the FBI seized various boxes and folders described as including “miscellaneous secret documents” and “miscellaneous top secret documents”. What could happen to Donald Trump now? Mr Trump has claimed he is being wrongly persecuted since the investigation began, just as he did throughout his presidency when his election campaign’s possible ties to Russia were closely examined. “This raid of President Trump’s home was not just unprecedented, but unnecessary – and now they are leaking lies and innuendos to try to explain away the weaponisation of government against their dominant political opponent,” a spokesman said in response to August’s raid. In response to his indictment on Thursday (8 June), Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax. “I have been summoned to appear at the Federal Courthouse in Miami on Tuesday, at 3 PM. I never thought it possible that such a thing could happen to a former President of the United States, who received far more votes than any sitting President in the History of our Country, and is currently leading, by far, all Candidates, both Democrat and Republican, in Polls of the 2024 Presidential Election. I AM AN INNOCENT MAN!” If he is ultimately prosecuted and convicted, Mr Trump could be fined or imprisoned for up to 10 years, as well as forfeiting any property bought with proceeds of the crime. A conviction could potentially prevent him from holding political office again, not only because of the reputational damage but because the Fourteenth Amendment to the US constitution bans candidates who “have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against [the US], or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof”. When the Socialist German-American journalist and former congressman Victor Berger was elected to a second term in 1918, Congress refused to seat him because he had been sentenced to 20 years in jail under the Espionage Act. However, with Mr Trump’s Republican allies rallying to his defence – and promising to investigate the way the FBI have treated him – who knows where this saga could end? Read More Trump indictment – latest: Trump faces 100-year jail sentence as he declares ‘I am an innocent man’ Trump unleashes on ‘woke military’ and says America is ‘going to hell’ in bizarre Truth Social rant Read Trump’s furious reaction to indictment: ‘This is war’ Trump has been indicted again: These are the investigations he faces Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement
2023-06-09 17:23
Wildfires on Greek island of Rhodes force thousands of holidaymakers to evacuate
Thousands of holidaymakers have been forced to evacuate their hotels on the Greek island of Rhodes, as wildfires raged for a fifth day. Coastguard vessels and more than 30 private boats evacuated at least 2,000 people from beaches close to the areas of Kiotari and Lardos in the southeastern part of the island, coastguard spokesman Nikos Alexiou said. Long queues of tourists were videoed walking with their luggage along a road as part of an evacuation operation, while smoke could be seen in the background. Those evacuated are being housed at an indoor stadium and at hotels on the island, said Konstantinos Taraslias, a deputy mayor of Rhodes. Three passenger ferries were also committed to host tourists during the night, the coastguard said. The wildfire had been confined to the island’s mountainous centre, but aided by winds, high temperatures and dry conditions, it began to spread more widely on Saturday. Local media reported the fires had reached three hotels, which had already been evacuated. Tourists told how they had been forced to walk for hours in the searing heat to try and escape the smoke. Fire Service spokesperson Yannis Artopios said on Saturday afternoon that residents of four localities were sent SMS messages to evacuate – in two places they were told to move to the northeast and in two others to the southwest. Tourists posted videos of their evacuations on social media, as they described the scenes and the experiences of their families. “Currently stranded in Rhodes escaping the wildfires on foot – left everything at the hotel and fled with towels across our faces”, said Paul Kalburgi on Twitter. “My youngest just told me he doesn’t want to die. Terrifying situation here.” Another Twitter user, John Hughes, said he “had to walk four miles in the heat across dirt tracks in smoke and ash with a five year old. No possessions”. Nikita Bassi tweeted: “Arrived in Rhodes this morning to be told that wild fires have spread throughout and our hotel has been evacuated. No hotels anywhere for us to go and now looking for a flight home as news says the fires are getting worse around Greece. “600/700 people from the evacuated hotels are coming to this one hotel and are having to sleep in the lobby and outside on the sun beds. This is honestly crazy. I can’t believe this is happening”. Becky Mulligan, a British tourist on Rhodes, told the BBC that she was evacuated from her hotel with her sister and daughter, but was now stuck on a beach alongside hundreds of others. “There’s just a small shack here and there’s so many of us,” seh said. “There’s children, it’s the middle of the day, we are just stuck here with no help, it’s disgusting.” Another tourist, Simon Wheatley told the broadcaster that his hotel had initially said the situations was “normal and there was no need to worry”. His hotel was subsequently evacuated. “We saw that a beach bar that we were at just the day before had burnt down. The smoke was so bad. We had to leave two bags of luggage”, he said. Another holidaymaker, James Hall, told Sky News: “It was quite a bit of madness this morning. We noticed smoke and ash coming down and we got the government text, pretty much telling us to evacuate. “And we walked south, as far as we could… We dragged our suitcases for two hours in the 40-degree heat.” He said that he was worried he would miss his plane home, adding: “Honestly it was bizarre, if you are in a wheelchair or on crutches, the chances of you getting out in a timely manner was almost nil. “We got instruction to go to the beach but we decided to keep walking. The sheer volume of smoke I don’t imagine it’s particularly safe right now.” Jet2, a budget airline that flies multiple daily flights from the UK to Rhodes during the summer, told The Independent that it was working to support tourists on the ground. “We are aware of the fast-moving situation in Rhodes, and our in-resort teams are working to comply with the guidance of local authorities”, a spokesperson said. “The health, safety and well-being of our customers will always be our number one priority and we ask any customers in affected areas to follow the advice of the local authorities, or their hoteliers who will be acting under the advice of the authorities.” A spokesperson for travel company Tui, which organises package holidays to Rhodes, told The Independent that they are “aware of wildfires in the south of Rhodes and are monitoring the situation closely. “A number of hotels have been impacted and our resort teams are working with the local authorities and following their advice to relocate impacted customers”, added the spokesperson “Our main priority is always the safety of our customers and we will proactively be in touch with anyone due to travel who’s holiday is affected”. Fire Service spokesperson Yannis Artopios added that more than 200 firefighters and 40 fire engines were operating on the ground, assisted by three planes and five helicopters. The force includes 31 firefighters from Slovakia, with five fire engines. “The situation in Rhodes is serious and extremely difficult. Due to the strong wind and quickly changing direction of the fire, firefighters had to withdraw and move,” Slovak Fire and Rescue Services said on Facebook. The main front of the fire is a triangle, with two of its points near the sea and one in the mountains. On maps, each side of the triangle appears more than six miles long. Three coast guard vessels, plus one from the army, were evacuating people from two beaches. Twenty private boats were also assisting, and the Greek navy was sending a vessel. The blaze in Rhodes is the most fearsome of several blazes ongoing around Greece. The fire northwest of Athens and one near Sparta were subsiding, said Mr Artopios, although weather conditions, including temperatures set to reach 45C on Sunday and low humidity, mean there is a risk more wildfires might break out. The Fire Service has designated almost the whole eastern part of the mainland, plus the islands of Evia and Rhodes, as well as large swathes of the southwest, as category five, the highest for the risk of fire outbreaks on Sunday. There will be a brief respite in the heatwave on Monday, but it will resume on Tuesday and could last until at least Friday, meteorologists have said. Firefighting forces from eight EU countries are either operating or due to arrive soon, Mr Artopios said. Israel, Jordan and Turkey have also sent reinforcements, mostly aerial equipment. Read More Best UK hotels 2022 Best luxury hotels in Scotland for 2022 Family-friendly hotels in the UK for style, location and value Helicopters battle wildfires fuelled by strong winds in Turkey Watch as wildfires continue to rage in Greece during Europe’s heatwave European heatwave - latest updates as record temperatures continue
2023-07-23 05:22
Who is Sneako? Streamer teases content house collab with Adin Ross, Fousey and N3on, Internet says 'it won’t be a good thing'
Sneako claimed that the idea of living together with these creators could be an exciting way to 'shake things up', sparking a buzz among his fans
2023-08-30 16:49
Fans call Paris Hilton ‘real Barbie in black’ as she enjoys evening with nieces in stunning outfit
Paris Hilton is an aunt to Lily-Grace Victoria Rothschild, Theodora Marilyn Rothschild, and Milou Alizee Hilton
2023-07-11 13:29
Andrew Tate's latest dig at Greta Thunberg leaves Internet angry: ‘Come back to USA so we can arrest you'
A user wrote, 'After shedding tears in the solitude of his cell, he'd close his eyes, only to envision Greta's smiling face'
2023-07-17 16:15
Italy's Meloni meets with China's Li as Italy's continued participation in 'Belt and Road' in doubt
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the G20 summit
2023-09-09 22:20
30 Years Ago: When Alicia Silverstone and Aerosmith Ruled MTV
In 1993, a teenaged Alicia Silverstone changed the rules for video vixens everywhere with Aerosmith's "Cryin'"—and cemented her place in pop culture history.
2023-08-12 05:16
Cyprus labors to shield reputation amid new US, UK action on Russian 'sanctions evasion network'
For Cypriots, it was a collective "here we go again" moment: In April, the U.S. and the U.K. included a handful of Cypriot nationals and Cyprus-registered companies on a list of “enablers” helping Russian oligarchs skirt sanctions
2023-06-09 14:17
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