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The office of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia has notified at least two witnesses to appear next week before a grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn election results in the state, the strongest indication yet that prosecutors are preparing to issue indictments in the coming days. Prosecutors will begin to present the case to jurors early next week. Former Republican Lt Governor Geoff Duncan said he has been requested to appear on Tuesday, 15 August. “I did just receive notification to appear on Tuesday morning at the Fulton County grand jury and I certainly will be there to do my part in recounting the facts,” he told CNN. “I have no expectations as to the questions, and I’ll certainly answer whatever questions are put in front of me.” Journalist George Chidi also has announced that he is preparing to testify on Tuesday. The case is the culmination of a wide-ranging investigation over the last two years following the former president’s pressure campaign targeting state officials to reject the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state. Ms Willis opened an investigation shortly after news of Mr Trump’s call to Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the state’s top elections official, who was pressed to find “11,870 votes” – just enough needed for then-President Trump to beat Joe Biden in the state. A special grand jury previously heard testimony from 75 witnesses, including aides and former attorneys to Mr Trump. That jury concluded its report in January with recommendations for state prosecutors to bring charges that will soon be reviewed by the newly impaneled grand jury. The investigation is among several facing the former president, who was separately charged with three criminal conspiracies and obstruction in a federal case stemming from the US Department of Justice special counsel probe into his attempts to subvert the election outcome. Last year, Ms Willis’s office sent letters warning several people – including Rudy Giuliani and a slate of so-called “alternate” electors loyal to Mr Trump – that they could face charges in the case. She also may be considering a wider set of charges that Ms Willis has made a career out of bringing against dozens of others. The state’s anti-racketeering RICO statute – typically used to break up organized crime – has been used by her office in indictments against more than two dozen people connected to a sprawling Atlanta hip-hop empire, 38 alleged gang members, and 25 educators accused of cheating Atlanta’s public school system. The RICO Act allows prosecutors to bring charges against multiple people that they believe committed separate crimes while working toward a common goal. A grand jury was sworn in to hear the case last month. Jurors have convened on Mondays and Tuesdays. After a case is presented, members of the grand jury convene to deliberate the case and decide whether to vote for a “true bill” or a “no bill” indictment, the former meaning that there is probable cause to believe a person committed a crime. A “no bill” means jurors did not believe a person committed a crime or that there is not enough evidence to indict them. An indictment is then presented in open court. Mr Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, characterising the multiple criminal indictments against him in several jurisdictions as politically motivated “witch hunts” while lashing out at the Democratic elected prosecutors in Atlanta and New York City – both of whom are Black – as “racist”. News of the upcoming grand jury testimony came as Mr Trump arrived at the Iowa State Fair as he seeks the 2024 Republican nomination for president. In a brief appearance to supporters, he falsely claimed that he received “millions and millions” of more votes than Mr Biden in 2020 as a group of his congressional surrogates – including Byron Donald and Matt Gaetz – rallied alongside him in a crowded tent. This is a developing story Read More Trump hits out at Fani Willis as expected Georgia indictment looms after first Jan 6 DC case hearing - latest Trump lashes out at Fulton County DA over Atlanta crime as potential ‘CON JOB’ indictment nears Who is Fani Willis, the Georgia prosecutor who could take down Trump The Supreme Court has already rejected a key part of Trump’s defence

Mohamed Bazoum's doctor visits him in a basement prison amid fears for his health after military coup.

The incident is thought to have happened after a suspect demanded his ID back, a police statement says.

Republican Senator Ron Johnson amplified a number of Covid-19 conspiracy theories in a Fox Business Network segment bloated with false claims about the disease amid a growing number of hospitalisations and infections. While public health officials are urging Americans to stay up to date with vaccinations, the Wisconsin senator and Fox personality Maria Bartiromo falsely refuted vaccine efficacy and safety while wrongly stating that ivermectin is an approved treatment. The senator also revived baseless conspiracy theories circulated by anti-vaccine influencers like Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has faced ongoing scrutiny for his bogus suggestion that the virus is a biological weapon used to target certain demographics and spare Jewish and Chinese people. “This was all pre-planned by an elite group of people,” Mr Johnson said on the network on 11 August. “We’re up against a very powerful group of people … We are going down a very dangerous path, but it’s a path that is being laid out and planned by an elite group of people that want to take total control over our lives, and that’s what they’re doing bit by bit.” Mr Johnson and Ms Bartiromo also falsely claimed that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved ivermectin to treat Covid-19. Their bogus claims follow a recent appeals court hearing in a lawsuit from three doctors who have accused the federal agency of overstepping its authority by telling people not to take the drug. A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump dismissed the lawsuit last year. FDA attorneys argued that the agency did not prohibit doctors from prescribing the drug but had issued guidance recommending against its use. Right-wing media falsely interpreted those statements to mean that the agency now is endorsing the drug. Ms Bartiromo also admitted to taking ivermectin – which still is not authorised or approved for use in preventing or treating Covid-19 – before falsely stating that the FDA says it’s “fine” to use. “It was hard to find my doctor to finally, you know, address this and prescribe ivermectin,” she said. “He did, my Covid was gone in a day when I took ivermectin. And now three years later, the FDA says, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s fine. Take ivermectin.’” The FDA has not said that. The segment aired as Covid-related hospitalisations begin to surge across the US, increasing 12.5 per cent over the last week to more than 9,000, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. EG.5, an offshoot of the omicron variant that sparked waves of new infections, has been circulating in the US since April, now accounting for more than 17 per cent of Covid infections, according to the CDC. Last month, Mr Kennedy – a prominent anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist who is seeking an extremely long-shot bid for the Democratic nomination for president – revived an antisemitic conspiracy that blames Jewish people for the emergence of the disease. He baselessly stated during a press event that “there is an argument to be made” that the disease is “ethnically targeted”. The Independent has requested comment from Fox and a spokesperson for Mr Johnson. Read More Everything we know about EG. 5, the Covid subvariant dominating the US Data from pharmacy chain suggests Covid cases in California have nearly doubled since June RFK Jr’s ‘horrific antisemitic and xenophobic views’ detailed in explosive report Fox News promotes conspiracy theory linking Bronny James collapse to Covid vaccine

Rishi Sunak thought highlighting his efforts to stop the flow of migrants into Britain would rouse the government

Former president Donald Trump has again lashed out at Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Truth Social, ahead of a week in which it is expected he will be indicted for 2020 election interference in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Returning to themes of attack he has deployed before, he called Ms Willis “RACIST” and criticised her professional record combating crime in Atlanta. He called the city “one of the deadliest communities in the US” with “gang members roaming the streets”, adding that they are treated with “kid gloves”. Toward the end of the rambling sentence, the former president got to his point, saying he had heard — without providing evidence — that Ms Willis is using the potential indictment against him as a “campaign and fundraising CON JOB”. Mr Trump has attacked Ms Willis on numerous occasions — with an increasingly desperate tone — including a recent baseless allegation of an extramarital affair with a gang member. In response, the district attorney has issued a memorandum to staff about the new lie told about her instructing them not to comment publicly on the matter. The former president rounded out his latest diatribe by yet again describing his 2 January 2021 phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as “perfect” and that it was his “duty and right” to challenge election fraud as president. Mr Trump wrote in full on his social media platform on Saturday morning: “I hear that RACIST Fulton County (Atlanta) District Attorney ‘Phoney’ Fani Willis, who weakly presides over one of the deadliest communities in the US, with thousands of murderers, violent criminals & gang members roaming the streets while going untried, free, & are treated with ‘kid gloves’, is using a potential Indictment of me, and other innocent people, as a campaign and fundraising CON JOB, all based on a PERFECT PHONE CALL, AS PRESIDENT, CHALLENGING ELECTION FRAUD - MY DUTY & RIGHT!” In a publicly released recording of the call, Mr Trump attempts to pressure Mr Raffensperger into “finding him votes” despite there being no evidence of electoral fraud or other issues. The then-president insisted he had won the state but still said he wanted to find 11,780 votes to clear the margin by which Joe Biden had triumphed in the November 2020 election. The call is expected to be just one part of a multi-faceted indictment handed down by the Fulton County grand jury which has heard evidence of the multiple ways in which the former president and his allies attempted to overturn the results of the election. Late on Friday night, Mr Trump broke an unusually prolonged silence on Truth Social — in which he had predominantly only reposted videos — by sharing his two cents on the naming of David Weiss as special counsel in the Justice Department’s investigation of Hunter Biden. The former president wrote: “David Weiss was picked by the two Democrat Senators from Delaware under “Blue Slip.” He would not have been picked by me. But I have a great idea. Why don’t they use Deranged Jack Smith[?].” Mr Trump continued: “Weiss has been investigating Hunter for 4 years, giving him the ‘sweetheart’ deal of all sweetheart deals. But a brilliant Judge in Delaware saw through it all. Now, I read, the Department of Injustice wants a new Judge and Jurisdiction. But so do I, with far stronger reasons than Hunter & Crooked Joe. MAGA!!!” Mr Weiss was nominated to the post of US Attorney for the US District Court for the District of Delaware by Mr Trump. The former president has tried to get his federal election interference case moved out of the District of Columbia and over to West Virginia to what he sees as a chance to get a better jury. Many of the more than 1,000 people charged with crimes relating to the Capitol riot of 6 January 2021 have tried this and all have been denied as their crimes took place in Washington, DC. Read More Georgia DA Fani Willis tells staff to ignore Trump’s ‘derogatory and false’ attacks Rising political threats take US into uncharted territory as 2024 election looms Prosecutors seek Jan. 2 trial date for Donald Trump in his 2020 election conspiracy case Prosecutor in Hunter Biden case is given special counsel status by attorney general

Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown created a political action committee to "help elect Republicans" but most of its funds were spent paying down debt from his failed previous campaign. The group donated less than 7% of its funds to the candidates it was set up to support, according to campaign finance records -- a move one campaign finance expert likened to using the PAC as a "slush fund."

A host of House Democrats, led by Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are urging the Justice Department to launch a probe into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas “for consistently failing to report significant gifts he received from Harlan Crow and other billionaires for nearly two decades in defiance of his duty under federal law.” In the 11 August letter addressed to US Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Democrats cited the bombshell reports by ProPublica, alleging that Justice Thomas did not disclose luxurious trips and gifts from his billionaire friend Harlan Crow. They wrote that Mr Thomas did not disclose the gifts, “despite certifying repeatedly that his financial disclosure forms are ‘accurate, true, and complete’ in certifications ‘subject to civil and criminal sanctions.’” Supreme Court justices are required to file annual reports disclosing “financial income, gifts and reimbursements, property interests, liabilities, and transactions,” the letter states. While some expenses may be exempt from this requirement, the letter continues, “that exemption does not extend to the officer’s receipt of complimentary transportation, such as the extensive private jet, helicopter, and yacht travel received by Justice Thomas.” It then lays out the consequences of violating the Ethics in Government Act, which states that the attorney general can bring a civil action “against any individual who knowingly and willfully falsifies or who knowingly and willfully fails to file or report any information that such individual is required to report pursuant.” The letter lays out the gifts provided to the Supreme Court Justice from Mr Crow and other wealthy businessmen. “ All told, Thomas has received at least 38 designation vacations, 26 private jet flights, eight helicopter flights, VIP passes to sporting events, stays at luxury resorts, and an invitation to an exclusive golf club” and the estimated value of his gifts since his Supreme Court appointment amounts to millions of dollars, according to the letter. The Supreme Court justice’s “consistent failure to disclose gifts and benefits from industry magnates and wealthy, politically active executives highlights a blatant disregard for judicial ethics as well as apparent legal violations,” the Democrats wrote. “Refusing to hold him accountable would set a dangerous precedent,” they wrote. The letter is signed by Reps Ocasio-Cortez, Jerry Nadler, Jamie Raskin, Hank Johnson, and Ted Lieu. Mr Thomas has been under scrutiny over the past few months following the blockbuster ProPublica reports. On Thursday, New Jersey Rep Bill Pascrell called for his resignation: “He’s corrupt as hell and should resign today,” the lawmaker wrote. Similarly, Rep Gerry Connolly wrote, “Thomas has repeatedly brought dishonor and ethical malpractice to our highest Court,” adding, “I reiterate my call that he must resign. This is exactly why we need SCOTUS ethics reform.” Read More US appeals court dismisses motion challenging permits for natural gas pipeline Lavish vacations, private jets and VIP passes: How wealthy donors put Clarence Thomas in the lap of luxury ‘Corrupt as hell’: Clarence Thomas faces fresh calls to resign after more billionaire gifts revealed

Ecuador, still grieving from the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, is a week away from an election

The jihadists surrounded a military bus in Deir al-Zour province before opening fire, reports say.

By Jarrett Renshaw and Nandita Bose The appointment on Friday of a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden

Actor Adam Thomas has revealed he has been diagnosed with a long-term health condition just days after being announced as the eighth celebrity contestant who will compete in the forthcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing. Sharing a post to Instagram on Friday (11 August) to celebrate his 35 birthday, the Waterloo Road actor told his followers that he has been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. “As much as I act like a kid, my body is telling another story…” he wrote. “I’ve been in a lot of pain since January,” he continued. “It started with my knees and then travelled to my wrists, fingers and now ankles and toes.” Thomas explained: “I never knew what was happening and finally after several blood tests and back and forth to doctors and hospitals, I’ve been diagnosed with rheumatoid Arthritis!” The actor, who is best known for playing Donte Charles in BBC school-based drama, said that he originally thought arthritis was something that people are diagnosed with “later on in life”. Last week, Thomas was announced as the eighth celebrity contestant to appear on Strictly Come Dancing, but has said that he is “up for the challenge”. “The reason I signed up to Strictly is because I just want to be able to move again, get fit and do it, all with a smile on my face!” he wrote. “It really couldn’t have come at a better time I’m a firm believer of everything happening for a reason, and I know the journey I’ve been on was meant to happen, to never take small things in life for granted! …Like going for a run, playing with my kids and just being able to walk with no pain!” “I know it’s going to be tough and I’ve definitely got my work cut out but am up for the challenge and can not wait to get on that dance floor!!” Thomas, who marked his birthday by sharing a picture with his wife, Caroline Daly and their two children, told his followers to “stay positive” and “get the right help where and when you can”. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease and long-term condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. The condition usually affects the hands, feet and wrists and can cause flare-up periods, where symptoms become worse for a period of time. According to the NHS, the condition often stars when a person is between 30 and 50 years old, and women are more likely to be affected than men. Thomas played Adam Barton in ITV soap Emmerdale and also appeared in I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here in 2016, and went on to co-host the spin-off I’m a Celebrity: Extra Camp. Speaking in a statement ahead of his Strictly debut, Thomas said he has been a fan of the dance competition “for years”. “I can’t believe I’m actually doing it!” he said. “I can’t dance to save my life but I’m buzzing to learn and have a good laugh with my pro. Get me on that dance floor... I can’t wait!" Former Strictly contestants have been sharing their words of encouragement for Thomas as he embarks on the challenging training schedule. “You’re so strong and with your family behind you, you can conquer anything. Can’t wait to see you smash it on Strictly ,” wrote singer and presenter Fleur East, who competed in last year’s competition. TV presenter Angela Scanlon, who will be competing alongside Thomas this year, wrote: “You’ve got this.” Find the full Strictly Come Dancing 2023 lineup here. Read More Husband ‘ruins’ dinner because of his wife’s typo: ‘The worst kind of control freak’ Fan who went into labour at Pink concert names newborn son after her From Angela Scanlon to Zara McDermott: The fashion of this year’s Strictly contestants Linda Evangelista opens up about co-parenting with son’s stepmother Salma Hayek Katharine McPhee reveals she and David Foster suffered a ‘family tragedy’