New audio captures George Santos asking filmmaker to pay him for interview
Newly released audio reveals that Republican Congressman George Santos allegedly attempted to solicit a payment from journalists for appearing in a documentary. Filmmaker Blake Zeff and a production team were developing a project involving Mr Santos, but decided to scrap the project after they realised the congressman would be expecting "lots" of money, he said. Mr Zeff recorded conversations between his team and Mr Santos while planning the project. During negotiations, which Mr Zeff shared on MSNBC, Mr Santos allegedly asked what the project will mean for him "monetarily." "Look, I don't have a number in my head," Mr Santos appears to say in the recordings. “Like, the fact that I’m having these conversations, these are conversations I never in a million years thought I would be having. But when in Rome, you know, let’s have the conversations.” Mr Zeff said later that Mr Santos' request to be paid for participating in the documentary was not illegal, but it was "not common" — and unethical — for a journalist to pay a subject for their involvement. The Independent has reached out to Mr Santos for comment. The audio resurfaced shortly after Mr Santos was indicted on 13 federal charges that include fraud, lying about his personal finances, and misuse of campaign finance funds. Mr Santos pleaded not guilty to the charges on Wednesday after surrendering himself into custody earlier that morning. He has been charged with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives, according to the DOJ. After entering his plea, Mr Santos was released on a $500,000 bond. The conditions of his release include random monitoring at his home, submission to pre-trial services, and a requirement that he relinquish his passport. He has also been prohibited from traveling outside of New York state and Washington DC without prior court approval. His next court date is scheduled for 30 June. Mr Santos claimed that the charges were "inaccurate" and expressed confidence that he would be found innocent. Some of his Republican allies seem to lack the same confidence; House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters after the charges dropped that "I'm not gonna support Santos" in his upcoming re-election bid. "I think he's got some other things to focus on in this life than running for stuff," Mr McCarthy said, according to NBC News. The House Speaker stopped short of calling for Mr Santos' resignation. Read More NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week McCarthy says he will not back George Santos re-election bid after arrest George Santos inks deal to avoid prosecution in Brazil over bad checks George Santos: McCarthy changes tune to say he will not back Santos re-election bid after arrest George Santos inks deal to avoid prosecution in Brazil over bad checks George Santos voting on employment fraud bill – 24 hours after being arrested for employment fraud
2023-05-13 02:18
US bolstering defense posture in the Persian Gulf after Iran seized two merchant ships in recent weeks
The US will bolster its defensive posture with heightened patrols in the Persian Gulf after destabilizing actions by Iran this past month to interfere with and seize commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and other strategic waterways, according to a US National Security Council spokesperson.
2023-05-13 01:57
What to know about Florida's challenge to the immigration parole policy
A federal judge late Thursday night temporarily blocked one of the Biden's administration's key tools to try to manage the number of migrants in US Customs and Border Protection custody.
2023-05-13 00:55
Unaccompanied Honduran migrant teen dies while under Office of Refugee Resettlement care
An unaccompanied Honduran teen housed at a Florida shelter died Wednesday while under the care of the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement, according to a congressional notice obtained by CNN on Friday.
2023-05-13 00:53
Thailand country profile
Provides an overview of Thailand, including key events and facts.
2023-05-13 00:45
Trump news – live: Trump defends CNN ratings as E Jean Carroll threatens to sue him again over ‘vile’ remarks
Donald Trump has defended CNN over his chaotic town hall appearance on Wednesday evening, saying the network did “the right thing” by giving him a mainstream media platform. The former president has also begun his appeal against the verdict in the E Jean Carroll case after he was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation earlier this week. Ms Carroll, 79, has meanwhile said she may sue Mr Trump for a third time over his “vile” comments during Wednesday’s broadcast, telling The New York Times that his comments were “just stupid, it’s just disgusting, vile, foul, it wounds people”. Her attorney, Roberta Kaplan, told the newspaper: “Everything’s on the table, obviously, and we have to give serious consideration to it.” CNN CEO Chris Licht praised moderator Kaitlan Collins on Thursday for her “masterful performance last night” during an editorial call with network staff, batting away criticism of her failure to bring Mr Trump to heel. “America was served very well by what we did last night,” Licht said, according to media reporter Brian Stelter, who suggested that many of the company’s own employees might not agree with his assessment. Read More CNN is defending its disgusting Trump town hall. But the consequences have only just begun Trump campaign uses footage from Ukraine in attempt to depict Americans suffering from rising housing costs The danger of America’s ageing politicians The two-word slur that tells us everything we need to know about Donald Trump Trump's sexual assault verdict marks a rare moment of accountability. And women are noticing
2023-05-12 23:58
NBCUniversal ad chief departs, could be named Twitter CEO shortly
By Dawn Chmielewski and Sheila Dang (Reuters) -Former NBCUniversal advertising chief Linda Yaccarino could be named the next Twitter chief
2023-05-12 23:29
Eurovision: Ukraine's Zelensky should address contest, says Rishi Sunak
The organisers of the song contest turned down a request from Ukraine's president to speak.
2023-05-12 22:58
Families facing rare muscle disease are pushing for an experimental gene therapy, but the FDA is skeptical
SRP-9001, an experimental gene therapy that aims to slow or stop the progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, is being considered for accelerated approval by the FDA.
2023-05-12 22:27
Trump campaign uses footage from Ukraine in attempt to depict Americans suffering from rising housing costs
The Trump campaign used stock footage of a man sitting in a basement, claiming that it was an American unable to afford a home while it was actually filmed in Ukraine 25 miles from the frontline. The dramatic footage shows a man working on his laptop as he shelters from the shelling of the Russian invasion in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine last year, according to the New York Post. In the ad released on Wednesday, the Trump campaign slammed President Joe Biden for the effect inflation has had on Americans during his time in the White House. To make this argument, instead of using footage of Americans, the Trump campaign used footage from Ukraine, showing the man sitting in a basement as a voiceover claims that young Americans can’t buy homes because of high inflation. Another piece of stock footage used in the video shows a young couple seemingly walking away from a real estate agent. That clip was also filmed in Ukraine, in Lviv, in the western part of the country in 2021 before the war began in February of last year. The Trump campaign ad was entitled Mourning in America and criticised Mr Biden for his handling of the southern US border, the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as trans issues. As the footage from Ukraine can be seen, the voiceover states: “Under Biden’s unprecedented inflation, the hope of home ownership gone. And young adults, forced to abandon seeking the American dream to live in their parents’ basement longer.” The man behind the footage showing the couple failing to purchase a home told the New York Post that he “can only say bad things about Trump”. The creator said he didn’t want to be identified to avoid affecting his relationship with his stock footage vendor. “But unfortunately, anyone can buy our or another video … I can’t control it,” he told the paper. “I wouldn’t want him to use [the] video in his ad. But rules are rules.” Yevhen Shkolenko owns the company that filmed the footage in the basement in Zaporizhzhya. He told the Post that the man in the footage is an actor but shows what Ukrainians have to deal with as air sirens ring out to warn of an incoming strike by the Russians. “This video was made 100 per cent in Ukraine during war in real sheltered basement in my city Zaporizhzhya, which is 40 km (25 miles) [from the] frontline,” Mr Shkolenko told the paper. “We were one of those who stayed in our city to help people and the army and we continued our work of filming and when we were doing this filming, we went down to the basement many times in order to hide from rocket fire.” The Trump campaign released the attack ad shortly before Donald Trump appeared on CNN for a town hall event that was widely criticised for giving a platform for the former president to spout a litany of lies. During the town hall event in front of a friendly audience, Mr Trump claimed that he would be able to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours after re-entering the Oval Office on 20 January 2025 simply by speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he refused to call a war criminal. Mr Trump also refused to say if he wanted Ukraine to be victorious, instead arguing that he wanted the fighting to cease, adding that calling someone a war criminal might be detrimental to a possible peace process. A former Trump official who worked on his re-election campaign in 2020 told the Post that “as president, Trump bragged about the billions of dollars worth of weapons and aid he sent to Zelensky in Ukraine. Now he’s paying for stock footage from Ukraine to depict the American Dream in his lame campaign ads? What a joke”. The Independent has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment. Read More The danger of America’s ageing politicians The two-word slur that tells us everything we need to know about Donald Trump Trump news – live: Trump defends CNN ratings as E Jean Carroll threatens to sue him again over ‘vile’ remarks The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
2023-05-12 22:25
Liam and Olivia continue reign as Social Security’s top baby names in the US
Dutton and Wrenlee are on the rise but they’re no match for champs Liam and Olivia as the top baby names in the U.S. last year
2023-05-12 22:24
Sleeping will be one of the challenges for astronauts on Mars missions
Astronauts have been adjusting to the challenges of sleeping in space for years, including light exposure and zero gravity. The lessons learned from their experiences could help ensure that the first crewed missions to Mars get enough rest.
2023-05-12 21:53