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Nigeria’s Central Bank Governor Suspended by President

Mike Pence struggles to send clear message on Trump indictment

Mike Pence struggled to take a clear stance on troubles concerning former US president Donald Trump’s indictment in the classified documents case. Mr Trump is reportedly facing 37 counts of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate. These charges come less than three months after he was charged in New York with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Earlier this week, during an appearance on CNN, Mr Pence shared his views about Trump’s indictment. The politician, who has launched his 2024 Presidential campaign, said: “I hope the DOJ thinks better of it and resolves these issues without an indictment. “I think it would also send a terrible message to the wider world,” he added. “I mean, we’re the emblem of democracy. We’re the symbol of justice in the world.” Mr Pence also ended up criticising the FBI’s raid on Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, saying: “I was very troubled last summer when, for the first time in history, there was a search warrant executed at the home of a former president of the United States. He added: “There had to be dozens of ways that could have been handled.” After making these statements, Mr Pence undercut his own views, saying: “I don’t know the facts of the former president’s case.” The former vice president’s contradictory statement led to the host asking him whether what he was “saying is that, if they believe he committed a crime, they should not go forward with an indictment?” Mr Pence replied: “No, look, let me be clear that no one’s above the law.” He then added: “But with regard to the unique circumstances here, it – look – I – I. No one is above the law. But … unique circumstances.” Ultimately, Mr Pence ended up conceding that Trump and President Joe Biden “had no business” having classified documents after leaving office. “But I would just hope that there would be a way for them to move forward without the dramatic and drastic and divisive step of indicting a former president of the United States,” he said. Read More Trump boasts about having non-declassified papers in bombshell recording: ‘I have a big pile’ Trump news — latest: Trump ‘plotted to hide documents from FBI after showing military docs to visitors’ Fox host Mark Levin screams at camera in outrage at Trump indictment over secret papers Trump set for first public appearances since federal indictment, speaking in Georgia, North Carolina DeSantis pledges to restore name of Confederate general Braxton Bragg to Fort Liberty Will Trump’s growing laundry list of legal woes hurt his standing with GOP voters?

2023-06-10 16:17

Trump businesses earned $1m from Pentagon while he was in office

Newly released documents have revealed that Donald Trump’s businesses charged the Pentagon almost $1m during the first three years of his presidency. As per the documents obtained by ethics watchdog American Oversight, and verified by Forbes, Trump’s businesses charged his Department of Defense $976k from 2016 to 2019. The number is reportedly way larger than previous public information of about $300k, which was reported by CNN in 2019. “As far as we can tell, this is the first time these specific expenses have been reported– and they are long overdue,” Heather Sawyer, American Oversight’s executive director told Forbes. “While we expect to receive receipts of government spending at Trump properties for years to come, we urge the government to pick up the pace so that the American people have this information as they consider Trump’s re-election efforts.” As per the documents, the defence department spent money across 15 different Trump properties with the former president’s Miami resort being the biggest beneficiary, followed by his golf club in New Jersey. Both properties collected $274k and $266k respectively. Mr Trump’s Scottish resorts also collected approximately $181k. Mr Sawyer pointed out that “Trump’s refusal to divest from his businesses created an environment rife with the potential for abuse”. He added: “During his administration, Trump’s properties became vessels for self-enrichment. “Donald Trump is now running for president again. His ‘old’ habit of enriching himself at taxpayer expense deserves renewed scrutiny as he seeks another term.” In other news, Mr Trump is set to make his first public appearances since his federal indictment, speaking on 10 June to Republican audiences in Georgia and North Carolina as he seeks to rally supporters to his defence. The former president is going to reportedly deliver a full-throated rebuke of the charges and amplify his assertions that he is the victim of a politically motivated “witch hunt” by Joe Biden’s Justice Department. Read More Trump lashes out at ‘deranged lunatic’ and ‘psycho’ Jack Smith as startling secret papers charges revealed Trump news — latest: Trump ‘plotted to hide documents from FBI after showing military docs to visitors’ Trump boasts about having non-declassified papers in bombshell recording: ‘I have a big pile’ US announces new $2.1 billion package of military aid to Ukraine Plane lost contact with air traffic control before it crashed in Virginia White House says it wasn’t behind Pentagon decision to cancel drag shows

2023-06-10 15:51

AP News Digest 3:05 a.m.

2023-06-10 15:17

Tucker Carlson says Obama had a ‘strange and highly creepy personal life’ in Twitter episode

Tucker Carlson has made strong comments about Barack Obama’s personal life in his new Twitter show, Tucker on Twitter. On Friday, the 54-year-old American political commentator posted a new episode titled “Cling to your taboos!” where he said Mr Obama has a “highly creepy personal life”. In his 13-minute monologue, Mr Carlson spoke about how “fast” taboos are changing and how “American society isn’t overtly religious, but it’s governed by taboos”. The television personality claimed what Americans “are allowed to dislike is being dictated to us from above” before giving examples. Speaking of “the current behaviour of our politicians” and how “adultery was considered disqualifying [in 1992] for anyone seeking higher campaign”, Mr Carlson referenced Bill Clinton’s alleged extramarital affair with Gennifer Flowers, and how he went to “elaborate lengths to lie about the relationship, because he had no choice”. The commentator then pivoted to speaking about Mr Obama, saying: “By 2008, it was obvious to anybody who was paying attention that Barack Obama had a strange and highly creepy personal life, yet nobody ever asked him about it. “By that point, a leader’s behaviour within his own marriage, the core relationship of his life, had been declared irrelevant. It was Barak Obama’s business, not yours.” Mr Carlson did not elaborate on his reference to Mr Obama. The presenter went on to say that “one by one, with increasing speed, our old taboos have been struck down. “Those that remain have lost their moral force”. This isn’t the first time Mr Carlson has slammed Mr Obama in public. In 2021, he was widely mocked on Twitter after calling Mr Obama a “hater”. Carlson was responding to Mr Obama’s comments to CNN about right-wing news outlets, which he said were making money out of stoking fear and resentment among white Americans. “[They] do everything they can to give people a sense that their way of life is threatened,” Mr Obama told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “Lo and behold, the single most important issue to them currently right now is critical race theory.” he said. “Who knew that that was the threat to our republic?” Speaking to his Fox News audience about Mr Obama’s comments, Mr Carlson said: “He’s back to let you know that if you’ve got any problem with your kids’ teachers telling them that some races are better than others that you, my friend, are a racist.” He went on to say that Mr Obama should have “retreated to Hawaii and Martha’s Vineyard”, where the former president and his wife, Michelle Obama, bought a $12m beachfront property. “That guy is a hater. For real.” he added. Mr Carlson’s latest episode of Tucker on Twitter has amassed over 45m views and almost 500k likes so far. Read More Madeleine McCann news – latest: Soil from reservoir compared to samples from prime suspect’s van Is Donald Trump going to prison? Trump lashes out at ‘deranged lunatic’ and ‘psycho’ Jack Smith as startling secret papers charges revealed Why did Fox News fire Tucker Carlson? Here are six theories Ukraine tells ‘clown’ Tucker Carlson to check his facts after pro-Kremlin rant Fox News accuses Tucker Carlson of breaching contract with new Twitter show

2023-06-10 14:59

Ukraine-Russia war – latest: Putin reveals when nuclear weapons will be deployed to Belarus

Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will start deploying tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus next month – Moscow’s first move of such bombs outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. The Russian president said the weapons would be deployed after special storage facilities are ready in just under a month’s time. It comes after he, last month, announced he wanted to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, in an apparent warning to Nato over its support for Ukraine. “Everything is going according to plan,” Mr Putin told his ally and Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. “Preparation of the relevant facilities ends on July 7-8, and we will immediately begin activities related to the deployment of appropriate types of weapons on your territory,” he said, according to a Kremlin transcript of his remarks. Earlier, Ukraine‘s domestic security service said it had intercepted a telephone call proving a Russian “sabotage group” blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric station and dam in southern Ukraine. The destruction of the facility on Tuesday unleashed mass flooding, forcing thousands of residents to flee and wreaking environmental havoc. Read More Ukraine goes on attack in Zaporizhzhia – as counteroffensive steps up Ukraine tells ‘clown’ Tucker Carlson to check his facts after pro-Kremlin rant in first Twitter show Before-and-after satellite images show profound toll of Ukraine dam collapse

2023-06-10 13:28

UK Workers Miss Out on Europe’s Shift to Fewer Hours on the Job

British workers have missed out on a Europe-wide trend toward more leisure time and fewer hours on the

2023-06-10 13:19

OpenAI’s CEO Calls on China to Help Shape AI Safety Guidelines

China should play a key role in shaping the artificial intelligence guardrails needed to ensure the safety of

2023-06-10 11:48

Canadian province of Quebec sees progress in wildfire battle

Quebec has seen improvements in the last 48 hours but country's west coast warns fire challenges ahead.

2023-06-10 10:45

DeSantis looks to boost his appeal in North Carolina – but the talk is of Trump indictment

In another era, a Republican frontrunner facing his second indictment in three months would mean that primary voters would actively be shopping for other candidates to put up against a president as unpopular as President Joe Biden. Instead, former president Donald Trump’s indictment, which he announced on Thursday evening and which was unsealed on Friday, calcified his support among Republican voters at the North Carolina Republican Convention in Greensboro. If anything, the 37-charge indictment accusing Mr Trump of showing highly classified information to unauthorised persons on two separate occasions made Republicans in the Tar Heel State more likely to support him. “After yesterday?” Beverly Atwell of Forsyth County asked in response to a question from The Independent about who she was leaning towards. “Trump.” Ms Atwell said what happened to Mr Trump was “terrible.” “Everybody needs to support him,” she said. “What Joe Biden has done, only somebody like Trump can fight.” Terry Stafford, an attendee, said the indictment would not affect his vote either way. “I know they’re just making s*** up,” he told The Independent. “If they wanted to show us how true they were, Biden would have been arrested for his crimes.” Friday should have been all about Mr Trump’s main rival for the Republican nomination, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis. Mr DeSantis addressed a packed house for the Old North State Dinner at the Koury Convention Center. The super PAC that supports Mr DeSantis called Never Back Down had a booth on the third floor of the building. One campaign button being sold showed Mr DeSantis telling Mr Trump, “hold my beer.” The convention is meant to be a cattle call for the top Republican presidents. Former vice president Mike Pence will speak there on Saturday afternoon during a luncheon and Mr Trump will deliver one of his first speeches since his indictment in the evening after he speaks at the Georgia GOP’s state convention earlier in the day. Alan Pugh of Randolph County told The Independent that the GOP had a wide array of qualified candidates, citing not just Mr Trump and Mr DeSantis but also Sen Tim Scott of South Carolina and Gov Doug Burgum of North Dakota. But he said that Mr DeSantis had received much of the talk. “I think the reason is, simply the fact that his record in Florida,” he said, noting how Mr DeSantis went from narrowly winning his first race to winning re-election by almost twenty per cent and carrying the Hispanic vote. “People like whoever you want to, but we’ve got to win. And DeSantis is a winner.” But Mr Trump dominated the discussion. Even Mr DeSantis spoke about the Department of Justice “weaponising” itself against conservatives, though he didn’t mention the former president by name. “Our Founding Fathers would have absolutely predicted the weaponisation of these agencies, particularly Justice and the FBI, because if we don’t have constitutional accountability, human nature is such that they will abuse their power,” he said. He also criticised the Justice Department for not indicting former secretary of state Hillary Clinton for using a private email server during her tenure as secretary. “Is there a different standard for a Democrat secretary of state versus a former Republican president,” he said. “I think there needs to be one standard of justice in this country.” Republican presidential candidates find themselves in a bind in that they now have to simultaneously show their support for the twice-impeached and now twice-indicted former president and make the case that they are a more optimal choice. Even Mr Pugh, who praised Mr DeSantis, said that even though he was not committed to any candidate, the charges helped Mr Trump “because he’s being attacked by our own government.” “Our own Justice Department,” he said. “That infuriates me as a lawyer.” Republicans will likely continue to feel pressure to show solidarity with Mr Trump. Charlie Kirk, the chief executive of Turning Point USA, tweeted that every Republican should suspend their campaign and go down to Miami to show support for Mr Trump. “Either we have an opposition party or we don't,” he said. “GO to Miami Tuesday, and show solidarty or we will mark you as part of the oppsition [sic].” The predicament many Republicans face is personified by one poster in one of the booths at the convention centre which featured a quote from Ronald Reagan showing his 11th commandment: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” Read More DeSantis pledges to restore name of notorious Confederate general Braxton Bragg to Fort Liberty Florida man: Why prosecutors charged Trump in the Sunshine State, and what it means for the judge and jury Trump indictment: Ex-president kept nuclear and military papers and showed some to unauthorised people Hiding documents from the FBI and foreign nuclear plans: Key allegations in Trump’s unsealed indictment 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

2023-06-10 09:56

DeSantis pledges to restore name of notorious Confederate general Braxton Bragg to Fort Liberty

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pledged to restore the name of a military fort to the name of a Confederate general in North Carolina if he is elected president. The 2024 candidate for the Republican nomination for president made the remarks at the North Carolina Republican Party convention on Friday evening. “I also look forward to, as President, restoring the name of Fort Bragg to our great military base in Fayetteville, North Carolina,” he said during the Old North State Dinner in Greensboro. “It's an iconic name and iconic base, and we're not gonna let political correctness run amok.” Earlier this month, the Department of Defense announced that Fort Bragg, which was established in 1918, would be renamed Fort Liberty. The Pentagon began the initiative to rename military bases in 2020 in response to the Black Lives Matter protests after a white police officer killed George Floyd. Fort Bragg had been named for Braxton Bragg, who was a general for the Confederate States of America. He also served as a adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. He also owned slaves and many in the South also despised him for abandoning Kentucky during the Civil War. Unlike other Confederate generals like Robert E Lee, he refused to surrender. Mr DeSantis is one of three presidential candidates speaking at the state convention. Former president Donald Trump and former vice president Mike Pence will also speak at the convention. The governor also claimed to have banned “Critical Race Theory,” a niche legal theory taught in law schools but that conservatives have used as a catch-all term to describe most teaching about racism. “We place renewed emphasis on American civics, about teaching kids about our Constitution and our Bill of Rights and about what it means to be an American,” he said. “Because no matter what avenue they take, they choose in life. they are all going to be citizens of our republic.” Mr DeSantis also took a subtle swipe at Mr Trump during his speech. “I tell you this leadership at the end of the day is not entertainment,” he said. “It's not brand building.” He also emphasised how he won re-election by double digits in November, while Republicans, many of whom Mr Trump endorsed, fell short in Senate races. “We had good stuff in some other states,” he said. “But we had huge disappointments across the board. We have 49 Republican US senators, we should have 55 Republican US Senators right now.” Mr DeSantis launched his campaign for president last month and is often polling second against Mr Trump but continues to lag by double digits in most surveys. The governor also touched on many themes that have also animated his campaign, such as fighting, “woke ideology,” which he called a form of “cultural Marxism.” “Woke represents a war on truth itself,” also briefly seeming to hit the former president, who said that Republicans who crow about the word “woke” do not know how to define it. Mr DeSantis also mentioned how he banned teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools, most notably with his “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, which triggered a fight with Walt Disney. “And I know in Florida, they basically called the shots for many, many decades but there’s a new sheriff in town,” he said. Mr Trump and Mr Pence will address the North Carolina Republican Convention on Saturday. Read More DeSantis accused of changing pronunciation of his own name DeSantis news – latest: Florida governor most popular with rich Republicans as he defends move to fly migrants to California Fort Bragg drops Confederate namesake for Fort Liberty, part of US Army base rebranding 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

2023-06-10 08:51

British girl ‘awake and watching TV’ after France stabbing – as Macron hails ‘backpack hero’ for facing attacker

A British three-year-old girl who was stabbed in a playground attack in France was awake and watching television on Friday Emmanuel Macron said – as he also praised the heroism of a young Catholic pilgrim who fended off the knifeman with a backpack. The French president said he had heard “positive” news about the four children – aged between 22 months and three years old – injured in the attack in a lakeside park in Annecy. Two men in their 70s were also injured. Mr Macron and his wife Brigitte, visited three of the children and their families in hospital in Grenoble about 100km (62 miles) from Annecy. The British girl who received surgery, named as Ettie, had “woken up” and was “watching TV”, said President Macron. According to Agence-France Presse, he added: “Doctors are optimistic” suggesting that “everything is going the right way”. A Dutch toddler – who was being treated in Geneva – and two French cousins aged two and three, were also said to be in a stable condition. Mr and Ms Macron later travelled to Annecy, where they sat at the bedside of one of the injured men, who was both knifed and wounded by a shot that police fired as they detained the suspected attacker. Mr Macron said he is regaining consciousness. The second injured adult was discharged from a hospital and was among dozens of people that Mr Macron met and thanked, his left elbow still bandaged. “The first thing doctors told me ... is that these children were saved by the swiftness of the collective intervention,” Mr Macron said. “Thank you immeasurably for your courage.” One of those was Henri, 24, a Catholic pilgrim who is on a nine-month walking and hitchhiking tour of France’s cathedrals and happened to be in the Alpine town of Annecy when the attack occurred. French media hailed Henri as “the hero with a backpack” after he was shown in a video using a weighty backpack he was carrying to swing at the assailant and fend off his blade. “You experienced very hard moments, traumatising,” Mr Macron said. “I am very proud of you.” Henri had a heavy backpack and was holding another in his hand when the attacker slashed at him. Henri continued to harass him, pursuing the man inside a playground – where he stabbed a child in a stroller – and then out of the park again, carrying his backpacks. Henri appeared to hurl one at the assailant at one point and then pick it up again to take another swing. Henri said he was powered by his Catholic faith. “When you know that you’re loved by God and that he saved our lives, you can act without thinking too much about your own [life] to try and save those of the children,” he told French broadcaster BFMTV. Henri asked Mr Macron to be invited to the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris next year, following repairs to the cathedral damaged in a fire in 2019. “I’ll take care of it personally,” the French leader replied. The management graduate said to BFMTV that that he was not the only civilian who put themselves in harm’s way. He had “acted like any French person would”, he said. “Many other people intervened in whatever way they could. I saw a park employee try to hit the attacker with his big plastic spade.” Henri’s father, Francois, said he believed that his son’s dogged pursuit helped dissuade the attacker from stabbing more victims before police wrestled him to the ground. “He took a lot of risks – when he wasn’t armed, with just his backpacks,” the father said. “He didn’t stop running after him for many minutes, to stop him from coming back and massacring the kids even more ... Really very courageous.” Francois asked that their last name not be published, expressing concerns about their family being thrust suddenly and inadvertently into the public eye at a time of shock and outrage in France provoked by the attack. Henri had posted on Instagram in late May about being two months into a nine-month pilgrimage which would see him walk and hitchhike across France, having started in Provence. Many flocked to his social media pages to hail his courage, with one person writing: “May God bless you. You did what you could at that moment, you did not give up, you did not run. You are an angel.” “Bravo for your courage and bravery, you saved lives today, you can be proud of yourself my friend,” wrote one commenter, while another said: “France has a hero tonight, a humble hero.” Many of the hundreds who wrote to share their thanks and “deep respect” for his “incredible” bravery called for him to be awarded the Legion of Honour, the highest French order of merit, while others living across France offered to host him as he continues his pilgrimage. The suspect – a Syrian man with refugee status in Sweden – has had his custody extended and is due to undergo a psychiatric assessment. The 31-year-old is thought to have been living homeless in Annecy and recently had an asylum claim rejected in France, thanks to already holding the status in Sweden. On that French application he said he was a “Syrian Christian”. No terrorist motive is suspected. Commenting on the suggestion that the suspect in Thursday’s attacks also identifies as a Christian, Henri said it was “profoundly unchristian to attack the vulnerable”. A mass was held in Annecy Cathedral in tribute to the victims and their families later on Friday, church authorities said. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report Read More ‘You are an angel’: France hails ‘backpack hero’ who confronted knifeman in ‘unspeakable’ Annecy attack Everything we know about suspected France playground attacker after toddlers stabbed British girl injured in Annecy stabbing was on holiday at time of attack British girl injured in Annecy stabbing was on holiday at time of attack France hails ‘backpack hero’ who confronted knifeman in ‘unspeakable’ Annecy attack Annecy locals attend mass as Mayor says injured children are ‘stable’

2023-06-10 07:25

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