TAINAN, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 13, 2023--

Donald Trump’s lawyer on Sunday previewed a legal defence his client may make in court when his upcoming trial for his actions leading up to January 6 begins next year. Appearing on all the major networks, John Lauro fielded questions from journalists about the idea that Mr Trump was acting illegally when he approached then-Vice President Mike Pence with his plan for Mr Pence to halt or reverse the Senate’s certification of the 2020 election, allowing slates of false electors to be named to replace those set to vote for Joe Biden. Mr Lauro told journalists on NBC that Mr Trump had not directed his vice president to use his power as president of the Senate to interfere with the chamber’s process — instead, he characterised it as an “aspirational” request by the president. “Asking is aspirational. Asking is not action. It’s core free speech,” argued Mr Lauro on CNN. He went on to argue that Mr Pence’s refusal to comply with the request or demand was evidence itself that it had been the former. “I’m not saying that [the January 6 riot] was in any way appropriate, but the ultimate power of the presidency was transferred to Mr Biden,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash. It was the exact same language he used to describe Mr Trump’s overtures to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who was revealed to have been pressured by the president to intercede in that state after Joe Biden was declared the lawful victor. On a now-famous phone call, Mr Trump suggested that Mr Raffensperger would be able to “find” more than 10,000 votes for him that would push him past Mr Biden’s total in the state. "That wasn't a threat at all,” Mr Lauro claimed on NBC. “He was asking for [him] to get the truth...That was an aspirational ask." He would go on to claim that asking Mr Pence to commit an act that violated the US Constitution was not inherently a crime. However, some crimes simultaneously represent violations of one’s constitutional rights, and in the case of Mr Trump this argument could falls flat given that the government will argue that an obstruction of the Senate’s ability to certify the election essentially represented a violation of every American’s right to be represented by the lawfully-elected president. Mr Lauro’s whirlwind Sunday media tour comes as he and the Trump legal team are set to respond to a new filing by the Justice Department seeking to limit what Donald Trump can say publicly about his ongoing prosecution. The federal government has argued that Mr Trump’s recent comments on Truth Social vowing vengeance against those involved with the investigation will have a chilling effect on witnesses; the ex-president is already charged with witness tampering among the dozens of counts he faces. Read More Inside the courtroom, it was clear this indictment is different for Donald Trump Pence and Trump lawyer share opposite stories of what ex-president said ahead of January 6 Trump insists he isn’t a ‘scared puppy’ in defiant attack on Nancy Pelosi Pence and Trump lawyer share opposite stories of what Trump said ahead of January 6 Pence skirts crucial questions about Trump’s election indictment Inside the courtroom, it was clear this indictment is different for Donald Trump

'Oh my God, she would love it. She would lose her mind,' said Brielle Biermann, while discussing how Kim Zolciak would react to her pregnancy

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 19, 2023--

A former classmate of Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann says the alleged serial killer was very quiet in high school. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office released charging documents on Friday confirming 59-year-old Mr Heuermann, of Massapequa, as the suspected serial killer who targeted women working as sex workers and dumped their bodies along remote Long Island beaches. Mr Heuermann appeared in court in handcuffs and wearing a polo shirt and khaki pants. He pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and three of second-degree murder over the deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello and was held without bail. Maureen Holpit, 59, who attended Berner High School in Massapequa with Mr Heuermann, told The Independent that Mr Heuermann was once a shy teen who would often leave “love notes” in her locker. Ms Holpit said her exchanges with the now suspected serial killer were always pleasant and polite. “I was always nice and friendly to him, you know. Seemed like he kind of got picked on and people would maybe portray him as a little nerdy. He was very quiet, mild-mannered. So I was nice and would say, ‘Hey, Rex, how are you?,’” Ms Holpit, who now lives in Florida, tells The Independent. “I was getting these notes in my locker. As I’m remembering, there were multiple little love notes but they were not signed,” she added. “Then, one day I did see him put it in my locker and so I knew they were from him. I may have said to him that I had a boyfriend or I just liked him as a friend.” Mr Heuermann, 59, was taken into custody outside his Midtown Manhattan office at around 8.30pm on Thursday night in connection with the unsolved murders, sources told News 12 Long Island. The architect and married father-of-two works in Manhattan – where some of the Gilgo Beach victims were last seen alive – as the president of architecture firm RH Consultants & Associates. According to the company website, he founded the company in 1994. It has since worked with the likes of Catholic Charities, NYC-DEP Sewerage Treatment and American Airlines and other major tenants at the JFK International Airport. Mr Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who is believed to be one of the “Gilgo Four.” Prosecutors noted in the application that records for the burner phones used to contact Brainard-Barnes were not obtained at the time she went missing and no longer exist. Her body and Barthelemy, Waterman and Castello’s were found within one-quarter mile of each other, similarly positioned and bound in a similar fashion by either belts or tape. The unsolved murders sent fear through the shoreline community of Gilgo Beach but for more than a decade, few developments were made in the case. Last year, the Suffolk County Police Department, New York State Police, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI revamped the probe into the killings that ultimately led to Mr Heuermann’s bombshell arrest outside his Midtown office on Thursday. A bail application released by the Suffolk County District Attorney revealed that Mr Heuermann was linked to the serial killings through cellphone evidence and surveillance. Mr Heuermann was first linked to the cold case in March 2022 after investigators discovered that a Chevrolet Avalanche registered to him was possibly the one spotted by a witness in Costello’s disappearance. As law enforcement closed in on him, they served more than 300 subpoenas and search warrants that uncovered cellphone records for burner phones used to arrange meetings with three of the “Gilgo Four” victims before they went missing. Further analysis also allegedly linked Mr Heuermann to taunting calls made to family members of the victims, according to investigators. The calls were made from the Midtown Manhattan area, where the offices of Mr Heuerman’s architecture business are located. Among the evidence linking Mr Heuermann to the murders was a hair found on burlap material used to wrap Waterman’s corpse, according to court documents. DNA analysis had not been possible in the early stages of the investigation, but new technology allowed testing in July 2020. Records also show that several online accounts under fictitious names linked to Mr Heuermann were used for illegal activities. Mr Heuermann allegedly used those accounts and burner phones to contact women for prostitution services, as well as making chilling online searches. The searches reportedly included sadistic, torture-related pornography, child pornography and disturbing content. Mr Heuermann is also accused of searching “why could law enforcement not trace the calls made by the long island serial killer,” “why hasn’t the long island serial killer been caught” and “new phone technology may be key to break in case.” Read More Gilgo Beach murders - live: Rex Heuermann sobs in court hearing over Long Island serial killing Rex Heuermann cries ‘I didn’t do this’ as he appears in court on Gilgo Beach murder charges Rex Heuermann charged with three Gilgo Beach murders as burner phones and truck tie him to serial killings

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Ukrainian authorities are reportedly conducting an investigation to determine whether a member of parliament violated the law by taking a family holiday to the Maldives. Earlier in January this year, the Ukrainian president banned officials from travelling abroad for non-governmental purposes. The security service has initiated a criminal case to ascertain whether member of parliament, Yuriy Aristov provided false information to the authorities. He faces up to three years in prison if convicted. During a video address in January, Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Ignoring the war is a luxury that no one can afford.” He added: “There is a principled decision of the NSDC [National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine] on officials travelling abroad. It applies to all officials of the central government and various other levels of local government. It applies to law enforcers, people’s deputies, prosecutors and all those who are supposed to work for the state and in the state. If they want to rest now, they will rest outside the civil service. Officials will no longer be able to travel abroad for vacation or for any other non-governmental purpose.” Mr Aristov is accused of providing false information while applying to leave the country. He reportedly went on a family vacation to the Maldives. The MP reportedly told authorities he was going on sick leave. But investigations found that Mr Aristov had been on the private island of Ithaafushi in the Maldives in mid-July with his wife and children. The State Bureau of Investigation and the Security Service of Ukraine have opened a criminal case against him. Mr Aristov was abroad from 5 June to 22 July, during which he embarked on a three-day business trip to Poland before being observed in the Maldives by Ukrainian media. Kyiv Independent said that he was first spotted in the luxurious 5-star Waldorf Astoria Maldives hotel on the private island in mid-July. An investigation by the Ukrainian outlet, Slidstvo.info revealed that Mr Aristov had indeed been a guest at the Maldives resort after the hotel confirmed. However, by the time they received the inquiry, he had already checked out. The accommodation costs at this exclusive resort vary significantly – starting from 100,000 hryvnias [$2,600] and reaching 323,000 hryvnias [$8,800] for a single night. Additionally, there is a premium villa option that surpasses one million hryvnias per night [$26,700], according to local media. In response to the publication of the investigation, Mr Aristov promptly resigned from his position as a people’s deputy. Parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk made the announcement of his resignation on Facebook. Read More North Korea’s Kim Jong-un shows Russia’s defence minister banned ballistic missiles Bluffing or not, Putin’s declared deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus ramps up saber-rattling Ireland unlikely to offer condolences to Russia if Putin dies, Varadkar says The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

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