Donald Trump will be arraigned today on 37 charges over his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House, as he becomes the first current or former US president to ever face federal criminal charges. The former president will appear for his arraignment at a federal court in the Southern District of Florida at 3pm ET, where he has vowed to plead not guilty to all charges. “I’ll just say ‘not guilty.’ I didn’t do anything wrong,” he told Boston radio show WRKO on Monday. Despite his confidence, The Independent exclusively revealed that Mr Trump was struggling to find attorneys willing to defend him in Florida. Miami officials meanwhile are bracing for protests outside the courthouse with Mayor Francis Suarez saying at a press conference that the city is enacting plans to “make sure that everyone has a right to peacefully express themselves and exercise their constitutional rights” in “an obviously peaceful manner”. Several supporters have voiced violent rhetoric online and MAGA loyalists Kari Lake and Laura Loomer, the Proud Boys and at least one Capitol rioter (named Baked Alaska) are expected to descend on Miami in support of the former president. Read More Trump vows to ‘go after’ Biden’s family in bitter Truth Social rant before boarding Miami arraignment jet Trump will face judge in historic court appearance over charges he mishandled secret documents Police monitoring online far-right threats and pro-Trump protests with federal indictment: ‘This is war’

Reigning champion of the annual U.S. Fourth of July hot dog eating contest Joey Chestnut defended his title

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta bid farewell to a “fantastic player and person” as Granit Xhaka left the club for Bayer Leverkusen. The 30-year-old made the move to the Bundesliga side after a seven-year stint in north London that saw him win the FA Cup twice but also be stripped of the club captaincy. Xhaka has signed a five-year deal with Leverkusen and the PA news agency understands the deal is worth €25million to the Gunners. During a topsy-turvy Arsenal career, the Switzerland international was also stripped of the armband by Unai Emery after swearing at supporters as his substitution in a game against Crystal Palace was cheered. He had decided to leave the club before Arteta was appointed but was convinced to stay and played all-but one Premier League game last season, scoring seven goals from midfield, including two on the final day of the campaign. Speaking about Xhaka, Arteta enthused about the midfielder, saying: “We are saying goodbye to a fantastic player and person loved by all of us. “It has been an incredible journey together for him and he has given absolutely everything for this club. The influence Granit has had on his team-mates on the pitch and colleagues at the club, will tell you just how popular he is. “We cannot thank Granit enough for his service and contribution to this club over the years. We wish Granit and his family all the best in the next step of their lives.” We are saying goodbye to a fantastic player and person loved by all of us Mikel Arteta Xhaka himself is now ready for the start of the next leg of his career, returning to the Bundesliga where he represented Borussia Monchengladbach before joining Arsenal in 2016. “I know the league inside out and I watched it when I was in London,” he told Leverkusen’s official website. “Bayer 04 is a club with an impressive history and ambitious targets. Above all, I see it as a club with a great future. Discussions with the management have been incredibly motivating. Everybody here is ambitious and wants to achieve something – I’m very much looking forward to the next few years.” While Xhaka leaves Arsenal after helping them to finish second in the Premier League last season, winger Reiss Nelson has committed his future to the club by signing a new deal. The 23-year-old insisted he did not want to miss Arsenal going to the “next level” as he signed a four-year deal, with a one-year option. Nelson came through ranks with the Gunners but his previous contract had expired having made eight substitute league appearances, scoring a memorable last-gasp goal that saw Arsenal come from two down to beat Bournemouth 3-2. Arteta’s side ultimately fell short in their title bid as Manchester City pipped them to the crown, but Nelson saw enough to believe there is more to come. “I’m kind of lost for words, if I’m honest,” Nelson told the club’s official website upon signing his deal. “I’ve been here since I was eight, I’m 23 now. It’s been a hell of a journey, and I’m just so happy. I’ve been here the good years and bad years, and last year especially. “I’ve seen the rise that Arsenal have taken. Taking them to new heights and I feel like I want to be part of the journey. It was a train I really didn't want to miss and I want to be here for it, so I'm glad that I made the right decision Reiss Nelson “I want to be part of us going to the next level, which I think the boss, Edu, the backroom staff and the new players and the current players are making. “So it was a train I really didn’t want to miss and I want to be here for it, so I’m glad that I made the right decision.” On a busy day for Arsenal, the club also announced Steve Round had left his position on the backroom staff. Round was appointed as an assistant to Arteta when the Spaniard first took the reins in December 2019 having previously filled similar roles at Everton and Manchester United. Technical director Edu informed staff on Thursday, with Round’s exit a mutual agreement with the club. Arteta and Edu are currently plotting for Arsenal to go one better than last season, with movement in the transfer market well under way. Kai Havertz has already joined from Chelsea while a club-record fee has been agreed with West Ham for Declan Rice, who will undergo a medical on Friday. Ajax full-back Jurrien Timber is the next who could come through the door as Arsenal prepare for a club-record transfer window outlay.

Jamal Musiala has scored in the 89th minute to fire Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title with a 2-1 victory in Cologne after Borussia Dortmund could only draw on the final day of the season

Jesper Lindstrom discusses decision to join Napoli despite interest from Liverpool.

Laws banning sale of e-cigarettes to under-18s in Ireland are expected to be introduced this summer.

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 1, 2023--

House Republicans raged against former president Donald Trump’s fourth indictment in Georgia, saying that it was politically targeted. Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who voted to object to the 2020 election results, said “Americans see through this desperate sham.” Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, who replaced Rep Liz Cheney after Ms Cheney’s repeated critiques of Mr Trump, said Mr Trump “will defeat these bogus charges and win back the White House in 2024.” But for the most part, Senate Republican leadership stayed silent amid the news of Mr Trump’s latest indictment. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Whip John Thune, Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barasso and many other senior Republican leaders in the Senate remained mum. Some of the Senate’s most ardent conservatives did speak out, including Sen Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Tthe top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee said on Fox News that Mr Trump’s fate “should be decided at the ballot box and not in a bunch of liberal jurisdictions trying to put the man in jail.” Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX), who led efforts in the Senate to overturn the 2020 election results, told Sean Hannity on Monday evening that he was “pissed.” But for the most part, Senate Republican leadership stayed quiet. When asked on Fox News about the indictment, Sen Joni Ernst (R-IA) brushed off the question of Mr Trump’s indictment. “I honestly think that Iowans are becoming desensitised to this,” said Ms Ernst, who at one time was vetted to be Mr Trump’s running mate and won re-election in 2020 when Mr Trump won Iowa a second time. “I don't even know that they are paying attention to it. It’s the third indictment. It’s the fourth indictment.” Ms Ernst parroted the oft-repeated line by Republicans that Mr Trump’s indictments show that the US justice system had two tiers. “One if your name is Trump, and there is one if your name is Biden,” she said. “But again, it seems to be politically motivated so much that Iowans just throw up their hands anymore.” Sen Steve Daines (R-MT), who endorsed Mr Trump earlier this year, slammed the indictment. “The latest indictment of President Trump is brought by a rogue DA who is following in the footsteps of the rogue DOJ, further cementing the two systems of justice in America today,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Mr Daines leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is responsible for defending Republican incumbents and flipping Democratically-held Senate seats in swing states. “The justice system should be—it must be—blind, not weaponized against political opponents.” The contrasting approaches between House and Senate GOP leadership parallel how Republicans approached Mr Trump and his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. While 139 House Republicans, including members of House Republican leadership such as now-House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Mr McCarthy and Ms Stefanik voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, only eight Republican senators, led by Mr Cruz and Sen Josh Hawley (R-MO) voted to object to the election results. Meanwhile, House Republicans condemned Ms Cheney and now-former Rep Adam Kinzinger for their participation in the January 6 select committee. No Republicans faced serious consequences from leadership for voting to impeach Mr Trump for inciting the January 6 riot. Similarly, while Mr McCarthy previously said that Mr Trump “bears responsibility” for the attack despite not voting to impeach him, he has largely welcomed Mr Trump’s support. Conversely, after the impeachment trial in the Senate, Mr McConnell condemned Mr Trump. “There's no question — none — that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,” he said. But Mr McConnell said so after he decided against voting to convict the former president. Read More ‘I’m pissed’: Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz lead Republican reaction to Trump’s fourth indictment Trump claims mystery press conference report clears him of Georgia election charges: Live updates Trump charged with racketeering by Fulton County grand jury: Live updates The damning phone call that may have led to the downfall of Trump and his cronies Prosecutors in the Hunter Biden case deny defense push to keep gun charge agreement in place

Lou Williams, the NBA's all-time top reserve scorer and a three-time winner of the Sixth Man of the Year award, announced his retirement from the...

Black players were only just beginning to integrate into some of England's biggest soccer teams in the 1980s when racism was rife and hooliganism was on the rise

Even without the computers, cellphones and other equipment taken in a police raid, the new edition of the Marion County Record made it to newsstands Wednesday after a frenzied scramble by the Kansas weekly newspaper’s small staff

A lawyer tried to assure the U.K. Supreme Court that the British government analyzed the risks of sending asylum-seekers to Rwanda and would have people there to make sure it was safe