Donald Trump’s increasingly serious legal problems are translating into a cash boom for his third presidential campaign, a staffer told Politico this week. The campaign is due to release official fundraising numbers by the end of the month, per an upcoming Federal Election Commission (FEC) deadline. But a campaign official familiar with the matter provided the eye-popping sum to Politico: $34m, a haul that puts him firmly on top of the GOP primary field, dollars-wise, and depicts a campaign picking up steam as Mr Trump apparently solidifies his support base within the GOP primary voter population. In the first quarter of 2023, Mr Trump’s campaign had presented a fundraising total of $18.8m — impressive, but not nearly as high as his latest quarter. However, a greater share of donations is now being diverted to the Save America PAC, the twice-indicted former president’s vessel for outside spending that has fronted the bulk of his legal costs in recent months. Previous news reports indictated that the donation levers were pulled on Mr Trump’s WinRed donation page to divert as much as 10 per cent of every donation to the Save America PAC, up from just 1 per cent of every gift earlier this year. The total is likely to bolster Mr Trump’s argument against Republican candidates like primary rival Will Hurd who have argued that Mr Trump’s legal problems will jeopardise his chances of winning a general election against President Joe Biden. While polling backs up Mr Hurd’s assertion at present, the Trump campaign’s war chest will prove a counter-argument that paints the former president as the candidate with GOP voter enthusiasm and the funding necessary to wage an effective general election campaign. Mr Trump faces a growing field of GOP rivals, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, and his former vice president, Mike Pence. But he has remained dominant across polling of the field for months, even amid his two criminal indictments for allegedly falsifying business records in New York and the alleged illegal retention of classfied materials at Mar-a-Lago. The legal pressure mounting against the former president is likely to escalate in the coming weeks, given the two investigations known to be currently ongoing involving him and his closest advisers. Officials in Fulton County, Georgia are weighing whether to bring criminal indictments against Mr Trump and members of his legal team over their efforts to alter the lawful election results in that state, while the Department of Justice has been reported by The Independent to be weighing a superceding indictment charging Mr Trump with dozens of offences related to the January 6 attack and his related efforts to block Joe Biden’s election victory. Read More Judge's order limits government contact with social media operators, raises disinformation questions Special counsel Jack Smith subpoenas Arizona Secretary of State’s office in January 6 probe Trump attorney who was key to election conspiracies retires from legal practice

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Social media users mocked Rep Lauren Boebert (R-CO) for her appearance at a Rico fire department amid former president Donald Trump being charged in Georgia under a law that shares the same likeness. The right-wing firebrand congresswoman posted images of her visit to the Rico Fire Protection District in her district. “Honored to spend time with firefighters from the Rico Fire Protection District – true heroes dedicated to keeping our community safe,” she posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Their bravery and commitment are truly remarkable. Grateful for their sacrifice and service!” But the post came as a grand jury indicted the former president and his associates under Georgia’s Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law, among other charges. The RICO statute charges people who take part in actions in service of a criminal enterprise. Mr Trump faces 13 RICO charges, which he shares with 18 other criminal defendants. Social media users were quick to mock the moment. “@realDonaldTrump could use the RICO Fire & Rescue right now. Maybe Lauren could send them in?” Jason Rollinson tweeted. “Rico. That’s funny, your owner is about to be charged with crimes of the same name,” another person tweeted. “On the day Trump is indicted on RICO charges, Bobo tweeted this gem,” another person tweeted. “She's painfully stupid.” The former president also faces 12 other charges including conspiracy to impersonate a public officer; two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery; two counts of conspiracy to make false statements under oath; two counts of conspiracy to file false documents; two counts of solicitation of a public officer; filing false documents; conspiracy to solicit false documents; and making false statements. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said each of the defendants’ RICO charges accused them of “participation in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere, to accomplish the illegal goal of allowing Donald J. Trump to seize the presidential term of office, beginning on January 20, 2021.” Read More Trump and 18 allies indicted on RICO charges in Georgia election case: ‘The law is completely nonpartisan’ Who is Fani Willis, the Georgia prosecutor who could take down Trump In 'Bidenomics,' Congress delivered a once-in-generation investment — with political promise, peril Lauren Boebert slammed for attacking Biden over Maui wildfires Trump's attack on 'filth and decay' in nation's capital just the latest in his personal feud with DC

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Asian stocks fell and US Treasuries crept lower as investors weighed the Federal Reserve’s higher-for-longer stance. Oil gained