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Less than a mile from where he was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump has arrived at a Washington DC courthouse to face four criminal charges stemming from his attempt to overturn the election he lost to Joe Biden less than three years ago. Mr Trump is expected to plead not guilty to each charge of the four-count indictment in a second-floor courtroom at the E Barrett Prettyman Courthouse on 3 August, just a short walk from where a mob of his supporters began assaulting police officers at the start of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. His motorcade entered the courthouse complex through a below-ground entrance after a short drive from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in nearby Virginia, where Mr Trump’s bespoke Boeing 757 had landed following a short flight from Bedminster, New Jersey. Mr Trump is expected to be represented in court by John Lauro, a veteran Washington-based criminal defence attorney, and Todd Blanche, the New York-based lawyer who is leading his defence in the other criminal cases against him. The twice-impeached, now-thrice-indicted ex-president’s appearance in criminal court – his third since April – comes just two days after a Washington DC grand jury charged him with three criminal conspiracies and obstruction in connection with his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. In a poetic twist of fate, Mr Trump’s latest arraignment brought him to the exact same courthouse where hundreds of people have been tried, convicted and sentenced to terms in prison as long as 18 years for charges in connection with January 6. Mr Trump, the man Liz Cheney once credited with having “assembled” and “summoned” the riotous mob, is now the latest defendant among them. But more than two years after he exhorted the mob he assembled to march to the Capitol, Mr Trump’s ability to rally crowds to his defence appears to have waned. A relatively small number of pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators joined the dozens of news outlets and makeshift studios on the courthouse grounds. Law enforcement agencies erected temporary barriers around the building and surrounding streets. Many of the pro-Trump figures who came to Washington appeared to be from the same group of die-hard supporters who flocked to his prior federal arraignment in Miami, including members of the “Blacks for Trump” group often seen behind him at his campaign rallies. Another recognisable personality who came to the courthouse was Randy Credico, a comedian and radio host who gained a measure of prominence when he was a witness at the 2019 trial of longtime Trump associate Roger Stone on charges that the veteran GOP operative lied to Congress and committed witness tampering by threatening to harm Mr Credico’s emotional support dog, a Havanese called Bianca. Mr Stone, who was convicted of those charges, was later pardoned by Mr Trump before he left office. The latest criminal charges against Donald Trump The latest four-count indictment against Mr Trump alleges four crimes: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. The indictment also lists six unnamed co-conspirators, including Trump-linked attorneys and Justice Department officials. Prosecutors have outlined a multi-state scheme built on Mr Trump’s legacy of lies and conspiracy theories to undermine the democratic process, culminating with an attack on the US Capitol fuelled by that same baseless narrative. According to prosecutors, then-President Trump and his allies conspired with officials in states that he lost to invalidate ballots and use fraudulent electors to cast their electoral college votes on his behalf, relied on the Justice Department to implement the plan, and pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence to certify what was a fraudulent outcome when he presided over a joint session of Congress on 6 January, 2021. After Mr Pence refused, Mr Trump and his alleged co-conspirators “exploited” the chaos from a mob of his supporters to delay the certification and make a last-ditch effort to reverse the results, according to the indictment. “Despite having lost, [Mr Trump] was determined to remain in power,” the indictment states. “These claims were false, and the Defendant knew that they were false. In fact, the Defendant was notified repeatedly that his claims were untrue – often by the people on whom he relied for candid advice on important matters, and who were best positioned to know the facts – and he deliberately disregarded the truth.” Mr Trump and his allies and right-wing pundits have accused President Biden and the US Department of Justice of “weaponising” the federal government against the former president, cast as a victim of political persecution against his Democratic rival. They claim that the latest indictment is a threat to his First Amendment rights to refute his election loss. The indictment, crucially, states that Mr Trump has the right – “like every American” – to falsely state whatever he wants about the election, even to claim victory when in fact has not. What he cannot do, prosecutors argue, is weaponize those lies in a conspiracy to overturn the results. “Each of these conspiracies – built on the widespread mistrust [Mr Trump] was creating through pervasive and destabilizing lies about election fraud – targeted a bedrock function of the United States federal government,” according to the indictment. More criminal charges and trials ahead The case is far from Mr Trump’s only legal obstacle as he campaigns for the 2024 Republican nomination for president. Mr Trump faces two other criminal cases that are scheduled for trial next year. The first, starting March 2024, will be in his former home state of New York, where a Manhattan prosecutor in April charged him with falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments used to silence stories of his alleged affairs in the lead-up to his 2016 election, marking the first-ever criminal indictment of a former president. Two months later, he will appear in a South Florida federal courtroom to be tried on a 40-count federal indictment accusing him of illegally retaining classified documents at the Palm Beach mansion turned social club where he maintains his primary residence, and conspiring to obstruct a federal probe into his alleged unlawful retention of the documents with the aid of two co-conspirators. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases. Mr Trump, his three eldest children and his business empire also face a $250m lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James following a three-year civil investigation into allegations of fraud. That case is expected to head to trial on 2 October. And in Georgia, a grand jury is hearing evidence and witness testimony surrounding a pressure campaign from Mr Trump and his allies to overturn 2020 election results in that state following a two-year investigation from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Ms Willis has indicated that potential charges stemming from that investigation would arrive this month. Read More Trump arraignment live updates: Trump heads to DC court to be arraigned for 2020 election charges Trump, January 6 and a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election: The federal investigation, explained Eight key revelations from Trump’s January 6 indictment Donald Trump’s latest indictment is a test for America Who are Trump’s six alleged co-conspirators in the 2020 election probe case?

Michigan police arrested a male suspect on Thursday who allegedly carried out a shooting across multiple locations in the town of Saline, including an assisted living home. Saline police vehicles were seen at a United Auto Workers hall, as well as at the Linden Square Assisted Living Center, Fox 2 Detroit reports. Two victims were taken to local hospitals in critical condition, according to Huron Valley Ambulance, WXYZ reports. “Saline Police responded to an active shooter situation at Linden Square Assisted Living Center. Additional details are forthcoming,” police wrote on Facebook. “City and school facilities went on a temporary lock down in response. At this time, it is believed there is no further threat to the community.” A local resident told Detroit News the shooting appeared to be a domestic incident between residents who live across from the assisted living centre. All residents of the facility are safe and accounted for, CBS News reports. City and state buildings in Saline went on temporary lockdown during the shooting. This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.

Donald Trump is on his way to court to be formally arrested and arraigned on charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election, in what marks his third – and potentially most serious – criminal case. The former president was indicted on four charges by a grand jury hearing evidence in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the alleged conspiracy to overturn the election and the resulting January 6 Capitol riot. The indictment also described six unnamed co-conspirators, now believed to be identified. Mr Trump will make an initial appearance at the E Barrett Prettyman federal courthouse in Washington DC at 4pm. The case has been assigned to US district judge Tanya Chutkan, a Barack Obama appointee. The former president has railed against the indictment and is calling for the “fake” case to be moved out of Washington DC where he claims it is “IMPOSSIBLE to get a fair trial”. He has also promised revenge for what he calls a politicised indictment of “concocted” charges ordered by “Crooked Joe Biden”. In a Truth Social post, he told supporters “IN 2024, IT WILL BE OUR TURN. MAGA!” Read Trump’s full indictment from the January 6 grand jury Read More Should Trump go to jail? The 2024 election could become a referendum on that question What time is Trump due in court today? Trump supporters falsely claim special counsel seeking death penalty in indictment over 2020 election Former prosecutor explains why Donald Trump was the main focus of the January 6 indictment

The chairman of the House Oversight Committee didn’t bother spending a single minute listening to testimony from a former business partner of Hunter Biden who he’d hyped up as a star witness who could prove many of the salacious allegations he and his Republican colleagues have levelled at the 46th president. According to a transcript of the closed-door interview that committee members and staff conducted with Devon Archer, the convicted fraudster who once had a business relationship with President Biden’s youngest and only surviving son, Mr Comer was not among the Republican committee members who participated in the session. Only two Republican members, Ohio Representative Jim Jordan and Arizona Representative Andy Biggs, deigned to make themselves available for the interview with Archer, who will soon begin a year-and-a-day prison sentence stemming from a 2019 conviction for attempting to defraud a Native American tribe. Yet Mr Comer had no problem allowing himself to be portrayed as having led the session, which House Republicans had suggested would provide them with proof that President Joe Biden had engaged in the unlawful activities they claim he is guilty of despite lacking any proof for the allegations. On Monday, Mr Comer appeared on Newsmax to discuss the interview, and he did not make clear that he didn’t attend when pressed on what had happened by host Greg Kelly. When Kelly stated that Mr Comer had been “in the room” and asked if Democrats were “recognising that this is beyond their control now,” the Kentucky Republican replied: “The walls are closing in on the Bidens”. He did not correct Kelly’s assertion that he’d participated in the interview. The Independent has requested comment from Mr Comer. According to The Daily Beast, the Oversight Committee chairman had spent the weekend before the interview at a family barbeque and playing golf. And while Congress is on recess until the end of August, his committee arranged the interview with Archer, who Mr Comer subpoenaed to testify in June. Archer repeatedly denied that President Biden spoke with any of his son’s business partners, but he did tell the panel that the president frequently was put on speakerphone by his son so he could sell the “illusion” of access to his father. Read More Fox Business deflects from Trump indictment with ‘Biden’s scandal distractions’ graphic House Oversight chair admits GOP can’t back up Biden bribery accusations Biden recognises Hunter’s daughter Navy as his seventh grandchild in first interview

In his latest Truth Social post, just hours before he appears in court for his third arraignment, Donald Trump has vowed revenge for being criminally charged during the 2024 campaign. The former president hit out at “Crooked Joe Biden”, accusing him of telling his attorney general, Merrick Garland, to charge him with “as many crimes as can be concocted”, forcing him to spend large amounts of time and money to defend himself. Mr Trump claims this is a Democrat tactic as the party does not want to go head-to-head with him in the 2024 election reasoning that they otherwise “would not be doing this unprecedented weaponization of ‘Justice’”. He then adds: “BUT SOON, IN 2024, IT WILL BE OUR TURN. MAGA!” The full post reads: “Look, it’s not my fault that my political opponent in the Democrat Party, Crooked Joe Biden, has told his Attorney General to charge the leading (by far!) Republican Nominee & former President of the United States, me, with as many crimes as can be concocted so that he is forced to spend large amounts of time & money to defend himself.” It continues: “The Dems don’t want to run against me or they would not be doing this unprecedented weaponization of “Justice.” BUT SOON, IN 2024, IT WILL BE OUR TURN. MAGA!” Mr Trump was indicted on four charges stemming from a Department of Justice investigation into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the subsequent January 6 attack on the Capitol earlier this week Trump indictment – live: Trump posts ominous video as court arraignment nears for 2020 election charges The ex-president argues the indictment is politically motivated and an attorney for Mr Trump accused the DoJ of having “criminalised” Mr Trump’s First Amendment right to free speech. There is wide disagreement with this assessment, notably from Mr Trump’s attorney general from his own administration, Bill Barr. “As the indictment says, they’re not attacking his First Amendment right, he can say whatever he wants he can even lie, he can even tell people that ‘the election was stolen’ when he knew better but that does not protect you from entering into a conspiracy,” Mr Barr said on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins. He added: “Free speech doesn’t give you the right to engage in a fraudulent conspiracy.” Mr Trump is due in federal court in Washington, DC at 4pm on 3 August. Read More Bill Barr delivers devastating takedown of Trump’s Jan 6 indictment defence Security ramps up as Trump returns to alleged scene of the crime Trump supporters falsely claim that former president faces death penalty Trump’s arraignment over efforts to overturn 2020 election: How historic day will unfold What is Trump appearing in court today for? Live footage of the Capitol as Donald Trump scheduled for arraignment Watch the court where Trump is due for arraignment – live

Security has ramped up in Washington DC as Donald Trump prepares to return to the alleged scene of the crime to face charges over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the events leading up to the January 6 Capitol riot. The former president is scheduled to appear for his arraignment at 4pm ET on Thursday at the E Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington DC – just a few blocks away from the US Capitol where a mob of his supporters staged a violent insurrection to try to overthrow democracy back on 6 January 2021. Metal barricades were seen being erected outside the courthouse on Wednesday night while the Secret Service confirmed that it is working with multiple law enforcement agencies to “ensure the highest levels of safety and security”. “While the Secret Service does not comment on specific protective means or methods, we have the utmost confidence in the dedication and commitment to security shared by all of our law enforcement and government partners,” Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the US Secret Service, said in a statement. “We are working closely with the Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Park Police, U.S. Capitol Police and the Federal Protective Service to ensure the highest levels of safety and security for the former president, while minimizing disruptions to the normal court process.” The agency warned Washington DC residents that they could face “short-term traffic implications” in the centre of the capital on Thursday. Mr Trump is expected to surrender to authorities at the DC courthouse at 4pm ET where he will be formally arrested on the charges, have his fingerprints taken and be processed. He will then appear for his arraignment before Magistrate Judge Moxila A Upadhyaya where he is expected to plead not guilty to the charges. The former president does have the option of appearing virtually – instead of in-person – but is expected to travel to the hearing. The hearing will see Mr Trump return to the centre of his alleged attempts to upturn American democracy to face criminal charges over the plot. The courthouse is just a stone’s throw from the US Capitol – the scene of one of America’s darkest day 31 months ago when hundreds of Mr Trump supporters stormed the building to try to stop the certification of the election for President Joe Biden. Since then, hundreds have been charged and convicted over their role that day. This historic day marks the first time that their leader Mr Trump has been held to account. Mr Trump and his attorneys are already demanding that his “fake” criminal case be moved out of Washington DC to “unbiased” West Virginia, claiming he cannot get a fair trial in the capital. The former president is accused of conspiring with his allies to overturn the 2020 election, in a bid to sabotage the vote of the American people. A grand jury, which has spent months hearing evidence in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation, returned a federal indictment on Tuesday hitting him with four federal charges: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. The Justice Department alleges that Mr Trump and his circle of co-conspirators knew that he had lost the election but launched a multi-prong conspiracy to do everything they could to enable him to cling to power. This included spreading “knowingly false claims of election fraud to get state legislators and election officials to subvert the legitimate election results and change electoral votes for the Defendant’s opponent, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., to electoral votes for the Defendant”, the indictment states. Mr Trump and his allies also allegedly plotted to send slates of fake electors to seven “targeted states” of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin which President Joe Biden had won – to get them to falsely certify the election for Mr Trump. The indictment also alleges Mr Trump tried to use the DOJ to “conduct sham election crime investigations”, sending letters to the seven states claiming that “significant concerns” had been found in the elections in those states. As well as the false claims about the election being stolen from Mr Trump, the scheme also involved pushing false claims that Vice President Mike Pence had the power to alter the results – and pushing Mr Pence to “fraudulently alter the election results”. When Mr Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol in a violent attack that ended with five deaths, Mr Trump and his co-conspirators “exploited” the incident by “redoubling efforts to levy false claims of election fraud and convince Members of Congress to further delay the certification based on those claims,” the indictment claims. At a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Smith placed the blame for the January 6 attack on the US Capitol firmly on Mr Trump’s shoulders. “The attack on our nation’s capitol on January 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy,” he said. “As described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies. Lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the US government – the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.” The indictment marks Mr Trump’s second federal indictment, his third criminal indictment overall – and potentially his most serious. While the former president is the only person charged in the case, the indictment also refers to six co-conspirators who worked with him to try to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The six individuals – four attorneys, one Justice Department official and one political consultant – have not been named in the charging documents because they have not yet been charged with any crimes. However, based on the details in the indictment and records already known about the events leading up to the Capitol riot, the identities are apparent as Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, Kenneth Chesebro and Boris Epshteyn. Read More Trump arraignment – live: Trump to appear in court today as he demands ‘fake’ Jan 6 case be moved out of DC Who are Trump’s six alleged co-conspirators in the 2020 election probe case? When is Donald Trump’s arraignment? What is Trump appearing in court today for? Live footage of the Capitol as Donald Trump scheduled for arraignment Watch the court where Trump is due for arraignment – live

Former Auburn football player Robert Shiver, whose wife Lindsay Shiver was charged with plotting to murder him, helped her and her alleged accomplices post bail. On 21 July, Lindsay Shiver, 36, her alleged lover Terrance Bethel, 28, and the purported hired hitman Faron Newbold, 29, were charged with plotting to murder the former football player. After their application for emergency bail was rejected on 28 July, the prosecution withdrew an objection to the trio’s release after hearing from Mr Shiver, according to Bahama Court News. All three of the accused were granted emergency bail on 1 August. According to Fox News, the three have been held at the Fox Hill Prison – the only detention centre in the Bahamas – since their arrest. Ms Shiver was granted $100,000 bail, and is required to wear an ankle monitor and stay in the Bahamas until her next court date: 5 October. The other two men each posted $20,000 bail, Bahama Court News reported, and also must wear monitoring devices. Mr Bethel and Mr Newbold will also be required to check in at the Marsh Harbour Police Station three times a week before 6pm. The men were also forced to stay in the Bahamas, as they had to surrender their travel documents. The accused will have to stay in detention until the court approves their bonds, the outlet said. Mr Shiver posting bail for his wife is a shocking turn of events as the Shivers are in the midst of a contentious divorce and custody battle over their three children. In addition to their home in the Bahamas, the couple also have a mansion in Georgia valued at $2.5m, which the pair are also arguing over. Mr Shiver filed for divorce for “adulterous conduct,” according to reports, while attorneys for Lindsay Shiver denied the affair, writing: “Any extramarital relationship defendant has had was during the parties’ separation and legally condoned by husband.” The next divorce hearing will be held on 31 October, Fox News previously reported. Read More A football star’s wife bragged of her ‘perfect marriage’. Now she’s charged with hiring a hitman to kill him American mother-of-three arrested in Bahamas over alleged plot to kill ex-football star husband Mother, 18, accused of trying to hire hitman to kill three-year-old son

Watch a live view of the US Capitol ahead of Donald Trump’s expected court appearance on Thursday, 3 August. The former president is scheduled to appear in court today to be formally arraigned on charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Mr Trump has been indicted on four charges by a grand jury hearing evidence in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation in efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the January 6 Capitol riot. The indictment also described six unnamed co-conspirators, now believed to be identified. Mr Trump has been ordered to appear at a federal court in Washington DC today. The case has been assigned to US district judge Tanya Chutkan, a Barack Obama-appointee. It is the former president’s third criminal indictment, his second federal indictment, and his first for his alleged conduct while in office as president. The indictment charges Mr Trump with four felony counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and an attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights. Read More Who are Trump’s six alleged co-conspirators in the 2020 election probe case? Will Donald Trump go to prison? When is Donald Trump’s arraignment?

Donald Trump is demanding that his “fake” criminal case over his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election be moved out of Washington DC to “unbiased” West Virginia. In a late-night Truth Social rant on Wednesday, the former president fumed that it is “IMPOSSIBLE to get a fair trial” in the capital and demanded it be relocated to “the politically unbiased nearby State of West Virginia”. “The latest Fake “case” brought by Crooked Joe Biden & Deranged Jack Smith will hopefully be moved to an impartial Venue, such as the politically unbiased nearby State of West Virginia!” he wrote. “IMPOSSIBLE to get a fair trial in Washington, D.C., which is over 95% anti-Trump, & for which I have called for a Federal TAKEOVER in order to bring our Capital back to Greatness. “It is now a high crime embarrassment to our Nation and, indeed, the World. This Indictment is all about Election Interference!!!” The former president is scheduled to appear in Washington DC’s E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse on Thursday for his arraignment on charges over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and role in the events leading up to the January 6 Capitol riot. A grand jury, which has spent months hearing evidence in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation, returned a federal indictment on Tuesday hitting him with four federal charges: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. The indictment marks Mr Trump’s second federal indictment, his third criminal indictment overall – and potentially his most serious. The former president is accused of conspiring with his allies to overturn the 2020 election, in a bid to sabotage the vote of the American people. The Justice Department alleges that Mr Trump and his circle of co-conspirators knew that he had lost the election but launched a multi-prong conspiracy to do everything they could to enable him to cling onto power. This included spreading “knowingly false claims of election fraud to get state legislators and election officials to subvert the legitimate election results and change electoral votes for the Defendant’s opponent, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., to electoral votes for the Defendant”, the indictment states. Mr Trump and his allies also allegedly plotted to send slates of fake electors to seven “targeted states” of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin which President Joe Biden had won – to get them to falsely certify the election for Mr Trump. The indictment also alleges Mr Trump tried to use the DOJ to “conduct sham election crime investigations”, sending letters to the seven states claiming that “significant concerns” had been found in the elections in those states. As well as the false claims about the election being stolen from Mr Trump, the scheme also involved pushing false claims that Vice President Mike Pence had the power to alter the results – and pushing Mr Pence to “fraudulently alter the election results”. When Mr Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol in a violent attack that ended with five deaths, Mr Trump and his co-conspirators “exploited” the incident by “redoubling efforts to levy false claims of election fraud and convince Members of Congress to further delay the certification based on those claims,” the indictment claims. At a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Smith placed the blame for the January 6 attack on the US Capitol firmly on Mr Trump’s shoulders. “The attack on our nation’s capitol on January 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy,” he said. “As described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies. Lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the US government – the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.” While the former president is the only person charged in the case, the indictment also refers to six co-conspirators who worked with him to try to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The six individuals – four attorneys, one Justice Department official and one political consultant – have not been named in the charging documents because they have not yet been charged with any crimes. However, based on the details in the indictment and records already known about the events leading up to the Capitol riot, the identities are apparent as Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, Kenneth Chesebro and Boris Epshteyn. Mr Trump is expected to surrender to authorities at the DC courthouse at 4pm ET where he will be arraigned before Magistrate Judge Moxila A Upadhyaya. The former president does have the option of appearing virtually – instead of in-person – but is expected to travel to the US capital for the hearing. Security has been ramped up outside the courthouse in anticipation of his appearance. Read More Trump arraignment – live: Trump to appear in court today as he demands ‘fake’ Jan 6 case be moved out of DC Trump supporters claim special counsel seeking death penalty in indictment over 2020 election Can Donald Trump still run for president after charges over 2020 election? Can Donald Trump still run for president after charges over 2020 election? 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A New York City banker who was accused of raping a 14-year-old he pretended was his daughter has been hit with dozens of additional charges over the alleged abuse of three more victims. Michael Olson, 55, was remanded in custody on 15 June and was initially indicted with 17 charges, including the rape and drugging of the girl he met online. On Tuesday, he was hit with a superseding indictment with 75 counts of criminal charges on allegations of continuing to target young girls online after being released on a $1m bond in May, Manhattan assistant district attorney John Fuller said. Additionally, he faces 32 felony counts for possessing videos and pictures of a child performing sexual acts. “These 32 [counts] represent some of the most graphic and lewd images that he possessed,” Mr Fuller said in Manhattan’s Supreme Court, according to New York Post. The initial charges on Mr Olson were linked to a 14-year-old girl who authorities said was found in a Midtown Manhattan hotel room with Mr Olson after overdosing on cocaine and Xanax on 26 May. Authorities said they found sex objects like vibrators, handcuffs, rope, lubricant and condoms in the room which the accused said were gifts to the girl. The investigation revealed there were numerous other victims and he had hundreds of screenshots of Instagram accounts of Asian teenage girls who had posted about not being able to afford clothes. He had found the Instagram account of the 14-year-old girl in December after she posted about clothes being too expensive. He then sent her a gift card to buy clothes and paid her money to spend time with him. Prosecutors alleged he raped the girl repeatedly and paid $700 a week to engage in sexual conduct in the hostel room passing her off as her daughter to avoid suspicion. According to Mr Fuller’s statement to the court, 50 new charges against him involve not only selling drugs to another child, but also engaging in the solicitation of children for prostitution. Judge Ann Scherzer issued orders to bar Mr Olson from contacting the alleged victims. “The orders are going to remain under seal so no one can see the names because they are children. But you will see the names, and with respect to those individuals – you may not have any contact with them whatsoever. None,” she told him. Mr Oslon has pleaded not guilty. Proposing a plea deal, prosecutors told the court that he can get his jail sentence reduced to 25 years and mandatory registration as a sex offender. Jeffrey Lichtman, his defence attorney, said they were caught off guard by the additional charges involving the new alleged victims. “There’s no allegation of any more sexual contact with any new victims,” Mr Lichtman said. “I understand where the offer is coming from, but for a 55-year-old defendant, 25 years might as well be a 1,000 [years],” he said. Read More ‘I believe I was drugged and raped at a police station - I deserve to know who my attacker is’ Investigators recall surreal moments during years-long investigation in Mexico's missing students Oppenheimer fans point out ‘disturbing’ shot going unnoticed by many viewers

Donald Trump is scheduled to appear in court today to be formally arraigned on charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election, in what marks his third – and potentially most serious – criminal case. The former president was indicted on four charges by a grand jury hearing evidence in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation in efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the January 6 Capitol riot. The indictment also described six unnamed co-conspirators, now believed to be identified. Mr Trump has been ordered to make an initial appearance in federal court in Washington DC on Thursday, while the case has been assigned to US district judge Tanya Chutkan, a Barack Obama-appointee. Mr Trump has railed against the indictment and is calling for the “fake” case to be moved from Washington DC. In a late-night Truth Social rant on Wednesday, the former president fumed that it is “IMPOSSIBLE to get a fair trial” in the capital and demanded it be relocated to “the politically unbiased nearby State of West Virginia”. This is Mr Trump’s third criminal indictment and his second federal indictment. Read Trump’s indictment from the January 6 grand jury in full Read More When is Donald Trump’s arraignment? Should Trump go to jail? The 2024 election could become a referendum on that question Trump supporters falsely claim special counsel seeking death penalty in indictment over 2020 election Former prosecutor explains why Donald Trump was the main focus of the January 6 indictment

Diversity, equity and inclusion programs were abolished Tuesday from Walt Disney World's governing district, now controlled by appointees of governor Ron DeSantis, in an echo of the Florida governor's agenda which has championed curtailing such programs in higher education and elsewhere. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said in a statement that its diversity, equity and inclusion committee would be eliminated, as would any job duties connected to it. Also axed were initiatives left over from when the district was controlled by Disney supporters, which awarded contracts based on goals of achieving racial or gender parity. Glenton Gilzean, the district's new administrator who is African American and a former head of the Central Florida Urban League, called such initiatives “illegal and simply un-American”. Gilzean has been a fellow or member at two conservative institutions, the James Madison Institute and the American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network, as well as a DeSantis appointee to the Florida Commission on Ethics. “Our district will no longer participate in any attempt to divide us by race or advance the notion that we are not created equal," Mr Gilzean said in a statement. "As the former head of the Central Florida Urban League, a civil rights organization, I can say definitively that our community thrives only when we work together despite our differences.” An email was sent seeking comment from Disney World. Last spring, Mr DeSantis, who is running for the GOP presidential nomination, signed into law a measure that blocks public colleges from using federal or state funding on diversity programs. Mr DeSantis also has championed Florida's so-called “Stop WOKE” law, which bars businesses, colleges and K-12 schools from giving training on certain racial concepts, such as the theory that people of a particular race are inherently racist, privileged or oppressed. A federal judge last November blocked the law’s enforcement in colleges, universities and businesses, calling it "positively dystopian.” The creation of the district, then known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, was instrumental in Disney’s decision to build a theme park resort near Orlando in the 1960s. Having a separate government allowed the company to provide zoning, fire protection, utilities and infrastructure services on its sprawling property. The district was controlled by Disney supporters for more than five decades. The DeSantis appointees took control of the renamed district earlier this year following a yearlong feud between the company and Mr DeSantis. The fight began last year after Disney, beset by significant pressure internally and externally, publicly opposed a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades, a policy critics call “Don’t Say Gay.” As punishment, Mr DeSantis took over the district through legislation passed by Republican lawmakers and appointed a new board of supervisors to oversee municipal services for the sprawling theme parks and hotels. Disney sued Mr DeSantis and his five board appointees in federal court, claiming the Florida governor violated the company’s free speech rights by taking the retaliatory action. Before the new board came in, Disney made agreements with previous oversight board members who were Disney supporters that stripped the new supervisors of their authority over design and development. The DeSantis-appointed members of the governing district have sued Disney in state court in a second lawsuit stemming from the district’s takeover, seeking to invalidate those agreements. ___ Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at @MikeSchneiderAP Read More Florida father tried to remove ‘Arthur’ book from schools because it could ‘damage souls’ DeSantis says DC jury would ‘convict a ham sandwich’ if it was Republican Republican National Committee boosts polling and fundraising thresholds to qualify for 2nd debate Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide