List of All Articles with Tag 'americas'

The top court has allowed the rules - meant to rein in ghost guns - to remain during an appeal process.

Former president Donald Trump decried the multiple charges and indictments, calling them “bulls***,” during a rally in New Hampshire on Tuesday afternoon. Mr Trump spoke during a rally in the state that holds the first presidential primary and the one that gave him his first primary win in 2016. The twice-impeached and now three-times-indicted former president said that President Joe Biden’s administration indicted him to hamper his 2024 run despite the fact that Attorney General Merrick Garland nominated Special Counsel Jack Smith to handle the probes into Mr Trump independently. “How can my corrupt political opponent, crooked Joe Biden put me on trial during an election campaign that I'm winning by a lot, but forcing me nevertheless to spend time and money away from the campaign trail in order to fight bogus made up accusations and charges,” he said. “So what they're doing, I'm sorry, I won't be able to go to Iowa today. I won't be able to go to New Hampshire today because I'm sitting in a courtroom on bulls**t because his Attorney General charged me,” he said. In response, attendees in Windham proceeded to chant “bulls**t.” Last week, a federal grand jury indicted Read More Pence says he's now met polling, donor qualifications for first Republican debate Thousands in Haiti march to demand safety from violent gangs as killings and kidnappings soar New Hampshire is sued over removal of marker dedicated to Communist Party leader

O’Shae Sibley had been out celebrating a friend’s birthday when the group stopped at a Mobil gas station in Coney Island in Brooklyn on 29 July. On a steamy Saturday night, the 28-year-old professional dancer took off his shirt and was “voguing” — a dance form popularised by the LGBT+ community — to Beyoncé’s Renaissance album with a friend on the station forecourt. Just after 11pm, a separate group of young men allegedly began hurling homophobic insults saying that they didn’t like “gay dancing” in their neighbourhood, according to eyewitnesses. Sibley confronted the men, surveillance footage recovered from the gas station shows. After briefly separating, the clash turned violent, and Sibley was stabbed in the heart during a scuffle. His friends tried to apply pressure to the wound, and police arrived at 11.15pm to find Sibley bleeding heavily on a sidewalk. He was taken to Maimonides Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after. A 17-year-old suspect who allegedly fled the scene was later identified as Dmitriy Popov. Mr Popov was arrested on Friday 4 August and has been arraigned as an adult on murder and hate crime charges. He has pleaded not guilty. Eyewitnesses told the NYPD that Mr Popov had told the voguing group that their dancing offended him as a Muslim. Mr Popov’s lawyer Mark Pollard told The Independent in an interview that his client was a “good Christian boy” who regularly attended church. “I have no idea where that came from. I just know he’s not Muslim. It’s very strange,” Mr Pollard told The Independent. The killing attracted national attention due to its alleged homophobic nature, as attacks on the LGBT+ community are increasing. Beyoncé, who was performing nearby at New York’s MetLife stadium on the night Sibley was killed, paid tribute to the dancer, choreographer and model, who family say was cut down “in his prime”. A funeral for Sibley is being held in his home city of Philadelphia on Tuesday 8 August. What happened? Otis Pena, who was with Sibley when he was killed, said in an emotional Facebook video posted on the night of the stabbing that a group of friends were celebrating his birthday when they had stopped a few blocks from his home to fill up their car. He said he and Sibley were “just pumping gas and listening to [Beyoncé’s album] Renaissance and having a good time”. Mr Pena said that as the confrontation ensued, he saw Sibley wobbling on his feet after being stabbed, and rushed over to try to administer care. “I’m trying to put pressure on the wound, and there’s blood squirting everywhere… I’m covered in his blood,” Mr Pena said through tears. “They killed my brother right in front of me.” “O’Shae was just trying to tell people ‘we may be gay’ and they stabbed him right in the heart,” he continued, breaking down. “They murdered him because he was gay, because he stood up for his friends. All because he wanted people to know that we are gay.” The duo had been close friends for 15 years, he said, and had always had each other’s backs. “O’Shae was the salt to my pepper, the peanut butter to my jelly, and y’all killed him. Y’all killed my bro. O’Shae was a beacon of light that influenced everybody.” An NYPD spokesperson said in a statement they responded to a 911 call at the Mobil station at 11.14pm on 29 July. “Upon arrival, officers observed a 28-year-old male with a stab wound to the torso. EMS responded and removed the victim to Maimonides Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased,” the spokesperson said. Who was O’Shae Sibley? Sibley grew up in North Philadelphia and was one of nine siblings. The youngster had been teased from a young age for his love of dancing, and found refuge at the Philadelphia Dance Company, known as Philadanco, as a 13-year-old, founder Joan Myers Brown told the Philadelphia Inquirer. After starting out dancing hip hop and other modern dances, he learned ballet and classical forms at the company’s apprentice programme D/2, she said. Ms Brown told the Inquirer that opportunities were limited for young, Black dancers in Philadelphia, and Sibley moved to New York about three years ago. “I just want to be famous,” Ms Brown recalls the young dancer telling her. She introduced him to another former Philadanco student Iquail Shaheed, a dance professor who teaches at the Alvin Ailey School in New York. Sibley joined the school’s dance company Ailey Extension, where he was “cherished” by his fellow students, the group wrote in a Facebook tribute. Sibley had been auditioning for Broadway shows, and had also worked as a choreographer and model, according to Ms Brown. He was also a popular member of the ballroom dancing community, friends said. They kept in touch via weekly calls and texts, and Sibley would tell her about his latest auditions, she told the Inquirer. Tondra Sibley, the victim’s aunt, told the New York Times his death was a “senseless crime”. “O’Shae has always been a peacemaker. All he wanted to do was dance,” she said. In an email shared with the Inquirer, Mr Shaheed wrote that Sibley was killed “just because he was Black, gay and dancing”. Sibley had “wanted to make a life for himself in and through dance. Yet, his young life was snuffed out by bigotry and hatred,” Mr Shaheed wrote. He was living in an apartment in Strauss St, Brownsville, in Brooklyn, at the time of his death. Beckenbaur Hamilton, a neighbour and friend, told NBC 4 New York that he had texted Sibley on the morning he was killed out of concern for his safety. He described their neighborhood as “very homophobic.” “We have to live stifled,” he said. “We live here in a community where we have to pretend to be somebody else.” Sibley’s father Jake Kelly wrote on a GoFundme page that his son’s life had been cut “in his prime” because of his sexuality. “O'Shae not only was the glue to this family, he was a great dancer and performer for the majority of his life. His spirit lit up every room he stepped in,” Mr Kelly wrote. Philadanco has also set up a fundraising page to raise funds for Sibley’s family. Suspect arrested Dmitriy Popov, 17, allegedly went on the run for a week after the killing, before surrendering to detectives on Friday. Mr Popov has been arraigned as an adult on murder and hate crime charges and ordered to be held without bail during a court appearance on Monday 7 August. He had reportedly claimed he was Muslim during the deadly confrontation with Sibley and his friends over their shirtless “voguing” dance moves. Court records obtained by the New York Daily News allege Mr Popov said: “Stop dancing here... we are Muslim. Get that gay s*** out of here.” Mr Pollard told The Independent that his client denied making any racist or homophobic statements. “I have met his family, he has Black family members. I’ve met his friends, he has Black friends. He denies hate being a part of anything regarding this.” Mr Popov’s grandmother said outside court that he acted in self-defence, while his mother read a statement expressing sympathy for the Sibley family. “My heart goes out to the family of Mr Sibley,” she said, according to the Daily News. She said her son was a “good boy” and regular churchgoer. ‘Gay joy is not a crime’ There was anger, grief and despair among Sibley’s friends and fellow students in tributes posted to social media. Beyoncé paid tribute to the dancer in a statement on her website, writing simply: “Rest in power O’Shae Sibley.” In a statement to Advocate, LGBT+ advocacy non-profit GLAAD said the shocking murder followed a “disturbing rise in violence and harassment against LGBTQ people across the US”. “This cannot continue. No one should have to fear for their safety just for being themselves. Politicians spewing lies and proposing policies filled with disinformation, and media repeating their false and dangerous rhetoric unchallenged, are creating an incredibly hostile environment that endangers all LGBT+ people and all queer people of colour.” Sibley’s dance studio, the Ailey Extension, said in a statement that he was a “cherished and devoted student”. “He had incredible energy in the studio and was loved by instructors and fellow classmates.” New York state senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said he was “heartbroken and enraged” to learn about Sibley’s death in a post on social media. “Despite homophobes’ best efforts, gay joy is not a crime. Hate-fueled attacks are,” the senator tweeted. A memorial for Sibley is being held at the LGBT Community Center on West 13th St on Saturday 5 August. What is voguing? Voguing is a modern style of house dancing that evolved from the Harlem ballroom dance scene, and was predominantly performed by LGBT+ Black and hispanic men as an imitation of fashion models. Voguing was named after the fashion bible Vogue, and is characterised by exaggerated poses, angular movements and fluid transitions. It first gained mainstream attention after the release of Madonna’s Vogue 1990 music video and the documentary Paris Is Burning. The film focused on drag queens living in New York City and their “house” culture, and won a Grand Jury Prize at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival. Willi Ninja, the “Godfather of voguing”, was honoured by Google with a “doodle” logo on its homepage on 9 June, which featured several performers recreating his iconic dancing style. Read More Teen accused of stabbing O’Shae Sibley in homophobic attack is a ‘good Christian boy’, lawyer says Beyoncé honours dancer who was fatally stabbed while dancing to her music: ‘Rest in power’ Gay man is fatally stabbed while dancing to Beyoncé at Brooklyn gas station Teen suspect charged with murder as a hate crime in O’Shae Sibley stabbing at Brooklyn gas station

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has replaced his campaign manager as he struggles to gain traction in his attempt to take down former President Donald Trump in the fight for the Republican presidential nomination. Campaign Manager Generra Peck will now instead move to the role of chief strategist with James Uthmeier taking on the top post, according to The Messenger. Mr Uthmeier previously held the position of chief of staff in the governor’s office. The shakeup comes not long after the campaign said that Ms Peck’s position was secure. She was in charge of Mr DeSantis’s successful 2022 reelection campaign in Florida but has been criticised by advisers to the governor as well as donors to the campaign after the campaign began to slow and funding started to run out. The campaign has had two rounds of staff and expenses cuts and a revamp of his media strategy to make the governor more available to mainstream outlets. A number of donors and advisers outside the campaign remained unsatisfied, prompting Mr DeSantis to ask Mr Uthmeier last week if he could analyse what issues may be plaguing the campaign and how they may be solved, leading to his hiring as campaign manager. The campaign doesn’t want to refer to the new moves as a “reboot,” The Messenger notes, preferring the word “reload”. “People have written Governor DeSantis’s obituary many times,” Mr Uthmeier told the outlet in a statement. “From his race against establishment primary candidate Adam Putnam, to his victory over legacy media-favored candidate Andrew Gillum [in 2018], to his twenty-point win over Charlie Crist [in 2022], Governor DeSantis has proven that he knows how to win. He’s breaking records on fundraising and has a supporting super PAC with $100 million in the bank and an incredible ground game. Get ready.” Iowa operative David Polyansky will take on the role of deputy campaign manager, leaving his post as an advisor to Never Back Down, the DeSantis-supporting Super PAC. More follows... Read More Florida school board reverses decision nixing access to children's book about a male penguin couple Trump and Biden tied in hypothetical 2024 rematch: poll DeSantis won’t rule out abortion ban but suggests there’s no ‘mileage’ in Congress

The plan, to be announced by Joe Biden later, will protect indigenous cultural sites and curb mining.

Former president Donald Trump was hit with his third criminal indictment on 1 August, this one charging him over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and the subsequent January 6 attack on the US Capitol Building. Following an investigation by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, a grand jury in Washington, DC, has charged Mr Trump on four counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy against rights and obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding. This is the second federal indictment filed against the Republican and the third he has received in total this year. The DC district judge assigned to oversee the case is Tanya Chutkan, a court docket revealed prior to Mr Trump’s arraignment on Thursday 3 August, at which he entered a not guilty plea to all charges. Judge Chutkan is an appointee of former president Barack Obama and was first appointed to the US District Court for the District of Columbia in June 2014. Here’s everything you need to know about the judge assigned to Mr Trump’s case. Who is Judge Tanya Chutkan? Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Judge Chutkan received her BA in Economics from George Washington University and her Juris Doctor (JD) from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she was an associate editor of its Law Review and a legal writing fellow, according to her DC District Court biography. After law school, Judge Chutkan worked in private practice for three years, before joining the District of Columbia Public Defender Service (PDS), where she worked as a trial attorney and supervisor. According to her biography, during Judge Chutkan’s time working at the PDS, she argued “several appellate cases and tried over 30 cases, including numerous serious felony matters”. Eleven years later, Judge Chutkan left the PDS and joined the private law firm Boies, Schiller, & Flexner LLP, where she worked for 12 years and specialised in white collar criminal defence. As a district judge, she has become known as one of the toughest judges in the prosecution of the Capitol rioters. One case thar caught everyone’s attention was that of an Ohio couple, Brandon and Stephanie Miller, who climbed through a broken window of the US Capitol and live-streamed a video of themselves inside the building. At the time, the prosecutor asked the Department of Justice (DoJ) to sentence them to home confinement as a part of a 36-month probationary period. Judge Chutkan disagreed with the prosecution’s request and instead sentenced Mr Miller to 20 days in jail and Ms Miller to 14 days in December 2021. At the time, Judge Chutkan said: “They didn’t just walk through a door. They climbed through a broken window… they knew full well of the violence that had preceded their entry. “The fact is that they were part of a mob… that was intent on stopping the lawful transfer of power.” In total, she has already sentenced at least 38 people convicted of Capitol riot-related crimes – and has handed down harsh punishments in these cases. Matt Mazzocco – a Texas mortgage broker who posed for a selfie in front of rioters breaching the building – was sentenced to 45 days in jail by Judge Chutkan with an additional 60 hours of community service in October 2021. Prosecutors had initially recommended three months under home confinement and probation but Judge Chutkan described the recommended sentence as too lenient. “If Mr Mazzocco walks away with probation and a slap on the wrist, that’s not going to deter anyone trying what he did again. It does not, in this court’s opinion, indicate the severity – the gravity of the offences that he committed on January 6,” she said. Judge Chutkan vs Trump Judge Chutkan has also had previous dealings with Mr Trump. In November 2021, Mr Trump filed a lawsuit in the hopes of blocking the National Archives from handing over documents related to the failed insurrection to the House select committee investigating the events of that day. Judge Chutkan rejected Mr Trump’s request and said: “While broad, these requests, and each of the other requests made by the committee, do not exceed the committee’s legislative powers.” She said that Mr Trump had not acknowledged “the deference owed to” President Joe Biden’s determination that the committee could access the materials. “[Mr Trump’s] position that he may override the express will of the executive branch appears to be premised on the notion that his executive power ‘exists in perpetuity,’” Judge Chutkan said. “But presidents are not kings, and the plaintiff is not president.” An Associated Press analysis of court records shows Judge Chutkan has sentenced at least 38 people convicted of Capitol riot-related crimes so far. She is one of two dozen judges in DC who have collectively sentenced almost 600 defendants so far for their roles in the assault on democracy. Additonal reporting from agencies. Read More Live updates: Trump pleads not guilty at arraignment in 2020 election case Trump moans criminal cases are keeping him from the campaign trail: ‘Must be Unconstitutional?’ Who is Jack Smith? The special prosecutor who just indicted Trump again Is Donald Trump going to prison? Judge in Trump election case gets extra protection after ex-president posts about her Trump judge demands hearing as Jack Smith and Trump spar over protective order – live Inside the courtroom, it was clear this indictment is different for Donald Trump

Rex Heuermann’s two adult children are now living in a “surreal, waking horror show” following his shock arrest for the infamous Gilgo Beach serial killings, according to their attorney. Victoria Heuermann, 26, and Christopher Sheridan, 33, still lived at home with their parents when investigators arrested their 59-year-old father on suspicion of at least three murders that rocked Long Island over a decade ago. Mr Heuermann, a professional architect, was charged with the murders of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello last month. He is also the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes – who was last seen alive in early June 2007 in New York City and who, together with the three other women, is known as the “Gilgo Four”. All four women worked as sex workers and disappeared after going to meet a client. Their remains were found in December 2010 within one-quarter mile of each other, bound by belts or tape and some wrapped in burlap – all dumped along Gilgo Beach. They were among 11 victims found in the area – some of whom are yet to be identified – which sparked fears of one or more serial killers on the loose. Mr Heuermann has claimed his innocence of the murders which investigators believe may have taken place inside the one-storey home in Massapequa Park that he shared with his wife of two decades Asa Ellerup, their daughter Victoria and his stepson Christopher. Since his arrest, search teams have combed every inch of the family home looking for clues about the killings or any potential trophies taken from the victims by the accused serial killer. Victoria, who worked at her father’s Manhattan-based architecture firm up until his arrest, and Christopher, who has developmental disabilities, have now been left to deal with the aftermath of their father’s alleged actions and the fallout from the high-profile case. Their attorney Vess Mitev, of Mitev Law Firm, told Fox News Digital that the siblings have found themselves thrust into the “developing legal case of the century” and are trying to claw back “some basic sense of normalcy”. “They’re constantly... having to reevaluate what is happening to them, almost in real-time,” he said. Mr Mitev said that a major concern for them is the state that their home was left in following a 12-day search by authorities. Images of the aftermath show the bathtub with holes cut out and possessions strewn everywhere inside the property. “Obviously, the deplorable conditions that their house was left in – torn apart from the floorboards to the shingles, basically, is their paramount concern,” he said. “[They’re] trying to regain some basic sense of normalcy, which is completely impossible at this point. “They’re living in a surreal, waking horror show.” Mr Mitev said that the two children had hired his services to protect their own “rights and liberties” as their role in their father’s murder case “has yet to be determined”. “Their rights and liberties have to be protected. And that investigation … is now heating up with the DA handing over troves of documents last week, and ... the leads the DA may be pursuing, whatever they may be, at some point may intertwine … with the rights and remedies that my clients have and enjoy under the Constitution and under the laws of New York,” he said. At this point, they want to hold onto “whatever minimum degree” of privacy they can, he said – adding that this is something that has been “completely eroded under the harsh glare of the spotlight”. The comments on behalf of Victoria and Christopher come after their mother broke her silence in her first interview last week where she revealed that she has been left filled with “anxiety” and their two children “cry themselves to sleep” over the horror. “I woke up in the middle of the night, shivering ... anxiety,” she told The New York Post. “My children cry themselves to sleep. I mean, they’re not children. They’re grown adults but they’re my children, and my son has developmental disabilities and he cried himself to sleep.” Ms Ellerup filed for divorce just days after his arrest but her attorney has confirmed that she has had some contact with her husband. She found support from a somewhat unlikely source as Melissa Moore – the daughter of the notorious Happy Face Killer – launched a GoFundMe campaign to help her “start her new life”. “Today, I have an opportunity to use my voice to help Asa, who isn’t in a place to speak about the terror and horror she and her family are experiencing at this moment,” she wrote in the GoFundMe, which had topped $38,000 as of Tuesday morning. Ms Ellerup, Victoria and Christopher were all out of town at the time of the three murders and investigators are allegedly probing whether Mr Heuermann brought the victims to the family home. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said that a “massive amount of evidence” had been recovered from the property as part of the investigation. Court records show that Mr Heuermann was linked to the “Gilgo Four” murders through a tip about his pickup truck, a stash of burner phones, “sadistic” online searches, phone calls taunting victims’ families, his wife’s hair found on the victims’ bodies – and a pizza crust. The first piece of the puzzle came when a witness in the Amber Costello case revealed details about a vehicle that a client was driving when she was last seen alive. Costello was seen alive on the evening of 2 September 2010 when she left her home in West Babylon. A witness said she had gone to meet a client who was driving a first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche. Last year, a registration search showed that local man Mr Heuermann owned a first-generation model of the truck at the time of Costello’s disappearance. He also matched the witness’ description of the man believed to be the killer: a large, white “ogre”-like male in his mid-40s, around 6’4’ to 6’6” tall, with “dark bushy hair,” and “big oval style 1970’s type eyeglasses”. The discovery of the car led investigators to home in on Mr Heuermann, including executing 300 subpoenas, search warrants and other legal processes to obtain evidence to determine his potential involvement in the killings. Among this was Mr Heuermann’s alleged use of burner phones, with prosecutors saying that he used burner phones to contact the three women and arrange to meet them at the time when they went missing. He also allegedly took two of the victims’ cellphones – and used one to make taunting phone calls to one of their families where he boasted about her murder, court documents state. Mr Heuermann’s DNA was found on one of the victims, while his wife’s hair was found on three of the four women he is connected to. His arrest comes after the horrific serial killer case has captured the nation’s attention for more than a decade. The Gilgo Beach murders had long stumped law enforcement officials in Suffolk County who believed it could be the work of one or more serial killers who targeted sex workers and dumped their bodies along the remote beaches on Ocean Parkway. The case began in May 2010 when Shannan Gilbert vanished after leaving a client’s house on foot near Gilgo Beach. She called 911 for help saying she feared for her life and was never seen alive again. During a search for Gilbert in dense thicket close to the beach, police discovered the remains of another woman. Within a matter of days, the remains of three more victims were found close by. By spring 2011, the remains of a total of 10 victims had been found including eight women, a man, and a toddler. Police have long thought that it could be the work of one or more serial killers. Gilbert’s body was then found in December 2011. Her cause of death is widely contested with authorities long claiming that it is not connected to the serial killer or killers but that she died from accidental drowning as she fled from the client’s home. However, an independent autopsy commissioned by her family ruled that she died by strangulation and her mother believes she was murdered. Like Gilbert, most of the victims targeted were sex workers, while some are yet to be identified. Read More Gilgo Beach murders victim Karen Vergata’s final phone call revealed More families await answers in Gilgo Beach killings – and the names of other victims How the Gilgo Beach serial killer turned the Long Island shore into a graveyard

The boyfriend of a Maryland mother-of-five has denied involvement in her death, after police launched a homicide probe into the death of a woman whose body was found on a popular hiking trail. Rachel Morin, 37, disappeared after reportedly heading out for a hike on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air, Hartford County, at around 6pm on Saturday. Her new boyfriend Richard Tobin, 27, reported her missing at around 11pm that night after she failed to return, Hartford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler told a press conference on Sunday. Authorities launched a missing person investigation and Ms Morin’s car was found at the Williams St entrance to the trail on Sunday morning. A member of the public found a woman’s body near the trail at 1.07pm, and authorities launched a homicide investigation as they await formal confirmation of the deceased’s identity and cause of death from the medical examiner’s office. On Sunday night, Mr Tobin took to social media to state his innocence while also making reference to his lengthy criminal rap sheet. “I love Rachel, I would never do anything to her, let the family and I grieve,” Mr Tobin wrote. “Yes I have a past but I also have 15 months clean and have changed as a person. Please.” Court records show Mr Tobin has two arrests for second-degree assault, and separate arrests for violating restraining orders, malicious destruction of property and drug possession dating back to 2014 Mr Tobin has also faced charges of being a fugitive from justice, resisting arrest and disorderly intoxication, according to Maryland judiciary case search records. Mr Tobin has not been named as a suspect, or accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the homicide inquiry. Mr Tobin only confirmed his relationship with Ms Morin in a Facebook post on 1 August, five days before she was reported missing. The Independent has attempted to reach Mr Tobin, but a publicly listed cellphone number went straight to voicemail on Monday. Ms Morin’s devastated sister Rebekah Morin confirmed in a post on a GoFundme page that the remains located on the Ma and Pa Trail belonged to her sister. “My sister, Rachel Morin went missing on Saturday August 5 2023 around 6 pm. In less then 24 hours her body was found by local law enforcement,” she wrote. Rebekah Morin added her death was “not accidental”, and she “did not go willingly”. She also revealed that the family had been devastated by the loss of her niece to sudden infant death syndrome just a week earlier. On Sunday, Sheriff Gahler has said that there may still be a danger to the public, and urged anyone hiking the Ma and Pa Trail to be vigilant. “Thankfully we don’t have too much violent crime in Harford County, but when we have one, I prefer when I can stand here and tell you that the suspect has been arrested or that it’s a targeted crime. “I can’t tell you that is the case,” he said. He urged anyone hiking trails in the area to carry a whistle toan alert device, pay attention to their surroundings, and notify family and friends of their plans. Sheriff Gahler also pleaded with the public to call 911 immediately if they spotted anything suspicious, and come forward with any information that might be relevant to the homicide inquiry. Read More Rachel Morin search – latest: Body found on Maryland hiking trail as homicide investigation launched Homicide investigation launched as body found after mother-of-five vanished on Maryland hiking trail It took 16 years to identify a woman found buried in a shallow grave. No one knew she was missing

The Donald Trump-appointed judge overseeing the criminal case into his handling of classified documents has sided with the former president once again – dealing mutliple blows to special counsel Jack Smith. Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed to the bench during Mr Trump’s final days in office, on Monday struck down two of Mr Smith’s court filings and gave him a dressing down over his use of grand juries in the case. In the ruled filed in south Florida, the judge rejected the Justice Department’s request for sealed filings in order to preserve the “grand jury secrecy” in the case where Mr Trump is currently facing 40 charges. “The Special Counsel states in conclusory terms that the supplement should be sealed from public view ‘to comport with grand jury secrecy,’ but the motion for leave and the supplement plainly fail to satisfy the burden of establishing a sufficient legal or factual basis to warrant sealing the motion and supplement,” she wrote in the brief. Judge Cannon ordered that two such sealed filings be struck from the record altogether. These filings related to a motion brought by Mr Smith’s office arguing that Stanley Woodward – the attorney for Mr Trump’s aide and codefendant Walt Nauta – has potential conflicts of interest as he represents other individuals who could be called to give testimony in the case. In Monday’s brief, Judge Cannon also questioned what she described as the “legal propriety” of Mr Smith’s office using an out-of-state grand jury to investigate the case. Prosecutors were ordered to file a response which “shall address the legal propriety of using an out-of-district grand jury proceeding to continue to investigate and/or to seek post-indictment hearings on matters pertinent to the instant indicted matter in this district”. Most of the classified documents case is being handled out of Judge Cannon’s district in South Florida – where Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago sits. However, some grand jury work in the case was also carried out in Washington DC. Judge Cannon took issue with this and questioned why a grand jury heard evidence in DC after Mr Trump had already been indicted by a grand jury in Florida. She has demanded that Mr Smith’s office respond to the court filing by 22 August with an explanation. Her latest briefs have raised fresh questions about the judge’s handling of the case – given she was appointed by Mr Trump and has repeatedly handed him favourable, and questionable, rulings. Former US attorney Andrew Weissmann described the judge’s filing as “off base”. “Judge Cannon clearly shows her ignorance (bias? both?); the obstruction crimes that were investigated are charges that could have been brought in [Florida] or in DC and thus could be investigated in either district,” he wrote on Twitter. “And there was conduct that is alleged to have occurred outside [Florida].” Last year, Judge Cannon, who was randomly assigned to preside over the case following Mr Trump’s indictment in June, previously sided with Mr Trump’s request to appoint an independent special master to review the documents in the classified papers case before they could be handed to the DOJ. The decision was branded “deeply flawed” by Mr Trump’s own former attorney general Bill Barr and was later thrown out by an appeals court. Mr Trump was initially indicted on 37 federal charges in early June over his alleged mishandling of classified documents, becoming the first current or former US president ever charged with a federal crime. He pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment in a Miami federal courthouse. His longtime aide Mr Nauta was also charged in the case as his co-defendant. In a superseding indictment filed in late July, Mr Trump was hit with three new charges and a third defendant – Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira – was added to the federal criminal case. Prosecutors now allege that Mr Trump even went as far as to plot with two employees to delete security footage from Mar-a-Lago in his quest to hide the classified documents – and what exactly he was doing with them. Now, with the additional charges, Mr Trump has a total of 40 federal counts over his handling of classified documents. Last week, he was also charged in a separate federal case over his role in the January 6 Capitol riot and his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. This comes after he was hit with state charges in New York in April over hush money payments to cover up affairs in the lead-up to the 2016 election. Read More Trump judge demands court hearing as Jack Smith and ex-president spar over protective order – latest Former Republican official in Georgia subpoenaed over Trump efforts to change election result Special counsel accuses Trump of wanting to try Jan 6 case in media after bid to use evidence during 2024 run Justice Department stands with Ukraine in war crimes investigations, Attorney General Garland says Mitch McConnell heckled with chants of ‘retire’ after freezing episode Trucking giant Yellow Corp. declares bankruptcy after years of financial struggles

Rachel Morin shared a post on Facebook that hinted at her possible affinity for thrill months before she was found dead along a forest trail in Maryland. The mother-of-five was last seen around 6pm on Saturday when she allegedly went out for a run on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air. The 37-year-old failed to return home that night and her boyfriend reported her missing, according to Harford County sheriff Jeffrey Gahler. Morin’s vehicle was found in the parking lot at the entrance to the popular walking route on Sunday morning and hours later, at around 1pm, a member of the public discovered a woman’s body close to the trail. Morin shared a post in February that read: "Risk can be dangerous, but routine can be deadly. Comfort has killed more dreams than daring ever did." Authorities on Sunday night said they have opened a homicide investigation as they awaited formal identification and cause of death from the medical examiner’s office. Rebekah Morin, the victim’s devastated sister, claimed on a GoFundme page that her sister's death was "not accidental" and she did not go "willingly". Morin's 27-year-old boyfriend, Richard Tobin, broke his silence on Sunday night, saying he would “never do anything to her”. “Yes I have a past but I also have 15 months clean and have changed as a person. Please,” Mr Tobin wrote on Facebook. Court records showed Mr Tobin has two arrests for second-degree assault, and separate arrests for violating restraining orders, malicious destruction of property and drug possession dating back to 2014. Mr Tobin has also faced charges of being a fugitive from justice, resisting arrest and disorderly intoxication, according to Maryland judiciary case search records. He is, however, not been named as a suspect, or accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the homicide inquiry. “Right now detectives continue to work the case as aggressively as they possibly can and we will leave no stone unturned,” Sheriff Gahler told reporters. “I hope that changes in the coming hours, but at this point in time, there is not a suspect.” Read More Rachel Morin – update: Boyfriend of missing mother-of-five speaks out as homicide probe launched Rachel Morin was found dead on a popular Maryland hiking trail. Her sister says she ‘did not go willingly’ Homicide investigation launched as body found after mother-of-five vanished on Maryland hiking trail

A former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia has received subpoenas to speak before a grand jury in Fulton County this month, according to a new report. Geoff Duncan – a sharp critic of Donald Trump’s efforts to upend Georgia’s election results – was subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury, according to sources familiar with the investigation into the 2020 election interference in Georgia that were cited by CNN. In a recent interview with CNN, Mr Duncan had committed to testifying in front of the grand jury, saying he’ll “be there to answer the facts as I know them and to continue this process of trying to discover what actually happened during that post-election period of time”. “We can never repeat that in this country. Certainly, I never want to see that happen in my home state of Georgia, a lot of good peoples’ lives were uprooted, and a lot of people’s reputations have been soiled,” he said. The former Republican official said he would be “willing to testify and tell the truth in as many settings as I possibly can”, when asked whether he would be willing to testify in any other related trials. Last week, Mr Duncan likened picking Donald Trump to be the 2024 GOP nominee to “peeing in your pants”. The former Republican official attacked the ex-president in an appearance on CNN. “Nominating Donald Trump for the Republican Party is a lot like peeing in your pants, right?” Mr Duncan said. “It’s gonna feel good for a couple of seconds, but then you wake up and realise the realities of what you just did.” “We’re gonna get beat in the general [election] because we picked the wrong candidate. We couldn’t get out of our own way,” he continued. Meanwhile, Mr Duncan chose not to discuss when he might appear before the grand jury. “I don’t want to infringe on any details of the investigation, so I’ll leave that offline and off of this commentary here. But I’m committed to telling the truth – I know a number of people are around this process.” Read More Republicans are talking up the possibility of impeaching Biden. Is it what voters want to hear? Trump posts another attack on judge ahead of first court deadline Jack Smith accuses Trump of aiming to try election case in media after he opposed protective order - latest Trump and Biden tied in hypothetical 2024 rematch: poll Mississippi candidates for statewide offices square off in party primaries Jack Smith accuses Trump of wanting to try Jan 6 case in media in fight over evidence

Ohio concludes a hastily called and highly charged special election Tuesday, a contest that could determine the fate of abortion rights in the state and fuel political playbooks nationally heading into 2024. On the ballot is Issue 1, a proposal to raise the threshold for passing future changes to the state's constitution from a simple majority to 60%. But more passionately in the sights of the proposal's backers — including Republican officeholders — is a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot that calls for enshrining access to reproductive care in the state's foundational document. The measure was clearly resonating with voters, who turned out in huge numbers during the early voting period, which ended Sunday. The number of advance ballots cast — a combination of mail and early in-person ballots — hit nearly 700,000, more than double the early vote during the state's two previous midterm primary elections in 2022 and 2018. Ohio's August elections have historically focused on local issues and been plagued with chronically low turnout. The Republican lawmakers who backed Issue 1 maintained that the measure was not about thwarting the fall abortion amendment, despite reinstating an August special election just like the ones they had only recently voted to eliminate. Raising the bar for passing citizen-led constitutional amendments could make it difficult, if not impossible, for the fall proposal to succeed, based on polling figures. Voters in several states, even deeply conservative ones, have affirmed abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, though usually with less than 60% of the vote. AP VoteCast polling last year found that 59% of Ohio voters say abortion should generally be legal. Out-of-state money has poured into both sides of the contest over the 60% threshold, even as both supporters and opponents say one of their main goals is to keep special interests from having more influence over state policy than average Ohioans. The campaign in favor of Issue 1, Protect Our Constitution, has told voters that raising the threshold will keep deep-pocketed interest groups from pushing redistricting, gun control and minimum wage policies on Ohio. One Person One Vote, the opposition campaign, argues that raising the threshold for passing future amendments would prioritize the interests of Ohio's increasingly conservative GOP supermajority at the statehouse over those of everyday voters. But abortion rights are at the epicenter of the fight, as Ohio and other states have been given control of their own abortion policies following the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last summer. Ohio's ban on most abortions had been placed on hold under Roe and then allowed to take effect briefly after the court overturned it. Since then, it has been frozen again while a challenge alleging it violates the state constitution plays out. The abortion amendment would give individuals the right to make their own reproductive health care decisions, including on contraception, fertility treatment, abortion and miscarriage care, until a fetus is viable outside the womb. At the same time, a broad bipartisan coalition opposes Issue 1 for other reasons. Former Ohio governors and attorneys general of both parties have come out against the constitutional change, calling it poor public policy. If passed it would reverse 111 years of direct democracy that has the potential to affect future citizen-led ballot efforts. Protect Women Ohio, the campaign against the fall abortion question, has spent millions on the August election — airing ads suggesting the measure not only codifies abortion, but could pressure children into receiving gender-affirming care and undercut parental rights. Several legal experts have said there is no language in the amendment supporting the ads' claims, but it follows a pattern through this election cycle of misinformation and fear-mongering being used to sway voters. Issue 1 opponents have aired ads and mobilized a large coalition, including voting rights, labor, faith and community groups, as well as the state Democratic Party. It was because of chronically low turnout that lawmakers voted just last year to scrap summer elections, prompting an unsuccessful lawsuit alleging this year's August special election violated the new law and calling further into question if it was brought back solely to thwart abortion rights for Ohioans. ___ The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ Samantha Hendrickson is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. 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