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Congressman George Santos sent out a series of thank you notes to his Republican colleagues, whose votes last week assured the New York Republican would not be expelled from the House of Representatives. "I want to personally thank you for your support in referring the vote for my expulsion to the Ethics Committee," the letters, obtained by Insider, say. "This has been an especially difficult time in my life, and I want to serve my constituents the best I can." "Now more than ever, the Republican majority needs to stick together, and you demonstrated great dedication and courage by putting differences aside to allow the proper process to play out," the messages conclude. A spokesperson for Mr Santos’s office confirmed the letters were accurate and said the Republican "wanted to express his thanks to his fellow members for allowing the process to play out so that the 118th Congress can focus on the critical issues facing our country, starting with border security and addressing the issue of the debt ceiling." On Wednesday, the House bucked convention and sent a proposal to expel Mr Santos, who was indicted on a series of federal fraud charges earlier this month, to the House Ethics Committee. Typically, the committee defers to the Justice Department on criminal matters. Earlier this month, Mr Santos was hit with a 13-count federal indictment, alleging a series of fraudulent actions before and during his run for office. The charges include seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. Prosecutors allege he lied on financial forms submitted as part of his House candidacy, failed to disclose forms of income, overstated earnings, and used donations from his political campaign for personal purposes, including “thousands of dollars of the solicited funds on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments.” Mr Santos, who flipped beat an incumbent Democrat to win his Long Island seat in 2022, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Read More George Santos accused of scamming fellow GOP candidates in fraud scheme George Santos bizarrely compares himself to a Mean Girls character: ‘I’m Cady’ AOC heckles George Santos after Congress votes on his future: ‘Resign! Resign bro!’

A New York judge has set a trial date of March 25, 2024, for the criminal case against former President Donald Trump, potentially setting up a media spectacle in the middle of the Republican presidential primary season.

Ron DeSantis will officially enter the 2024 presidential race on Wednesday following months of speculation. The Florida governor will take part in a live Twitter event with Elon Musk on Wednesday night, NBC News reports. Afterward, the campaign will release an official launch video. On Monday, Mr DeSantis, 44, teased his 2024 bid while speaking at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Orlando in which he outlined his vision for a conservative grip on the Supreme Court to last a quarter of a century. In what appeared to be a subtle swipe at Donald Trump he announced his plans to run for eight years – something Mr Trump cannot do. Mr DeSantis, 44, is seen as Mr Trump’s biggest rival for the Republican vote with several Republican lawmakers and right-wing media rallying behind him after the midterms. However, the latest polls show Mr DeSantis trailing Mr Trump. This comes at a time when Mr DeSantis is going to war with Disney and pushing back on the NAACP‘s advisory warning travellers that Florida is “openly hostile” towards Black people, people of colour and LGBT+ people due to his laws. Read More College student who tracked Elon Musk’s private jet is now following Ron DeSantis Who is Casey DeSantis? What we know about Florida governor Ron’s wife who could become America’s first lady DeSantis responds to NAACP call for tourists to boycott Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will announce his 2024 presidential campaign Wednesday night in a conversation with Twitter owner Elon Musk, a spokesperson for his political team tells CNN.

Russia alleges that dozens of Ukrainian militants crossed into one of its border towns in its Belgorod region, striking targets and forcing an evacuation, before over 70 of the attackers were killed or pushed back by what the authorities termed a counterterrorism operation. Ukraine denied any involvement in the skirmishes Monday and Tuesday, instead blaming two Russian groups that claim to be volunteers fighting alongside Kyiv's forces in an uprising against the government of President Vladimir Putin. While neither version could be independently verified, whatever happened appears to have sent Moscow scrambling to respond to one of the most serious border incursions since Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said an elderly woman died in the chaotic evacuation, and 12 people were wounded in the attack and shelling. As fighting there apparently continued Tuesday morning, he urged residents not to return to their homes, and only in late afternoon declared the operation was over. A look at what's known about the attack and the murky groups who say they carried it out: WHO'S CLAIMING RESPONSIBILITY? Two groups — the Freedom of Russia Legion and Russian Volunteer Corps – claimed responsibility for the attack and announced an ambitious goal of “liberating” the Belgorod region. Little is known about them beyond what they say about themselves, and it's not clear how they are. The website of the Freedom of Russia Legion says it was formed last spring “out of Russians’ desire to fight against Putin’s armed gang” and is “officially recognized” by Kyiv’s military. “We are fighting in full cooperation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and under the leadership of the Ukrainian command,” the website says. The website said it fought last summer in “small battle groups,” and now was involved in the battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut. The Russian Volunteer Corps’ page in the messaging app Telegram used to say it was a formation within the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It now describes itself as merely fighting on the Ukrainian side. In August 2022, an announcement posted there said: “We, Russian volunteers living in Ukraine, decided to take up arms and create a military formation, the Russian Volunteer Corps, in order to together with our Ukrainian comrades defend their homeland which gave us shelter, and then continue the fight against the criminal Putin regime and his henchmen.” Other posts claimed the group was fighting in southeastern Ukraine, or as volunteers serving elsewhere in the country, including in Kyiv's suburbs of Bucha and Irpin. In March, the Russian Volunteer Corps claimed responsibility for an incursion in Russia's Bryansk region, another border area. Media reports at the time identified some of its members as Russian nationalists. In a post Tuesday, the Russian Volunteer Corps described its political views as “right-wing conservative and traditionalist." WHAT DOES UKRAINE SAY? Ukrainian officials have never confirmed any ties with either group. The government in Kyiv denied involvement in this week's Belgorod incident, calling it an act by disgruntled Russians. When they did talk about it, officials were vague. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said “patriots of Russia” and “people who actually rebelled against Putin’s regime” were behind the attack. Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak blamed “underground guerrilla groups” that are “composed of Russian citizens.” In remarks to the news outlet Suspilne, Ukraine intelligence official Andrii Yusov said it was the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion. Andrii Cherniak, another intelligence representative pointed to the fact that the two groups claimed responsibility. "This is the consequence of aggressive politics of Putin’s regime and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” he told The Associated Press. WHAT DOES RUSSIA SAY? Russia calls it an incursion by saboteurs deployed by Kyiv, with officials and state media using various epithets ranging from “militants” to “terrorists.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Belgorod attack was a diversion, meant “to draw attention away” from Russia's victory in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which Moscow claimed to have captured over the weekend after months of bloody fighting. Asked Tuesday about claims that the invaders were ethnic Russians, Peskov insisted that “these are Ukrainian militants from Ukraine.” “There are lots of ethnic Russians in Ukraine, but these are still Ukrainian militants,” Peskov said. Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said more than 70 “Ukrainian terrorists” were killed in Russia’s operation. He also referred to the attackers as “nationalists.” Russian state TV reported the invaders were from Ukraine's armed forces. One report alleged the attackers used U.S. military equipment despite Washington’s assurances its weapons won't be used for attacks on Russia. WHAT'S THE TRUTH? It's hard to know. Analysts and commentators say both Russia and Ukraine would likely benefit from its own version of the events. The British Defense Ministry tweeted Tuesday that “Russia will almost certainly use these incidents to support the official narrative that it is the victim in the war.” Russian state media coverage appears to support this notion, with its allegations that U.S. weapons were used in the attack and the general tone of some reports that overlaid video from the region with tense, dramatic music. For Kyiv, it's beneficial “to take up the position of an observer and not admit its involvement,” said Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov. “The fact is that the war is happening on Russian territory, the Kremlin is being clearly indicated that Russians are not the only ones who can employ hybrid (warfare) methods,” Zhdanov told AP. The involvement of the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion should serve as signs that “there are forces inside Russia who can resist Putin’s regime,” he said. At the same time, the Belgorod attack “showed Russia’s helplessness," Zhdanov said. “Russia turned out to be completely unprepared -– neither its security forces, nor border guards, nor special services were prepared for hostilities on their own turf. The myth that Russia keeps its border locked has been busted,” he added. Some Russian voices echoed that sentiment. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner private military contractor, used the incident as yet another chance to bash the Russian Defense Ministry for not adequately protecting the border. Alexander Kots, military correspondent with the pro-Kremlin newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, also raised questions on his Telegram page. “What’s with our technical equipment of the border, surveillance systems, motion detection systems?" he asked. "What’s with mining of the potentially dangerous areas? What’s with anti-tank equipment? Why did an enemy armored group breach deep into our territory?” These are the questions “to which there are no answers,” Kots said. “To be more accurate, there are, but they’re very unpleasant.” ___ Karmanau reported from Tallinn and Arhirova reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Biden's shift on F-16s for Ukraine came after months of internal debate Analysis: Shadowy attacks inside Russia deliver a psychological win for Ukraine China presses Dutch minister for access to chipmaking tech blocked on security grounds

By William James LONDON (Reuters) -Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been referred to police by the government's Cabinet

Donald Trump has lashed out at his longtime booster and Fox News host Laura Ingraham after she reported on polls suggesting the former president's Republican rival would be a better match to take back the White House in 2024. Ingraham spent a portion of her Monday show discussing moves that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — Mr Trump's most likely primary rival — is making ahead of his expected announcement. One of those moves includes an upcoming speech at the National Religious Broadcasting convention in Orlando, where Mr DeSantis will likely try to earn favour with evangelical Christians ahead of announcing his candidacy. The Fox News anchor and her guest, Common Sense Society executive editor Chris Bedford, also discussed recent polls comparing Mr Trump's and Mr DeSantis's chances against Joe Biden in 2024. Ultimately, the polls they featured concluded that Mr DeSantis would likely carry Arizona and Georgia — delivering a hypothetical victory over Joe Biden in 2024 — while Mr Trump would fail to carry the states much as he did in 2020. The former president reacted as one might expect. "Laura Ingraham on FoxNews just did a hit piece on me (there go her ratings!) showing some polls which indicate that Ron DeSanctimonious may do better against Biden than I would, when actually polls show that I do MUCH better against Biden than 'Rob,'" Mr Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. He shared images of Fox News polls suggesting he is more favoured in the Rust Belt than Mr Biden. Mr Trump then went on to denigrate Fox News and plug their competition. "The poll your looking at now, which has me doing far better against Crooked Joe, was just put out by FOX, I am sure unhappily. I’m also leading DeSanctus by over 40 points in Primary Voting,” he said, adding a final plug for Newsmax. “Watch Greg Kelly on Newsmax at 10:00 P.M." Ingraham did mention on her show that Mr Trump was the "overwhelming" favourite to earn the party's primary candidacy, noting that he has a "stunning" lead over Mr DeSantis — who has not yet announced his run — in polling. Polling data site FiveThirtyEight's national average tracker suggests that Mr Trump has an exceptional lead over Mr DeSantis in a theoretical primary race. Mr Trump has 53.5 per cent of support while Mr DeSantis only scored 20.8 per cent. Mr DeSantis wasn't the only potential rival to take a lashing from Mr Trump; the former president also hit out at former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. He shared a Newsmax clip capturing a 2021 press conference in which Ms Haley said she would not run in 2024 if Mr Trump was also running. "This is a classic!" Mr Trump wrote alongside the video. "'I would not run if President Trump ran.'" Read More How Donald Trump’s sex abuse verdict is paving the way for countless women to hold powerful men to account Trump has been indicted: Here are the other major lawsuits and investigations he is also facing College student who tracked Elon Musk’s private jet is now following Ron DeSantis Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis predicted that if he were to win presidency, that conservatives could have a 7-2 majority on the Supreme Court for 25 years, The Guardian reported. The governor and prospective candidate for the Republican nomination for president made the remarks while speaking at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Orlando. Mr DeSantis is widely expected to announce his candidacy for president some time this week. Polling shows he still trails former president Donald Trump but he has the most support of any of the other candidates. The two-term governor said that given their age, the next president would have the opportunity to nominate two of the most senior conservative justices. “I think if you look over the next two presidential terms, there is a good chance that you could be called upon to seek replacements for Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito and the issue with that is, you can’t really do better than those two,” he said. In addition, he alluded to the opportunity to replace Justice Sonia Sotomayor, 68, and even Justice Elena Kagan, 63, both of whom former president Barack Obama nominated. “It is possible that in those eight years, we have the opportunity to fortify justices,” he said. “Alito and Thomas as well as actually make improvements with those others, and if you were able to do that, you would have a 7-2 conservative majority on the supreme court that would last a quarter-century” Read More Ron DeSantis outlines ‘nightmarish’ Supreme Court vision and drops 2024 Twitter hint Martin Luther King’s daughter condemns Ted Cruz over NAACP Florida travel warning Trump faces virtual court hearing in criminal case today as Carroll sues again – live

A lawyer for GOP megadonor Harlan Crow told Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin that his committee did not have "the authority to investigate Mr. Crow's personal friendship with Justice Clarence Thomas," in a letter Monday night obtained by CNN.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan signed legislation Monday that will make it easier for authorities to seize firearms from people who are believed to be a danger to themselves or others, commonly known as "red flag" laws.

In the early days of his governorship, Ron DeSantis, still largely unknown to even the people who elected him, barnstormed across Florida's 65,000 square miles, popping up almost daily in a different community to announce new initiatives or unexpected actions. News outlets, opposition Democrats and fellow Republicans unaccustomed to such energy from the executive were caught by surprise.

Ahead of an expected White House bid in the coming days, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spelled out the possibility to build a "7-2 conservative majority" on the US Supreme Court.