List of All Articles with Tag 'erica'

Former president Donald Trump’s attorney Timothy Parlatore is leaving the former president’s legal team, CNN reported on Wednesday. Mr Parlatore played a key role in the investigation into Mr Trump keeping classified documents at his private Mar-a-Lago estate, and Mr Parlatore even testified before the grand jury in the case. The departure comes as Special Counsel Jack Smith reaches the end of his investigation into Mr Trump’s possible mishandling of classified documents. “It’s been an incredible honor to serve and work through interesting legal issues. My departure was a personal choice and does not reflect upon the case, as I believe strongly the (Justice Department) team is engaging in misconduct to pursue an investigation of conduct that is not criminal,” Mr Palatore told CNN in a statement. Mr Parlatore also organised searches for additional classified documents at Trump Tower as well as other Trump properties, including a storage unit. He also testified before a grand jury in December when the Justice Department sought to hold Mr Trump in contempt for failing to hand over classified documents after he received a subpoena. “They repeatedly tried to ask me about my conversations with President Trump, which is totally outside the scope of what I was there for,” he said in March. Mr Parlatore also recently sent a letter to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner that asked the Justice Department to step aside and instead let the intelligence community determine what happened with the documents. The departure comes as Mr Trump faces multiple investigations on the federal and local levels. Last month, he was arraigned in Manhattan for charges related to alleged hush money payments. The Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney is also investigating Mr Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the Peach State. Similarly, along with the documents, Mr Smith is investigating Mr Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and his actions on January 6. Read More Trump news – live: John Durham’s report on Trump-Russia probe attacks FBI as Giuliani accused of sexual abuse DeSantis reacts to Trump implying Florida abortion ban is ‘too harsh’ as 2024 fight heats up

The last juror to vote to convict Lori Vallow guilty of all charges in her trial for the murders of her children and husband’s late wife has spoken out. In an ABC News exclusive interview that aired on Good Morning America on Wednesday, Saul Hernandez, one of the 12 jurors out of a panel of 18 including six alternates, gave his account of their deliberations. Mr Hernandez was the lone holdout on the panel before ultimately switching his stance on day two of deliberations to find Vallow guilty of all charges. On Friday 12 May, Vallow was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy and grand theft over the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, seven, and of conspiracy to murder Tammy Daybell, 49, her new husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, at Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho. Tylee and JJ were last seen in September 2019. In June 2020, their remains were found buried in shallow graves on the Daybell property. Tammy died one month after their disappearance in October 2019 and her death was later ruled a homicide by asphyxiation. Over six weeks, prosecutors argued that Vallow conspired with Mr Daybell and her brother Alex Cox to kill the three victims, motivated by greed and their doomsday cult beliefs. Asked why he had initially held out on convicting Vallow, Mr Hernandez says: “I just didn’t feel like at that timeline with Tylee [Vallow] we were quite there yet, and if we were, I perhaps was missing it.” Speaking about the bizarre religious beliefs that appear to have partially underpinned the motive for the murders, he said of Vallow: “I think she started with maybe curiosity, exploring what her initial beliefs were. And once Chad came into the picture, she went along with it.” Chilling Mr Hernandez said: “As the case progressed, as the evidence came to light, testimony was shared, it was harder to look at her. Growing up, we’re taught good and bad, God and evil, and I think for the first time in my life, I put a face to evil.” More follows… Read More Chad Daybell, Alex Cox and Charles Vallow: Key players in the Lori Vallow trial Lori Vallow Daybell: Timeline of ‘doomsday cult mom’s’ mystery case Lori Vallow has been convicted of her children’s murders. What happens next?

Students of the New College of Florida have planned to host an alternative graduation ceremony to oppose what they said was the “hostile takeover” of the institution through conservative trustees appointed by Ron DeSantis earlier this year. The graduation, which will be separate from the official ceremony, is being organised by New College seniors, with support from the alumni-run Novo Collegian Alliance, which has a little more than $105,000 of the $130,000 funding goal for the ceremony through their GoFundMe page. Called “[New] Commencement: On Our Terms”, the event “is an alternative commencement and grad celebration led by students, for students, and against the hostile takeover of New College of Florida”, according to the GoFundMe page. Governor DeSantis appointed six new members to the Board of Trustees in January, leading to backlash from students who opposed the views of the conservatives. The tapping of Scott Atlas as the speaker for the graduation ceremony on Friday also became a flashpoint between students and the administration. A controversial figure, Dr Atlas served as top adviser to Donald Trump during the Covid-19 pandemic and often provided views contradictory to medical professionals. The board, however, hailed his resume as “impressive” while announcing him as the speaker at the commencement ceremony. “Dr Atlas’s perspective and resume are impressive; he is a champion and fighter for free speech and a renowned national leader,” said Richard Corcoran, the school’s president, in a statement. “We are happy to welcome him here at New College, where we place a high value on personal freedom and individual autonomy, as Dr Atlas does.” In their alternative commencement ceremony, scheduled for Thursday, the students invited Maya Wiley, an attorney and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, as the keynote speaker. The event will be followed by a private gathering on 19 May at an undisclosed location, reported the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. “We’re now guaranteed a graduation surrounded by the New College community members that truly want to celebrate who we are, rather than those attempting to change our culture,” Madison Markham, a graduating senior and one of the students planning the event, was quoted as saying by Politico. According to the outlet, while the students opposed the changes brought by Mr DeSantis, they were unable to have a significant impact on them. The moves by the board included the removal of school’s president Patricia Okker, and replacing her with Mr Corcoran, a former Republican House Speaker, who earns $699,000 annually, more than double his predecessor, as per the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. At least five faculty members have been denied tenure, prompting one of the trustees to quit the board and resign as a professor from the university, reported Politico. “The new administration that has spent the past four months attacking our students and community cannot, in good faith, celebrate our graduating students and their accomplishments,” said the GoFundMe page. “Commencement is supposed to be a celebration of graduating students and the people who have shaped this school to be what it is. And we’re proud of who we are! So, we’re taking the celebration plans into our own hands,” it said. “We want this event to be a fulfilling and memorable experience for graduating students that keeps the focus on STUDENTS, rather than an administration desperately trying to maintain normality and instill conformity.” Read More DeSantis criticizes Trump for implying Florida abortion ban is 'too harsh' Florida teacher under investigation for showing Disney movie with LGBT+ character speaks out How Republicans and right-wing media turned Jordan Neely’s killer into a hero US seeks dismissal of corruption charges against Florida 2018 Democratic governor nominee Gillum Trump and DeSantis to court Iowa voters at duelling events today

“Doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow has been indicted by a grand jury in Maricopa County, Arizona, for conspiracy to commit the murder of Brandon Boudreaux more than a year ago. The development comes just days after Vallow, 49, was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy and grand theft over the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, seven, and of conspiracy to murder Tammy Daybell, 49, her new husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, in Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho. Tylee and JJ were last seen in September 2019. In June 2020, their remains were found buried in a pet cemetary on the Daybell property. Tammy died one month after their disappearance in October 2019. Over six weeks, prosecutors argued that Vallow conspired with Mr Daybell and her brother Alex Cox to kill the three victims, motivated by greed and their doomsday cult beliefs. On Friday 12 May, jurors convicted her on all charges. She will be sentenced within 90 days’ time, where she faces life in prison. Judge Steven Boyce has now ordered a pre-sentence investigation to look into Vallow’s background including prior criminal record, social history, health, education and employment records. Read More Lori Vallow’s nephew-in-law says she’s not ‘inherently evil’ as she faces new charges for his attempted murder ‘Cult mom’ Lori Vallow appears to smirk in new mugshot after murder conviction Lori Vallow had two alleged accomplices in her children’s murders. One will never face justice Who is Lori Vallow? Mom-of-three, beauty queen – and now convicted killer

A former Apple engineer who fled to China five years ago has been charged with stealing the company’s self-driving car technology. The US Justice Department charged Weibao Wang, 35, for stealing large troves of data from Apple, including trade secrets and technology related to autonomous systems that are used to design self-driving cars. Mr Wang was charged with six counts of theft or attempted theft of trade secrets, according to a press release issued by the department. “Innovation is alive and well in Silicon Valley – indeed, throughout the Northern District of California,” said US attorney Ismail J Ramsey. “Unfortunately, there will always be some who cheat the system by stealing and profiting from the fruits of others’ labour. The Wang prosecution is but one example. We are pleased that the Disruptive Technology Task Force renews energy and focus on securing innovation for those who actually create it.” The former Apple engineer was a resident of Mountain View in California and began working with the tech giant in 2016. He had signed a confidentiality agreement for the project for which he was working on, and very few people at the company knew about it at that time. He began working as staff engineer with the US-based subsidiary of a Chinese company and was working to develop self-driving cars, the indictment said. The company was identified only as “Company One” in the indictment. Mr Wang was also accused of waiting for more than four months before telling Apple that he was resigning, after he signed a new employment agreement with “Company One”. After the last day of his employment at Apple, on 16 April 2018, Apple’s officials found in their logs that he had accessed large troves of confidential data in the final days of his stint at the tech giant. His Mountain View home was searched on 27 June 2018. Law enforcement agents discovered “large quantities of data taken from Apple prior to his departure” during the search, for which Mr Wang was present. After telling the agents that he had no plans to travel, he purchased a one-way ticket to Guangzhou, China, and boarded a flight that same night. In a press conference, Mr Ramsey said Mr Wang remained in China and he could face 10 years in jail, if extradited and convicted. This is the third incident of a former Apple employee being charged for stealing of documents for China. Two other Apple employees have previously been charged in similar cases involving theft of trade secrets, reported the BBC. Read More Elon Musk calls working from home ‘morally wrong’ How many more rapists and killers are in Met? Police force ‘institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic’ says damning report The Independent backs calls for jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai to be released

A French appeals court on Wednesday upheld a one-year prison sentence for former President Nicolas Sarkozy on a conviction for corruption and influence peddling. His lawyer said he will take the case to France’s highest court and insisted that Sarkozy is innocent. The 68-year-old ex-president would not have to serve time until a final ruling, and if definitively convicted, he could ask to serve his sentence at home. Sarkozy, 68, was convicted in 2021 of trying to bribe a magistrate in exchange for information about a legal case in which he was implicated. It was the first time in modern French history that a former president had been convicted of corruption and sentenced to prison. Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012, denies wrongdoing and appealed the original ruling. The Paris appeals court on Wednesday upheld the conviction and the sentence, according to a court official. His lawyer, Jacqueline Laffont, called the decision “stupefying” and “unjust.” Sarkozy is entitled to ask to be detained at home with an electronic bracelet, standard practice for sentences of two years or less. He also received a two-year suspended sentence, which he will not have to serve if he commits no new offense in the next five years. It is one of multiple legal cases Sarkoky has faced. He was convicted later in 2021 of illegal campaign financing of his unsuccessful 2012 re-election bid. Last week, prosecutors asked for him to be sent to trial on charges that he took millions in illegal financing for his 2007 campaign by the regime of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

Donald Trump has lashed out what he described as “cockroaches” in Washington, DC, following the release of the Durham report. The 300-page report – from an investigation led by Trump-appointed special counsel John Durham – railed against the FBI for opening a probe into alleged ties between Mr Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Russian government. “THEY ARE SCUM, LIKE COCKROACHES ALL OVER WASHINGTON, D.C.,” the former president frothed on Truth Social in response to the findings. Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s name has cropped up in a bombshell $10m lawsuit brought against Rudy Giuliani, the ex-New York City mayor and his former personal attorney. Mr Giuliani’s former aide Noelle Dunphy is suing him over sexual harassment that she alleges took place between 2019 and 2021 while she worked for him as a business development manager and public relations consultant. Mr Giuliani has strongly denied the claims. In the lawsuit, Ms Dunphy also claims that she was told that her employer and then-president Mr Trump were offering to sell presidential pardons for $2m apiece. She further claims that she was forced to give Mr Giuliani oral sex while he was on speakerphone to Mr Trump. Read More Trump slams ‘cockroaches’ in DC following release of Durham report DeSantis criticizes Trump for implying Florida abortion ban is 'too harsh' Wounded man who invaded Senate with knife sentenced to prison for Capitol riot Yes, creeps like Trump and the allegations against Giuliani really, really matter Durham report takeaways: a 'seriously flawed' Russia investigation and its lasting impact on the FBI

Democrat Dianne Feinstein has denied that she was ever absent from the Senate after having spent months away recovering from shingles. Last week the 89-year-old California senator, the longest-serving Democrat in the current Senate, returned after her bout with shingles and cast a vote on the floor looking noticeably thinner and using a wheelchair, reported Associated Press. Her office said she would operate on a reduced schedule as she continued to recover. However, while interacting with reporters from the Slate and Los Angeles Times Ms Feinstein denied that she was ever absent. “No, I haven’t been gone,” she said to LA Times’s Ben Oreskes on Tuesday when asked how her Senate colleagues have responded to her return, reported Slate. “....I haven’t been gone, I’ve been working,” she said. Mr Oreskes then asked her whether she had been working from home. “No, I’ve been here. I’ve been voting,” she said. “Please, you either know or don’t know.” Ms Feinstein faced calls to resign from her party colleagues due to questions around her cognitive abilities. With Feinstein back in the Senate, and voting in the committee, the panel approved three federal district court judge nominations that had been stalled. Her 10-week absence meant that the committee’s votes were tied along party lines and Democrats could not move forward with any nominees without Republican support. Party colleagues including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ro Khanna of California had called for her to resign. Ms Feinstein announced earlier this year that she would not seek re-election. She has more than a year and a half left until her term expires in January 2025. She also did not assume the role of Senate President Pro Tempore earlier this year, which is usually reserved for the senior most senator of the majority party. Read More With Feinstein back in Senate, 3 of Biden's judicial nominees move forward California's Feinstein returns to Senate after monthslong absence Chuck Schumer ‘forced to have serious and painful talks’ with Dianne Feinstein over apparent cognitive decline What should Democrats do about Dianne Feinstein? Republican abortion debate inches toward resolution in South Carolina Trump fumes over Durham report as Giuliani accused of pardon scheme - live

“Doomsday cult mom” Lori Vallow has been pictured with a slight smirk on her face in a new mugshot after she was convicted of murdering her two children and conspiring to murder her new husband Chad Daybell’s first wife. Vallow, 49, was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and grand theft over the deaths of daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and conspiracy to murder Tammy Daybell, 49, in Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho. Tylee and JJ were last seen in September 2019. In June 2020, their remains were found buried on the Daybell property. Tammy died one month after their disappearance in October 2019. Over six weeks, prosecutors argued that Vallow conspired with Mr Daybell and her brother Alex Cox to kill the three victims, motivated by greed and their doomsday cult beliefs. On Friday 12 May, jurors convicted her on all charges. She will be sentenced within 90 days’ time where she faces life in prison. Judge Steven Boyce has now ordered a pre-sentence investigation to look into Vallow’s background including prior criminal record, social history, health, education and employment records. Read More Lori Vallow has been convicted of her children’s murders. What happens next? Lori Vallow’s indictment over Brandon Boudreaux murder conspiracy revealed days after Idaho conviction Lori Vallow had two alleged accomplices in her children’s murders. One will never face justice Who is Lori Vallow? Mom-of-three, beauty queen – and now convicted killer

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out a so-called Quad summit taking place in Sydney without President Joe Biden, saying the four leaders will talk at the Group of Seven meeting this weekend in Japan. Albanese said Wednesday he understands why Biden pulled out of the summit to focus on debt limit talks in Washington since they are crucial to the economy. The summit including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had been scheduled for May 24. “The blocking and the disruption that’s occurring in domestic politics in the United States, with the debt ceiling issue, means that, because that has to be solved prior to 1st June — otherwise there are quite drastic consequences for the U.S. economy, which will flow on to the global economy — he understandably has had to make that decision,” Albanese told reporters. Biden “expressed very much his disappointment” at being unable to come to the Sydney summit and to the national capital Canberra a day earlier to address Parliament, Albanese said. The four leaders will soon be together in Japan for the G-7 summit in Hiroshima and are planning to meet there, he said. “The Quad is an important body and we want to make sure that it occurs at leadership level and we’ll be having that discussion over the weekend," Albanese said. He suggested Modi still might visit Sydney next week, noting the Indian leader was scheduled to give an address to the Indian diaspora at a sold-out 20,000-seat stadium on Tuesday. “We’ll make further announcements about that, but Prime Minister Modi would certainly be a very welcome guest here next week,” Albanese said. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

For three months, a group of Nebraska lawmakers have ground nearly all legislative business in the state to a halt, grabbing the nation’s attention with a remarkable filibuster to stifle a bill that would end gender-affirming care for young transgender people. Late Tuesday 16 May, Republican lawmakers broke through, advancing a bill that not only bans gender-affirming care for trans people under 19 years old but also tacks on an amendment to outlaw abortion at 10 weeks of pregnancy and hands the state’s GOP-appointed medical officer the authority to set the rules for affirming care for trans youth. Lawmakers approved the amended version of legislative bill 574 by a vote of 33-14. The measure will go to a final round of votes before it heads to the desk of Republican Governor Jim Pillen, who intends to sign it into law. Hundreds of protesters filled the capital in Lincoln, standing outside the doors and in the gallery above lawmakers while chanting “one more vote to save our lives”; only one senator would have had to defect from supporters of the bill to kill the legislation. The vote – on the 78th day of a 90-day session – followed a series of maneuvers that opponents argued were bending and breaking the rules of the state legislature to hammer through the legislation and avert the filibuster, which would allow opponents to occupy their allotted time to speak the bill to death. “What you are attempting to do today is the lowest of the absolute lows,” state Senator Machaela Cavanaugh, who spearheaded the filibuster, told Republican lawmakers. “You literally have to cheat at every moment of this debate in every possible way. … You are allowing it to happen,” she added. “You do literally have blood on your hands, and if you vote for it, you will have buckets.” State Senator Megan Hunt, the first openly LGBT+ member of the state legislature and the mother of a trans child, lambasted lawmakers for their “escape routes” from the capitol to avoid facing protesters. “If you can’t go out and face them, you are not worthy,” she said. “Your legacy is filth.” In a statement following the vote, Governor Jim Pillen called the bill “an important step” to “protect” the future of the state’s children. Opponents of the bill forcefully opposed the inclusion of an abortion ban in a bill targeting gender-affirming care, two wholly separate issues combined into one, “but you all don’t care,” Ms Cavanaugh told Republican lawmakers. “You don’t care about due process, you don’t care about the people of Nebraska,” she added. “All you care about is the governor.” Abortion rights advocates and transgender rights advocates have frequently underscored the fact that anti-abortion measures and legislation targeting LGBT+ people are driven by the same lawmakers and activist groups, relying on similar arguments to restrict access to healthcare, with measures that have dominated state capitals across the country over the last few years. Lawmakers initially were set to only debate the gender-affirming care bill, which already went through two of three rounds of debate and votes. But legislative rules prohibit amendments on a final round, and opponents of the bill planned to filibuster through all two hours of debate to continue to block it. Last month, the filibuster blocked a measure from anti-abortion lawmakers to ban abortion at roughly six weeks of pregnancy. Attaching another anti-abortion measure, this time at roughly 10 weeks, gave proponents of the bill a second chance of both advancing an anti-abortion law and the gender-affirming care ban, marrying two controversial measures to get to the necessary 33-vote threshold to advance. In February, Ms Cavanaugh vowed to “burn the session to the ground” if the ban on gender-affirming care advanced, launching an epic filibuster that blocked every bill until the measure was withdrawn or defeated. State Senator Kathleen Kauth, an Omaha Republican who proposed the bill targeting gender-affirming care, said the amended version would protect children from what she called a “social contagion.” “Kids deserve the right to grow up and not deal with this until they are adults and can make informed decisions,” said Ms Kauth, who did not mention the fact that such decisions are made with families and their doctors. The anti-abortion measure provides no exceptions for pregnancies with fatal fetal anomalies and does not explicitly protect doctors who perform abortions from criminal prosecution. “What is wrong with you?” said Ms Hunt, calling the combined bill a “desperate attempt to institute an abortion ban that is unpopular, unnecessary, and unsafe.” More than a dozen states, mostly in the US South, have severely restricted or effectively outlawed abortion in the year after the US Supreme Court struck down Roe v Wade, which affirmed a constitutional right to abortion access. Nebraska’s legislation also joins a nationwide campaign that has seen hundreds of bills aimed at LGBT+ people, particularly at young trans people, filed in nearly every state within the last two years. At least 15 states have enacted laws or policies banning gender-affirming care for young trans people, and more than a dozen others are considering similar measures. Court injunctions have blocked bans from going into effect in three states. More than half of all trans youth in the US between the ages of 13 and 17 are at risk of losing access to age-appropriate, medically necessary and potentially life-saving gender-affirming healthcare in their home state, according to the Human Rights Campaign. The onslaught of legislation and volatile political debate surrounding the bills have also negatively impacted the mental health of an overwhelming majority of young trans and nonbinary people, according to polling from The Trevor Project and Morning Consult. A separate survey from The Trevor Project found that 41 per cent of trans and nonbinary youth have seriously considered attempting suicide over the last year. Read More Inside the ‘mentally exhausting’ protest shutting down Nebraska’s anti-trans legislation Inside Montana’s ‘disturbing’ attack on trans kids and the campaign to silence lawmaker Zooey Zephyr Exclusive: Zooey Zephyr responds to her political silencing and Montana’s attacks on trans children: ‘I show up with my head held high’ Anti-abortion laws harm patients facing dangerous and life-threatening complications, report finds

Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández made it official Tuesday that she will not be running for president again, putting the brakes on an effort by members of her party to push her to become a candidate in the October election. Fernández, who was president 2007-2015, made her decision public through a statement published on her website in which she slammed the judiciary, accusing the courts of trying to forbid her from running for office again as part of an alliance with the opposition. With her decision, the center-left Fernández throws the ruling Peronist party into disarray amid uncertainty over who could be its candidate in this year’s presidential elections. President Alberto Fernández, whose tenure has been marked by an ongoing economic crisis that has included a sharp devaluation of the local currency and annual inflation of more than 100%, already said last month he would not be seeking reelection. “I will not be a puppet of those in power for the sake of any candidacy. I have demonstrated, like no one else, that I prioritize the collective project over personal ambitions,” Cristina Fernández said. The 70-year-old vice president said she’s prevented from running for office by a prison sentence of six years and a lifelong ban from holding public office she received late last year as part of a case involving corruption through public works during her presidency. She has denied all charges and the ruling still has to be confirmed by higher courts before it becomes effective. “I will not engage in the perverse game they impose on us under the guise of democracy,” she wrote. Allies of the vice president have been pushing for her to run for the presidency and regularly chant “President Cristina” during her public appearances. Although Fernández, who is not related to current president Alberto Fernández, had already said she wouldn’t run for president, she often played coy in public speeches. The vice president published her statement days before allies had announced a big rally in downtown Buenos Aires on May 25, which is a national holiday in Argentina, to push her to run. With both the president and vice president out of the running, all eyes are now likely to set on Economy Minister Sergio Massa, a center-right Peronist who has long had presidential ambitions although his tenure in the office he took on last year has not gone as he hoped. Massa had said his goal was for monthly inflation to decelerate to 3% by April. Instead, it accelerated to 8.4%. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide