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Former President Donald Trump launched an unhinged rant after cocaine was found at the White House. “Does anybody really believe that the COCAINE found in the West Wing of the White House, very close to the Oval Office, is for the use of anyone other than Hunter & Joe Biden,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday. “But watch, the Fake News Media will soon start saying that the amount found was ‘very small,’ & it wasn’t really COCAINE, but rather common ground up Aspirin, & the story will vanish. Has Deranged Jack Smith, the crazy, Trump hating Special Prosecutor, been seen in the area of the COCAINE? He looks like a crackhead to me!” he added. The Independent previously reported that prosecutors under the leadership of the special counsel could bring 30 to 45 additional criminal charges against the former president in the coming weeks after the 37 counts that Mr Trump is already facing following his alleged mishandling of national security information after leaving office. “Whatever happened to the 1,850 BOXES of Documents that Biden won’t show to anybody? What about the Docs found in Chinatown, D.C., and those in his unsecured garage, where Hunter stayed as China was sending Biden millions and millions of dollars for doing absolutely ‘nothing?’ Maybe the nothing was ‘for doing plenty!’” Mr Trump added in a subsequent post on Wednesday without providing evidence for his claims. “Where are the White House SECURITY TAPES, like the ones I openly and happily gave to Deranged Jack Smith, which will quickly show where the Cocaine in the White House came from??? They already know the answer, but probably don’t like it!” he added. There were classified documents found in President Joe Biden’s home and an office he occupied before becoming president, but his attorneys alerted the government about the files and cooperated in efforts to hand them back. The white, powdery substance that prompted the brief evacuation of the White House over the weekend was confirmed to be cocaine by laboratory testing. A spokesperson for the US Secret Service, which by law is responsible for security in and around the 18-acre White House campus, confirmed the laboratory result in an email on Wednesday. The spokesperson, Anthony Gugliemi, previously said the agency was standing up “an investigation into the cause and manner” of how the cocaine came to be in a public waiting area in the West Wing, where it was discovered late Sunday by officers with the Secret Service Uniformed Division. According to DC Fire and EMS Department radio transmissions archived by OpenMHZ, firefighters with the department’s hazardous materials unit who were called to investigate the then-unidentified powder used a field test to analyse a small sample, which returned a presumptive result for cocaine hydrochloride. Neither President Joe Biden nor any other members of his family were present at the White House during the incident, as the Biden family spent the holiday weekend at Camp David, the US Navy-operated presidential retreat in Thurmont, Maryland. Mr Biden and several family members departed the White House on Friday and returned late on Monday to participate in several Independence Day events. Read More Tests show white powder found at White House is cocaine Judge's order limits government contact with social media operators, raises disinformation questions Trump news - live: Trump calls special prosecutor a ‘crackhead’ in response to White House cocaine discovery Judge's order limits government contact with social media operators, raises disinformation questions Trump will report raising more than $35 million in second quarter, campaign says Watch as Karine Jean-Pierre holds briefing

By Rajesh Kumar Singh CHICAGO JetBlue Airways Corp said on Wednesday it will not appeal a U.S. judge's

Nine people, including two children, have been injured in a “targeted” drive-by shooting in Washington DC while the nation’s capital was celebrating the July 4 holiday. The DC Metropolitan Police Department said that residents were still enjoying Independence Day festivities when gunfire broke out at around 1am ET on Meade Street in the northeast area of the city. Assistant Chief Leslie Parsons told ABC News that a dark SUV was driving through the area when it suddenly “stopped and it fired shots in the direction of some of our residents that were outside, just celebrating the fourth of July”. Nine people were wounded in the shooting, all suffering non-life-threatening injuries. Among the victims were two children aged just nine and 17. The shooting is believed to have been a targeted attack.

At least 17 people have been shot – three of them fatally – across four shootings in Fort Worth, Texas, on the eve of July 4. Two of the victims were identified Tuesday as Cynthia Santos, 22, and Paul Willis, 18, who were killed hours after the ComoFest event ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. The shootings in the area took place at a range of locations, including ComoFeset, a residential home, an AMC movie theatre, and in a car. Following a wave of shootings this week, Joe Biden renewed his calls to reinstate the assault weapons ban. In a Wednesday statement, he called on Republicans in Congress to “come to the table on meaningful, common sense reform”. Read More America’s mass shooting crisis, in numbers: More than halfway through 2023, US on pace for record-setting year Three people killed and eight wounded in mass shooting at July 4 fireworks event in Fort Worth Philadelphia shooting: At least five dead as heavily armed gunman opens fire at random on streets Biden renews call for assault weapons ban after ‘tragic and senseless’ spate of July 4 shootings

The five people killed in a mass shooting in the Kingsessing neighbourhood of Philadelphia have been identified. Philadephia police issued a statement on Tuesday naming the victims as follows: Lashyd Merritt, 20; Dymir Stanton, 29; Ralph Moralis, 59; Daujan Brown, 15; and Joseph Wamah Jr, 31. Two children – aged two and 13 – were also injured in the shooting but are in stable condition. Police have not released their names yet. The shooting unfolded at around 8.30pm Monday when police said the 40-year-old suspect, dressed in a bullet-proof vest and armed with an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun, left his home and began shooting at victims. On Wednesday, following a rash of shootings in recent days, President Biden called on Republican lawmakers in Congress to “come to the table on meaningful, commonsense reform”. Read More Five adults dead and two children wounded: What we know about mass shooting in Philadelphia Philadelphia shooting: At least five dead as heavily armed gunman opens fire at random on streets Biden renews call for assault weapons ban after ‘tragic and senseless’ spate of July 4 shootings America’s mass shooting crisis, in numbers: More than halfway through 2023, US on pace for record-setting year

President Joe Biden has issued a fresh appeal for a ban on assault weapons after dozens of people were killed or wounded in mass shootings in the lead-up to Independence Day celebrations. Five people were shot dead and two boys, aged two and 13, were injured when a gunman armed with an AR-15-style assault rifle and wearing a bulletproof vest opened fire in Philadelphia’s Kingsessing neighbourhood at around 8.30pm on Monday night, according to authorities. Hours later, three died and 14 were injured in four separate shootings in Fort Worth, Texas. Mr Biden said he and First Lady Jill Biden were also grieving “tragic and senseless shootings” that had occurred in recent days in Baltimore, Lansing, Chicago and Wichita in a July 4 statement. He said it was “within our power” to ban AR-15-style weapons and high-capacity magazines while also enforcing safe storage of guns and enacting universal background checks. Mr Biden also marked the one year anniversary of a mass shooting that claimed the lives of seven people at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois. In the wake of the shooting, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Highland Park mayor Nancy Rotering had worked with gun control advocates to ban assault rifles and high capacity magazines in the state. “Their achievement will save lives. But it will not erase their grief,” Mr Biden said. “And as we have seen over the last few days, much more must be done in Illinois and across America to address the epidemic of gun violence that is tearing our communities apart.” Mr Biden called on other states to follow Illinois’ lead and for Republican lawmakers in Congress to “come to the table on meaningful, commonsense reform”. In a speech to the National Education Association on Tuesday, Mr Biden said gun reform was urgently needed to protect children and teachers. “As you know all too well, educators now find themselves in the frontlines of gun violence,” Mr Biden told the association. “Congress needs to step up, pass common sense gun safety laws to protect our kids and educators, and by the way, arming teachers is not the answer.” According to the Gun Violence Archive, 21,782 Americans have been killed in shootings halfway through 2023. The US has experienced 346 mass shootings, when four or more people are shot, and 26 mass murders, according to the archive. Last June, Congress passed its first new gun control legislation in 28 years in the wake of twin tragedies in Buffalo, New York, where 10 Black shoppers were murdered, and the fatal shooting of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Read More Trump marks Independence Day by sharing vulgar attack on Biden and ominous 2024 warning Fort Worth shooting – live: At least 17 shot across four shootings in Texas city on eve of July 4 Philadelphia mass shooting – live: Fifth victim found dead after gunman, 40, opened fire in Kingsessing The Texas shooter in a racist Walmart attack is going to prison. Here's what to know about the case Biden renews call for assault weapons ban after spate of July 4 shootings Watch as Joe Biden celebrates 4th of July at the White House

President Joe Biden plans to host Sweden’s prime minister at the White House on Wednesday in a show of solidarity as the United States presses for the Nordic nation’s entry into NATO, a week before the alliance's summit. Biden and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will “review our growing security cooperation and reaffirm their view that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible,” the White House said a statement announcing the meeting. The leaders also will discuss the war in Ukraine and matters involving China. Sweden and neighbor Finland ended their longstanding policy of military nonalignment after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Both applied for NATO membership, seeking protection under the organization’s security umbrella. Finland, which shares a more than 800-mile or 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, joined NATO in April. But Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has seen its ascension delayed by Turkey and Hungary; NATO requires the unanimous approval of all members to expand. NATO had hoped the road to Sweden’s membership would be smoothed out before the alliance’s summit July 11-12 in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Sweden’s entry would be a symbolically powerful moment and the latest indication of how Russia’s war is driving countries to join the alliance. Those hopes have dimmed. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has resisted, with his government accusing Sweden of being too lenient toward groups that it says pose a security threat, including militant Kurdish organizations and people associated with a 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. Last week, he condemned Sweden over a Quran-burning protest. Swedish police allowed the protest outside a mosque in central Stockholm, citing freedom of speech after a court overturned a ban on a similar Quran-burning. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he would gather senior officials from Turkey, Sweden and Finland on Thursday to try to overcome Turkey’s objections. Hungary also has yet to ratify Sweden’s bid. Hungarian lawmakers said a long-delayed parliamentary vote on that would not happen until the autumn legislative session. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government has alleged that Swedish politicians have told “blatant lies” about the condition of Hungary's democracy. High-ranking Hungarian officials have said they support Sweden’s membership bid while also making vague demands from Stockholm as conditions for approval. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

David Ross was furious the Brewers were allowed to close the roof on their stadium mid-game.

Ted Cruz is accusing the highly anticipated Barbie film of “pushing Chinese propaganda,” after a trailer for the Warner Bros release appeared to show a map referencing China’s disputed claims to the South China Sea. “Senator Cruz has been fighting for years to prevent American companies, especially Hollywood studios, from altering and censoring their content to appease the Chinese Communist Party,’ a spokesperson for the Texas Republican told The Daily Mail. The issue stems back to the so-called “nine-dash line” used on Chinese maps, illustrating what it claims are its posessions within the South China Sea. The line, first published on Chinese maps in the 1940s, demarks an area 1,200 miles from the Chinese mainlaind comprised more than 80 per cent of the South China Sea, according to The Los Angeles Times. Parts of the territory within the line, a busy fishing and trade corridor with valuable oil and gas deposits as well as strategic importance, are claimed by nations including Vietnam and the Philippines. About a minute into the Barbie film’s main trailer, a map of the world can be seen with a line of eigh dots jutting off a cartoonish drawing of Asia. The Independent has contacted Warner Bros for comment. The Republican Texas senator isn’t the only one upset about the map. Vietnam reportedly banned the movie over the apparent reference to the Chinese claims. The decision was issued by the country’s Central Council of Film Evaluation and Classification, Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Vietnam Cinema Department, told theTuoi Tre newspaper on Monday. The film was set to premiere in the country on 21 July, the same time as it hit US screens. It’s not the first time the territorial claims have impacted a Hollywood release. Showings of the action film Uncharted in Vietnam were halted last year for the same reason. The map dispute also led Vietnam to cut a scene from the 2018 smash Crazy Rich Asians, according to the Mail. The territorial dispute over the South China Sea territory at issue was brought before The Hague in 2016, where China lost on most of its claims. Beijing has not accepted the judgment. Read More Barbie director Greta Gerwig reveals she rejected ‘terrifying’ idea for Margot Robbie film Vietnam bans 'Barbie' movie due to an illustration showing China's territorial claim John Legend and Chrissy Teigen sleep over at Barbie’s Malibu dreamhouse: ‘So jealous’ Trump and DeSantis to hold dueling campaign events in New Hampshire after squabbling over timing Analysis: Donald Trump's war on truth confronts another test with voters Judge blocks Biden agencies from communicating with social media platforms

Jurors in Pittsburgh have begun considering whether the gunman in a white supremacist 2018 shooting at a local synagogue complex should get the death penalty. In June, Robert Bowers, who killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue, was convicted on 63 federal counts. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, experts called by his attorneys have been arguing in court in recent days that he was so mentally damaged by the time of the shooting he shouldn’t face the death penalty, which is forbidden against people with certain intellectual handicaps. They pointed out how Bowers had been in multiple psychiatric hospitals by the time he was 13 years old, diagnosed with depression and other ailments. As a teenager, he also attempted to kill his mother by spraying an aerosol toward her and trying to light it on fire. By 16, he was voluntarily committed again to a mental facility and had made “repeated suicide attempts,” according to the defence. Richard Rogers, a forensic psychologist who met with Bowers four times while he was in prison, told jurors the gunman showed signs of delusional thinking tied to his white supremacist ideas. “He did not just believe [his conduct] to be correct,” Mr Rogers said, “he believed it absolutely had to be done.” A majority of families whose loved ones died in the shooting have voiced their support for the death penalty in the case. “We are not a ruthless, uncompassionate people; we, as a persecuted people, understand when there is a time for compassion and when there is a time to stand up and say enough is enough — such violent hatred will not be tolerated on this earth,” they wrote in a 2022 letter in the Pittsburg Jewish Chronicle. “Our beloved 11 were taken from us in a brutal, cold-blooded act of hatred and violence. We, the undersigned, will feel further violated by letting the defendant have the easy way out. His crimes deserve the death penalty.” Others tied to the tragedy, the deadliest antisemitic shooting in US history, argued the death penalty violates Jewish tradition. “Jewish practice as I understand it does not — outside of self-defense — allow humans to take the lives of other humans. Not even the life of a murderer whose guilt is beyond doubt,” Beth Kissileff, whose husband, a rabbi, was in the Tree of Life facility during the shooting, wrote in The New York Times. “The death penalty does nothing to promote healing; it only continues more killing,” she added. The Independent and the nonprofit Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) have launched a joint campaign calling for an end to the death penalty in the US. The RBIJ has attracted more than 150 well-known signatories to their Business Leaders Declaration Against the Death Penalty - with The Independent as the latest on the list. We join high-profile executives like Ariana Huffington, Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, and Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson as part of this initiative and are making a pledge to highlight the injustices of the death penalty in our coverage. Read More A copycat Zodiac Killer terrorised New York years after the California original. This is how he got caught Pittsburgh synagogue killer has extensive history of mental illness, defense expert testifies Doctors give mixed testimony on whether tests show brain damage in the Pittsburgh synagogue killer

Five victims, including one teenager, who were killed during a mass shooting in Philadelphia have been identified by police. Four adult men and one child were killed during the shooting which took place in Kingsessing on Monday evening. The victims are Lashyd Merritt, 20, Dymir Stanton, 29, Ralph Moralis, 59, Joseph Wamah Jr, 31, and Daujan Brown, 15. Police said two children were also injured as a result of the shooting – a 13-year-old and a two-year-old. As of Monday evening, both children were in stable condition. The names of the two injured have not been released yet. The tragic shooting unfolded on Monday evening after a gunman, armed with an AR-15-style rifle, a handgun, multiple magazines and wearing a bulletproof vest opened fire in a neighbourhood. Police responded to reports of gunfire around 8.30pm local time and apprehended the suspected shooter after pursuing him on foot. The suspected shooter, an adult male, was taken into custody Monday night. Local authorities later took another suspect into custody but said they were unsure how the second suspect may be connected to the suspected gunman. In a press conference on Monday night, police commissioner Danielle Outlaw said authorities had “no idea” why the suspected gunman chose to open fire in the neighbourhood. Police were working to determine if the suspected shooter had any connection to the victims. Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney expressed frustration over the tragic shooting on Tuesday saying the United States needs to “re-examine” how it approaches gun laws. “Where does a person like this get an AR-15,” Mr Kenney said to reporters before the city’s Fourth of July celebrations on Tuesday. “Where does a person like this get a semi-automatic handgun? Where does a person like this buy a Kevlar vest?” “This country needs to re-examine its conscious when it comes to Congress or the state legislature and figure out how we get these guns out of these people’s hands,” Mr Kenney added. President Joe Biden also issued a statement on the shooting saying he and First Lady Jill Bien are grieving for the victims and their families while asking Congress to enact stricter gun control l aws. Mr Biden said: “We pray for the day when our communities will be free from gun violence.” Read More Philadelphia mass shooting – live: Five victims identified as 40-year-old Kingsessing gunman’s motive unclear Biden renews call for assault weapons ban after ‘tragic and senseless’ spate of July 4 shootings Five adults dead and two children wounded: What we know about mass shooting in Philadelphia

Most presidents, current and former, typically spend America’s Independence Day celebrating the values of US society that bring its citizens together, joining in the festive and unifying themes of the national holiday. And then there’s Donald Trump. The twice-impeached, twice-indicted former president spent his 4 July morning fuming at his enemies from behind a keyboard, re-”Truth”-ing a vulgar message aimed at President Joe Biden and the tens of millions of Americans who voted for the Democratic commander-in-chief in 2020. ““F**k Biden and f**k you for voting for him”, read the post. It was just another pebble in the avalanche of bizarre behaviour that Mr Trump has long known for; the attack was amplified by the former president at roughly 2am, hours before he would apparently wake up and decide to share a slightly-less caustic message to his followers. “Happy FOURTH OF JULY to everyone. We are working hard, we will take back our Country, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”. Though, he added that the 2024 election would be “our LAST GREAT CHANCE” to do so. Read More Trump’s own words about an indicted president come back to haunt him Ex-Trump spokesperson claims she saw him show off documents on Mar-a-Lago dining patio Chris Christie reacts to ‘control freak’ Trump’s classified documents comments: ‘He’s scared’