List of All Articles with Tag 'politics'

Fulton County's sweeping indictment against former President Donald Trump and 18 additional co-defendants also includes details involving 30 "unindicted co-conspirators" -- people who Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis alleges took part in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election.

North Carolina's Republican-controlled legislature passed a bill Wednesday that would make major changes to the state's election laws, the latest in efforts by GOP-led jurisdictions across the country to rewrite election procedures and impose restrictions on voting practices.

Since Donald Trump’s term as president ended and his power to pardon vanished with it in January 2021, he has managed to keep a wide range of former aides, confidantes and associates close to him by dispensing the millions of dollars he’s raised for his political action committee as legal fees for allies who’ve been caught up in investigations into his conduct. According to a Federal Election Commission disclosure report filed late last month, his Save America political committee spent roughly $20m on legal fees during the first half of this year. And a separate review of FEC filings dating back to when Mr Trump first reentered life as a private citizen shows the legal costs to be twice that amount dating back to the end of the ex-president’s term. The commission’s data reveals that Save America’s legal costs since January 2021 were $38m, the largest set of expenditures for the group. According to advisers to the ex-president, that amount represents legal fees not just for Mr Trump, but for dozens of former aides and associates who have become involved in the criminal investigations that have led to him facing four sets of charges in four separate courts. That group of aides includes Mr Trump’s two co-defendants in the criminal case pending against him in the Southern District of Florida, his longtime valet Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, a maintenance supervisor at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club. In a superseding indictment filed against the ex-president, Mr Nauta and Mr De Oliveira last month, prosecutors alleged that Mr Trump personally telephoned Mr De Oliveira and assured him that he would pay for his legal representation. The indictment also alleges that prior to that call, Mr Nauta conferred with another employee of the ex-president’s who vouched for Mr De Oliveira’s loyalty. In a statement, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said the ex-president’s political operation pays legal fees for his associates “to protect these innocent people from financial ruin and prevent their lives from being completely destroyed”. But Mr Trump’s legal largesse does not appear to extend to a small number of aides who’ve incurred the ex-president’s wrath even though their legal exposure has come as a result of their work for him. One of the 18 co-defendants who was indicted along with the former president in a sprawling racketeering case brought by the Fulton County, Georgia district attorney’s office is Jenna Ellis, an attorney and commentator who first came to public attention as part of the self-described “elite strike force” that pushed unfounded claims of election fraud after Mr Trump lost the 2020 presidential race to Joe Biden. Ms Ellis, who broke with Mr Trump and has endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in next year’s election, appears to be getting no help from the ex-president’s political operation. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) published on Tuesday, she included a link to a crowdfunding campaign on GiveSendGo, the right-wing competitor to GoFundMe that gained prominence in pro-Trump circles after the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Her attorney, Mike Melito, said on the campaign’s page: “We will fight for Jenna. If you would like to help support our efforts please consider donating by clicking the link below. America and the profession of law are worth the fight”. Another of her former “elite strike force” compatriots turned Georgia co-defendants, ex-New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani, also appears to be struggling financially under a crush of legal fees brought on by his work for Mr Trump — work that has reportedly gone unpaid for nearly three years. According to CNN, Mr Giuliani and his longtime counsel, Robert Costello, journeyed to Mar-a-Lago earlier this year to plead for Mr Trump to turn on the financial spigot and alleviate some of the ex-mayor’s legal bills, which reportedly have reached the seven-figure mark. The former prosecutor, who now faces criminal charges under the same type of Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law which he used against the Italian-American mob in the 1980s, left only with a promise by Mr Trump to pay for “a small fee from a data vendor” which hosts the contents of digital devices for discovery in a defamation suit against him by two Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss. Mr Giuliani, who recently listed his New York City apartment for sale was described in a court filing for that case as “having financial difficulties” that impede his ability to produce discovery. It’s not known exactly why Mr Trump has refused to cover his former lawyer and longtime friend’s legal costs, but according to multiple reports, he became disillusioned with Mr Giuliani’s work after it failed to result in him remaining in the White House despite having lost the 2020 election. Read More Trump judge makes barbed comment about Elon Musk as contents of Jack Smith’s Twitter warrant revealed Trump co-defendant Walt Nauta’s lawyer may have conflict of interest, prosecutors say All of Trump’s lawsuits and criminal charges - and where they stand Trump’s team creates legal defence fund to pay for growing number of allies caught up in his legal problems Connecticut official continues mayoral campaign despite facing charges in Jan. 6 case Biden’s approval rating on the economy stagnates despite slowing inflation Canadian woman sentenced to nearly 22 years for sending ricin letter to Trump

A Brazilian hacker claimed at a Congressional hearing on Thursday that former President Jair Bolsonaro wanted him to hack into the country’s electronic voting system to expose its alleged weaknesses ahead of the 2022 presidential election. Walter Delgatti Neto did not provide any evidence for his claim to the parliamentary commission of inquiry. But his detailed testimony raises new allegations against the former far-right leader, investigated for his role in the Jan. 8 riots in the capital city of Brasilia. Delgatti also told lawmakers that he met in person with Bolsonaro and told the former president it was not possible for him to hack the electronic voting system. The Associated Press has reached out to Bolsonaro’s lawyers who have not yet responded. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoings. Bolsonaro's political nemesis, leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, won the Oct. 30, 2022 election with just 50.9% of the votes. According to Delgatti, Bolsonaro had wanted the attempted hack to convince some voters that the country’s voting system was not reliable. Delhgatti also said he was promised a presidential pardon in case he ended up being investigated for his actions. Bolsonaro had long stoked belief among his hardcore supporters that the nation’s electronic voting system was prone to fraud, though he never presented any evidence. In June, a panel of judges concluded that Bolsonaro abused his power to cast unfounded doubts on the country’s electronic voting system and barred him from running for office again until 2030. During Thursday’s hearing, Bolsonaro’s allies in the commission questioned Delegatti’s credibility. In 2015, Delegatti was jailed for lying about being a federal police investigator. Two years later, he was investigated for allegedly forging documents, which he denies. Several people have also accused him of embezzlement — allegations that resurfaced during Thursday’s hearing. In Brazil, witnesses caught lying before a parliamentary commissions of inquiry — more commonly known under its Portuguese acronym CPI — can be imprisoned, according to Luis Claudio Araujo, a law professor at Ibmec University in Rio de Janeiro. Members of parliamentary commissions have the power to investigate, but also pass on information to prosecutors and federal police, Araujo said. The congressional hearing adds to the numerous legal headaches facing Bolsonaro for activities during his term in office. Federal police earlier this month alleged that Bolsonaro received cash from the nearly $70,000 sale of two luxury watches he received as gifts from Saudi Arabia while in office. Officers raided the homes and offices of several people purportedly involved in the case, including a four-star army general. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing involving the gifts. “It is shocking this somewhat amateurism and naïveté of Bolsonaro’s political group in congress," said Creomar de Souza, founder of political risk consultancy Dharma Politics. "So much material is documented and they insist they can control the interpretation of the facts and insist in keeping this congressional probe working.” ___ Associated Press writer Mauricio Savarese in Sao Paulo contributed to this report. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Brazil's police allege Bolsonaro got money from $70,000 sale of luxury jewelry gifts Brazil has 1.7 million Indigenous people, near double the count from prior census, government says An Indigenous leader has inspired an Amazon city to grant personhood to an endangered river

Pakistan’s election oversight body said Thursday that parliamentary elections must be delayed because it needs four months to redraw constituencies to reflect the recently held census. A delay would likely heighten the political strains in Pakistan, which has seen now opposition leader Imran Khan removed as prime minister by a no-confidence vote by parliament in April 2022 and his imprisonment this year after a graft conviction. In a statement, the Election Commission of Pakistan said it won’t be able to complete drawing new constituencies before Dec. 14. That means the vote could possibily be delayed at least until February. The development came a week after President Arif Alvi dissolved parliament at the completion of its five-year term. Usually, that step starts the process of holding elections for a new parliament within 90 days. But elections could still be held later this year if the caretaker government, which was installed under Premier Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar this week, decides to go ahead with it under the previous census. Kakar had no immediate comment on the announcement by the election oversight body. Analysts said the judiciary could also push Kakar’s government to hold the vote on time to meet the constitutional requirement. Under the constitution, a vote was to be held either in October or November. Kakar’s new Cabinet was sworn in Thursday at the Presidency in the capital, Islamabad. Kakar has chosen former diplomat Jalil Abbas Jilani to head the foreign ministry, and longtime journalist Murtaza Solangi to be the information minister. Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf opposition party is hoping to return to power after what is expected to be a close election. Khan, a highly popular 70-year-old former cricket star, has been held at the Attock prison in eastern Punjab province since Aug. 6, when he was sentenced to three years in prison by a court after being convicted of concealing assets he amassed by selling state gifts. A court in Islamabad will take up Khan's appeal next week, and his legal team is expecting him to be released. Khan will not be able to run in the election unless his conviction is overturned. Pakistan bars anyone with a criminal conviction of leading a political party, running in elections or holding public office. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

A super PAC supporting Ron DeSantis has revealed the Florida governor’s strategy for a comeback in next week’s Republican presidential primary debate, The New York Times reported. Axiom Strategies, which works with Never Back Down, a super PAC that supports Mr DeSantis, released a bevy of research memos on its website to give advice for the governor ahead of the first primary debate in Milwaukee. One of the memos outlines “four basic must-dos” for Mr DeSantis, whom the memos refer to as “GRD,” saying he would need to attack fellow candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who has begun to ascend in the polls against Mr DeSantis. “1. Attack Joe Biden and the media 3-5 times. 2. State GRD’s positive vision 2-3 times. 3. Hammer Vivek Ramaswamy in a response. 4. Defend Donald Trump in absentia in response to a Chris Christie attack,” the memo said. Jeff Roe, a chief strategist for Never Back Down, owns Axiom. Mr Roe served as the campaign manager for Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) when Mr Cruz won the 2016 Iowa caucus and came in second behind Mr Trump. When The Times reached out to Axiom, the firm removed the memo from its website. “When GRD's name is invoked and he is given a chance to respond, there are two approaches,” the memo says. “1. When there is a core attack on GRD's central candidacy (calling GRD a liberal, hitting veteran record, hitting conservative record), GRD should take the time, correct the record, and highlight the positive/dismiss the attacker if it's a tier one candidate. GRD can also pivot to hitting Joe Biden when possible.” The memo also says when another candidate attacks Mr DeSantis but does not make a “core” attack, Mr DeSantis should pivot and the take up time. “GRD should ignore the weak attack , not even address it, and instead pivot to message and vision and name check Iowa, New Hampshire , etc. voters directly ‘Iowans/Americans , I'm talking directly to you now,’” the memo says. Super PACs cannot officially coordinate with candidates. But Never Back Down has featured Mr DeSantis and his wife Casey at multiple events as a guest. Candidates can use memos that Super PACs release pubicly. The memo says that Mr DeSantis should attack Mr Ramaswamy, who has started gaining steam by adopting talking points similar Mr DeSantis’s against “wokeness,” as “FakeVivek” or “Vivek the Fake.” A new Fox News poll showed that since June, Mr DeSantis has fallen by six points to 16 per cent in terms of whom Republican primary voters prefer to be the nominee for president. The same poll showed that in June, five per cent of GOP primary voters preferred him to be the nominee, but that number has grown to 11 per cent. The memo also said that Mr DeSantis should defend Mr Trump when former New Jersey governor Chris Christie attacks the former president. “Trump isn'there so let's just leavehim alone. He's too weak to defendhimselfhere. We're all running against him. I don't think we want to join forces with someone on this stage who's auditioning for a show on MSNBC,” the memo suggests Mr DeSantis say. The memo also suggested that Mr DeSantis, who has often been portrayed as awkward or impersonable, “[i]nvoke a personal anecdote storyabout family, kids, Casey, showing emotion.” In addition, the campaign memo showed how Mr DeSantis could simultaneously defend Mr Trump but pivot to get people to support him. “Manyvoters , like me, voted for Donald Trump, love Donald Trump,” he said. “He was a breath of fresh air and the first president to tell the elite where to shove it. But he was attacked all the time, provoked attacks all the time, and it was non-stop. The drama affected families. Trump's drama pitted brother against brother, friend against friend. He's gotso many distractions that it's almost impossible for him to focus on movingthe country forward.” epublicans will hold their first debate on Wednesday in Milwaukee. Fox News will host the debate. Read More Robert F Kennedy Jr Democratic primary support is plummeting – latest 2024 election polls When is the first 2024 Republican presidential primary debate and how can you watch it? Tim Scott will share the spotlight at massive South Carolina campaign event headlined by DeSantis Jenna Ellis forced to crowdfund Georgia lawyer fund after cutting ties with Trump Trump accused of skipping debate because he’s ‘scared of Chris Christie’ Renata Scotto, soprano of uncommon intensity, dies at 89 Why is a police raid on a newspaper in Kansas so unusual? Tom Jones, creator of the longest-running musical ‘The Fantasticks,' dies at 95

President Joe Biden is using the presidential retreat at Camp David to help with a diplomatic mission -- hosting the first-ever trilateral summit with Japan and South Korea, two countries that are putting aside a fraught history in the face of shared security challenges.

A dual citizen of France and Canada who sent letters containing homemade ricin to then-President Donald Trump and eight Texas law enforcement officials was sentenced Thursday to nearly 22 years in prison.

The Biden administration on Thursday imposed sanctions and visa restrictions on four Russian operatives involved in the 2020 poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

US District Judge Aileen Cannon has canceled tentative plans to hold a hearing on August 25 on a protective order for classified evidence in the Mar-a-Lago documents case against former President Donald Trump.

The US military conducted an airstrike killing five al-Shabaab terrorists on Tuesday, US Africa Command said in a statement.

By Rami Amichai PETAH TIKVA, Israel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched Tel Aviv's long-anticipated light rail on