List of All Articles with Tag 'rica'

The father of a missing Wisconsin 13-year-old said he believes his son was possibly coerced to leave his family home by another individual. James Yoblonski, 13, reportedly took his family's van and left his home in Reedsburg on 12 June, according to Sauk County deputies. The teen may have also taken his father's handgun with him. "It's not like him to do anything like this," William Yoblonski, the boy's father, told Fox News Digital. "I mean, he's never driven my vehicle on the streets or anything. He's moved my van around my shop a couple times. That was it." Security footage caught the teen leaving his home around midnight and walking across the street to where the family's van was parked, and sat inside for an hour before leaving, his father explained. Police eventually found the van by tracking his father's cellphone — which the teen also took — at the western edge of Devil's Lake State Park later that day. They found a makeshift campsite at the park they believed the boy built. Later probes into the teen's search history found he had looked up information about teens crossing state lines and boarding airplanes. Mr Yoblonski doubts that his son spent an evening at the makeshift campsite because police dogs did not pick up his scent in the area. He believes he left the area with another individual. "I think he left with somebody. I think he sat there and waited for a horn to honk and came out and got in the car with somebody," the father said. He theorises that his son met someone online or in person who may have coerced or influenced his son to leave home. James reportedly posted a video to Snapchat from his father's home shortly before his disappearance. "'I'm sorry. I don't think I'll be back for school. I don't want to hurt anybody, but I might,'" Mr Yoblonski said, paraphrasing his son's comments in the video. He believes someone else was holding the phone and recording his son in the video. Though Mr Williams has not been named as an official suspect in his son's disappearance, he knows that some members of the public are likely eyeing him as a possible culprit. He recently took and passed a polygraph test administered by the Sauk County sheriff's office, which he said he hoped would return the focus of the case to his missing son. Mr Williams has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to his son. "I just want my son back. That's why I put up a $10,000 reward. If I could afford to go more than that … but I just don't have that kind of money. Like I said, I'm a single father," he said. Mr Williams has expressed some frustration with the lack of answers coming from the sheriff's office. Since then, the FBI has joined the search for the missing teen. Read More Father of teen missing for nearly two months speaks out after polygraph test Body pulled from river after 10-day search for missing man as three arrested for ‘murder’ Maryland sheriff calls out ‘heinous coward’ who killed mother-of-five Rachel Morin

Ivory Coast's leader said the Ecowas bloc had approved military intervention "as soon as possible".

Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office has asked the District of Columbia judge overseeing the 2020 election subversion case against former president Donald Trump to schedule the twice-impeached, thrice-indicted ex-president’s trial for a four to six week period beginning on 2 January next year. In an eight-page filing authored by Senior Assistant Special Counsels Molly Gaston and Thomas Windom, the special counsel’s office said their proposed schedule would give Mr Trump and his defence team sufficient time to prepare a case and review the evidence which the government is prepared to turn over as part of the discovery process, as well as litigate any pre-trial matters such as the request for a change of venue Mr Trump has said he will call for. The prosecutors also said that a 2 January 2024 trial date would “most importantly ... vindicate the public’s strong interest in a speedy trial,” which they described as being “of particular significance” because Mr Trump is “charged with conspiring to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election, obstruct the certification of the election results, and discount citizens’ legitimate votes”. “A January 2, 2024, trial date represents an appropriately speedy trial in the public interest and in the interests of justice, while affording the defendant time to prepare his defense and raise pre-trial legal issues with the Court,” they said. At his arraignment one week ago, Mr Trump’s attorneys indicated that they would request significant delays and ask Judge Tanya Chutkan to stop the clock set under the Speedy Trial Act which sets out a 70-day period in which trials in criminal cases are required to begin. The ex-president’s legal strategy in both civil and criminal matters, dating back decades, is to cause as many delays as possible through any means possible. The three criminal cases against him have not proved an exception to this pattern, as Mr Trump is understood to believe his best chance at avoiding any negative consequences from the cases is to win next year’s presidential election. But the magistrate judge who presided over the arraignment, Moxila Upadhyaya, told Mr Trump’s counsel that Judge Chutkan intends to set a trial date after a status conference on 28 August, and gave the government a full week to propose a trial schedule. Mr Trump’s team will now have a week to respond to the department’s proposed schedule, though it’s unlikely that the ex-president’s counsel will agree with the government’s timeline. At the arraignment last week, Trump attorney John Lauro suggested that he and his co-counsel could not begin to consider any possible trial date until they’d received the evidence which the government must turn over as part of the pre-trial discovery process. “We need all that information, I think, in order to address the issue of when we would be ready, and also the extent to which we would have an idea of how long the trial would be,” he said. Mr Trump’s legal team has already prevented the discovery process from kicking off by objecting to the government’s proposed protective order on the grounds that it would violate the ex-president’s right to free speech by barring him from publicly revealing evidence while on the campaign trail. The prosecutors noted the disconnect between the arguments made at arraignment and the Trump defence team’s refusal to agree to a protective order that would allow them to begin reviewing discovery, calling the contradiction “perplexing”. They also slammed Mr Lauro’s claim that the defence is “starting with a blank slate” as “impossible” and “disingenuous,” citing Mr Trump’s awareness of and response to much of the evidence which was previously made public during the House January 6 select committee’s hearings last year and the panel’s final report. Continuing, prosecutors also pointed out that one of Mr Trump’s lawyers, Evan Corcoran, has long represented the ex-president in matters relating to his efforts to overturn his election loss. “The defendant has a greater and more detailed understanding of the evidence supporting the charges against him at the outset of this criminal case than most defendants, and is ably advised by multiple attorneys, including some who have represented him in this matter for the last year,” they said. “The Government’s proposed schedule and January 2 trial date afford the defendant many months to review the discovery in this matter, raise pre-trial legal issues, and prepare his defense. No additional time is necessary or warranted under the Speedy Trial Act and in light of the public’s strong interest in a prompt trial”. Read More Trump and one co-defendant plead not guilty in superseding Mar-a-Lago indictment Trump and Biden tied in hypothetical 2024 rematch, poll finds Trump complains world has ‘never been nastier than it is now’ as cases against him proceed Trump says Georgia DA ‘may change her mind’ about indicting him as he launches fresh attack Prosecutors seek Jan. 2 trial date for Donald Trump in his 2020 election conspiracy case Georgia DA Fani Willis tells staff to ignore Trump’s ‘derogatory and false’ attacks Trump says world has ‘never been nastier than it is now’ as cases against him proceed

Republican Rep Lauren Boebert, along with every Republican in Congress, voted against the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. But the Act led to the construction of the CS Wind plant – and in turn job creation – in her home state of Colorado. And Ms Boebert has not shied away from taking credit for initiatives she voted against as President Joe Biden was quick to remind her in a speech touting his administration’s clean energy initiatives in New Mexico. “Coincidentally, CS Wind is Congresswoman Lauren Boebert — y’know, the very quiet Republican lady? — it’s in her district,” he said to laughter from the audience. “Who, along with every other Republican, voted against this bill.” In his speech, Mr Biden was talking about how clean energy advances — like the construction of the CS Wind plant — has led to job creation. Ms Boebert, Mr Biden said, “along with every other Republican, voted against this bill, and it’s making all this possible. And she railed against its passage. But, that’s OK, she’s welcoming it now.” “That’s OK,” he continued. “When I ran for office, I promised to be president for all Americans. Whether you live in a blue state or a red state, I’m going to keep my promise.” This is not the first time Mr Biden has teased Republicans for taking credit for measures they voted against. In the same speech, he poked fun at Republican Sen Tommy Tuberville of Alabama who publicly celebrated federal spending on broadband internet access, even though he voted against it. “I thought, wait a minute, didn’t he rail against that for a long, long time?” Mr Biden said. “I was inclined to go down and help him celebrate, but I decided not to.” And earlier in the year, during a speech in South Carolina, Mr Biden reminded Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene that she voted against the expansion of a South Korean solar panel production company in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District -- her district. “Since I took office, we’ve seen over 60 domestic manufacturing announcements all across the solar supply chain. One of the biggest is in Dalton, Georgia. You may find it hard to believe, but that’s Marjorie Taylor Greene’s district,” Mr Biden said. “I’ll be there for the groundbreaking.” Read More Lauren Boebert blames her AirPods after she threw away photo of 10-year-old Uvalde victim GOP lawmakers predict imminent ‘fistfight’ between Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert Marjorie Taylor Greene ousted from House Freedom Caucus following fight with Lauren Boebert Biden pitching his economic policies as a key to manufacturing jobs revival Biden announces investments in conservation and climate during Arizona visit Prosecutors seek Jan. 2 trial date for Donald Trump in his 2020 election conspiracy case Utah governor pushes back at critics over welcoming Biden: ‘It’s insane’ Live: Biden delivers remarks to service members exposed to toxic substances

Four Americans who have been wrongfully detained in Iran have been released from prison and are now under house arrest, a lawyer for one of the prisoners told CNN on Thursday, a sign that they may soon be freed from years of imprisonment.

By Erwin Seba HOUSTON (Reuters) -U.S. government forecasters on Thursday said they expect a more dangerous Atlantic storm season than

Donald Trump and his aide Walt Nauta pleaded not guilty in federal court on several charges claiming that the former president kept classified documents at his private Florida club Mar-a-Lago and attempted to hide some of them from government authorities with the help of his staffers. Mr Trump, who waived his right to appear at the Thursday arraignment in Fort Pierce, Florida, entered his plea via his lawyers. The ex-president was initially charged with 37 crimes in a June indictment, to which he pleaded not guilty. The following month, prosecutors added another three charges in a superseding indictment. Mr Trump pleaded not guilty to those charges on Thursday. Mr Nauta attended the hearing on Thursday, where he also pleaded not guilty after being charged with six charges in the initial indictment and another two counts in the superseding filing. More follows...

Two suspects who were involved in the Montgomery riverboat brawl have finally turned themselves in. Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, surrendered to the Montgomery Police Department, a spokesperson said late Wednesday, days after they were allegedly involved in a massive fight on a dock last weekend. Mr Todd and Mr Shipman are among three men facing one count of assault in the third degree, which is a misdemeanour, in connection with the incident. The fight began on Saturday when a deckhand on the Harriott II riverboat, Damian Pickett, confronted the owners of a pontoon boat so that the ship could dock. Viral video captured the owners, who are white, punching Mr Pickett, who is Black, before an all-out brawl ensued - largely along racial lines. On Tuesday, Police Chief Darryl Allen identified the three suspects, adding that one of them had already turned themselves in—that person appears to be Richard Roberts, 48. Police said they are seeking yet another man for further interviews: Reggie Gray. The police chief described him as “wielding that folding chair” in videos, as he picked up a chair and hit people over the head with it. A spokesperson for the Montgomery Police told The Independent on Thursday that Mr Gray has not yet been in contact with the police, but assured that the authorities will “certainly” find him. All three of the men are white, and all three were members of the pontoon boat, which was reportedly blocking the Harriott II—which was carrying 227 passengers—from docking. So the captain’s deckhand, Mr Pickett, was taken from the riverboat to the dock to try to reason with the members of the pontoon boat, asking them to move. They did not take it well. The next part went viral - as the owner of the pontoon boat started attacking Mr Pickett. On Wednesday, the captain of the Harriott II, Capt Jim Kittrell, said he believed the attack was driven by race. “The white guys that attacked my deckhand—and he was a senior deckhand first mate—I can’t think of any other reason they attacked him other than it being racially motivated,” he said. The brawl grew from there. However, he conceded that after the initial exchange, the fight did not appear to be “Black and white.” “It was just shipmates trying to help a shipmate,” the captain said. “They could’ve been little green men, for all they cared. When they attacked Damien, my crew was gonna jump out and do the best they could to help him out. It was my crew against the people who attacked their shipmate, that’s all it was.” Chief Albert explicitly said that the people aboard the pontoon boat were not local to Montgomery. “This is not indicative of who we are as a city. We are much better than that,” he said. Read More Alabama dockside brawl was racially motivated, riverboat captain says Riverfront brawl brings unwelcome attention to historic civil rights city in Alabama

The Nigerian naira extended its slump in black-market trading as the nation’s dollar shortage deepened two months after

Maryland detectives investigating the homicide of missing mother-of-five Rachel Morin have said they do not have a solid suspect yet in the case and warned members of the community to be vigilant. "Not knowing whether this was a targeted event specific to Rachel, we are going to say, ‘yes, be aware, be thinking there could be somebody out here and this is a random event’," Harford County Sheriff Jeffery Gahler told WBALTV. Morin, 37, was last seen heading to the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air at around 6pm on Saturday evening, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. After she failed to return home that night, her boyfriend reported her missing. Then on Sunday afternoon, a Maryland father discovered a woman’s body in a tunnel off the trail which was later confirmed to be Morin. Mr Gahler announced that Morin’s case is now a homicide investigation at a press conference that evening. Rebekah Morin, the deceased’s sister, started a GoFundMe to pay for funeral expenses. As of Thursday morning, it has raised almost $41,000. Read More Rachel Morin was found dead on a popular Maryland hiking trail. Her sister says she ‘did not go willingly’ Rachel Morin’s boyfriend says he ‘would never do anything to her’ as homicide probe launched Rachel Morin’s chilling Facebook post before mother-of-five found dead on Maryland hiking trail

Joe Biden dismissed a question posed by Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy by calling it “a lousy question”. Doocy, who was reporting from New Mexico following Mr Biden’s address on green energy endeavours, inquired about the recent congressional testimony of Devon Archer, a former business associate of Hunter Biden, the president’s son. Mr Archer’s testimony last week indicated that Hunter Biden had at times placed his father, who was then serving as vice president, on speakerphone during business discussions. Amid Republican assertions of potential corruption, allegations have arisen suggesting the president’s involvement in his son’s business activities. “We got a first of its kind of reaction to that testimony,” Doocy said on Wednesday. “Nobody has asked President Biden yet about these allegations from a former Hunter Biden business associate, that Hunter would call his dad – then the vice president – and put him on speakerphone to chat with his business associates. So, at the conclusion of this event, I had a chance at the president’s invitation – he waved us on over – to ask him.” Then Fox News cut to the exchange. Doocy asked the president, “There’s this testimony now where one of your son’s former business associates is claiming that you were on speakerphone a lot with them talking business. Is that what…” Mr Biden hit back, saying, “I never talked business anybody, and I knew you’d have a lousy question.” “Well, what, why is that a lousy question?” responded Doocy. The president said “because it’s not true”. Early last year, a hot microphone captured the president referring to Doocy as “a stupid son of a b****” following a question posed by the reporter about inflation. Towards the end of last year, Doocy again asked Mr Biden about the same topic that had led to the earlier insult. “Just hoping to clarify for midterm voters, top domestic issue: inflation or abortion?” Doocy had asked the president then. Mr Biden grinned on hearing the question and then answered, “All important! Unlike you, there’s no one thing. It crosses the board... domestic... ask me about foreign policy, too.” Mr Biden again clashed with Doocy earlier this year after he was asked why classified documents had been found stored next to his Corvette sports car. “Classified materials next to your Corvette? What were you thinking?” Doocy had asked the president at a White House event this January. “My Corvette’s in a locked garage so it’s not like it’s sitting on the street,” responded Mr Biden. “So the material was in a locked garage?” Doocy pressed. “Yes, as well as my Corvette,” Mr Biden said. Read More Trump 2020 electoral college plan outlined in memo as Twitter special counsel search warrant revealed - latest Indictment shows White House lawyers struggling for control as Trump fought to overturn election Biden welcoming Australian leader to White House for state dinner in October Trump and Biden tied in hypothetical 2024 rematch: poll Wildfires take Maui by surprise, burning through a historic town and killing at least 6 people Trump ‘fake elector’ memo details 2020 plan as Twitter search warrant revealed - live

As deadly wildfires devastating parts of Maui approach their third day, residents and visitors are recalling harrowing escapes by car or boat, taking stock of the homes and landmarks they've lost and wondering what to do next.