Novak Djokovic's Grand Slam firsts
Novak Djokovic on Sunday became the first man to win all four Grand Slams on at least three occasions, as he clinched a record 23rd...
2023-06-12 01:23
Braves Rumors: Morton replacement, ESPN surprise prediction, untradable prospect
Braves Rumors: ESPN outlines Atlanta's trade deadline approachYes, the Braves are down two of their best starting pitchers in Max Fried and Kyle Wright, but don't expect them to rush to acquire high-end starters come late July. Ideally, by that time, both Fried and Wright will be off the...
2023-06-12 01:20
Trump allies cite Clinton email probe to attack classified records case. There are big differences
As former President Donald Trump prepares for a momentous court appearance Tuesday on charges related to the hoarding of top-secret documents, Republican allies are amplifying, without evidence, claims that he is the target of a political prosecution. To press their case, Trump's backers are citing the Justice Department's decision in 2016 not to bring charges against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent in that year's presidential race, over her handling of classified information. His supporters also are invoking a separate classified documents investigation concerning President Joe Biden to allege a two-tier system of justice that is punishing Trump, the undisputed early front-runner for the GOP's 2024 White House nomination, for conduct that Democrats have engaged in. "Is there a different standard for a Democratic secretary of state versus a former Republican president?” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Trump primary rival. “I think there needs to be one standard of justice in this country.” But those arguments overlook abundant factual and legal differences — chiefly relating to intent, state of mind and deliberate acts of obstruction — that limit the value of any such comparisons. A look at the Clinton, Biden and Trump investigations and what separates them: WHAT DID CLINTON DO? Clinton relied on a private email system for the sake of convenience during her time as the Obama administration's top diplomat. That decision came back to haunt her when, in 2015, the intelligence agencies' internal watchdog alerted the FBI to the presence of potentially hundreds of emails containing classified information. FBI investigators would ultimately conclude that Clinton sent and received emails containing classified information on that unclassified system, including information classified at the top-secret level. Of the roughly 30,000 emails turned over by Clinton's representatives, the FBI has said, 110 emails in 52 email chains were found to have classified information, including some at the top-secret level. After a roughly yearlong inquiry, the FBI closed out the investigation in July 2016, finding that Clinton did not intend to break the law. The bureau reopened the inquiry months later, 11 days before the presidential election, after discovering a new batch of emails. After reviewing those communications, the FBI again opted against recommending charges. WHAT IS TRUMP ACCUSED OF DOING? The indictment filed by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith alleges that when Trump left the White House after his term ended in January 2021, he took hundreds of classified documents with him to his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago — and then repeatedly impeded efforts by the government he once oversaw to get the records back. The material that Trump retained, prosecutors say, related to American nuclear programs, weapons and defense capabilities of the United States and foreign countries and potential vulnerabilities to an attack — information that, if exposed, could jeopardize the safety of the military and human sources. Beyond just the hoarding of documents — in locations including a bathroom, ballroom, shower and his bedroom — the Justice Department says Trump showed highly sensitive material to visitors who without security clearances and obstructed the FBI by, among other things, directing a personal aide who was charged alongside him to move boxes around Mar-a-Lago to conceal them from investigators. Though Trump and his allies have claimed he could do with the documents as he pleased under the Presidential Records Act, the indictment makes short shrift of that argument and does not once reference that statute. All told, the indictment includes 37 felony counts against Trump, most under an Espionage Act pertaining to the willful retention of national defense information. WHAT SEPARATES THE CLINTON AND TRUMP CASES? A lot, but two important differences are in willfulness and obstruction. In an otherwise harshly critical assessment in which he condemned Clinton's email practices as “extremely careless,” then-FBI Director James Comey announced that investigators had found no clear evidence that Clinton or her aides had intended to break laws governing classified information. As a result, he said, “no reasonable prosecutor" would move forward with a case. The relevant Espionage Act cases brought by the Justice Department over the past century, Comey said, all involved factors including efforts to obstruct justice, willful mishandling of classified documents and the exposure of vast quantities of records. None of those factors existed in the Clinton investigation, he said. That is in direct contrast to the allegations against Trump, who prosecutors say was involved in the packing of boxes to go to Mar-a-Lago and then actively took steps to conceal the classified documents from investigators. The indictment accuses him, for instance, of suggesting that a lawyer hide documents demanded by a Justice Department subpoena or falsely represent that all requested records had been turned over, even though more than 100 remained. The indictment repeatedly cites Trump's own words against him to make the case that he understood what he was doing and what the law did and did not permit him to do. It describes a July 2021 meeting at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, which he showed off a Pentagon “plan of attack” to people without the security clearances to view the material and proclaimed that “as president, I could have declassified it.” “Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret,” the indictment quotes him as saying. That conversation, captured by an audio recording, is likely to be a powerful piece of evidence to the extent that it undercuts Trump's oft-repeated claims that he had declassified the documents he brought with him to Mar-a-Lago. WHERE DOES BIDEN FIT IN? The White House disclosed in January that, two months earlier, a lawyer for Biden had located what it said was a “small number” of classified documents from his time as vice president during a search of the Washington office space of Biden's former institute. The documents were turned over to the Justice Department. Lawyers for Biden subsequently located an additional batch of classified documents at Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware, and the FBI found even more during a voluntary search of the property. The revelations were a humbling setback for Biden's efforts to draw a clear contrast between his handling of sensitive information and Trump's. Even so, as with Clinton, there are significant differences in the matters. Though Attorney General Merrick Garland in January named a second special counsel to investigate the Biden documents, no charges have been brought and, so far at least, no evidence has emerged to suggest that anyone intentionally moved classified documents or tried to impede the probe. While the FBI obtained a search warrant last August to recover additional classified documents, each of the Biden searches has been done voluntarily with his team's consent. The Justice Department, meanwhile, notified Trump's vice president, Mike Pence, earlier this month that it would not bring charges after the discovery of classified documents in his Indiana home. That case also involved no allegations of willful retention or obstruction. _____ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP ___ More on Donald Trump-related investigations: https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump Read More 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 Jim Jordan rejects Trump statement suggesting Mar-a-Lago papers weren’t declassified Kimberly Guilfoyle posts chilling warning over Trump indictment Trump-appointed judge will stay on Mar-a-Lago documents case unless she recuses
2023-06-12 01:19
Ex-Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon released after arrest by police in party finance probe
Former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was arrested and questioned by police investigating the finances of Scotland's pro-independence governing party
2023-06-12 01:16
Conn Smythe odds: Jonathan Marchessault's odds are shocking after Game 4
The Vegas Golden knights have taken a commanding 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.That means that not only can we start engraving their names in Lord Stanley's Cup, but the picture of who's going to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL Playoff MVP is starting to become a lot more cle...
2023-06-12 01:15
NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports celebrate finishing 24 Hours of Le Mans
NASCAR celebrated at the 24 Hours of Le Mans when its Garage 56 entry fielded by Hendrick Motorsports completed the iconic endurance race
2023-06-12 00:58
Novak Djokovic wins his 23rd Grand Slam title by beating Casper Ruud in the French Open final
Novak Djokovic has won his men’s-record 23rd Grand Slam title with a 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Casper Ruud in the French Open final
2023-06-12 00:58
Jim Jordan rejects Trump’s statement suggesting Mar-a-Lago papers weren’t declassified
One of Donald Trump’s most loyal champions in the House of Representatives battled a CNN reporter on Sunday over whether all the documents retained without the consent of the National Archives at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate were declassified. Jim Jordan, chair of the House Oversight Committee, appeared on CNN’s State of the Union for an interview with Dana Bash. During the interview, the two disagreed over whether Mr Trump himself had admitted that some of the documents he retained were still classified, which statements cited by the Justice Department in his indictment suggest was the case. “In this indictment, he states on at least one occasion that he did not declassify the information,” Bash told the Republican congressman in the interview. Mr Jordan responded, however, by pointing to numerous public statements by the former president insisting otherwise, an apparent contradiction of the statements cited by the DoJ in the agency’s investigation. “Dana, he has said time and time again that he declassified all this material,” Mr Jordand responded. He later added: “I go on the president's word and he said he did.” It’s an interesting defence of the former president’s remarks, given that Mr Trump has a long and well-documented history of spreading false claims and misinformation. Most recently, the twice-impeached ex-president has been reported, according to The New York Times, to have told supporters at his events at Mar-a-Lago that he will be reinstated as president in some sort of vindication of his (also false) claims that the 2020 election was rigged. Mr Jordan has long been a defender of the former president amid his various legal escapades, a role more establishment-aligned Republicans (especially those in the Senate) have shunned. In recent weeks he has sought to use his powerful chairmanship of the Oversight Committee to impose an investigation on the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in response to that office’s prosecution of Mr Trump for falsifying business records in connection to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Mr Trump was charged with 34 criminal counts in that case earlier this year; he now additionally faces 37 felony counts brought by the US Department of Justice. Read More Trump news – latest: Trump defiant at post-indictment speeches as Florida judge he appointed set to keep case Kimberly Guilfoyle joins chorus of violent rhetoric over Trump indictment Trump-appointed judge will stay on Mar-a-Lago documents case unless she recuses What is an indictment? Here’s what Donald Trump is facing Jonathan Turley tells Fox News the Trump indictment is ‘extremely damning’ and a ‘hit below the waterline’ Fox host Mark Levin screams at camera in outrage at Trump indictment over secret papers
2023-06-12 00:57
Ukraine-Russia war – latest: Kyiv says it has liberated first village in counter-offensive action
Ukraine’s military has claimed to have recaptured their first village since launching counter-offensive actions against Russia. Ukrainian soldiers were filmed hoisting their blue and yellow flag at a damaged building in what the army said was the village of Blahodatne, in the partially occupied eastern Donetsk region in the southeast of the country. The unverified video was published by the 68th Separate Hunting Brigade of the Armed Forces. It comes after president Volodymyr Zelensky said that counter-offensive and defensive actions are under way against Russian forces in an apparent confirmation of the long-awaited pushback of Putin’s troops. The Russian Defence Ministry has continued to insist that it is repelling Ukrainian attacks in the Donetsk region. It said in a statement that Ukrainian attempts at offensive operations on the southern Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia axes of the frontline over the past 24 hours have been “unsuccesful”. Read More Ukraine goes on attack in Zaporizhzhia – as counteroffensive steps up Ukraine tells ‘clown’ Tucker Carlson to check his facts after pro-Kremlin rant in first Twitter show Before-and-after satellite images show profound toll of Ukraine dam collapse
2023-06-12 00:57
Jude Bellingham and Lewis Dunk out of England’s Euro 2024 qualifiers this month
Jude Bellingham and Lewis Dunk have been ruled out of England’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia. Real Madrid-bound Bellingham is still suffering with the hamstring injury that sidelined him for Borussia Dortmund’s heart-breaking season finale, when they let slip the Bundesliga title by drawing 2-2 at home to Mainz. The 19-year-old midfielder will report to St George’s Park to receive further treatment, but will play no part in either match, a team statement confirmed. Brighton defender Dunk has withdrawn from the squad through injury and will not travel to the national football centre – the only player from Gareth Southgate’s original 25-man squad who is not now due to join up. England players began to gather at St George’s Park on Sunday, preparing for Friday’s trip to face Malta in Ta’ Qali and Monday’s fixture against North Macedonia at Old Trafford. West Ham’s Declan Rice, who lifted the Europa Conference League trophy in midweek, will join in the coming days, as will the five players from Manchester City’s Champions League-winning squad. Jack Grealish, John Stones, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips are all expected to be part of City’s bus parade in Manchester on Monday before reporting for duty. In a video posted on England’s social media accounts on Sunday, Southgate said: “We’ve a little less training than we would have liked but today was an important session in terms of players getting back into their football movements. “They all keep themselves in good shape but you’re not training with the team in that period and you have to adapt your body back to the rhythm… “We’ll get the players through today so they’re ready to go tomorrow and then we start the more tactical preparation for the game with Malta. “I think what we’ve shown in the last few months is that we’re a team who now can take on some of the best teams in the world. “We showed that in the World Cup and we definitely showed that by winning in Naples (the 2-1 win over Italy in March), which was a really important game for us not only in terms of qualification but in terms of our confidence and setting some markers for what we are as a team. “If you’re a really big team you nail those big games and then you don’t slip up with the teams you are expected to beat and that’s the challenge for us now. “We’re at the end of the season, we’ve had a lot of different distractions. There’s any number of reasons or excuses if you search for them but we can’t have a team looking for excuses. “We want to consistently perform at a high level and we have to start that from the minute the players arrive.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Novak Djokovic claims record-breaking 23rd grand slam title at French Open Rodri relishes scoring ‘most important goal’ in history of Manchester City Man City clinching European crown ‘absolutely brilliant’ for England – Southgate
2023-06-12 00:52
History-making Djokovic claims record 23rd Grand Slam triumph
Novak Djokovic created history on Sunday when he captured a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title with a third French Open triumph, reinforcing his case to be crowned...
2023-06-12 00:49
Charismatic and controversial: Novak Djokovic, undisputed king of tennis
Novak Djokovic, who won a record-equalling 23rd Grand Slam title on Sunday, is driven on through controversy by his determination...
2023-06-12 00:47
