President Joe Biden chuckled when asked about his predecessor Donald Trump’s mug shot taken at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr Biden was asked by Bloomberg about the photo when coming out of a pilates and spin class in Lake Tahoe, California. The president said he saw the image on TV. “Handsome guy. Wonderful guy,” Mr Biden said. Mr Biden was booed by bystanders as he approached the press. He said he watched at least an hour and twenty minutes of the first Republican debate, which didn’t feature Mr Trump. The president said he didn’t “learn much” from the Milwaukee showdown. “I don’t remember them speaking to any of the issues,” he said. “I don’t quite get where they’re going,” he added. “I didn’t learn much.” More follows...

The indictments against Donald Trump may help him get the Republican presidential nomination, but they’re harming his prospects of winning the general election against President Joe Biden. That’s among the results of a new poll from Politico Magazine and Ipsos which has revealed that the American people are taking the cases against Mr Trump seriously, with the survey revealing the electorate’s particular focus on the 2020 election subversion proscution brought by the Department of Justice. The poll also shows that most Americans remain sceptical of Mr Trump’s arguments that the cases against him have no merit and that they’re part of a politically motivated witch hunt and a weaponization of the justice system. Compared to a previous Ipsos survey from June, the numbers are moving in a negative direction for Mr Trump, specifically regarding the timeline of a trial and whether Mr Trump should be imprisoned if he’s convicted. The more recent poll was conducted between 18 and 21 August, about two and a half weeks after the second federal indictment against Mr Trump was handed down and some days following the former president being charged on 13 counts in Fulton County, Georgia. With 1,032 respondents, the poll had a margin of error of 3.2 per cent. The poll also found that most Americans think Mr Trump should stand trial before the 2024 election. Federal prosecutors have suggested a trial date of 2 January 2024 for the DoJ’s 2020 election case while Mr Trump’s lawyers have argued that the trial should wait until April 2026, the latter giving Mr Trump ample time to attempt to get re-elected, possibly return to the West Wing and shut down the case against him. The American people as a whole agree with the timeline of the Department of Justice — 59 per cent said they think the trial should occur before the GOP primaries and 61 per cent said they think it should take place before the general election. There’s a large partisan split between the parties with 89 per cent of Democrats saying the trial should take place before the general election, but only 33 per cent of Republicans agreeing. And among the most important group to win over in an election — independents — 63 per cent say the trial should happen before the election. After Mr Trump’s indictment in Florida regarding his alleged mishandling of classified documents, only 48 per cent of independents said the trial in that case should happen before the election. Mr Trump has similar problems when it comes to the number of Americans who believe he’s guilty in the federal election subversion case — 51 per cent believe he is. That includes 88 per cent of Democrats, 14 per cent of Republicans and 53 per cent of independents. Forty-four per cent of Americans said that a conviction of Mr Trump in the federal election subversion case wouldn’t affect their willingness to support Mr Trump, while 32 per cent said the outcome of the trial would affect how they voted, meaning that Mr Trump may lose support in a highly polarized race. Meanwhile, 13 per cent — a group made up mostly of GOP voters — said a conviction would make them more likely to vote for Mr Trump. Another potential issue for the former president is that there are still many Americans who know little about the allegations against him, meaning that his polling figures may worsen as voters tune into the news ahead of the election. Between a quarter and a third of respondents in the poll said they don’t understand the charges against Mr Trump well. If Mr Trump is convicted in the federal election subversion case, 50 per cent of Americans say he should go to prison, including 87 per cent of Democrats, 11 per cent of Republicans and 51 per cent of independents. When asked if the federal election subversion case was based on a “fair evaluation of the evidence”, 59 per cent of Americans agreed. Twenty-three per cent of Republicans said the indictment was fair, while the figure for Democrats was 89 per cent and 64 per cent for independents. While Mr Trump has been arguing that the Biden administration has been weaponizing the justice system, more Americans think Mr Trump is guilty of this. Fifty-three per cent of Americans said that the Trump administration used the Department of Justice to go after political enemies without evidence, compared to 45 per cent who said the same about the Biden White House. But 44 per cent of Americans — 20 per cent of Democrats and 40 per cent of independents — said the indictment of Mr Trump was an attempt to get an advantage for Mr Biden. The poll also measured the approval ratings of Mr Trump and Mr Biden in connection to the cases against the former president. Mr Trump received a net favourability rating of -31 per cent while Mr Biden received -9 per cent. Read More Eric Trump denies report of $422m Mar-a-Lago sale days before his dad’s Georgia arrest Kanye West’s latest link to Trump is captured in a grinning mug shot Trump cashes in on historic mug shot with ‘never surrender’ merch as last co-defendants booked at jail: Live

US soybean prices rose for a second straight week, as excessive heat and dryness threaten to further erode

A shopping centre in Southern California was evacuated and a young man arrested after a "suspicious toilet" was left near a movie theatre. Police evacuated the Americana Mall in Glendale on Thursday at about 8pm on suspicion of a bomb, with the alert lifted approximately two hours later, according to KTLA. Upon discovering the toilet, which had been painted in multiple bright colours. police found a note that claimed explosives were hidden within the porcelain. Bomb squads rushed to the scene as shoppers at the mall were herded toward the exits. Explosives experts then examined the toilet but did not find anything suspicious inside. KCAL News' sky camera captured pictures of the lavishly decorated lavatory, which had been left in a paved area next to a what looked like a music stand. It was unclear if the stand was related to the toilet incident. The bomb squad used drones and x-ray equipment to examine the toilet, according to KTLA. Once the x-ray came back clear, a pair of bomb squad members dismantled the toilet and later cleared the area. Rick Caruso, the owner of the shopping centre, released a statement following the incident. “Earlier this evening, a suspicious item and note were left at The Americana at Brand. As a result of our significant investment in security measures, we were able to quickly assist the GPD in identifying and locating a suspect who was then arrested,” he said. “We do not tolerate criminal activity on our properties and will take every step necessary to ensure the safety of our guests, tenants, residents and employees. We extend our gratitude to our security team and to the GPD for their quick response and action in arresting the suspect.” Police have reportedly arrested a 22-year-old man named Timothy Taratchila in connection with the toilet bomb threat. He was identified after police reviewed surveillance footage in which they saw him allegedly placing the toilet near the shopping centre. Mr Taratchila is reportedly from Burbank, and was being held at the Glendale Police Department pending $15,000 bail. The incident left one news anchor in disbelief as he reported exactly what was unfolding the mall. "Your eyes do not deceive you," CBS News' Desmond Shaw said. "I'm going to utter a sentence that I never thought I would utter, that a suspicious toilet has caused an evacuation of one of the most busy shopping centres in the greater LA area,” adding that the situation was "bizarre". Read More F-18 military jet crashes during training flight near San Diego Maui county sues Hawaiian Electric Company over deadly Lahaina fires Largest known gathering of octopuses discovered off California

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that he he warned the Wagner mercenary chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to "watch out" for threats to his life before the plane crash said to have killed him. Mr Lukashenko helped broker a deal between Mr Prigozhin and the Kremlin that ended an attempted mutiny by Wagner forces against Moscow in June – an uprising that marked the most significant challenge to Mr Putin's authority in more than two decades in power. Two months to the day after that revolt was halted, with fighters 125 miles from the Russian capital, a plane believed to be carrying Mr Prigozhin and a number of other members of Wagner's senior leadership crashed on Wednesday evening. Mr Putin had called the Wagner mutiny treason, and had initially vowed to crush it, and a number of world leaders have suggested that he would not let the embarrassment of that incident stand. Mr Lukashenko said on Friday that Mr Prigozhin had twice dismissed concerns raised by the Belarusian leader about possible threats to his life. Mr Lukashenko said that during the mutiny he had warned Mr Prigozhin that he would "die" if he continued to march on Moscow, to which he said Mr Prigozhin had answered: "'To hell with it - I will die'." Then, Mr Lukashenko said, when Mr Prigozhin and his right-hand man, Dmitry Utkin, who was also listed as a passenger on the plane which crashed, had come to see him, he had warned them both: "Lads – you watch out". Mr Lukashenko said that the Wagner leader had never asked him for security guarantees. "I don't have to ensure Prigozhin's safety... the conversation was never in that vein." It was not exactly clear from Mr Lukashenko’s words, which were reported by state news agency BELTA, when that conversation took place, Reuters reports. Mr Lukashenko has previously claimed that he persuaded Mr Putin not to "wipe out" the Wagner leader. US officials, speaking to American media, have suggested that a preliminary US intelligence assessment concluded the plane was downed by an intentional explosion. One of the US and Western officials who described the assessment to the Associated Press said it determined that Mr Prigozhin was “very likely” targeted and that the explosion falls in line with Putin’s “long history of trying to silence his critics.” The Kremlin rejected that assessment on Friday, falling back on a regular refrain for Moscow that it is the West that are the root of the problem. “Right now, of course, there are lots of speculations around this plane crash and the tragic deaths of the passengers of the plane, including Yevgeny Prigozhin,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said during a conference call with journalists. “Of course, in the West those speculations are put out under a certain angle, and all of it is a complete lie,” he claimed. On Thursday, Mr Putin appeared to eulogise Mr Prigozhin, calling him a “great businessman”. But he also said that the the Wagner leader had made “serious mistakes” in his life and had a “complicated fate”. A close ally of Mr Putin, the Belarusian president said that he believed the plane crash was “just too rough and unprofessional a job” for the Russian leader to be involved. “I know Putin: he is calculating, very calm, even tardy,” Lukashenko said. “I cannot imagine that Putin did it, that Putin is to blame.” The jet crashed soon after taking off from Moscow for St. Petersburg, carrying Mr Prigozhin, six other Wagner members and a crew of three, according to Russia's civil aviation authority. Rescuers found 10 bodies, and Russian media cited anonymous sources in Wagner who said Mr Prigozhin was dead. As part of the deal to end June's mutiny, Mr Prigozhin was due to set up in Belarus, with any Wagner fighters that wanted to join him. While the mercenary leader appeared to be able to travel freely, thousands have his fighters have travelled to Belarus, and have been training Belarusian soldiers near the border with Nato-member Poland. Warsaw has moved thousands of its own troops to its border in response. Britain's Ministry of Defence said on Friday that it was "highly likely" Mr Prigozhin was dead and that his death "would almost certainly have a deeply destabilising effect" on Wagner, with the reported deaths of Mr Utkin and logistics chief Valery Chekalov compounding a "leadership vacuum", Mr Lukashenko said Wagner fighters would remain in Belarus. "Wager lived, Wagner is living and Wagner will live in Belarus," the president said. "The core remains here." "As long as we need this unit, they will live and work with us," he said. Elsewhere, on the battlefield in Ukraine – which has been subject to Russian invasion for 18 months – there was a significant attack on Russian-occupied Crimea involving dozens of drones. Russia's Defence Ministry said that 42 drones had been shot down over Crimea and 73 as a whole across across the last 24 hours. The attacks were the latest in a surge of similar incidents in recent weeks. Ukraine has said that destroying Russia's military infrastructure helps a counteroffensive than Kyiv began in June. President Volodymyr Zelensky told an international conference this week that Kyiv would "de-occupy" Crimea. Ukrainian military intelligence said it had assisted the navy this week in a "special operation" in which they landed units on the western tip of Crimea, had a firefight with Russian forces and raised a Ukrainian flag. Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary What next for the Wagner Group in Russia? Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? Wagner chief presumed dead in plane crash What is the Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin?

The list of people who remain unaccounted for after Maui’s wildfire disaster dropped to 388, a significant decline

Investigators and family members of a North Carolina woman had not expected to find her remains after she went missing more than a month ago. On Thursday, the police said they found the remains of Allisha Watts, 39, who was last seen on 16 July. Her boyfriend of one year, James Dunmore, was arrested on the same day on suspicion of Watts’ murder, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Watts’ remains were found in a wooded area of a cemetery near the towns of Candor and Norman, sheriff Pete Herron said. “This is not the outcome that we had been hoping for, but by finding Allisha today... I hope and I pray it brings some closure to family and friends moving forward,” Mr Herron said at a news conference. Watts, who worked in the mental health field, was last seen in Charlotte, North Carolina on 16 July and her Mercedes was found in Anson County, southeast of Charlotte two days later. Mr Dunmore was found unresponsive inside the car, the county sheriff’s office said, according to CNN. It is not yet clear how her remains were found and how she died. Mr Dunmore, 51, who lives in Charlotte, was being held by police. The arrest warrant alleges he “unlawfully, willfully and feloniously did of malice aforethought kill and murder Allisha Watts”. He was arrested in the Charlotte area where Watts was visiting a residence on the day she went missing, police had said. Watts’ sister, Stephanie Johnson, told ABC News that her sister was with Mr Dunmore when she went missing. The two met when Watts drove to Charlotte to visit her cousin, Ms Johnson said. Talking about her sister, she said Watts was a “hard-working, independent, reliable, resourceful, loving, kind, attentive person”. The police said the case “is no longer considered a missing person investigation”. “This is not what we prayed for,” Watts’ friend, Dorothy Brower, told reporters after her body was recovered. “She was found, but it was not how we wanted to find her. She doesn’t deserve what her fate became. Just to dispose of someone who is just one of the best persons you could meet,” she said. Mr Dunmore is being held in the Montgomery County jail without bond . He is expected to appear in court on Monday. “This is an ongoing and active case and investigation, and there’s still much work to be done,” Mr Herron said. Read More Drink-driver who killed charity cyclist and hid body to be sentenced BTK serial killer is in the news again. Here's why and some background about his case Trump arrest live updates: Trump tweets historic mugshot after booking at Fulton County Jail

New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman shared his gleeful reaction to Donald Trump’s mug shot after the former president surrendered for arrest at Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr Bowman, a former educator who won his seat back in 2020, shared a video of himself laughing at the mug shot, saying “we got you, and more to come” before calling Mr Trump a “crook,” “clown,” “criminal,” and a “thug”. Like Mr Trump, Mr Bowman used the mug shot to fundraise for the Democratic effort to take back the House. In a lengthy statement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Mr Bowman wrote: “In a normal world, Donald Trump’s mugshot would be the end of his political career. But in this world, his poll numbers are actually going up.” He continued: “This mugshot is not what you think it is. It’s a jackpot for Trump who will use this image to raise MILLIONS of dollars from his cult – and the worst part is they are going to use it to win even more elections so they can change our laws to make it easier to steal our Democracy. “It’s a symbol of everything that is wrong with our country. It is a reminder of the deep divisions that exist, the hatred that is spewed, and hate is tolerated. It is a sign that our democracy is in danger.” The New York representative said that the GOP “will solidify their support around Trump and our fate will be sealed ... because Republican voters trust Trump more than their own friends and families. They believe that Trump is one of them and they want revenge”. Other Democrats also reacted to Mr Trump’s arrest. At 7.30pm on Thursday night, just as Mr Trump arrived at the Atlanta jail, President Joe Biden’s account on X also called for donations. “Apropos of nothing, I think today’s a great day to give to my campaign,” the memo read. Maine Democrat Chellie Pingree tweeted: “In the United States, no one is above the law. No one.” Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Democrat Madeleine Dean wrote: “Four indictments and 91 charges in total now against the former President. This is not normal. “I’m sad for our country; hopeful for justice; thoughtful for Mr. Trump’s day in court; disappointed yet confident for our democracy and rule of law. No one is above the law.” Mr Trump’s mug shot has also prompted plenty of memes, including several from the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump campaign group operated by former Republicans. Kari Lake, the 2020 Republican nominee for Arizona governor, tweeted a heavily edited image of Mr Trump in sunglasses and a mullet. Comedian Jordan Klepper of The Daily Show responded by tweeting a mug shot of his own. One X user compared Mr Trump’s mug shot pose to “The Kubrick Stare”. “A method of shot composition where a character stares at the camera with a forward tilt, to convey to the audience that they are at the peak of their derangement,” they wrote. But, some people warned that Democrats in particular won’t be laughing for long as Mr Trump’s arrest and mug shot could help his 2024 bid. “The Democrats are likely going to regret the Trump mug shot politically. It’s over the top,” Republican consultant Ford O’Connell told NBC News. Presidential historian Craig Shirley added to the outlet: “On a political level, this only strengthens Donald Trump’s hand. “The Fulton County DA represents the establishment. Joe Biden represents the establishment. [Attorney General] Merrick Garland represents the establishment. All of these establishment forces have been arrayed against Donald Trump, who is the epitome of the anti-establishment,” he added. “Everyone has a tale of woe about their run-ins with some form of government. There’s no downside for Donald Trump. He’ll laugh all the way to the White House.” Read More Trump cashes in on historic mug shot with ‘never surrender’ merch as codefendants’ arrest deadline looms: Live From smiling Jenna Ellis to scowling Donald Trump: All of the mugshots from the Georgia election arrests Trump’s mugshot was a theatrical masterstroke with a showman’s flair for the outrageous

An Arizona woman who was allegedly kidnapped by a man in a wig posing as an Uber driver escaped after passing a note to a gas station customer pleading for help, according to authorities. The woman was abducted from a car dealership in Phoenix at 7am on Monday, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) said in a statement. The suspect, identified by authorities as 41-year-old Jacob Wilhoit, “restrained” the woman in the car and drove north towards Las Vegas, and they spent the night in a Lake Mead park, the sheriff’s office said. At 5pm on Tuesday, they pulled into a Chevron gas station 150 miles southeast in Seligman, Arizona. The woman signalled to another customer and passed a note with a description of her abductor and his blue Honda van, and begged them to call 911. “Help,” the note read. “Call 911.” The note included a a phone number and that they were headed to “Kingman Las Vegas”. Their van was intercepted by officers from the Department of Public Safety (DPS) heading westbound on the I-40, and Mr Wilhoit was detained without incident, according to authorities. Several firearms were found “in plain view” in his car, they said. Deputies also learned the woman had been reported missing by her mother the previous day, who named Mr Wilhoit as a “person of interest”. Mr Wilhoit has been arrested on charges including aggravated assault, unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping, and other assault and harassment charges. “The victim’s extraordinary action in passing the note, the customer’s willingness to assist, and the quick actions of YCSO and DPS saved the victim from her kidnapper and allowed her to return home with her family,” Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said. Read More The BTK killer’s need for notoriety led to his capture a decade ago. He’s now a ‘prime suspect’ in at least two other murders Ambushed at an LA park, kidnapped and her body dumped in a field: What happened to Andrea Vazquez? California woman who vanished eight years ago reappears to ask police to take her off missing persons list

Five family members have been found dead in a home in northeast Ohio in an apparent murder-suicide, authorities say. Police in Uniontown, Stark County, made the grisly discovery after performing a wellbeing check at a home in the 13000 block of Carnation Avenue around 7.30pm on Thursday. Officers found five dead family members, and described the incident as a domestic dispute that “turned deadly”. The victims were identified as Jason Dunham, 46, Melissa Dunham, 42, Renee Dunham, 15, Amber Dunham, 12, and 9-year-old Evan Dunham. The Stark County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Stark County Prosecutor’s Office are helping Uniontown police with the investigation. Uniontown is a town of approximately 7,000 residents, situated 50 miles south of Cleveland. Read More GOP support for gun restrictions slips a year after Congress passed firearms law Philadelphia officer to be fired over shooting death of Black man as new video contradicts police account Donald Trump’s weight and height in Georgia arrest records raises eyebrows

French magistrates have ordered former president Nicolas Sarkozy and 12 others to go on trial on charges that his 2007 presidential campaign received millions in illegal financing from the government of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The national financial prosecutor, Jean-Francois Bohnert, announced that the decade-long investigation has been formally closed. The trial will run from January to April 2025, the statement said. The case is the biggest of multiple corruption investigations involving Sarkozy. He has been convicted in two others. He denies wrongdoing in all cases. In the Libya case, he is charged with illegal campaign financing, embezzling, passive corruption and related counts. Sarkozy has been under investigation in the Libya case since 2013. Investigators examined claims that Gaddafi's government secretly gave Sarkozy 50 million euros (£42 million) for his winning 2007 campaign. The sum would be more than double the legal campaign funding limit at the time and would violate French rules against foreign campaign financing. The investigation gained traction when French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine told news site Mediapart in 2016 that he had delivered suitcases from Libya containing five million euros (£4.2 million) in cash to Sarkozy and his former chief of staff. Takieddine later reversed course and Sarkozy sought to have the investigation closed. In May, the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) demanded that Sarkozy be tried, citing charges against him of "concealment of laundering public funds, passive corruption, illegal campaign financing and criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime punishable by 10 years in jail". Investigating magistrates, who had the last word, gave the go-ahead for a trial, the PNF said. After becoming president in 2007, Sarkozy welcomed Gaddafi to France with high honours later that year. Sarkozy then put France at the forefront of Nato-led air strikes that helped rebel fighters topple Gaddafi's government in 2011. In an unrelated case, Sarkozy was sentenced to a year under house arrest for illegal campaign financing of his unsuccessful 2012 re-election bid. He is free while the case is pending appeal. He was also found guilty of corruption and influence peddling in another case and sentenced to a year under house arrest in an appeals trial in May this year. He took the case to France's highest court, which suspended the sentence. Associated Press Read More French former President Nicolas Sarkozy to go on trial over Libya financing for 2007 campaign Wagner leader ‘killed’ in plane crash: Your questions answered by an expert Minister calls out ‘arsonist scum’ as 79 arrested over Greece wildfires

Ukraine’s allies now worry the war is dragging into a long fight that may strengthen Vladimir Putin’s hand