Foreign

US will intervene if Iran shoots and kills protesters – Trump

By Web News 282

President Donald Trump said the United States will intervene if Iran shoots and kills protesters demonstrating against deteriorating economic conditions in the country.

“If Iran shots (sic) and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J.TRUMP,” he wrote on Truth Social on Friday.

Dozens of protesters took to the streets across several provinces of Iran this week, with some demonstrations which turned deadly.

Iranian officials issued a stern warning against US intervention in the country’s internal affairs. Ali Larijani, Iran’s national security chief, said on X that American interference would trigger “disruption across the entire region and the destruction of American interests.” Ali Shamkhani, a close adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, declared Iran’s national security a “red line.”

“Every hand of intervention that approaches Iranian security…will be cut off with a regrettable response,” Shamkhani said on X.

At least three people were killed and 17 others injured on Thursday evening when protesters stormed a police station in the city of Azna in Iran western Lorestan province, the state-affiliated.

According to report, the protesters clashed with police, threw stones at law enforcement personnel and set cars on fire, adding that, some armed “rioters took advantage” of a protest in the city.

On Thursday morning, at least two people were killed when dozens of protesters clashed with the police in Lordegan county of the southwest Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province.

It remained unclear if the casualties were among law enforcement authorities or protesters.

The first known death linked to the protests occurred on Wednesday night, when one member of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force was killed, and 13 others injured in the city of Kuhdasht in Lorestan province, per state-affiliated media. Fars News Agency showed a video of a member of the police force receiving treatment after allegedly being set on fire by protesters.

The Basij is often deployed by the regime to suppress protests.

Twenty people were arrested in the protests, the prosecutor of Kuhdasht said Thursday, according to state-affiliated news agency Tasnim.

Twenty people were arrested in the protests, the prosecutor of Kuhdasht said Thursday, according to state-affiliated news agency Tasnim.

In Tehran province’s Malard county, authorities arrested 30 people for “disrupting public disorder,” according to Fars. The agency cited a county official Mansour Saleki, who said those arrested were “abusing the legal right of citizens to protest”

Despite being so far limited, the protests marked the latest chapter in the growing discontent in Iran, as a population quietly reclaimed public spaces and personal freedoms through uncoordinated acts of defiance.

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CNN/Taiwo Akinola          

Foreign

Trump Defends Saudi Crown Prince over Khashoggi Killing

By Web News 193

US President, Donald Trump said Saudi Crown, Prince Mohammed bin Salman “knew nothing” about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as he welcomed the kingdom’s de facto ruler to the White House.

Trump’s comments appeared to contradict a US intelligence assessment in 2021 which determined the crown prince had approved the operation that led to Khashoggi’s death at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

The crown prince, who has denied any wrongdoing, said at the White House that Saudi Arabia “did all the right things” to investigate Khashoggi’s death, which he called “painful”.

It was his first US visit since the assassination, which sent shockwaves through the US-Saudi relationship.

In the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump shot back at a reporter who asked a question about the killing.

“You’re mentioning someone that was extremely controversial,” the US president said.

“A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen.”

“But he [the Crown Prince] knew nothing about it,” Trump added. “You don’t have to embarrass our guests.”

The crown prince added that Saudi Arabia “did all the right steps” to investigate the murder, which he called “painful” and a “huge mistake”.

A US intelligence report made public in 2021 under President Joe Biden’s administration determined that the crown prince had approved of a plan to “capture or kill” Khashoggi in Istanbul. During his first administration, Trump White House officials declined to release the report.

While dozens of Saudi officials faced sanctions in the wake of the assassination, none directly targeted the crown prince.

Reacting to Trump’s comments, Khashoggi’s widow, Hanan, told BBC Newsnight the US president’s defence of the crown prince did not match up with bin Salman’s own acknowledgment of responsibility for her husband’s murder.

“The crown prince himself, in 2019 and 60 Minutes interview, he did take accountability about and hold responsibility about this horrible crime,” she said.

In a post on X, she also called for a meeting with the crown prince and an apology along with compensation for her husband’s murder.

Granted political asylum in the US, she lives in the Washington DC area.

Tuesday’s meeting between Trump and Mohammed bin Salman was expected to include deals on civilian nuclear power, artificial intelligence and Saudi investment in the US, which the crown prince said was being upped to $1tr (£761bn) from $600bn pledged earlier this year.

Echoing Trump’s own words, bin Salman said that the US was the “hottest country on the planet” and praised the US president for creating “long-term opportunity”.

The two men also discussed the potential sale of advanced F-35 fighter aircraft to the Saudis.

Trump said that while export licences were still being announced, he expected a deal between the Saudis and US defence giant Lockheed Martin.

The potential sale has caused alarm among some Israeli officials, who have said that it could potentially hurt the country’s “qualitative military edge” in the Middle East, where it is so far the only nation to have F-35s.

The US president said the model sold to the Saudis would be broadly similar to the one the Israelis operate.

“This [Saudi Arabia] is a great ally, and Israel is a great ally,” Trump said. “I know they’d like you to get planes of reduced calibre.

“But as far as I’m concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line,” he added.

The crown prince’s visit to Washington continues with a gala dinner on Tuesday night, followed by an investment summit on Wednesday.

Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo – who plays in the Saudi professional league was also present at the dinner.

Biden did not host the crown prince and vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over its human rights record. In 2022, however, Biden visited the kingdom to reach agreement on other issues.

BBC /Titilayo Kupoliyi

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Foreign

Ukraine War: Trump Slams Putin, Zelensky, Biden

By Web News 73

President Donald Trump has blamed Volodymyr Zelensky for starting the war with Russia, a day after a massive Russian attack killed 35 people and injured 117 others in Ukraine.

The US president said the Ukrainian leader shared the blame with Russian President Vladimir Putin for “millions of people dead” in the Ukraine war.

“You don’t start a war against someone 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles,” he told reporters at the White House, also blaming former US President Joe Biden for the conflict.

Trump’s comments come after widespread outrage over Russia’s attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday, which was the deadliest Russian attack on civilians this year.

Asked about the attack earlier, Trump said it was “terrible” and that he had been told Russia had “made a mistake“, but did not elaborate.

“Millions of people dead because of three people,” Trump said on Monday. “Let’s say Putin number one, let’s say Biden, who had no idea what the hell he was doing, number two, and Zelensky.”

It is estimated that hundreds of thousands, but not millions, of people have been killed or injured on all sides since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.

Questioning Zelensky’s competence, Trump remarked that the Ukrainian leader was “always looking to purchase missiles“.

“When you start a war, you’ve got to know you can win,” the US president said.

Trump has repeatedly clashed with Zelensky since he returned to office this year, and has previously appeared to blame Ukraine for starting the war.

Tensions between the pair have been high ever since their heated confrontation at the White House in February.

During that meeting, Trump accused Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three” and chided him for not starting peace talks with Russia earlier.

By contrast, the US president has made efforts to improve relations with Moscow.

Trump said he had a “great” phone call with Putin last month, and the Russian president sent him a portrait as a gift a week later.

In February, Washington voted with Moscow against a UN resolution that identified Russia as the “aggressor” in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

After talks between US and Russian officials failed to produce a ceasefire in Ukraine, Trump said he was “very angry” with Putin, though he added he had a “good relationship” with the Russian leader.

BBC/Adetutu Adetule

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Foreign

Trump Mulls Pardon for US Capitol Rioters, Vows to End Birthright Citizenship

By Web News 256

President-elect Donald Trump has said he will look at pardons for those involved in the 2021 US Capitol riot on his first day back in office next month.

“These people are living in hell,” he told NBC’s Meet the Press in his first broadcast network interview since winning November’s election.

The Republican also vowed to end automatic citizenship for anyone born in the country, but offered to work with Democrats to help some undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children.

In the wide-ranging sit-down, which was recorded on Friday, Trump promised to issue “a lot” of executive orders, including on immigration, energy and the economy, after he is inaugurated on 20 January.

While he suggested he would not seek a justice department investigation into Joe Biden, he said that some of his political adversaries, including lawmakers who investigated the Capitol riot, should be jailed.

Trump was asked whether he would seek to pardon the hundreds of people convicted of involvement in that riot, when supporters of his stormed Congress three months after his defeat in the 2020 election.

“We’re going to look at independent cases,” he said. “Yeah, but I’m going to be acting very quickly.”

“First day,” he added.

Trump continued: “You know, by the way, they’ve been in there for years, and they’re in a filthy, disgusting place that shouldn’t even be allowed to be open.”

The president-elect made other news in the NBC interview aired on Sunday:

  • He offered a caveat on whether he would keep the US in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato): “If they’re paying their bills, and if I think they’re doing a fair – they’re treating us fairly, the answer is absolutely, I’d stay with Nato”
  • Trump said he would not seek to impose restrictions on abortion pills, though when asked to make a guarantee, he added: “Well, I commit. I mean…things change”
  • The Republican said Ukraine should “probably” expect less aid when he returns to the White House
  • Trump said he thinks “somebody has to find out” if there is a link between autism and childhood vaccines – an idea that has been ruled out by multiple studies around the world. Trump suggested his nominee for health secretary, vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr, would look into the matter
  • The president-elect repeated his promise that he will not seek to cut Social Security, nor raise its eligibility age, though he said he would make it “more efficient”, without offering further details
  • Pressed on whether his plan to impose tariffs on imports from major US trading partners would raise consumer prices for Americans, he said: “I can’t guarantee anything. I can’t guarantee tomorrow”

On the subject of immigration, Trump told NBC he would seek through executive action to end so-called birthright citizenship, which entitles anyone born in the US to an American passport, even if their parents were born elsewhere.

Birthright citizenship stems from the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, which states that “all persons born” in the United States “are citizens of the United States”.

“We’re going to have to get it changed,” Trump said. “We’ll maybe have to go back to the people. But we have to end it.”

Trump also said he would follow through on his campaign pledge to deport undocumented immigrants, including those with family members who are US citizens.

“I don’t want to be breaking up families,” he said, “so the only way you don’t break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back.”

Trump also said he wants to work with Congress to help so-called Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who were shielded under an Obama-era programme, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which Trump once attempted to scrap.

“I will work with the Democrats on a plan,” he said, adding that some of these immigrants have found good jobs and started businesses.

Trump seemed to offer mixed signals on whether he would follow through on his repeated vows to seek retribution against political adversaries.

Outgoing US President Joe Biden this week issued a sweeping pardon to his criminally convicted son, Hunter. The Democrat is reported to be considering other blanket pardons for political allies before he leaves office next month.

Trump seemed to indicate that he would not seek a special counsel investigation into Biden and his family, as he once vowed.

“I’m not looking to go back into the past,” he said. “I’m looking to make our country successful. Retribution will be through success.”

But he also said that members of the now-defunct, Democratic-led House of Representatives committee that investigated him “should go to jail”.

One member of the panel, former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney, hit back at Trump on Sunday.

She said his comment that members of the committee should be jailed was a “continuation of his assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic”.

In his NBC interview Trump also said he would not direct the FBI to pursue investigations against his foes.

But he also told the network: “If they were crooked, if they did something wrong, if they have broken the law, probably.

“They went after me. You know, they went after me, and I did nothing wrong.”

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Foreign

Presidential Race: US Supreme Court Decides Trump’s Fate

By Web News 406

The US Supreme Court has said it will hear a historic case to determine if Donald Trump can run for president.

The justices agreed to take up Mr Trump’s appeal against a decision by Colorado to remove him from the 2024 ballot in that state.

The case will be heard in February and the ruling will apply nationwide.

Lawsuits in a number of states are seeking to disqualify Mr Trump, arguing that he engaged in insurrection during the US Capitol riot three years ago.

The legal challenges hinge on whether a Civil War-era constitutional amendment renders Mr Trump ineligible to stand as a candidate.

The Supreme Court’s decision to hear Mr Trump’s appeal came after attorney generals from 27 states filed a brief asking the court to reject Colorado’s ruling.

In it, they argue that removing Mr Trump from the ballot would “create widespread chaos”.

“Most obviously, it casts confusion into an election cycle that is just weeks away,” reads the submission.

“Beyond that, it upsets the respective roles of the Congress, the States, and the courts.”

The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution bans anyone who has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding federal office, but the former president’s lawyers argue it does not apply to the president.

His lawyers have argued: “The Colorado Supreme Court decision would unconstitutionally disenfranchise millions of voters in Colorado and likely be used as a template to disenfranchise tens of millions of voters nationwide.”

Mr Trump has also appealed against a decision by electoral officials in Maine to remove him from the ballot.

Following the Supreme Court’s announcement on Friday, Colorado’s Secretary of State Jena Griswold said she had certified the state’s ballots for the upcoming presidential primary elections and that Mr Trump’s name was on them.

The primary ballots, held in each state, will help to determine which presidential candidates run in November’s election.

Colorado’s is set for the beginning of March – soon after the Supreme Court decision on Mr Trump’s case is expected.

“The United States Supreme Court has accepted the case, and Donald Trump will appear on the ballot as a result,” Ms Griswold said in a statement.

The split 4-3 decision by Colorado’s high court last month marks the first time in US history that the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate from the ballot.

This is the first time the Supreme Court will consider how to interpret the clause.

Mr Trump is the current Republican front-runner for a likely rematch against President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in this November’s election.

Courts in Minnesota and Michigan have dismissed attempts to disqualify Mr Trump. Other cases, including in Oregon, are pending.

The US Supreme Court has a conservative majority – with three justices appointed by Mr Trump when he was president.

But they overwhelmingly ruled against him in his lawsuits challenging his defeat to Mr Biden in 2020.

The court on Friday agreed to take up the case in an expedited manner, with oral arguments scheduled for 8 February.

Mr Trump’s legal team is due to file their opening brief by 18 January.

The group arguing for Mr Trump’s disqualification must submit its argument by 31 January.

The involvement of the top US court has drawn comparisons to the 2000 presidential election between George Bush and Al Gore, which ended in a lawsuit at the Supreme Court.

The conservative-majority court’s decision to halt Florida’s vote recount essentially handed victory to Mr Bush.

University of Richmond Professor Cart Tobias says the “exceptionally fast track” was “predictable and necessitated by the growing number of cases being filed in various states around the country”.

With state primary elections fast approaching, there is a “compelling need for election officials in many states to prepare” and also they “need for time to plan and execute smooth voting processes on short notice”.

Cases at the Supreme Court normally take between four and 12 months – in contrast with the few weeks that justices have currently scheduled.

The timeline makes it likely that the court will issue a ruling ahead of the Super Tuesday primary election in March, when Colorado and many other states hold their election to decide on each party’s candidate for president.

On the day of the US Capitol riot, supporters of Mr Trump stormed Congress as lawmakers were certifying Mr Biden’s election victory.

That day the then-president held a rally outside the White House where he repeated false claims of mass election fraud as he urged protesters to “fight like hell”, but also to march “peacefully” to the Capitol.

Mr Trump’s critics argue that he should be disqualified not only for his actions during the riot, but for his and his campaign’s efforts to overturn the lection result in Republican-aligned states that he lost.

While Mr Trump’s alleged efforts to subvert the outcome of the 2020 presidential election are the focus of trials in federal court and a state court in Georgia, he has not been criminally charged with inciting insurrection in either case.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Foreign

Trump in New York Court for Civil Fraud Trial

By Web News 541

Former President Donald Trump has arrived at court to attend the opening of his New York civil trial

Trump, his adult sons and the Trump Organization are accused of perpetrating years of fraud

The NY attorney general is seeking a fine of $250m (£204m) and a ban on him doing business in his home state.

Last week, a New York judge ruled Trump overvalued properties by hundreds of millions of dollars.

Trump has called the lawsuit a politically motivated “witch hunt”

The Trump Organization could be forced to relinquish control of its properties or sell some of its landmarks.

Mr Trump, who spoke to reporters for several minutes outside the room before entering, repeating previous claims that the case is against him is a sham.

“It’s a scam. It’s a sham. Just so you know, my financial statements are phenomenal.”

It is not certain if will there be live TV cameras inside the court, as there is no nod to that effect by the judge.

But last week a group of American news organisations petitioned Judge Arthur Engoron to allow live coverage of opening and closing arguments and parts of the trial other than witness testimony.

Live TV coverage isn’t generally allowed in New York state courts, but judges have the discretion to let cameras in, in some cases.

The group of news organisations has argued in a letter to the judge that if there’s ever a case where arguments should be broadcast live, it’s this one: “The need for the broadest possible public access cannot be overstated. Quite literally, the world is watching these proceedings.”

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Foreign

Trump’s Indictment: Jury under Threat

By Web News 447

Officials in the US state of Georgia are investigating online threats made against members of the grand jury that indicted Donald Trump on Monday.

Personal information, including the addresses and photos of the jurors, were shared on right-wing platforms.

Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said it was aware of the threats, and was trying to track down those behind them.

The names of the jurors were published in the indictment, a routine practice in Georgia.

But after their identities emerged in that document, supporters of former President Trump seemingly compiled further information available online and posted photographs and addresses to forums, including the social media site Telegram.

It comes just days after the jury voted to indict Mr Trump on 13 charges, which include racketeering and election meddling. He has said the charges are politically motivated.

Officials said that along with jurors’ personal information, threats against them were also shared. Police say the threats could amount to jury intimidation.

“Our investigators are working closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to track down the origin of threats in Fulton County and other jurisdictions,” the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

It said they took the matter very seriously and would respond quickly to ensure the safety of jurors.

In one message shared on Facebook a user wrote: “I thought it only fair to share a few names from that grand jury.”

The post, which included possible addresses and phone numbers for several jurors, was later removed.

Other messages posted by users to Truth social, the site owned by Mr Trump, urged supporters of the top Republican to “make sure [the jurors] can’t walk down the street” and to make them “infamous”.

Some posts reportedly include violent rhetoric against Fani Willis, the prosecutor who is overseeing Mr Trump’s case in Georgia.

Two NBC News reporters who wrote about the grand jury incident also had their own purported addresses posted online, the Reuters news agency reported.

Media Matters, a non-profit that monitors conservative media bodies, condemned the sharing of jurors’ information as a “hit list”.

Georgia is an outlier in the US legal system as it shares the identity of the jurors, which it says is to allow the public to have a greater faith in the legal system.

But they don’t make their addresses or any other personal information public.

Mr Trump, who is the front-runner for the Republican nomination to run for president in the 2024 election, has consistently hit out at those leading cases against him.

Earlier this month US prosecutors reported a post he wrote on Truth to a judge, claiming it was intended to intimidate people involved in a case against him.

Meanwhile, a woman in Texas has been charged for threatening to kill a judge overseeing another case against Mr Trump.

Last week, FBI agents killed an armed man in Utah who reportedly made death threats against Joe Biden, a few hours before the president landed in the state. He came to the attention of federal agents after posting a threat on Truth Social. The company alerted the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center.

On Thursday a Canadian woman was jailed in the US for 22 years for sending a letter laced with ricin to Donald Trump when he was president.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Texas Woman Charged for Alleged Threat to Kill Trump’s Trial Judge

By Web News 509

A Texas woman has been charged with threatening to kill a judge who is overseeing a criminal case against former US President Donald Trump.

Abigail Jo Shry, 43, allegedly phoned the court in Washington DC on 5 August and used a racial slur in her message for US District Judge Tanya Chutkan.

Ms Shry also allegedly threatened to kill a Democratic member of Congress.

She admitted making the call after investigators traced her phone number, according to a court document.

In the call, Ms Shry allegedly told the judge, who is overseeing an election conspiracy case against Mr Trump: “You are in our sights, we want to kill you.”

Prosecutors say Ms Shry added: “If Trump doesn’t get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you.”

The caller also threatened all Democrats in Washington DC and the LGBT community, according to the court filing.

She allegedly also threatened to kill Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a black Texas Democrat who is running for mayor of Houston.

When federal agents visited Ms Shry’s home in the Houston suburb of Alvin three days later she said she had harboured no intention of going to Washington DC to carry out her threats, according to the court filing.

But she allegedly added that “if Shelia Jackson Lee comes to Alvin, then we need to worry”.

A day before the threatening phone call, Mr Trump had posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, in all capital letters: “If you go after me, I’m coming after you!” He had been arraigned a day earlier on the election plot charges.

Last Friday Judge Chutkan warned at a court hearing that both sides should avoid any “inflammatory statements” about the case.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Foreign

Trump’s Court Hearing Set for Tuesday

By Web News 911

*Trump will not appear in court in Handcuffs – Lawyer

Donald Trump’s court hearing has been set for Tuesday afternoon, according to the BBC’s us partner CBS News.

The former president is expected to fly from Florida on his private plane and hand himself in with federal agents there to protect him.

A grand jury has indicted Mr Trump in connection with a $130,000 (£105,000) pay-out to porn star Stormy Daniels.

The charges are not yet public, and a lawyer for Mr Trump said on Friday that he too has yet to read the indictment.

A law enforcement official told CBS that Mr Trump is expected to fly his private plane to New York on Monday before surrendering to officials on Tuesday.

The process is likely to involve dozens or possibly hundreds of Secret Service agents, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Mr Trump will not be handcuffed, the official added, saying that shackles are typically only used on suspects who are thought to be a flight or safety risk.

The hearing is due to take place at 14:15 local time (19:15GMT).

Mr Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, told ABC News that Mr Trump will “probably” appear in court on Tuesday, “but nothing is certain”.

Prosecutors “will try and get every ounce of publicity they can from this thing”, he said, adding “the president will not be put in handcuffs”.

“I understand they’re going to be closing off blocks around the courthouse, shutting down the courthouse,” he continued.

Security is being coordinated by the FBI, NYPD, Secret Service and New York City court officers.

Sources tell CBS that they are bracing for possible scenarios that include attacks against Mr Trump, prosecutors, jurors or members of the public. The district attorney’s office has received “many threats”, the sources said.

Members of law enforcement were seen discussing security near the courthouse on Friday

On Friday morning, the streets around the courthouse were calm but the barricades were going up in anticipation of what may come next week.

Police officers were on patrol and security plans were being put into place. Many expect the area to go into lockdown when the former president attends court.

The district attorney’s office had initially asked Mr Trump to surrender on Friday, according to Politico, but the request was rejected because more time was needed for security preparations.

Mr Trump, 76, denies wrongdoing. He is the first serving or former US president to face a criminal charge.

It is unclear how many charges are contained in the indictment, which is still sealed.

Media reports have said the ex-president faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud and Mr Tacopina said on Thursday he thought there would be 34. But on Friday, he said he did not know how many.

“We know what the subject matter is, we know the basis of the charges. We don’t know the exact counts or how they’re formulated,” he said.

On Friday Mr Trump began attacking the judge assigned to his case in an effort to undermine the credibility of the investigation and rally his base to his defence.

Republicans – including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy – have accused the Manhattan district attorney of weaponising the criminal justice system to influence next year’s presidential election. Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, who Mr Trump recently suggested should run for Senate, called on followers to protest and said she plans to be present in New York next week.

In response, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the charges had been brought by citizens of New York doing their civic duty – and neither the former president nor Congress could interfere with proceedings.

In Washington, the US Capitol Police, which is tasked with safeguarding lawmakers in Congress, said the force believes protests will take place across the country and have plans in place to increase security at the US Capitol.

In 2016 adult film star Stormy Daniels contacted media outlets offering to sell her account of what she said was an adulterous affair she had with Mr Trump in 2006 – the year after he married his current wife, Melania.

Mr Trump’s team got wind of this and his lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid $130,000 to Ms Daniels to keep quiet. This is not illegal.

However, when Mr Trump reimbursed Mr Cohen, the record for the payment says it was for legal fees. Prosecutors say this amounts to Mr Trump falsifying business records, which is a misdemeanour – a criminal offence – in New York.

A Secret Service agent guards Mr Trump’s Florida home

President Joe Biden declined to comment on the indictment, despite being pressed on the issue by journalists as he left the White House on a trip to Mississippi.

Mr Tacopina said Mr Trump was being “pursued by a prosecutor who has obviously very diverse political views from the president. So it’s a very troubling case”.

He said the former president was “not worried at all” about the charges.

“He’s upset, angry. He’s being persecuted politically. That is clear to many people, not only on the Right but on the Left.”

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Former US VP Pence Slams Trump

By Web News 410

*Says history will hold Trump accountable for Capitol attack

A former United States Vice President, Mike Pence, on Saturday, said history would hold former President Donald Trump “accountable” for his role in the 2021 attack on the US Capitol, US media reported.

The remarks are likely to widen the rift between the former running mates, who have been at loggerheads ever since Pence refused to go along with Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and remain in power.

Pence said this in a speech at the annual Gridiron Dinner in Washington, a white-tie gala put on by journalists that draws top politicians.

“President Trump was wrong,” he said.

“I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day. And I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable,” Pence was quoted as saying by multiple media.

Some of the thousands who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, called for Pence to be hanged, forcing him to scurry to a safe location.

Trump has already declared his intention to seek a new term as president in the 2024 elections, and Pence indicated he may challenge him for the Republican nomination.

The Gridiron Dinner is usually a light-hearted event with skits and musical entertainment, and Pence initially sought to poke fun.

“I will wholeheartedly, unreservedly support the Republican nominee for president in 2024 — if it’s me,” he said.

Pence’s sharp remarks aimed at Trump were unexpected at the gala.

“Was at the dinner and can confirm @Mike_Pence definitely caught the room by surprise–lots of dropped jaws,” a former State Department official, Maryam Mujica tweeted.

AFP/Punch/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Capitol Riots Report: Prosecutors Probe Trump Role in Election Challenge

By Web News 477

The US Justice Department is examining Donald Trump’s alleged involvement in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Federal prosecutors have reportedly asked witnesses directly about the actions of the former US president.

According to US media, so far, they have chosen not to open a formal criminal investigation into Mr Trump himself over his alleged role.

Rioters stormed the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 in an effort to overturn the president’s election defeat.

Mr Trump had publicly praised those who attacked the building but denied any personal wrongdoing.

The Justice Department already had a criminal investigation into what happened on the 6th of January. Although, the reports that witnesses are being questioned about Mr Trump’s role do not mean that federal prosecutors will decide to pursue criminal charges against him.

The investigation is separate to the high-profile, televised Congressional hearings that had taken place over the past few weeks on the same subject – which Mr Trump has characterized as a political witch hunt.

According to a report in the Washington Post, federal prosecutors questioned witnesses before a grand jury about their conversations with Mr Trump and his inner circle in the months leading up to the 6 January riot.

The witnesses were reportedly asked about instructions given by Mr Trump in connection to any attempts to prevent President Joe Biden’s election victory from being certified by Congress.

Some of those questioned included senior members of former Vice President Mike Pence’s staff and multiple US outlets reports.

Until now the Justice Department has refused to say whether or not it would weigh charges against Mr Trump for any alleged role in trying to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

When the department’s top official, Attorney General Merrick Garland, was asked on Tuesday whether he was concerned about indicting a former president – he simply responded that he intends to hold “everyone” accountable.

Federal officials would prosecute anyone “criminally responsible for interfering with the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another,” Mr Garland told NBC News.

The Justice Department’s probe into what happened on 6 January 2021, he said, is the “most wide-ranging investigation its history”.

Any decision by federal prosecutors to bring charges against a former president – and a potential candidate in the 2024 election – would have significant constitutional and political consequences.

In addition to federal prosecutors, a powerful US congressional committee has also been holding its own separate investigation into the armed storming of the Capitol building.

The congressional committee, made up of five Democrats and two Republicans, called dozens of witnesses last week in an attempt to build a case that Mr Trump launched an illegal bid to overturn his defeat by Mr Biden in the 2020 presidential election – culminating in the riot.

Some of the most explosive testimony delivered at the televised hearings came from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

Appearing as a surprise witness during the sixth hearing, Ms Hutchinson said Mr Trump personally knew that members of the crowd at his morning rally near the White House were armed because they were being turned away by Secret Service officers.

“I don’t [expletive] care that they have weapons. They’re not here to hurt me,” Ms Hutchinson said she heard the president say. “Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here.”

Her testimony offered the committee something they had been seeking to establish from the very beginning of proceedings – that Mr Trump allegedly knew there was a very real threat of violence and did nothing to stop it.

Its panel of senators has suggested there might be enough evidence to bring criminal charges against Mr Trump, but it does not itself have the power to do that.

Any suggestion that the Justice Department could be looking into the former president’s personal role is therefore significant.

BBC/Taiwo Akinola

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Foreign

US Agrees to Ease Trump-Era Sanctions on Cuba

By Web News 450

US officials have announced plans to ease tough sanctions imposed on Cuba by former President Donald Trump.

Under new measures approved by the Biden administration, restrictions on family remittances and travel to the island will be eased.

The processing of US visas for Cubans will also be speeded up.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said the move would allow Cuban citizens to pursue a life free from “government oppression”.

The loosening of sanctions will see a cap on family remittances – funds sent by migrants in the US to family members in Cuba – removed. Previously migrants were prevented from sending more than $1,000 (£811) every three months.

Donations to non-family members will also be permitted under the new plans.

But US officials emphasised that they will seek to ensure such payments don’t reach “those who perpetrate human rights abuses” by using civilian “electronic payment processors”.

They also said that no bodies will be removed from the Cuba Restricted List, a State Department register of companies linked to the communist government in Havana with whom US citizens are barred from doing business.

A Biden administration official told CBS News that more charter and commercial flights will be made available to Havana, US consular services on the island will be expanded and family reunification programmes will be relaunched.

After an easing of tensions under former President Barack Obama, Mr Trump announced a range of sanctions on the Cuban government in 2017.

His administration slashed visa processing, restricted remittances and increased hurdles for US citizens seeking to travel to Cuba for any reason other than family visits.

At the time, Mr Trump cited human rights concerns as the reason for rolling back agreements made by the Obama administration and condemned his predecessor for doing a deal with the country’s “brutal” government.

Cuba’s foreign minister welcomed the announcement and said the easing of restrictions marked “a small step in the right direction”.

But Bruno Rodriguez added that the policy does “not modify the embargo” in place since 1962 and argued that “neither the objectives nor the main instruments of the United States’ policy against Cuba, which is a failure, are changing”.

Meanwhile, a senior member of Mr Biden’s Democratic party has condemned the move.

Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, denounced the lifting of restrictions, saying that the Cuban regime has continued “its ruthless persecution of countless Cubans from all walks of life”.

In a statement issued on Monday night, Mr Menendez said the easing of travel restrictions “risks sending the wrong message to the wrong people, at the wrong time and for all the wrong reasons”.

“Those who still believe that increasing travel will breed democracy in Cuba are simply in a state of denial. For decades, the world has been travelling to Cuba and nothing has changed,” he added.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio also criticised the policy and said it represented “the first steps back to the failed Obama policies on Cuba”.

BBC/Ugbodovon Simeon

Politics

Trump’s second impeachment: A lesson to politicians

By Web News 582

The impeachment of President Donald Trump of the United States of America by the House of Representatives is an attempt to prevent his return to the white house.

An Associate Professor of Political Science, Dr. Gbade Ojo stated this while reacting to the second impeachment by the U.S House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday, vote to impeach President Trump over an allegation of his involvement in the recent attack on the capitol building.

Dr. Ojo, while explaining the implications of the impeachment, noted that president trump may not be able to recontest for the oval office, unless he clears himself of the allegation leveled against him in the competent court of jurisdiction.

Dr. Ojo enjoined Nigerian politicians to learn from President Trump’s governing style by shunning the act of rascality and accord due respect to government institutions.

Dayo Adu

Foreign

Twitter Suspends Trump Permanently

By Web News 626

Twitter says it has “permanently suspended” US President Donald Trump’s account over the “risk of further incitement of violence”.

“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” Twitter said in a statement.

On Wednesday, it locked out Trump for 12 hours for “severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy” after he had used his handle to mobilise his supporters who invaded Capitol Hill, while the congress was certifying the victory of Joe Biden, president-elect.

FRCN Abuja

Foreign

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Republicans Vow to Vote on Trump Pick

By Web News 673

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell vowed to put President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee to a vote within hours of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death being announced, sparking outrage among Democrats.

Mr McConnell said he would act swiftly, despite the election six weeks away.

In 2016, he blocked President Barack Obama’s pick for the court on the grounds it was an election year.

Joe Biden has insisted a replacement should only take place after the poll.

Ginsburg, 87, died on Friday of metastatic pancreatic cancer at her home in Washington, DC, surrounded by her family.

The second-ever woman to sit on the Supreme Court, she had become a figurehead for liberals in the US, and was an iconic champion of women’s rights.

Supporters gathered outside the court on Friday night to pay tribute to the woman who had become affectionately known as “The Notorious RBG”.

What is the row about?

The appointment of judges in the US is a political one – which means the president gets to choose who is put forward. The Senate then votes to confirm – or reject – the choice.

Ginsburg, who served for 27 years, was one of only four liberals on the nine-seat bench. Her death means that, should the Republicans get the vote through, the balance of power would shift decisively towards the conservatives.

Mr Trump, who has already chosen two Supreme Court justices during his presidency, is well aware that getting his nominee in will mean conservatives will have control over key decisions for decades to come. Justices can serve for life, unless they decide to retire.

At a rally on Friday – before he learned of Ginsburg’s death – he told the crowd whoever won the election “will get one, two, three or four Supreme Court justices”, saying November’s vote was going to be “the most important” in US history.

Mr McConnell said in his statement – which included a tribute to Ginsburg – that “President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate”.

The senator had argued in 2016 that “the American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice” which meant “this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president”.

But now he says the Senate was within its rights to act because it was Republican-controlled, and Mr Trump is a Republican president.

Democrats, however, began echoing Mr McConnell’s words from 2016.

The Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, sent a tweet repeating his exact phrase, while Mr Biden told reporters: “There is no doubt – let me be clear – that the voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider.”

Ginsburg had also made her feelings clear in the days before her death.

“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” she wrote in a statement to her granddaughter, according to National Public Radio (NPR).

BBC