WASHINGTON: Prosecutors on Tuesday filed a revised indictment of Donald Trump, pressing ahead with bombshell charges that he tried to overturn the 2020 US election after losing to Joe Biden.
The superseding indictment retains the same four charges against Trump as in an earlier version but takes into account a recent Supreme Court ruling that a former president has broad immunity from criminal prosecution.
The new indictment of the 78-year-old Republican White House candidate is 36 pages long, down from 45 pages previously, and removes material affected by the immunity ruling from the conservative-dominated top court.
It retains the same core, stating that Trump lost in 2020 but “was determined to remain in power” and attempted to subvert the results.
The Supreme Court ruled in July that an ex-president has broad immunity from prosecution for official acts conducted while in office, but can be pursued for unofficial acts.
This threw into doubt the historic prosecution of the ex-president.
Trump referred to the new indictment as an “act of desperation” that was part of a “witch hunt” against him.
“The illegally appointed ‘Special Counsel’ Deranged Jack Smith, has brought a ridiculous new Indictment against me, which has all the problems of the old Indictment, and should be dismissed IMMEDIATELY,” he posted on his Truth Social platform.
The new indictment comes three days before Special Counsel Jack Smith, who brought the charges against Trump, and lawyers for the former president had been set to file a schedule for pre-trial proceedings.
Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the case, had also scheduled a status hearing for September 5 in Washington and it was not immediately clear if that would go ahead now, following the filing of the superseding indictment.
Trump’s lawyers have been seeking to delay a trial until after November’s election between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate.
Trump is accused of conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding — the January 6, 2021 joint session of Congress that was attacked by Trump supporters.
Trump is also accused of seeking to disenfranchise US voters with his campaign of false claims that he won the 2020 election.
He was originally scheduled to go on trial on March 4, but that was put on hold while his lawyers pushed his claim of presidential immunity all the way up to the Supreme Court.
It will be up to Chutkan, an appointee of former Democratic president Barack Obama, to decide which of Trump’s actions regarding the 2020 election were official acts and which were unofficial acts subject to potential prosecution.
That and other pre-trial issues are expected to take months, making it unlikely the case will go to trial before the November 5 presidential vote.
The new indictment drops references to Jeffrey Clark, a former senior Justice Department official who was one of six co-conspirators listed in the original indictment allegedly enlisted by Trump to press his false claims of election fraud.
The Supreme Court, in its immunity ruling, said a president’s communications with members of the Justice Department should be considered official acts.
The remaining co-conspirators, who include Trump’s former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, “were acting in a private capacity,” the indictment said, “to assist him in his criminal efforts to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election and retain power.”
Regarding the ruling on Trump’s immunity, Supreme Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson said that she was “concerned” about the July verdict, according to an interview released by CBS news on Tuesday.
“I was concerned about a system that appeared to provide immunity for one individual under one set of circumstances, when we have a criminal justice system that had ordinarily treated everyone the same,” she said.
Jackson was among three justices to dissent from the court’s ruling.
Trump was convicted in New York in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Sentencing has been scheduled for September 18, but Trump’s lawyers have asked for his conviction to be tossed, citing the Supreme Court immunity ruling, and sentencing to be delayed.
Trump also faces charges in Georgia related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Trump was also charged in Florida with mishandling top-secret documents after leaving the White House.
The judge presiding over the documents case, Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, dismissed the charges on the grounds that Smith, the special counsel, was unlawfully appointed.
Smith has appealed Cannon’s ruling.
Prosecutors resubmit charges that Trump tried to overturn election
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Prosecutors resubmit charges that Trump tried to overturn election
- Trump referred to the new indictment as an “act of desperation” that was part of a “witch hunt” against him
Bomb threats close schools and offices after Trump spread false rumors about Haitians in Ohio
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio: Bomb threats prompted the evacuation of schools and government buildings for a second day on Friday in an Ohio community that has been the focus of unwanted attention after former President Donald Trump amplified false rumors that Haitian immigrants are abducting and eating pets.
An emailed threat said bombs had been planted in the homes of Springfield’s mayor and other city officials, said Karen Graves, a city spokesperson. A second email said that bombs would be detonated at locations including Springfield City Hall, a high school, a middle school, two elementary schools, a local office of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and a licensing bureau.
The buildings were evacuated, and authorities with explosive-detection dogs swept and cleared them, officials said.
“We are committed to the safety and well-being of our community and take all threats to public safety with the utmost seriousness,” Graves said. “We are currently collaborating with the Dayton office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine the origin of these email threats.”
The Springfield City School District said in a statement Friday that “all threats to the Springfield City School District are taken seriously and will be prosecuted at the highest levels. The district’s messaging to families continues to be one of gratitude for their patience and understanding as our Wildcat Family navigates these events.”
The threatening emails referenced an influx of thousands of Haitian immigrants into the predominantly white, blue-collar city of about 60,000, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) from the state capital of Columbus.
At Tuesday’s presidential candidate debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump repeated debunked claims about Haitian immigrants eating cats and dogs. Trump’s comments echoed similar claims made by his campaign, including his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, and other Republicans, including one that immigrants are eating fowl snatched from public parks.
In March, unsubstantiated rumors started circulating that three Haitian men were seen in a Springfield park grabbing a duck and a goose. In recent days, a sign was posted at the park saying “Please Do Not Eat The Ducks.”
Workers on Friday removed the unauthorized sign, which looked professionally made, said Brad Boyer, deputy director of the National Trails Parks and Recreation District.
In an interview with NewsNation on Friday, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said the claims are “just untrue,” and cast the city in a negative light.
“Springfield is still beautiful and your pets are safe,” he said. “There’s a lot of frenzy on the Internet, but this is not what we’re seeing. It’s a bit frustrating.”
Rue acknowledged the immigrant influx is straining police, hospitals and schools. He said the city asked for help several months ago.
“There is a culture clash, and we see it, and we know it,” he said. “And the federal leaders who had the national stage did not help us solve this problem.”
This week, Gov. Mike DeWine pledged $2.5 million over two years to provide more primary health care through Springfield’s home county and private institutions, while the Ohio State Highway Patrol will help local law enforcement with traffic issues that officials say have cropped up due to an increase in Haitians unfamiliar with US traffic laws.
SAfrica says it is determined in its Israel ‘genocide’ case
- “Preparations are underway to present what they call the memorial, a huge tome of hundreds and hundreds of pages,” the president said
PRETORIA: South Africa is determined to pursue its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and will next month file more evidence, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Friday.
South Africa filed the case in December alleging that Israel’s Gaza offensive, launched in retaliation for Hamas’ bloody October 7 attack, breached the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
Israel has strongly denied the accusation.
“We are headstrong,” Ramaphosa told journalists when asked about the case. “We are determined to go ahead with our case.”
The country is due to file facts and evidence to the UN court next month to back up its case.
“Preparations are underway to present what they call the memorial, a huge tome of hundreds and hundreds of pages,” the president said.
“We continue arguing that the genocide must stop and there must be a ceasefire, and similarly, there must be a return of the hostages.”
South Africa’s case has been joined by several countries, including Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Spain and Turkiye.
Hamas’s attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. The count includes hostages killed in captivity.
Israel’s retaliation has killed at least 41,118 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry.
Flooding in northeast Nigeria could displace up to one million
KANO, Nigeria: Fatima Yakubu woke up in the middle of the night to find her legs submerged as water rose in her home in northeastern Nigeria earlier this week.
She screamed and people helped her escape with her six children.
Flood waters have displaced more than one million people in and around Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, in one of the worst ever floods in Africa’s most populous country.
Thousands of homes were engulfed by rapidly rising waters after a dam burst following a weekend of torrential rain in northeastern Nigeria.
“I shouted for help in terror and some men outside heard my scream and came into the house which was already flooded and rescued us,” said Yakubu, 26, describing her survival as a “miracle.”
She and her children took shelter in one of the eight camps set up by authorities.
Barkindo Mohammed, the director general of Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), told AFP that the number of people displaced by the flooding could reach one million people.
Mohammed Sheriff, 60, was not so lucky. He too awoke in the middle of the night to rising waters in his home.
Together with his two wives, they carried six of their children, thinking that the two eldest, aged 11 and 13, would be strong enough to fight the current. The two children are still missing.
“We haven’t seen them since and we fear the worst,” Sheriff told AFP.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Wednesday that at least 30 people have died in the floods — the worst in 30 years, according to the United Nations refugee agency in Nigeria.
NEMA’s director general Zubaida Umar said on X on Thursday she was relieved that the “flood level in Maiduguri is receding, and normalcy is beginning to return to the metropolis,” adding that rescue operations were ongoing in the city flooded up to 40 percent.
“Children and families are still trapped in their homes,” British charity Save The Children said in a statement on Friday.
“The immense damage to water and sanitation services is driving up the risk of cholera and other water- and vector-borne diseases,” the NGO said, pointing out that the city’s two main hospitals had also been flooded.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said the disaster would increase the risk of food insecurity, particularly in the vulnerable northeast.
At least 259 people have been killed by flooding in Nigeria since the beginning of the rainy season, according to Umar.
Ukraine government approves 2025 draft budget, PM says
Ukraine’s government has approved the 2025 draft budget, which has a strong focus on defense spending, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Friday.
Shmyhal, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the draft, to be submitted to parliament, provided for 2 trillion hryvnias ($48.2 billion)in revenues and 3.6 trillion hryvnias in expenditures.
The draft, put together 2-1/2 years into the Russian invasion of the country, also included a provision of 2.22 trillion hryvnias ($53.5 bln) for defense.
Shmyhal said preparations in drafting the budget, the third since the start of the invasion, had been completed “despite all the challenges and uncertainty.”
“The priority for this budget is very clear — the country’s defense and security,” he wrote. “We will again direct all domestic resources to these objectives.”
There would be, he said, “more money for Ukrainian weapons, equipment, drones.”
More than 400 billion hryvnias would be allocated for social security, with funds for indexing pensions and providing subsidies and a total of 211 billion hrynias on health care.
Local authorities would receive assistance and advantageous credits provided for entrepreneurs. Capital expenditure would be made more transparent and the government would press on with rebuilding projects and those in the energy sphere.
1 person shot during scuffle at pro-Israel rally in Boston suburb, authorities say
- Police were called at 6:40 p.m. to the scene of what they described as a small rally in Newton
- Words were exchanged before a passerby rapidly crossed the street and tackled one of the demonstrators, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said
BOSTON, USA: A pro-Israel rally in a Boston suburb turned violent Thursday evening when a passerby was shot during a scuffle after confronting a group of demonstrators, authorities said.
Police were called at 6:40 p.m. to the scene of what they described as a small rally in Newton. Words were exchanged before a passerby rapidly crossed the street and tackled one of the demonstrators, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said.
“A scuffle ensued. During that scuffle, the individual who had come across the street was shot by a member of the demonstrating group,” Ryan said during a news conference late Thursday.
Scott Hayes, 47, of Framingham, was arrested on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and violation of a constitutional right causing injury. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Hayes, who works as a contractor for National Grid, was ordered to be fitted with a GPS monitor and to stay away both from the city of Newton and from the individual who had been shot and to not be in possession of a dangerous weapon.
Hayes, who appeared to have bruising to his face during his court appearance Friday afternoon, was also required to post a $5,000 cash bail and to abide by a 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.
Prosecutors also told the court that an application for a criminal complaint has been applied for against the individual who was shot.
They said they opted for an application for a criminal complaint instead of an arrest because the alleged assault and battery was not committed in the presence of a police officers.
The shooting victim, who was not identified, was being treated at a hospital for life-threatening injuries, Ryan said.
Acting Newton Police Chief George McMains asked witnesses to provide investigators with photos or videos of the confrontation. He said police would provide extra patrols at “houses of worship” over the next several days.
Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller called the shooting a “frightening incident” and asked for everyone to remain calm as police investigate.
“I know people will have a lot of questions, and we will share information with Newtonians and the press when we are able,” Fuller said. “It’s really early stages of an active investigation.”
