Trump valet pleads not guilty as un-redacted affidavit shows what led to Mar-a-Lago search – live

John Bowden,Oliver O'Connell,Joe Sommerlad and Maroosha Muzaffar

Nearly a month after Donald Trump was arraigned on the 38-count federal indictment that he and his longtime aide Walt Nauta are facing for allegedly unlawfully retaining national defence information and obstructing justice, the ex-president’s co-defendant has pleaded not guilty to charges of having assisted Mr Trump in concealing classified documents from the government.

Mr Nauta, a retired Navy chief petty officer who served as Mr Trump’s White House valet before following him to Florida after the end of the Trump administration, is on his own charged with a single count of making a false statement to federal investigators.

Surveillance footage from the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, allegedly showed that dozens of boxes were moved in the days before investigators from the Department of Justice visited the resort to retrieve records.

The Justice Department on Wednesday disclosed some of the previously blacked-out portions of a warrant application it submitted last year to gain authorisation to search the former president’s Florida property for classified documents last summer.

“Video footage reflects that evidence has been moved recently,” prosecutors wrote in the court record.

Key Points

Ex-Trump supporter jailed for her role on Jan 6 says she was ‘brainwashed’: ‘It’s a cult’

07:03 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Pam Hemphill, who received a two-month sentence in federal prison for her involvement in the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, says she was “brainwashed”.

In an interview with CNN, the 70-year-old said she was a part of “the Trump cult”.

Earlier, Ms Hemphill, the self-proclaimed citizen journalist said that “You don’t see it as a cult when you’re in it.” She told the Daily Beast. “You don’t recognise it.”

Chris Christie says Trump took secret documents so he could keep pretending he was president

06:29 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Chris Christie said that former president Donald Trump retained classified documents after leaving the White House because he wanted to keep feeling like a president.

In an interview with CNN, Mr Christie stated that the former president’s actions as being driven purely by ego.

He said Mr Trump yearned to sustain the facade of being president. “Look at what I still possess, look at what I still know,” he said, referring to Mr Trump’s retention of classified documents.

“I think he could not and still cannot to this day deal with the fact that he’s the only person outside the state of Delaware to ever lose to Joe Biden, and he wants to pretend he’s still president.

“He wanted to continue to pretend he was president and show these things to people and say, ‘Look what I still have, look what I still know,’” Mr Christie added.

Pence mocked for saying ‘I don’t really buy into the rich need to pay their fair share’

06:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Vice President Mike Pence has been mocked for saying the quiet part out loud about taxing the rich, during a campaign stop.

“I don’t really buy into the rich need to pay their fair share,” he told an audience of potential Republican primary voters.

Mr Pence appeared alongside Iowa Republican Representative Randy Feenstra at the Wells Visitor Center and Ice Cream Parlor in Le Mars, Iowa, on Wednesday when he was asked by an attendee about billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos avoiding taxes while ordinary people are “stuck footing the bill”.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Pence mocked for saying ‘I don’t really buy the rich need to pay their fair share’

Trump can be deposed in ex-FBI agent's lawsuit, judge says

05:55 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A federal judge yesterday ruled that Donald Trump can be subjected to a deposition in the lawsuit filed by ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok against the Justice Department.

Mr Strzok alleges that his termination following the Russia investigation was a result of the former president’s personal vendetta against him.

Additionally, the ex-FBI agent claims that the Justice Department unlawfully disclosed text messages he exchanged with former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who is also pursuing legal action.

Judge Amy Berman Jackson approved the request to depose Mr Trump, considering the deposition’s limited scope and the former President’s apparent availability for other ongoing civil litigation, as indicated by his schedule.

Mr Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Watch: Christie reacts to Trump calling special counsel ‘crackhead'

05:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Special counsel zeroing in on bizarre 2020 Oval Office meeting when Trump hosted conspiracy theorists, report says

05:29 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The team led by special counsel Jack Smith has indicated their ongoing attention on an eventful meeting that occurred in the Oval Office during the closing days of the Trump administration, it was reported.

According to CNN, investigators have questioned multiple witnesses — both in front of the grand jury and during interviews about the bizarre Oval Office meeting.

The investigation has been ongoing for several months, the report said.

Some witnesses have been asked about the meeting earlier, while others, including Rudy Giuliani, have faced inquiries more recently, it was reported.

Kari Lake a ‘shameless, ruthless demagogue’ according to Trump adviser

04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

So maybe not the running mate she hopes to be?

Trump adviser says former president “sees through” VP-hopeful Kari Lake’s strategy

Earlier: Walt Nauta pleads not guilty in classified documents case

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Nearly a month after former president Donald Trump was arraigned on the 38-count federal indictment that he and his longtime aide Walt Nauta are facing for allegedly unlawfully retaining national defence information and obstructing justice, the ex-president’s co-defendant has pleaded not guilty to charges of having assisted Mr Trump in concealing classified documents from the government.

Andrew Feinberg has the story.

Trump co-defendant Walt Nauta pleads not guilty in classified documents case

Could a ‘fake’ same-sex couple force SCOTUS to revisit recent decision?

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Does it matter if a piece of evidence, or an anecdote, or a sworn statement in a legal fight that makes it to the US Supreme Court turns out to be fake?

What if someone’s identity and statements they never made were involved without their knowledge, by attorneys who now accuse them of lying?

Alex Woodward explains what is happening.

Can the Supreme Court revisit the LGBT+ rights case over a ‘fake’ same-sex couple?

DeSantis doubles down on ‘homophobic’ anti-Trump ad

Friday 7 July 2023 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Governor and 2024 GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has doubled down on an ad widely blasted as homophobic.

The ad slammed his main rival for the Republican nomination, former President Donald Trump, for his past comments in support of the LGBT+ community.

Mr DeSantis said on Wednesday that Mr Trump’s comments were “totally fair game” amidst accusations of homophobia from Republicans and Democrats.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

DeSantis doubles down on ‘homophobic’ anti-Trump ad: ‘Totally fair game’

Australian minister calls Donald Trump Jr a ‘big baby’

Thursday 6 July 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A senior Australian official has pushed back against claims that Donald Trump Jr would not be attending a speaking engagement in the country because of visa issues linked to cancel culture – reportedly referring to him as a “big baby”.

The former president’s eldest son had been due to speak in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne beginning later this week, but event organisers Turning Point Australia announced the “landmark” tour had been delayed due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Read on...

Australian minister calls Donald Trump Jr a ‘big baby’ for cancelling trip down under

Trump issues statement again proclaiming innocence

Thursday 6 July 2023 23:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The Trump 2024 campaign released the following statement from former president Donald Trump this evening, again proclaiming his innocence.

Vital caselaw, of which there is much, further confirms that the Presidential Records Act (PRA) is the only statute which applies to Presidents and their records. These cases build on the Clinton Socks case in making it clear that Presidents have complete latitude and authority when it comes to documents, as well as that the PRA has no criminal enforcement mechanism. Deranged Jack Smith knows this, but refuses to even mention the words "Presidential Records Act" in his Scam Indictment of Biden's Political Opponent (who is leading by a lot) in the middle of a Campaign-a No, No!

The same Department of Justice that is now going after "President Trump," just a few years ago argued on behalf of the President for a wide and complete application of the PRA in many cases, and won in front of Democrat-appointed judges such as Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who ruled totally in favor of the President.

These facts decisively and without question explain why the current weaponized DOJ corruptly failed to mention the PRA in their contrived indictment against me and are also just some of the key reasons why that "case" should be summarily dropped, with a strong rebuke of the extensive prosecutorial misconduct that has been committed by Merrick Garland, Deranged Jack Smith, Lisa Monaco, and many other Trump haters within the DOJ and FBI.

Thank you!

The twice-indicted Mr Trump then followed up the statement with a post on Truth Social, reiterating many of the same points with his usual all-caps emphasis and namecalling.

Deranged Jack Smith purposefully omitted the Presidential Records Act from his sham Indictment, even though he knows that the PRA is the only law that applies to this subject. Nor does he mention the Clinton Socks Case, or any of the many others cases that are exactly on point, and completely vindicate me. He should be ashamed of himself but, more importantly, he, the DOJ, and the FBI, should be sanctioned for PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT and Grand Jury Abuse. ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!!

Watch: Former Arizona House speaker reveals FBI interviewed him for 2020 election probe

Thursday 6 July 2023 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Prosecutors knew Trump was hiding more documents leading to search of Mar-a-Lago

Thursday 6 July 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Federal investigators knew Donald Trump was most likely concealing classified documents among the myriad boxes of presidential records and other paraphernalia stored at his Mar-a-Lago estate, because of surveillance footage obtained by subpoena, according to a less redacted version of the affidavit used to secure a search warrant for his property last year.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Prosecutors knew Trump was hiding more documents thanks to Mar-a-Lago CCTV tapes

Marjorie Taylor Greene ousted from ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus

Thursday 6 July 2023 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of the House’s most vocal conservative culture warriors, is now feeling the sting of the far-right’s backlash after a perceived betrayal on her part.

The Georgia congresswoman and ally of Donald Trump was booted out of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus last month, a member told Politico on Thursday, as a rift grows between her and some of the most conservative members of her party.

John Bowden explains what happened.

Marjorie Taylor Greene ousted from ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus

Nauta risks years in prison if he doesn’t cooperate with prosecutors, former US Attorney says

Thursday 6 July 2023 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Former US Attorney Joyce Vance joined Andrea Mitchell this afternoon on MSNBC to discuss the latest in the Trump classified document indictment following the unsealing of additional portions of the warrant the FBI used to search Mar-a-Largo.

Ms Vance gave a blunt assessment of what lies ahead for Trump aide and co-defendant Walt Nauta. She told Mitchell: “There will be an enormous amount of pressure on Walt Nauta to cooperate with the government. If he does not, it’s almost a certainty that he will go to prison for years — he is part of the obstruction of justice in this case, and those penalties are very significant.”

She added that the evidence collated in the case by the Justice Department is “thorough, detailed and overwhelming”.

You can watch the segment here on MSNBC.

ICYMI: Trump launches hysterical rant about cocaine found in the White House

Thursday 6 July 2023 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump launched an unhinged rant after cocaine was found at the White House.

Read more...

Trump launches hysterical rant about cocaine found in the White House

How can the spike in turnout from younger voters in recent elections be repeated?

Thursday 6 July 2023 21:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Gustaf Kilander learns from elections coordinator Ruby Belle Booth that there’s an ‘opportunity between now and 2024 to make sure that every single young person has the information and resources they need to get registered to vote and to cast their ballot’.

This is what’s needed for high young voter turnout in 2024

Watch: Christie reacts to Trump calling special counsel ‘crackhead'

Thursday 6 July 2023 21:31 , Oliver O'Connell

...Trump campaign not impressed

Thursday 6 July 2023 21:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump 2024 campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung was not impressed by the DeSantis fundraising haul, tweeting:

DeSanctimonious' fundraising numbers comparison is as fake as his high heeled boots. Pres. Trump raised $28.3M in his first two quarters as an announced candidate, and $35M in this most-recent quarter.

The extremely high average donation the DeSanctus camp will show indicates they’ve shot their wad with big donors, have zero traction with the Republican grassroots, and are politically dead.

Ouch.

DeSantis campaign rakes in $20m in six weeks

Thursday 6 July 2023 21:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Fox News reports Florida Governor Ron DeSantis brought in an impressive $20m in fundraising during the first six weeks of his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

In addition, Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting the DeSantis presidential run, also announced that it has hauled in $130m in fundraising since the committee launched in early March.

By comparison, the Trump campaign announced yesterday it had brought in $35m between April and June. Mr DeSantis brought in his $20m in half that time, though $8.2m came in the first 24 hours of his campaign launch.

However, regarding the PAC total, Shane Goldmacher of The New York Times reports that this includes $82.5m transferred from the DeSantis state-level political committee, and they had already raised $30m by early April. Which means less than $20m since then.

Voices: Why Friday is a crucial test for Joe Biden and ‘Bidenomics’

Thursday 6 July 2023 21:11 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia explains why tomorrow’s jobs report is so crucial for Joe Biden’s decision to put “Bidemonics” at the centre of his 2024 reelection campaign.

Why Friday is a crucial test for Joe Biden and ‘Bidenomics’

Trump 2024 fundraising doubles to $35m despite legal quagmire

Thursday 6 July 2023 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s increasingly serious legal problems are translating into a cash boom for his third presidential campaign, a staffer told Politico this week.

The campaign is due to release official fundraising numbers by the end of the month, per an upcoming Federal Election Commission (FEC) deadline. But a campaign official familiar with the matter provided the eye-popping sum to Politico: $34m, a haul that puts him firmly on top of the GOP primary field, dollars-wise, and depicts a campaign picking up steam as Mr Trump apparently solidifies his support base within the GOP primary voter population.

Read more...

Trump fundraising doubles to $35m amid growing legal woes, report says

DoJ moves to block Trump deposition after ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok sues over firing

Thursday 6 July 2023 20:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Per ABC News:

A week after FBI director Christopher Wray was deposed in a lawsuit over the firing of veteran agent Peter Strzok, the Justice Department is now asking a federal judge to — once and for all — block former President Donald Trump from being deposed in the suit.

"[T]he deposition of former President Trump is not appropriate," Justice Department attorneys wrote in a motion to fully quash a subpoena to Trump.

Strzok filed suit against the Justice Department and the FBI in 2019, claiming his First Amendment rights were violated when he was wrongfully terminated the year before over private text messages with then-FBI attorney Lisa Page reflecting anti-Trump sentiments.

Here’s our earlier reporting on the case:

DoJ wins request to block Trump deposition in lawsuit from former FBI agents

Pence changes his tune on whether he would pardon Trump

Thursday 6 July 2023 20:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Vice President Mike Pence is now taking a more vocal stand to defend his former boss, even as the ex-president continues to belittle and dismiss his former running-mate’s bid for the GOP nomination – and runs for it himself.

Mr Pence was speaking in Sioux City, Iowa, on Wednesday when he addressed the issue of pardoning Donald Trump — a question he had been outright avoiding for weeks.

John Bowden reports.

Mike Pence changes his tune on whether he would pardon Trump

DeSantis defends anti-LGBTQ video shared by his campaign

Thursday 6 July 2023 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is defending an anti-LGBTQ video his campaign shared online that attacks rival Donald Trump for his past support of gay and transgender people, despite some of his fellow Republicans calling it homophobic.

Read more...

DeSantis defends anti-LGBTQ video shared by his campaign and calls it a 'fair game' attack on Trump

NBC: White House cocaine found in different place to previously reported

Thursday 6 July 2023 19:51 , Oliver O'Connell

NBC News reports that multiple officials involved in the White House cocaine inquiry now say the bag of powder was found in a cubby near the West Executive entrance, not the formal West Wing lobby as was previously reported.

Investigators expect to be done with the investigation by Monday, according to two sources familiar with the process. The inquiry was previously expected to take a couple of weeks.

The area in which the cocaine was found is also heavily transited by people as it is an entrance near where some vehicles, like the vice president’s limo or SUV park.

It is one floor below the main West Wing offices and the same floor as the Situation Room and a dining area.

Florida will make GOP candidates sign loyalty pledge

Thursday 6 July 2023 19:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida is joining the national Republican Party in the bid to enforce unity and loyalty among the party’s 2024 field of candidates.

Politico reported on Thursday that candidates seeking to appear on the ballot in the Sunshine State, site of a winner-take-all primary where 125 delegates are at stake, will be required to pledge their loyalty to the party’s eventual nominee, in the event that they lose.

John Bowden has the details.

Florida will make GOP candidates sign loyalty pledge to back eventual nominee

Prosecutors knew Trump was hiding more documents leading to search of Mar-a-Lago

Thursday 6 July 2023 19:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Federal investigators knew Donald Trump was most likely concealing classified documents among the myriad boxes of presidential records and other paraphernalia stored at his Mar-a-Lago estate, because of surveillance footage obtained by subpoena, according to a less redacted version of the affidavit used to secure a search warrant for his property last year.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Prosecutors knew Trump was hiding more documents thanks to Mar-a-Lago CCTV tapes

South Dakota governor slams Ben & Jerry’s for July 4 call to return ‘stolen indigenous land’

Thursday 6 July 2023 19:00 , Oliver O'Connell

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem says Ben & Jerry’s doesn’t “have any idea what they’re doing” after the ice cream brand wrote a Fourth of July message saying Mount Rushmore was on “stolen” land.

In a message detailing the history of the landmark, Ben & Jerry’s wrote it wanted the US to “commit to returning” the stolen land this year, starting with Mount Rushmore – which is located in South Dakota.

Kelly Rissman has the full story.

South Dakota governor slams Ben & Jerry’s call to return ‘stolen indigenous land’

Voices: Forget everything else, these four states will decide the presidency

Thursday 6 July 2023 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

The intelligent folks at Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics compiled a list of four swing states. The list does not mean that these are the only states where candidates should campaign. But it is to say that these are the most evenly split states. Let’s take a look.

Forget everything else: These four states will decide the presidency

Might a ‘fake’ same-sex couple force the Supreme Court to revisit one of its latest cases?

Thursday 6 July 2023 18:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Does it matter if a piece of evidence, or an anecdote, or a sworn statement in a legal fight that makes it to the US Supreme Court turns out to be fake?

What if someone’s identity and statements they never made were involved without their knowledge, by attorneys who now accuse them of lying?

Alex Woodward explains...

Can the Supreme Court revisit the LGBT+ rights case over a ‘fake’ same-sex couple?

Live: Biden delivers remarks on economy

Thursday 6 July 2023 17:56 , Oliver O'Connell

Pence mocked for saying he doesn’t 'buy into the rich need to pay their fair share’

Thursday 6 July 2023 17:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Vice President Mike Pence has been mocked for saying the quiet part out loud about taxing the rich, during a campaign stop.

“I don’t really buy into the rich need to pay their fair share,” he told an audience of potential Republican primary voters.

Mr Pence appeared alongside Iowa Republican Representative Randy Feenstra at the Wells Visitor Center and Ice Cream Parlor in Le Mars, Iowa, on Wednesday when he was asked by an attendee about billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos avoiding taxes while ordinary people are “stuck footing the bill”.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Pence mocked for saying ‘I don’t really buy the rich need to pay their fair share’

Kari Lake is ‘shameless, ruthless demagogue’ according to one Trump advisor

Thursday 6 July 2023 17:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Just days after failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake said she was considering a Senate run, Donald Trump’s advisers revealed that the former president has become disenchanted with her in recent months.

Ms Lake announced on Saturday that she was weighing a Senate run, despite repeatedly losing legal challenges to her election loss. “Politics is gross. It’s a slimy business, but I think we need real people to be in it. And so I am contemplating running for office again,” she told Breitbart.

According to The Daily Beast, the former president specifically found Ms Lake’s attempts to get attention distasteful. “She’s a shameless, ruthless demagogue who wants power and will do whatever she has to do to get it,” a Trump adviser told the publication.

Read more...

Trump adviser says former president “sees through” VP-hopeful Kari Lake’s strategy

Watch: Former Arizona House speaker reveals FBI interviewed him for 2020 election probe

Thursday 6 July 2023 17:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump documents affidavit sheds light on how surveillance video led to Mar-a-Lago search

Thursday 6 July 2023 16:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Surveillance footage from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida allegedly showed that dozens of boxes were moved in the days before investigators from the Department of Justice visited the resort to retrieve records.

The Justice Department on Wednesday disclosed some of the previously blacked-out portions of a warrant application it submitted last year to gain authorisation to search the former president’s Florida property for classified documents last summer.

“Video footage reflects that evidence has been moved recently,” prosecutors wrote in the court record.

Read more...

Trump documents affidavit sheds light on how CCTV video led to Mar-a-Lago search

Walt Nauta pleads not guilty in classified documents case

Thursday 6 July 2023 16:23 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s aide Walt Nauta has finally been arraigned and has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts related to the mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

The charges include several obstruction and concealment-related charges.

Trump co-defendant Walt Nauta pleads not guilty in classified documents case

Watch: Walt Nauta arrives at court in Miami

Thursday 6 July 2023 16:17 , Oliver O'Connell

Justice Department unseals previously blacked-out portions from search warrant application

Thursday 6 July 2023 15:57 , Oliver O'Connell

The Justice Department on Wednesday disclosed some of the previously blacked-out portions of a warrant application it submitted last year to gain authorization to search former President Donald Trump’s Florida property for classified documents.

Key portions of the document had already been made public, but media organizations including The Associated Press had pressed for further unsealing in light of a 38-count indictment last month charging Trump and his valet, Walt Nauta, with concealing classified records at Mar-a-Lago from investigators. A magistrate judge, Bruce Reinhart, declined to order the Justice Department to unseal the search warrant affidavit in its entirety but did require prosecutors to publicly file a less-redacted affidavit.

The newly revealed paragraphs lay out important evidence that prosecutors had gathered well before the search took place, recounting how surveillance footage from inside the property showed dozens of boxes being relocated by a Trump aide in the days before FBI and Justice Department investigators visited the home to collect records.

During that June 3, 2022 visit, law enforcement officials were handed an envelope of 38 classified documents and told that all records sought by a subpoena were being turned over and that a “diligent search” of the home had been done. But investigators had reason to believe that was not true based on the relocation of boxes that they had observed on video, and that additional records remained at the house.

The movement of boxes by Nauta was detailed in last month’s indictment, but its inclusion in the search warrant affidavit helps explain why the Justice Department felt it had probable cause to search Trump’s home on Aug. 8, 2022 and why investigators were concerned that documents were being intentionally withheld from them.

The affidavit recounts how someone identified only as “Witness 5” was seen on multiple days carrying either cardboard or bankers’ boxes in and out of the anteroom at the house. The affidavit does not mention Nauta by name, but the dates of the actions — as well as of an FBI interview “during which the location of boxes was a significant subject of questioning” — line up with the dates cited in the indictment.

AP

Peaky Blinders and Cillian Murphy denounce ‘homophobic’ video shared by DeSantis campaign

Thursday 6 July 2023 15:15 , Joe Sommerlad

The team behind Peaky Blinders has denounced a “homophobic” video shared by Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign.

The video, which was posted last week, slams DeSantis’s rival 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump for vowing to “protect our LGBTQ citizens”.

The video includes clips of the former president that featured him appearing to embrace the LGBT+ community in the wake of the 2016 mass shooting at gay nightclub Pulse.

The second part of the video shifts to DeSantis and his own comments and policies on drag acts and transgender rights.

In the second half, the video appears to portray the Florida governor as masculine, with his image spliced with images of muscular, shirtless men and several Hollywood and British actors, including Christian Bale, Brad Pitt and Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy.

Peony Hirwani has the full story.

Peaky Blinders denounces ‘homophobic’ video shared by DeSantis campaign

Exonerated member of 'Central Park Five' wins primary

Thursday 6 July 2023 14:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Yusef Salaam, one of the exonerated “Central Park Five,” has won the Democratic primary, all but assuring him a seat on the New York City Council.

It’s an improbable feat for a political novice who was wrongly accused, convicted and imprisoned as a teenager for the rape and beating of a white jogger in Central Park.

Exonerated member of 'Central Park Five' wins primary, nearly assuring seat on NYC Council

Boris Johnson says Trump played ‘important role’ in arming Ukraine

Thursday 6 July 2023 14:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Boris Johnson said he told Donald Trump that he had played an “important role” in supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion, whether he was aware of it or not.

The former PM said he “reminded” the ex-US president he had approved the sale of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine in 2018 – before claiming British military aid was “enabled” by Mr Trump’s example.

Speaking in an interview with the One Decision podcast, “I just think it’s very important if you have a chance to talk to people like Donald Trump, just to get … over [that] I know in my heart that Ukrainians are going to win. I know they deserve to win.”

“And I know that America has played a crucial role in making sure that is the right outcome. I think it’s important to remind somebody like Donald Trump, you know – he actually played an important role,” he added.

Mr Trump was considered by many too sympathetic to Vladimir Putin while US president. Since departing the White House – with another presidential bid on the horizon – he has refused to commit to ongoing US support for Ukraine.

Adam Forrest has more.

Boris Johnson says Trump played ‘important role’ in arming Ukraine

Trump posted what he said was Obama’s address... and then an armed man showed up

Thursday 6 July 2023 13:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform what he claimed was the home address of former President Barack Obama on the same day that a man with guns in his van was arrested near the property, federal prosecutors said Wednesday in revealing new details about the case.

Taylor Taranto, 37, who prosecutors say participated in the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol, kept two firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition inside a van he had driven cross-country and had been living in, according to a Justice Department motion that seeks to keep him behind bars.

Read more...

Trump posted what he said was Obama's address, prosecutors say. An armed man was soon arrested there

Walt Nauta pleads not guilty in classified documents case

Thursday 6 July 2023 21:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s aide Walt Nauta has finally been arraigned and has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts related to the mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

The charges include several obstruction and concealment-related charges.

Trump co-defendant Walt Nauta pleads not guilty in classified documents case

Trump attorney who was key to 2020 election conspiracies retires from legal practice

Thursday 6 July 2023 13:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Lin Wood, a Georgia attorney who was part of the legal team that attempted to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election, has said he will retire from the practice of law.

Abe Asher has the story.

Trump attorney who was key to election conspiracies retires from legal practice

Jack Smith subpoenas Arizona Secretary of State’s Office in January 6 probe

Thursday 6 July 2023 12:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Special counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed Arizona’s Secretary of State’s Office as part of its investigation into the January 6 riot as early as May, The Arizona Republic reported.

President Joe Biden narrowly won the state in 2020 by 10,457 votes, the narrowest margin in the nation. Almost immediately, former president Donald Trump and his supporters began to contest the results.

Eric Garcia has the details.

Jack Smith subpoenas Arizona Secretary of State’s office in January 6 probe

Trump mocked for bizarre July 4 AI image

Thursday 6 July 2023 12:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump has been mocked after he posted an AI-generated image of himself in place of George Washington during the Revolutionary War.

Eric Garcia reports.

Trump mocked for July 4 AI image: ‘He’d sell us out faster than Benedict Arnold’

‘Video footage reflects evidence moved recently,’ prosecutors searching Trump’s property say

Thursday 6 July 2023 11:45 , Joe Sommerlad

Surveillance footage from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida allegedly showed that dozens of boxes were moved in the days before investigators from the Department of Justice visited the resort to retrieve records.

The Justice Department has now made public the photographic and video evidence they collected last summer from Mr Trump’s estate.

“Video footage reflects that evidence has been moved recently,” prosecutors wrote in the court record.

“It cannot be seen on the video footage where the boxes were moved when they were taken from the storage room area, and accordingly, the current location of the boxes that were removed from the storage room area but not returned to it is unknown,” they said, according to CNN.

The FBI’s search affidavit, which still has several pages of redactions, describes with more public detail what prosecutors could see on surveillance footage outside a basement storage room at Mar-a-Lago, where the classified documents were kept in boxes.

Maroosha Muzaffar has more.

‘Footage reflects evidence moved recently,’ prosecutors searching Trump property say

Don Jr branded ‘big baby’ over cancelled Australian tour

Thursday 6 July 2023 11:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Australian home minister Clare O’Neil called Donald Trump Jr a “big baby” on Thursday after the son of the former US president cancelled a planned speaking tour.

The younger Trump, who had been booked on a three-day tour of Australia that was scheduled to begin in Sydney on Sunday, cancelled the trip on Wednesday, with organisers suggesting the reason was visa issues.

“It seems America isn’t the only country that makes it difficult for the Trumps,” the group Turning Point Australia, which describes itself as a non-profit in favour of “free markets and limited government”, said in a Facebook post.

But O'Neil, one of the highest-ranking ministers in the centre-left Labour government led by prime minister Anthony Albanese, said Don Jr had been granted a visa and poor ticket sales was the real reason he called off his visit.

Donald Trump Jr (AP)
Donald Trump Jr (AP)

“Geez, Donald Trump Jr is a bit of sore loser,” she said in a series of posts on Twitter that were later deleted.

“Donald Trump Jr has been given a visa to come to Australia. He didn’t get cancelled. He’s just a big baby, who isn’t very popular.”

Albanese also denied that Don Jr had not been blocked from entering.

“Donald Trump Jr’s visa was dealt with in the normal way. Like anyone else, he was entitled to come here. The deferral of his travel is a matter for him,” he told reporters.

Reuters

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