Trump ex-aide claims he wrote ‘to-do lists’ on back of classified documents – live updates

Donald Trump would often write to-do lists for staff on the back of classified government documents, according to a bombshell claim from a former aide.

Former White House and Mar-a-Lago aide Molly Michael told federal investigators that the former president gave her lists of tasks on documents she later realised had markings as classified material, according to ABC News.

A Trump spokesperson told the network that the claims were “illegal leaks” that lacked “proper context and relevant information” and insisted that he “did nothing wrong”.

The former president was hit with federal charges in June for mishandling government documents after leaving office.

Despite growing evidence against him in a variety of cases, Mr Trump insists he isn’t worried, though he recently told NBC News he may have to pardon himself if re-elected.

“I think it’s very unlikely,” Mr Trump said. “What, what did I do wrong? I didn’t do anything wrong. You mean because I challenge an election, they want to put me in jail?”

Meanwhile, on Truth Social on Monday night, the former president congratulated himself, taking the credit for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton being acquitted in his impeachment trial.

Key Points

• Lauren Boebert attacked by her own party for ‘lewd sex acts’ at Beetlejuice show

• Donald Trump Jr backs Russell Brand after comedian is accused of sexual assault

• Iran frees five wrongfully detained Americans as part of Biden-brokered deal

• Ron DeSantis under fire for ‘abortion tourism’ remark

• Trump marks Rosh Hashanah with antisemitic post

Overnight on Truth Social...

11:43 , Oliver O'Connell

It was 2.25am on the East Coast when Donald Trump flexed his fingers and opened the Truth Social app for his latest middle-of-the-night posts thoughts.

With the UN General Assembly underway in New York and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in town to urge more support for his country in the face of Russian aggression, the former president had some thoughts:

Our Country has spent almost 200 Billion Dollars more than the countries of Europe in fighting go Ukraine. Does anybody think this is fair and reasonable? Europe should equalize before we go forward!

He followed this up with an all-caps:

RECIPROCAL TRADE AGREEMENT!

House Democrat Chair says it’s ‘unfortunate that carrying forward in a bipartisan manner’ makes the GOP want to remove McCarthy

11:00 , Gustaf Kilander

With Hollywood on strike, Biden leans on Broadway stars in hunt for campaign cash

10:00 , Brian Slodysko, Aamer Madhani, AP

President Joe Biden‘s reelection campaign is getting some big-name fundraising help Monday from Broadway’s top stars.

With members of the Writers Guild of America and actors from SAG-AFTRA on strike, Biden is avoiding Hollywood for now and turning to the theater, with Sara Bareilles, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt among those scheduled to appear at a fundraising concert on behalf of the president.

Theatrical work in the U.S. is overseen and contracted by the Actors’ Equity Association, whose some 51,000 American actors and stage managers remain on the job.

Both Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend the event, with tickets ranging from $250 to $7,500. Biden will also take part in another private fundraiser in Manhattan on Monday.

Biden, who is set to address the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, arrived in New York on Sunday evening so he could squeeze in the fundraisers as the end of the quarter for federal election reporting on fundraising nears. The early arrival also allowed him to attend a birthday celebration for one of his grandchildren at a swanky downtown restaurant.

Read more:

With Hollywood on strike, Biden leans on Broadway stars in hunt for campaign cash

GOP gubernatorial candidate signals support for rape, incest exceptions to Kentucky abortion law

09:00 , Bruce Schreiner, AP

Republican gubernatorial nominee Daniel Cameron appeared to soften his hardline opposition to abortion on Monday, telling a Kentucky radio station that he would support amending the state’s abortion ban to add exceptions allowing for the termination of pregnancies caused by rape or incest.

Cameron, the state’s attorney general, has steadfastly supported the current Kentucky law banning all abortions except when carried out to save a pregnant woman’s life or to prevent a disabling injury.

But during an interview with WHAS-AM, Cameron signaled that if elected governor he would be willing to sign legislation providing abortion exceptions for instances of rape and incest.

“There’s no question about that,” the GOP challenger said.

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s campaign accused Cameron of trying to hide his well-established “extreme views” on the abortion issue.

Read more:

GOP gubernatorial candidate signals support for rape, incest exceptions to Kentucky abortion law

DeSantis claims Disney feud lost him Super PAC funding

08:00 , Gustaf Kilander

US gun laws are failing to protect elections as political violence spreads, report finds

07:00 , Alex Woodward

Last year, armed far-right activists in tactical gear were accused of intimidating voters at ballot drop boxes in Arizona, an incident that magnified the threats facing voters and election workers in the volatile aftermath of 2020 elections.

Law enforcement officials and civil rights groups have been sounding alarms about growing threats and potential for political violence, following a surge in pro-gun policies and a landmark US Supreme Court case that limits the scope of legal protections to combat the proliferation of firearms across the country.

There are now “big holes” in protections for voters and election workers ahead of crucial 2024 elections, and “with more guns and more political polarization and violence, states need strong laws to limit risk,” according to a report from gun violence prevention group Giffords Law Center and the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law.

The Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc v Bruen recognized that prohibiting firearms at “sensitive places” like “polling places” were “presumptively lawful” – but only 12 states and Washington DC expressly prohibit both open and concealed carry of firearms at polling places, the report found.

Read more:

US gun laws risk election safety as political violence spreads, report finds

Trump could face an extensive list of trials next year. Here are all the court dates

06:00 , Ariana Baio

Donald Trump’s 2024 calendar is quickly booking up with court dates corresponding to his plentiful criminal indictments and civil lawsuits.

The ex-president and his legal team are preparing for a busy year ahead as they attempt to juggle the many trial dates while Mr Trump continues his campaign for 2024 president.

So far, Mr Trump has been criminally indicted four times – two of which are on the federal level and two are on the state level. This is on top of two civil lawsuits the ex-president is involved in New York City.

Though Mr Trump’s legal team has continuously pushed judges to delay trial dates until after the 2024 election, nearly all of the dates for his criminal indictments have been set for next spring.

Here are the trial dates for Mr Trump thus far:

When is Donald Trump going on trial?

Tim Scott argues workers who go on strike should be fired

05:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump, January 6 and a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election: The federal investigation, explained

04:15 , Alex Woodward

A former president has been charged with crimes connected to his attempts to overturn the results of an American election.

The federal investigation into the efforts from Donald Trump and his allies to subvert the outcome of the 2020 presidential election has yielded four criminal charges in a 45-page indictment, outlining three alleged criminal conspiracies and the obstruction of of Joe Biden’s victory and detailing a multi-state scheme built on a legacy of lies and conspiracy theories to undermine the democratic process.

A charging document under US Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith follows a grand jury vote to indict Mr Trump after months of evidence and witness testimony. A tentative trial date has been set for 4 March, 2024 in Washington DC.

Mr Trump and 18 co-defendants are separately charged in Georgia in a sprawling racketeering case outlining the multi-state scheme to pressure state officials and then-Vice President Mike Pence to subvert election results against the will of Georgia voters.

The indictments follow a separate, lengthy House select committee investigation into the events surrounding and leading up to the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, including a series of blockbuster public hearings laying out evidence and witness testimony describing the depth of Mr Trump’s attempts to remain in office at whatever cost.

Read more:

The federal investigation into Trump and January 6, explained

White House hits back after House sets first Biden impeachment hearing scheduled for 28 September

03:30 , Gustaf Kilander and Andrew Feinberg

The White House on Tuesday hit back at House Republicans after the House Oversight Committee announced that the first hearing in a GOP-led impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden would take place on 28 September.

Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the the White House Counsel’s Office, said in a statement that the timing of the announcement and of the hearing itself — just 48 hours before the federal government will run out of funds at the end of the fiscal year — shows that the House GOP is “already telegraphing their plans to try to distract from their own chaotic inability to govern and the impacts of it on the country”.

“Staging a political stunt hearing in the waning days before they may shut down the government reveals their true priorities: to them, baseless personal attacks on President Biden are more important than preventing a government shutdown and the pain it would inflict on American families,” Mr Sams said.

Read more:

First Biden impeachment hearing scheduled for Thursday 28 September

DeSantis reacts to McCarthy saying ‘he’s not at the same level’ as Trump

02:45 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump’s public statements are being influenced by his lawyers, legal expert says

02:20 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump’s public statements have changed in line with advice from his lawyers, a legal expert has suggested.

Harry Litman, a former US attorney and former deputy assistant attorney general for the Western District of Pennsylvania, wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Monday night that the former president “continues to employ the same braggadocio. But listen carefully, he’s begun to pepper his proclamations with hedges, such as ‘in my opinion’ or ‘that’s what I think.’ That’s lawyer-prescribed to try to shield him from outright lies”.

Read more:

Trump’s public statements are being influenced by his lawyers, legal expert says

Trump slams Biden over US-Iran prisoner deal

02:00 , Ariana Baio

Five Americans previously imprisoned in Iran are now home thanks to a deal President Joe Biden struck with Iran, but self-proclaimed great dealmaker Donald Trump doesn’t seem to think it was the right negotiation.

On Monday, Mr Biden announced that after years-long negotiations between Iran and the US, the country agreed to release five wrongfully detained people, some of whom have spent years in the infamous Elvin Prison.

In exchange for the five Americans, the US agreed to unfreeze $6bn in Iranian oil assets for a South Korean account.

But Mr Trump, the man who “knows deals … better than anybody knows deals”, believes the negotiation will make the US appear weak.

“This absolutely ridiculous 6 Billion Dollar Hostage Deal with Iran has set a terrible PRECEDENT for the future,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.

Read more:

Trump slams Biden over US-Iran prisoner deal

Ron DeSantis says Trump’s abortion remarks show ‘the danger’ in re-electing him

01:30 , Graig Graziosi

GOP presidential hopeful Governor Ron DeSantis has leapt on Donald Trump‘s recent comments about abortion, arguing that the former president’s less-extreme views are out of step with modern-day Republican values.

Mr Trump recently took the position that six-week abortion bans — bans that Mr DeSantis signed into law in Florida — were a “terrible mistake.” He told NBC’s Meet the Press that he would sit down with people from “both sides” of the abortion debate and negotiate a deal that would leave everyone in “peace” on the long-contested issue.

Mr DeSantis called the soundbite a “terrible statement” and questioned Mr Trump’s loyalty to the Republican project of using state power to force women into giving birth.

“Donald Trump may think it’s terrible. I think protecting babies with heartbeats is noble and just and I’m proud to have signed the heartbeat bill in Florida and I know Iowa has similar legislation,” the Florida governor told Radio Iowa. “I don’t know how you can even make the claim that you’re somehow pro-life if you’re criticising states for enacting protections for babies that have heartbeats.”

He went on, saying Mr Trump was “changing in a way that is not consistent with the values of the people in Iowa” and moving away from promises he made in 2016.

Read more:

Ron DeSantis says Trump’s abortion remarks show ‘danger’ in re-electing him

Fox News slammed for tweeting out Trump’s false claim about Pelosi and Jan 6: ‘It has been fact-checked ad nauseam’

01:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Sir Keir Starmer says he speaks to Barack Obama ‘frequently’

Wednesday 20 September 2023 00:30 , Archie Mitchell

Sir Keir Starmer “frequently” speaks with Barack Obama, he has revealed as he set out plans to “restore the UK and its reputation on the world stage”.

The Labour leader said Mr Obama is the former US president he talks to most often. He also said his team are in talks with Joe Biden’s administration.

He has not been invited to meet Mr Biden yet, but asked whether he wanted the president to beat Donald Trump in next year’s election, he said: “It’s clear what my desired outcome would be.”

Speaking to Politico’s Power Play podcast, Sir Keir also said: “I feel very strongly that since Brexit, there’s been a sense that we’ve not just exited the EU, that we’ve somehow turned our back on the world and wherever you go people feel almost the absence of the UK, once a leading voice, now rarely consulted.”

The revelation comes before a meeting in Paris between Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Read more:

Sir Keir Starmer says he speaks to Obama ‘frequently’

AOC slams Marjorie Taylor Greene over her dress code complaint: ‘Aren’t you the one who did revenge porn in a hearing’

Wednesday 20 September 2023 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticised Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene over her complaint against the relaxing of the dress code in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer quietly told the Senate Sergeant at Arms to no longer enforce the dress code in the upper chamber, allowing Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman to be on the floor in his trademark outfit of gym shorts and a hoodie.

“The Senate no longer enforcing a dress code for Senators to appease Fetterman is disgraceful. Dress code is one of society’s standards that set etiquette and respect for our institutions. Stop lowering the bar!” the Georgia far-right Republican wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“Aren’t you the one who did revenge porn in a hearing,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez responded.

Read more:

AOC slams Marjorie Taylor Greene over her dress code complaint

As Biden speaks at UN, clip of world leaders laughing at Trump in 2018 resurfaces

Tuesday 19 September 2023 23:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Political divide emerges on Ukraine aid package as Zelenskyy heads to Washington

Tuesday 19 September 2023 23:00 , Kevin Freking, AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington this week comes at a critical juncture for his alliance with the United States as Republican leaders in Congress diverge on how to send more military and humanitarian aid to the country.

President Joe Biden is seeking an additional $24 billion in security and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, in line with his promise to help the country for “as long as it takes” to oust Russia from its borders.

But ratification of Biden’s request is deeply uncertain thanks to a growing partisan divide in Congress about how to proceed.

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has told reporters that he wants more Ukraine aid to be debated on its own merits as a standalone bill, rather than attaching it to other priorities like government funding.

But the Senate has other ideas. Leaders in the chamber would like to combine the Ukraine aid with other priorities, such as a short-term spending bill that will likely be needed to avoid a shutdown at the end of September.

Read more:

Political divide emerges on Ukraine aid package as Zelenskyy heads to Washington

Most Americans view Israel as a partner, but fewer see it as sharing US values, AP-NORC poll shows

Tuesday 19 September 2023 22:30 , Matthew Lee, Linley Sanders, AP

As President Joe Biden prepares to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week in New York, a new poll finds that while Americans generally view Israel as a partner or ally, many question whether his far-right government shares American values.

The poll results from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the meeting come during a new period of tension between the Biden administration and Israel. Those tensions are caused by Netanyahu’s proposed judicial overhaul that has sparked mass protests in major Israeli cities, ongoing disagreements over how to deal with Iran and how to approach the Palestinians, and comments from Netanyahu political allies that have irked U.S. officials.

Despite the friction, Biden, who spoke out in barely disguised opposition to the judicial plan, and Netanyahu are expected to project a solid partnership in which the U.S. continues to support Israel’s security.

Biden will also emphasize that the U.S. is continuing to work on expanding the Trump-era Abraham Accords, which normalized Israeli relations with several Arab countries, to include Saudi Arabia. However, there is little sign of an imminent breakthrough on that front.

Although the poll showed that Americans overwhelmingly view Israel as more of a friend than a foe, it also found that they are divided on whether Israel is a country with which the U.S. shares common interests and values.

Read more:

Most Americans view Israel as a partner, but fewer see it as sharing US values, AP-NORC poll shows

Former Republican House Rep slams Trump as he praises Biden UN speech in support of Ukraine

Tuesday 19 September 2023 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Ray Epps charged in connection with January 6 attack

Tuesday 19 September 2023 21:30 , Alex Woodward

Ray Epps, a man at the centre of far-right conspiracy theories accusing him of working with federal authorities to instigate the January 6 attack, has been charged in connection with the riots at the US Capitol.

Mr Epps has been charged with one misdemeanor count of disorderly or disruptive conduct on restricted grounds, a charge facing dozens of people accused of joining the mob in the halls of Congress and around the Capitol on 6 January, 2021.

A filing from federal prosecutors on 19 September is by information, suggesting that Mr Epps will enter a plea deal.

Mr Epps has separately sued Fox News and former network host Tucker Carlson for defamation after repeatedly amplifying a suggestion that Mr Epps worked for the federal government.

In interviews with the now-dissolved House select committee investigating the events surrounding the attack and efforts among Donald Trump’s supporters to overturn 2020 presidential election results, Mr Epps said that the conspiracy theories have upended his life.

Read more:

Ray Epps charged in connection with January 6 attack

Dominion’s $1.6bn defamation case against Newsmax will go to trial weeks before Election Day

Tuesday 19 September 2023 21:00 , Alex Woodward

A voting machine company that reached an historic settlement with Fox News to avert a blockbuster defamation trial is scheduled to return to a Delaware courtroom next year against another right-wing network.

Dominion Voting Systems sued Newsmax in the aftermath of 2020 elections after the network repeatedly aired false claims that the company rigged the presidential election against Donald Trump in an alleged effort to boost ratings.

Barring a potential settlement, the trial is scheduled to begin in September 2024, putting the former president’s bogus statements at the centre of a month-long trial weeks before Election Day.

Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis – who presided over court proceedings in the case against Fox – also is presiding over the Newsmax case.

Read more:

Dominion’s defamation case against Newsmax will go to trial weeks before Election Day

VIDEO: Democrats Put Pressure On Joe Biden To Stand With Striking UAW: 'It Would Send A Very Strong Message'

Tuesday 19 September 2023 20:30 , The Independent

Gavin Newsom mocks Republicans as ‘student government’ over Biden impeachment inquiry

Tuesday 19 September 2023 20:00 , Bevan Hurley

Gavin Newsom mocked House Republicans for launching an impeachment inquiry of Joe Biden without any evidence of wrongdoing in a new interview.

The California governor said Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision to open the investigation despite the GOP failing to uncover a direct link showing the president benefited from son Hunter Biden’s business dealings was a “joke”.

“This is student government,” Mr Newsom said in an hour-long interview with CNN’s chief political correspondent Dana Bash broadcast on Monday night.

“I mean, this is a perversity with what the founding fathers ever conceived of and imagined. So, if that’s the best they could do, give me a break.”

Read more:

Gavin Newsom mocks Republicans as ‘student government’ over Biden impeachment inquiry

Trump takes credit for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton beating impeachment

Tuesday 19 September 2023 19:30 , Kelly Rissman

Former president Donald Trump said he “saved” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from getting impeached.

On Monday, Mr Trump took to Truth Social to claim credit for Mr Paxton’s acquittal last week: “Yes, it is true that my intervention through TRUTH SOCIAL saved Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from going down at the hands of Democrats and some Republicans, headed by PAUL RINO (Ryan), Karl Rove, and others, almost all of whom came back to reason when confronted with the facts.”

He continued, “Ken has been a great A.G., and now he can go back to work for the wonderful people of Texas. It was my honor to have helped correct this injustice!”

It’s unclear how Donald Trump, former House Speaker Paul Ryan or former George W Bush White House adviser Karl Rove were involved in the impeachment process.

However, Mr Rove wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal last month predicting that the Texas attorney general would not come out of the impeachment hearings unscathed.

Read more:

Trump takes credit for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton beating impeachment

Trump interview was ‘crazy way to set the tone of what ‘Meet the Press’ would be under’ Welker, executive says

Tuesday 19 September 2023 19:00 , Gustaf.Kilander

A television executive has told CNN that NBC’s decision to host Donald Trump for an interview on Meet The Press was a “crazy way to set the tone of what Meet the Press would be under” new moderator Kristen Welker.

“Welker failed spectacularly to meet the moment during her interview with Trump,” CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy wrote in an analysis of the interview.

“Welker allowed Trump to make a number of statements wholly untethered to reality on a range of critical issues without tenacious, resolute, or meaningful pushback,” he added. “Trump, a rapid-fire lie machine, did his usual song and dance. He lied about the election. He lied about the insurrection that his lies had spawned. And he lied about pretty much every topic that Welker broached.”

Mr Darcy wrote that Ms Welker appeared to be “ill-equipped to handle Trump’s trademark bravado” and that she was “lacking any noticeable fire in her belly”.

Judge refuses to throw out convictions against one of the first Oath Keepers to be charged for Jan 6

Tuesday 19 September 2023 18:33 , Gustaf Kilander

Elon Musk says Twitter to move behind paywall as all users forced to pay ‘small’ monthly fee

Tuesday 19 September 2023 18:30 , Vishwam Sankaran

Elon Musk said X is looking to charge users a “small monthly payment” to tackle bots on the social network.

X, previously known as Twitter, underwent a number of changes soon after Mr Musk, the multibillionaire owner of X Corp, bought it.

The platform is now “moving to having a small, monthly payment for use of the X system” to combat “vast armies of bots”, Mr Musk said during a livestreamed conversation with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.

However, the Tesla and SpaceX boss did not reveal how much the new plan would cost X users or what additional features subscribers would get.

During the interaction with Mr Netanyahu, the Tesla titan said X currently has 550 million “monthly users” who generate 100-200 million posts per day, adding that the new change to include a “small amount of money” would be necessary to deal with the problem posed by bots.

Under the Tesla titan, the platform restored the account of former US president Donald Trump who was banned following the 2021 Capitol riots, as well as the profiles of Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and neo-Nazi website founder Andrew Anglin.

Read more:

Elon Musk wants all Twitter users to pay a monthly fee

Hunter Biden has gone on the offensive against Republicans. That could be tricky for the president.

Tuesday 19 September 2023 18:00 , Colleen Long, Alanna Durkin Richer, AP

Hunter Biden has gone on the offensive against his Republican critics, arguing in a new lawsuit that although he is the son of the president of the United States, he shouldn’t be treated differently than any other American.

The lawsuit against the IRS is only the latest in a series of counterpunches by the president’s son. But while Hunter Biden’s lawyers might think that an aggressive approach is the best legal strategy for Biden the son, that might not be what’s best for Biden the father as he seeks reelection and tries to keep the public focused on his policy achievements.

The president has had little to say about his son’s legal woes — which now include a felony indictment — beyond that Hunter did nothing wrong and he loves his son. The White House strategy has been to keep the elder Biden head-down and focused on governing, reasoning that that’s what voters will prioritize, while working to keep Hunter’s troubles at arm’s distance.

There’s one hopeful school of thought among the president’s allies that even if all the headlines about Hunter Biden aren’t a plus for the president’s reelection campaign, the legal process could ultimately clear the air in a positive way.

“Obviously, the White House and Hunter’s teams are looking at it from different perspectives,” said Democratic political strategist David Brock. “It’s important for the facts to reach the public, and when that happens, I think ultimately that’s beneficial to the president.”

Read more:

Hunter Biden has gone on the offensive against Republicans. That could be tricky for the president.

VIDEO: Donald Trump addresses election rigging in Meet the Press interview

Tuesday 19 September 2023 17:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Florida jury pool could give Trump an advantage in classified documents case

Tuesday 19 September 2023 17:00 , Eric Tucker, Adriana Gomez Licon, AP

The classified documents indictment of Donald Trump would seem, on paper at least, to be the most straightforward of the four criminal cases the former president is facing.

Reams of classified files were stashed in Trump’s office and storage room and he boastfully showed off to guests one such document he acknowledged was “secret,” federal prosecutors have alleged. His own lawyer is quoted in the indictment as saying Trump encouraged him to mislead investigators who demanded the documents back, and prosecutors have since secured the cooperation of a Mar-a-Lago staffer who says the ex-president asked about deleting surveillance footage at the Palm Beach property.

But that doesn’t make the path to conviction easy, particularly with the case set for trial in a Florida courthouse expected to draw its jury pool from a conservative-leaning region of the state that supported Trump in the 2020 election. Those built-in demographics may be a challenge for prosecutors despite the evidence at their disposal, underscoring the impossibility of untangling the law from politics in an election-year trial involving a former president who is seeking to return to the White House.

“The more conservative the counties, the highest chance he has to find jurors that would be sympathetic with him,” said Richard Kibbey, a criminal defense attorney in Stuart, Florida, part of the Fort Pierce district where the jury pool is expected to be taken from.

When it comes to finding truly impartial jurors, he added, “It’s going to be very difficult given the political climate across the country. Jurors will bring their own biases into the court room.”

Read more:

Florida jury pool could give Trump an advantage in classified documents case

Donald Trump wrote ‘to-do lists’ on classified documents, former aide told investigators

Tuesday 19 September 2023 16:30 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump used classified documents to write out to-do lists after leaving the White House, a former aide claims, according to ABC News.

Molly Michael, a former assistant to Mr Trump, said on multiple occasions she was given lists of tasks on documents she later realised had markings as classified material, ABC reports, citing unnamed sources familiar with her testimony to federal investigators.

A Trump spokesperson told the network that the claims were “illegal leaks” that lacked “proper context and relevant information.”

“President Trump did nothing wrong, has always insisted on truth and transparency, and acted in a proper manner, according to the law,” the spokesperson said.

Ms Michael began working for Mr Trump in 2018 in the White House, and continued to serve the former president after office, before resigning last year.

Read more:

Former aide says Donald Trump wrote ‘to-do lists’ on classified documents

‘I want a seasoned pro’: Gavin Newsom issues strong backing of Biden as he’s questioned about his age

Tuesday 19 September 2023 16:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Rudy Giuliani’s former lawyers sue him for $1.3m over unpaid legal fees

Tuesday 19 September 2023 15:30 , Shweta Sharma

Rudy Giuliani’s former lawyers have sued him for about $1.3m in unpaid legal fees for representing him during investigations pertaining to his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Robert Costello and his law firm Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP filed the lawsuit in Manhattan state court on Monday, seeking full payment of Mr Giuliani‘s unpaid bills as well as costs and fees for their efforts to get him to pay up.

The lawsuit alleged Mr Giuliani agreed to pay over $1.5m under a retainer agreement, but only paid $214,000 and owes $1.36 million to the firm.

Mr Costello and the firm said Mr Giuliani, once celebrated as “America’s mayor” for his leadership after the 11 September 2001 attacks, breached the agreement with the company to pay invoices in full.

Mr Giuliani said he was hurt by the actions of Mr Costello, a longtime friend and his former lawyer, and said the bill “is way in excess”.

Read more:

Rudy Giuliani’s former lawyers sue him for $1.3m over unpaid legal fees

Trump will skip second GOP debate to give speech to striking workers

Tuesday 19 September 2023 15:00 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump is expected to skip the upcoming second Republican presidential primary debate and speak to a crowd of union workers in Detroit amid the ongoing auto strike, advisers of the former president told The New York Times.

The snub comes after Mr Trump skipped the first GOP debate of the season last month, chosing instead to sit down with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson for an in-depth interview broadcast on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The former president, who stands well ahead of the crowded Republican field in the polls, has downplayed the importance of the debates.

“The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had, with Energy Independence, Strong Borders & Military, Biggest EVER Tax & Regulation Cuts, No Inflation, Strongest Economy in History, & much more,” he wrote on Truth Social in August. “I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”

The lack of a debate presence has done little to impact his front-runner status.

Read more:

Trump will skip second GOP debate to give speech to striking workers

CNN’s Daniel Dale fact checks Donald Trump’s NBC interview

Tuesday 19 September 2023 14:30 , Gustaf Kilander

VOICES: Did Trump just dismantle his own Jan 6 defence?

Tuesday 19 September 2023 14:00 , Eric Garcia

Donald Trump may have stepped in it during his recent NBC News interview.

Mr Trump was the marquee guest for Kristen Welker’s first Sunday as host of Meet the Press. Unsurprisingly, plenty of super-online liberals complained that Welker, a longtime respected White House reporter who moderated one of the 2020 presidential debates and has aggressively covered multiple administrations, let Mr Trump slip away.

Some of the concerns are understandable, but many liberals purely resent the idea that Mr Trump should be interviewed by mainstream news organisations at all despite the fact that a large swath of the country still supports him and he is almost guaranteed to become the 2024 Republican nominee for president.

Read more:

Did Trump just dismantle his own Jan 6 defence?

Matt Gaetz said to be considering a run for Florida governor

Tuesday 19 September 2023 13:30 , Ariana Baio

Florida representative Matt Gaetz is said to be eyeing the state’s governor’s office when incumbent Ron DeSantis’ term is up in 2026, several people familiar with Mr Gaetz said.

For the last six years, Mr Gaetz has represented Florida’s first district as a hardline Republican aligned with former president Donald Trump.

But some believe Mr Gaetz could be seeking to further his political career by running for Florida governor after Mr DeSantis leaves in either 2026 when his term is up or 2024 if he is elected to the White House.

Several people who attended an event in Tallahassee this weekend told NBC News that Mr Gaetz implied he would be running for governor and seemingly commanded the room.

However, in a statement provided to The Independent, Mr Gaetz said those remarks were “overblown” and running for Florida governor is not a priority.

Read more:

Matt Gaetz said to be considering a run for Florida governor

VIDEO: Political fallout after Paxton acquittal

Tuesday 19 September 2023 13:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Netanyahu visits Elon Musk in California with plans to talk about artificial intelligence

Tuesday 19 September 2023 12:00 , AP

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is starting a U.S. trip in California to talk about technology and artificial intelligence with billionaire businessman Elon Musk.

The Israeli leader posted Monday on Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that he plans to talk with the Tesla CEO “about how we can harness the opportunities and mitigate the risks of AI for the good of civilization.”

Netanyahu’s high-profile visit to the San Francisco Bay Area comes at a time when Musk is facing accusations of tolerating antisemitic messages on his social media platform, while Netanyahu is confronting political opposition at home and abroad. Protesters gathered early Monday outside the Fremont, California factory where Tesla makes its cars.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken part in nine months of demonstrations against Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul Israel’s judicial system. Those protests have spread overseas, with groups of Israeli expats staging demonstrations during visits by Netanyahu and other members of his Cabinet.

Read more:

Netanyahu visits Elon Musk in California with plans to talk about artificial intelligence

Bar owned by Lauren Boebert’s ‘Beetlejuice’ date inundated with bad reviews

Tuesday 19 September 2023 11:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The bar co-owned by the man who went to a Beetlejuice stage performance in Denver with Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert has been inundated with bad reviews after the bar owner was caught on surveillance footage getting intimate with the far-right Republican during the show.

Quinn Gallagher, 46, has co-owned the Hooch Craft Cocktail Bar since 2022, according to the New York Post.

The bar has been the venue for a number of gay-friendly events, with the co-owner now being labelled a hypocrite for dating Ms Boebert, a member known for her social conservatism and anti-drag stances.

One of the events hosted at the cocktail bar was the “Winter Wonderland Burlesque and Drag Show”.

“Apparently whatever core values co-owner Quinn Gallagher claims to possess were thrown out the window when he met Trailer Trash Queen Lauren Boebert,” one Facebook user wrote.

Read more:

Bar owned by Lauren Boebert’s ‘Beetlejuice’ date inundated with bad reviews

VIDEO: Trump calls DeSantis's six week abortion ban 'terrible,' stokes backlash from the right

Tuesday 19 September 2023 10:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Speaker McCarthy running out of options to stop a shutdown as conservatives balk at new plan

Tuesday 19 September 2023 09:00 , Lisa Mascaro, Stephen Groves, AP

Speaker Kevin McCarthy is running out of options as he races Monday to come up with a plan to keep the federal government from shutting down as even a plan to include hardline border security provisions wasn’t enough to appease the far-right flank in his Republican House majority.

The speaker told his Republican conference that they should be prepared to stay through this weekend to pass a stopgap measure, called a continuing resolution, that would keep government offices open past the Sept. 30 deadline. But many are already bracing for the heavy political fallout of a federal shutdown.

Read more:

Speaker McCarthy running out of options to stop a shutdown as conservatives balk at new plan

VIDEO: Trump: U.S. Jews voted to destroy America & Israel

Tuesday 19 September 2023 08:00 , Gustaf Kilander

‘Very rich, very famous, and very powerful’: How Bernard Tapie became France’s first tycoon – and wound up in prison

Tuesday 19 September 2023 07:00 , Clémence Michallon

If you’ve grown up in France, Bernard Tapie is one of those people you’ve always been aware of, without being able to remember when you first heard about them, or what they’re currently famous for. In Tapie’s case, the answer varied throughout the years: at times, he was famous for his career as a businessman; at others, for his career in the world of sports. There was also politics, show business, and legal scandals, depending on when you asked. Only one constant remained: from his rise to fame in the 1980s to his death in 2021, Tapie was notorious.

A new Netflix series dramatizes 30 years of his life, charting his humble beginnings, his not-so-humble early successes, and the biggest legal controversy of his life—for fixing a soccer game in favour of Olympique de Marseille, Marseille’s soccer team, which he then owned. In France, the show is simply called Tapie—a name known to virtually anyone. In the US, it’s titled Class Act, an apparent wordplay to nod both to Tapie’s exceptional destiny and to his status as what sociologist Pierre Bourdieu called a “transfuge de classe”—someone who moves from one social milieu to another.

The show, comprising seven episodes, is a fascinating examination not just of the man himself, but of the country that allowed his ascent. It casts an eye back on the lionized men of the 1980s and asks: at what cost did we create them? And what are we meant to do with them now?

“In the same way that there was Trump in the US, Berlusconi in Italy, there was Tapie in France,” Tristan Séguéla, who directed and co-wrote the series, tells The Independent in a video call. “The 1980s had a strong mythology around these characters who could embody everything, and who were very rich, very famous, and very powerful all at once.”

Read more:

How Bernard Tapie became France’s first tycoon – and wound up in prison

Trump says he doesn’t worry about possibility of jail as he refuses to rule out pardoning himself

Tuesday 19 September 2023 06:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump claimed in a combative interview on Sunday that he doesn’t lie awake at night worrying about going to jail for one of his many active criminal cases, though he didn’t decisively rule out pardoning himself if he was re-elected.

The former president, who has been indicted four times this year alone, told NBC News’s Meet the Press on Sunday he doesn’t think it’s likely he’ll need to pardon himself if he’s re-elected, and added that he decided against such an unprecedented use of power once in the days after the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.

“I think it’s very unlikely,” Mr Trump said. “What, what did I do wrong? I didn’t do anything wrong. You mean because I challenge an election, they want to put me in jail?”

Read more:

Trump says he doesn’t worry about jail risk as he refuses to rule out self-pardon

VIDEO: Kristen Welker fact-checks Trump comments on indictments

Tuesday 19 September 2023 05:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Biden unveils new nickname for Trump

Tuesday 19 September 2023 04:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Joe Biden knocked Donald Trump for his jobs record while in the White House, noting that only two presidents left the executive mansion with the US jobs market having fewer positions than when they began their presidency.

At a community college in Maryland on Thursday, the president was speaking about his economic agenda, dubbed Bidenomics, when he made the dig at his predecessor.

“There are only two presidents in American history with fewer jobs the day they left office than when they started. One is President Hoover. The other is Donald Hoover Trump,” Mr Biden said to laughter in the room. “My predecessor promised to be the greatest jobs president in history. Well, it didn’t really work out that way. He lost 2 million jobs over the course of his presidency.”

Read more:

Biden unveils new nickname for Trump

Trump welcomes Putin’s praise: ‘That means what I’m saying is right’

Tuesday 19 September 2023 03:15 , Bevan Hurley

Donald Trump has welcomed praise from Russian president Vladimir Putin after again claiming that he would end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours if he is re-elected in 2024.

In a widely-criticised interview with Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker, Mr Trump said that Putin’s comments proved that “what I’m saying is right” about resolving the 18-month-old war.

The former president has repeatedly claimed without providing any details that he could end the war within days should he be successful in taking back the White House.

“If I tell you exactly, I lose all my bargaining chips,” Mr Trump said during the interview broadcast on Sunday.

Read more:

Trump welcomes Putin’s praise: ‘That means what I’m saying is right’

VIDEO: Trump skips Iowa Faith and Freedom event while rivals eye opportunity

Tuesday 19 September 2023 02:30 , Gustaf Kilander

North Carolina Republicans seek control over state and local election boards ahead of 2024

Tuesday 19 September 2023 01:45 , Gary D. Robertson, AP

Republicans who control the North Carolina legislature with veto-proof majorities are close to wresting supervision of elections from the governor and the governor’s party — almost always the Democrats for over a century.

A bill that could reach Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk this week would, among other changes, take away from him and future governors the power to appoint members of the State Board of Elections. It would give that authority to legislative leaders instead.

The legislation also could lead to the ouster of the top elections administrator ahead of the next presidential election in a state where former President Donald Trump squeezed out a razor-thin win over Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. North Carolina was Trump’s narrowest victory that year, raising hopes among Democrats that Biden could win there in 2024.

GOP attempts since 2016 to erode Cooper’s election board power have been struck down by courts or defeated by voters in a statewide referendum.

Cooper plans to veto the bill. But Republican majorities are large enough to override his veto, and Republican justices now have a majority on the state Supreme Court.

Read more:

North Carolina Republicans seek control over state and local election boards ahead of 2024

US gun laws are failing to protect elections as political violence spreads, report finds

Tuesday 19 September 2023 01:15 , Josh Marcus

Last year, armed far-right activists in tactical gear were accused of intimidating voters at ballot drop boxes in Arizona, an incident that magnified the threats facing voters and election workers in the volatile aftermath of 2020 elections.

Law enforcement officials and civil rights groups have been sounding alarms about growing threats and potential for political violence, following a surge in pro-gun policies and a landmark US Supreme Court case that limits the scope of legal protections to combat the proliferation of firearms across the country.

There are now “big holes” in protections for voters and election workers ahead of crucial 2024 elections, and “with more guns and more political polarization and violence, states need strong laws to limit risk,” according to a report from gun violence prevention group Giffords Law Center and the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law.

The Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc v Bruen recognized that prohibiting firearms at “sensitive places” like “polling places” were “presumptively lawful” – but only 12 states and Washington DC expressly prohibit both open and concealed carry of firearms at polling places, the report found.

Alex Woodward reports.

US gun laws risk election safety as political violence spreads, report finds

Trump clashes with Kristen Welker over what he was doing on Jan 6: ‘Why would I tell you?’

Tuesday 19 September 2023 01:00 , Oliver O'Connell

There was a tense moment during Donald Trump’s interview with new Meet the Press moderator Kirsten Welker over his movements on 6 January 2021 as the Capitol riot was underway.

The interview — which ahead of broadcast received much criticism for giving the former president a platform from which he could repeat known falsehoods — was pre-recorded on Thursday and aired on Sunday morning on Welker’s first show as the new moderator.

The wide-ranging questioning turned to Mr Trump’s movements and actions on January 6, with Welker asking why he did not do more to stop the violence as his supporters battled with police and stormed Congress.

“Tell me how you watched this all unfold. Were you in the dining room watching TV?” Welker asked, referring to accounts of the day from people at the White House.

“I’m not going to tell you,” Mr Trump responded. “I’ll tell people later at an appropriate time.”

Read more:

Trump clashes with interviewer over what he was doing on Jan 6: ‘Why would I tell?’

Donald Trump wrote ‘to-do lists’ on classified documents, former aide told investigators

Tuesday 19 September 2023 00:47 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump used classified documents to write out to-do lists after leaving the White House, a former aide claims, according to ABC News.

Molly Michael, a former assistant to Mr Trump, said on multiple occasions she was given lists of tasks on documents she later realised had markings as classified material, ABC reports, citing unnamed sources familiar with her testimony to federal investigators.

A Trump spokesperson told the network that the claims were “illegal leaks” that lacked “proper context and relevant information.”

“President Trump did nothing wrong, has always insisted on truth and transparency, and acted in a proper manner, according to the law,” the spokesperson said.

More details in our full story.

Former aide says Donald Trump wrote ‘to-do lists’ on classified documents

VIDEO: Trump absent from The Faith and Freedom Coalition banquet

Tuesday 19 September 2023 00:15 , Gustaf Kilander