Judge Raymond Dearie, the special master assigned to investigate whether or not government documents retrieved from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property last month are privileged, has ordered Trump’s lawyers to explain whether they believe the FBI “planted” evidence during their search of the estate. Dearie’s demand was part of a broader order in which he instructed Trump’s lawyers to examine an 11-page inventory of items removed from Mar-a-Lago and indicate which items are privileged or personal property of Trump’s by September 30. Since the search of Trump’s property in Palm Beach, Florida, the former president and his allies have repeatedly insinuated…
Donald Trump
Iran: Deadly crackdown on protests against Mahsa Amini’s death in custody needs urgent global action
World leaders at the UN General Assembly must support calls for the establishment of an independent international investigative and accountability mechanism to address the prevailing crisis of impunity in Iran. Their urgent need for action was demonstrated most recently by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, and the barrage of gunfire unleashed […] The post Iran: Deadly crackdown on protests against Mahsa Amini’s death in custody needs urgent global action appeared first on Amnesty International.
Jan. 6 Panel Members Propose Reforms to Electoral College Certification Process
Two members of the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol submitted a bill that would reform the count of Electoral College votes. The Presidential Election Reform Act — sponsored by Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-California) — would change aspects of the Electoral Count Act, making it more difficult for elected officials to overturn the will of voters. “Our proposal is intended to preserve the rule of law for all future presidential elections by ensuring that self-interested politicians cannot steal from the people the guarantee that our government derives its…
FIFA World Cup: All Sponsors Should Back Remedies for Workers
Global Survey Shows Major Support for Sponsors Backing Migrant Worker Compensation Call FIFA’s corporate partners and sponsors of the 2022 World Cup should all press the global football association and the Qatari government to provide compensation and other remedies to migrant workers and their families who suffered death or injury, wage theft or debt from illegal recruitment […] The post FIFA World Cup: All Sponsors Should Back Remedies for Workers appeared first on Amnesty International.
Poll Finds Trump’s Approval Is Declining — While Biden’s Is on the Rise
New polling finds that former President Donald Trump’s approval rating among the public has dropped to its lowest point in nearly a year and a half, following a legal scandal for the former president and along with the rising approval of President Joe Biden. According to an NBC poll released on Sunday, only about one in three Americans say they approve of Trump as of mid-September. About 34 percent of the survey’s 1,000 registered voter respondents said they approve of the former president, while 54 percent said they disapprove. This is the lowest approval for Trump that NBC has recorded…
Judge Cannon Assigns Special Master, Refuses to Let DOJ Examine Classified Docs
The federal judge who ordered that a special master be assigned to examine documents retrieved by the FBI last month from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate has assigned Raymond Dearie, a Reagan-era judge that both Trump’s lawyers and the Department of Justice (DOJ) agree on. After Cannon told both sides to nominate people to fill the role, Trump’s lawyers suggested two names, including Dearie. The DOJ also listed two nominees, but approved of Dearie’s nomination to look at the documents in order to determine whether their retrieval violated Trump’s so-called “executive privilege.” Dearie will have to examine more than…
Oath Keepers Were Emboldened by Trump Tweet, New January 6 Audio Shows
The House committee investigating the January 6 attack released an audio recording Thursday in which members of the far-right Oath Keepers militia react in real-time to one of former President Donald Trump’s tweets as his supporters stormed and ransacked the U.S. Capitol. The new audio makes clear the militia members were emboldened by Trump’s response to the attack, which urged rioters to “please support our Capitol Police, they are on our side.” Communicating via a walkie-talkie app, Oath Keepers who were inside the Capitol and in other locations responded positively to Trump’s message, with one noting that “he didn’t say…
Trump Admits to Taking Government Docs, But Claims He Declassified Them
Former President Donald Trump claimed on a far right radio show on Thursday that he had given “verbal orders” to declassify the documents that were found at his Mar-a-Lago estate last month. When Host Hugh Hewitt asked if he issued such orders verbally while president, Trump said that was a “correct” assessment, even though it conflicts with existing processes for how documents should be declassified. “I have the absolute right to declassify, absolute,” Trump said. “A president has that absolute right, and a lot of people aren’t even challenging that anymore.” Eighteen of Trump’s former staffers, including high-ranking aides, have…
Lawmakers Are Facing More Violent Threats Due to Trumpian Rhetoric, Jayapal Says
“We are at a precipice and we’re counting on the American people to come through — and I have hope that people will realize that we have to turn this clock back.” That’s what U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told MSNBC’s Ali Velshi Saturday in an interview about how rhetoric from former President Donald Trump and his political allies — including their “Big Lie” that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by Democrats — connects to threats against both American democracy and individual lawmakers, including her. The interview came just two days after Jayapal…
Trump’s Political Operation Has Raised Over $500 Million Since the 2020 Election
Former President Donald Trump’s political operation has raised more than $500 million since the 2020 presidential election while using donor money to pay millions of dollars in legal bills and steer millions more to the coffers of Jan. 6 rally organizers, a new OpenSecrets analysis of federal campaign finance filings found. ABC News reported Thursday that a federal grand jury investigating the push to overturn 2020 election results and activities leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol has expanded its probe. Federal investigators are now seeking information about a central node of Trump’s political operation…
Majority of Americans Say MAGA Movement Is a Threat to Democracy, Poll Finds
New polling finds that a majority of Americans view Donald Trump’s far right political movement as a threat to American democracy. According to a survey done by Reuters/Ipsos last week, 58 percent of respondents believe that Trump’s so-called Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement threatens to undermine democracy. The poll found that one in four Republicans also agree that MAGA is threatening democracy. Though this number does not represent the majority of Republicans, it shows that a significant portion of the party’s base rejects the extremist bent that many mainstream Republicans have embraced in recent years. The survey also found…