International
Trump ex-aide Bannon acted as if ‘above the law’: prosecutor
AFP
Former Trump aide Steve Bannon believed he was “above the law” when he defied a subpoena to testify before lawmakers investigating the 2021 Capitol assault, a US prosecutor said Tuesday as arguments began in his federal trial for contempt of Congress.
Bannon, who led Donald Trump’s successful 2016 presidential election campaign, was among dozens of people called by a House of Representatives committee to testify about the storming of Congress by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021.
The 68-year-old did not appear on the summons date or provide requested documents related to the attack and events leading up to it, and was indicted on two charges of contempt.
“The defendant decided he was above the law,” said prosecutor Amanda Vaughn in her opening statement to the panel of 12 jurors and two alternates selected on Tuesday at a courthouse in Washington. “And that’s why we’re here today.”
“He ignored orders to comply, even after Congress had rejected his excuses not to, and he put aside multiple warnings that he could face criminal prosecution,” she said.
Bannon’s lawyer Evan Corcoran denied that his client had ignored the subpoena, saying the date was “the subject of ongoing discussions and negotiation” and “flexible,” noting this was typical procedure for the House committee.
According to the panel, Bannon spoke to Trump the day before thousands of the former president’s supporters stormed the Capitol in an effort to block the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.
They had been egged on by Trump in a fiery speech near the White House, during which he repeated his false claims of election fraud.
Corcoran said the decision to hold Bannon in contempt was politically motivated, saying “politics is the lifeblood of the US House of Representatives” and it “invades every decision that they make.”
Vaughn said the committee had cause to believe Bannon and other Trump advisors could have information on links between the White House and the rioters.
After refusing to testify for months, Bannon finally agreed this month to cooperate with the House investigation, a move prosecutors said previously was a “last-ditch attempt to avoid accountability.”
Bannon’s lawyers had sought to delay the start of the trial but US District Court Judge Carl Nichols denied the motion.
Prosecutors called their first witness, committee deputy staff director and chief counsel Kristin Amerling, near the end of the session.
Bannon, who served as Trump’s strategy chief at the White House before being sacked in 2017, could serve 30 days to a year in jail for each of the two counts if found guilty in what is expected to be a speedy trial.
International
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reinerand his wife as an “apparent homicide,” amid a wave of tributes to the director of classics such as When Harry Met Sally.
According to U.S. media reports on Sunday, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds.
Several political figures shared messages of condolence following the reported deaths of the director of A Few Good Menand his wife.
While the LAPD did not officially confirm the identities of the victims, it stated that homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiner residence.
“At this time, no additional details are available and the investigation into an apparent homicide is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that no arrests have been made and that no individuals are currently being questioned as suspects.
“I’m not going to confirm whether anyone is being questioned at this moment or not. We are going to try to speak with as many family members as we can,” Hamilton said.
CNN reported that a family spokesperson confirmed the deaths of Reiner and his wife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harrisissued statements expressing their condolences.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
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