International
US writer who accused Trump of rape sues for battery, defamation
| By AFP |
A journalist who alleges that Donald Trump raped her in the mid-1990s filed an upgraded lawsuit on Thursday under a new law that protects victims of sexual assault decades after attacks may have occurred.
The new filing by lawyers for E. Jean Carroll came minutes after a New York state law took effect that allows victims to sue without regard to statutes of limitation.
Carroll, 78, filed a federal civil defamation suit against Trump in November 2019, and that suit is ongoing. Both Carroll and Trump filed sworn depositions before a New York judge in October.
The upgraded lawsuit by Carroll, an author and former columnist for Elle magazine, accuses Trump of battery, “when he forcibly raped and groped” her, and for defamation in a post on his Truth Social account last month where he denied the alleged rape.
In this new suit Carroll seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for psychological harm, pain and suffering, loss of dignity and damage to her reputation.
Carroll’s previous lawsuit is scheduled to head to trial at the beginning of 2023. The presiding judge may decide to include the new claims in the trial.
Carroll first made her claim of sexual assault against Trump in a 2019 book, alleging that Trump raped her in a changing room at Bergdorf Goodman, an upscale department store in New York, in late 1995 or early 1996.
But until New York’s new Adult Survivors Act took effect Thursday, Carroll could not file the battery claim because the alleged incident had occurred too long ago.
Trump has denied raping Carroll, or even knowing her, saying she was “not my type” and asserting that she was “totally lying.”
Trump’s lawyer in the case, Alina Habba, said she respects and admires those who come forward under the new New York state law.
But “this case is unfortunately an abuse of the purpose of this Act which creates a terrible precedent running the risk of delegitimizing credibility of actual victims,” she told AFP in an email.
The new law gives sexual assault victims in New York state a one-year window to sue their alleged abusers even when the abuse occurred long ago.
In her new complaint, Carroll reiterated that she remained silent for more than 20 years out of fear of reprisals but changed her mind after the #MeToo movement in 2017 against violence toward women.
In his October 12 posting on his Truth Social account, Trump said Carroll “completely made up a story that I met her at the doors” of Bergdorf Goodman. “It is a Hoax and a lie, just like all the other Hoaxes that have been played on me.”
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
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