International
Judge analyzes Trump’s request to discard the Florida case due to the “illegal” election of the prosecutor

The judge in the case of former president and Republican pre-candidate Donald Trump for the mishandling of confidential documents, analyzes this Friday a request from the defense to dismis the accusation arguing that the special prosecutor who presented it, Jack Smith, was illegally appointed.
Trump’s defense asked Judge Ailenn Cannon in a hearing today to dismiss the charges against her, arguing that the special prosecutor who filed the accusation, Jack Smith, was illegally appointed.
They detailed that the U.S. Attorney General, Merrick Garland, lacked legal authority to appoint Smith as special prosecutor in charge of the process.
Trump’s team defended at the hearing that Smith was illegally appointed in November 2022 by prosecutor Garland, since his appointment was not first approved by Congress and, in addition, this legislative body did not act in the creation of the special prosecutor’s office.
The Special Prosecutor’s Office led by Smith maintained, for its part, that Garland had full powers as head of the Department of Justice to make the appointment.
Last May, the judge indefinitely postponed the date of the trial against Trump in Florida for the mishandling of confidential documents found in her Mar-a-Lago club, in Palm Beach (Florida) after leaving the White House.
In the same case, Trump faces charges of obstruction and deliberate retention of official documents related to U.S. Security, which are punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
This Thursday The New York Times noted that Cannon, appointed in that federal court by former President Trump (2017-2021) during his term, rejected in 2023 the request of two federal judges in Florida to resign from overseeing the case after his assignment.
Today’s hearing took place just a few weeks after a New York jury found Trump guilty of falsifying commercial records to hide his relationship with porn actress Stormy Daniels and thus protect his 2016 election campaign.
It is expected that next week there will be a debate in court, among other issues, on a silence order that prosecutors have requested to prevent Trump from making comments that could jeopardise the safety of FBI agents and other officials involved in the case.
International
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide

COVID-19 vaccines prevented an estimated 2,533,000 deaths worldwide between 2020 and 2024, according to an international study led by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy and Stanford University in the United States, published in the journal JAMA Health Forum. Researchers calculated that one death was prevented for every 5,400 doses administered.
The analysis also found that the vaccines saved 14.8 million years of life, equivalent to one year of life gained for every 900 doses given.
The study, coordinated by Professor Stefania Boccia, revealed that 82% of the lives saved were people vaccinated before becoming infected with the virus, and 57% of deaths avoided occurred during the Omicron wave. In addition, 90% of the beneficiaries were adults over 60 years old.
“This is the most comprehensive analysis to date, based on global data and fewer assumptions about the evolution of the pandemic,” explained Boccia and researcher Angelo Maria Pezzullo.
International
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump criticized a federal judge’s ruling on Friday that reinstated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, stressing that the immigration program was never intended to serve as a “de facto asylum system.”
On Thursday, Judge Trina Thompson extended protections for about 7,000 Nepalese immigrants, whose TPS was set to expire on August 5. The ruling also impacts roughly 51,000 Hondurans and nearly 3,000 Nicaraguans, whose TPS protections were scheduled to end on September 8.
Immigrants covered by TPS had sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging that the program’s termination was driven by “racial animus” and stripped them of protection from deportation.
DHS Deputy Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement saying the decision to end TPS was part of a mandate to “restore the integrity” of the immigration system and return the program to its original purpose.
“TPS was never conceived as a de facto asylum system; however, that is how previous administrations have used it for decades,” McLaughlin emphasized.
She also criticized Judge Thompson, calling the ruling “another example” of judges “stirring up claims of racism to distract from the facts.”
McLaughlin added that DHS would appeal the decision and take the legal battle to higher courts.
The Trump administration has also terminated TPS protections for approximately 160,000 Ukrainians, 350,000 Venezuelans, and at least half a million Haitians, among other immigrant groups.
International
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028

The U.S. government under President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that it will begin construction in September on a new 8,000-square-meter ballroom at the White House.
The announcement was made by Karoline Leavitt, the administration’s press secretary, during a briefing in which she explained that the expansion responds to the need for a larger venue to host “major events.”
“Other presidents have long wished for a space capable of accommodating large gatherings within the White House complex… President Trump has committed to solving this issue,” Leavitt told reporters.
The project is estimated to cost $200 million, fully funded through donations from Trump himself and other “patriots,” according to a government statement. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and is expected to be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2028.
The Clark Construction Group, a Virginia-based company known for projects such as the Capital One Arena and L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., has been selected to lead the project.
The new ballroom will be built on the East Wing of the White House, expanding the iconic residence with a space designed for state dinners, official ceremonies, and large-scale events.
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