International

Florida judge dismisses case against Trump for taking confidential documents

Florida Judge Aileen Cannon on Monday dismissed the case of former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump (2017-2021) for the mishandling of confidential documents after his departure from the White House.

The ruling, which comes two days after an attempted assassination of Trump while he was holding a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, represents a legal victory for the former president.

It is the first time that one of the four criminal cases against Trump, who will formally receive his party’s nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week, has been dismissed outright.

Cannon, who was nominated during Trump’s presidency, argued that the special counsel in charge of the investigation, Jack Smith, was not legally appointed and therefore “violates the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution.”

The federal judge noted in a 93-page document that Smith’s appointment did not follow the usual procedures, which include confirmation by the Senate.

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He added that Congress has a fundamental role in the appointment of special officials and that “that role cannot be usurped by the Executive Branch or spread to other places, whether in this case or in another, whether in times of greater national need or not.”

Neither the Justice Department nor U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland have yet to comment, but they are expected to appeal the decision in the case in which Trump was accused of illegally retaining classified documents after leaving office and then obstructing repeated government efforts to recover them.

The question of whether Smith’s appointment was legal or not had already been brought to the attention of the judge at the initiative of the former president’s lawyers, during the hearings, to which the special prosecutor’s team argued that addressing this claim should not merit dismissing the case entirely.

The decision comes on the first day of the Republican Party convention, where Trump’s nomination will be made official and he will also announce his running mate for the presidential election next November.

On his social network, Truth, the former president celebrated the decision of the federal judge and pointed out that all criminal and civil cases against him should have the same fate, in pursuit of the “Unification” of the nation.

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Trump still faces other trials in Washington, Atlanta and New York.

International

U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute

The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.

All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.

The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.

The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.

“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

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International

Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.

“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.

Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.

According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.

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International

Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power

Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.

The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.

Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.

Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.

The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.

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Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.

Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.

In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.