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Trump indictment and hush money investigation, explained

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:19 GMT

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MEG KINNARD (Associated Press)Donald Trump has become the first former president to be indicted in a criminal case after a grand jury investigation into hush money payments made on his behalf during the 2016 presidential campaign.The unprecedented indictment comes as the Republican faces other legal investigations and launches a bid to return to the White House in 2024.The indictment will test the Republican Party already divided over whether to support Trump next year, in part due to his efforts to undermine his 2020 election loss.Trump has denied any wrongdoing and accuses prosecutors of engaging in a politically motivated “witch hunt” to damage his campaign.Here’s a look at the hush money case, the grand jury investigation and possible ramifications for Trump’s presidential campaign:WHAT’S THIS CASE ABOUT? The grand jury spent weeks meeting in secret to probe Trump’s involvement in a $130,000 payment made in 2016 to ...

Red Sox notebook: Offense heats up in frigid 10-9 loss to Orioles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:19 GMT

Give the Red Sox credit for this much, they made things interesting in the end.On a day when it felt like the game was as good as done by the middle innings, the offense came to life and clawed its way back down the stretch, ultimately falling one swing short in their 10-9 Opening Day loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park.The home team scored five runs of their runs from the eighth inning on, and in the bottom of the ninth, Masataka Yoshida came to the plate with two on, one out, and a chance to win the game with one swing.Boston’s new left-fielder grounded into what should have been a game-ending double play, but sloppy defense by Baltimore gave the Red Sox new life, albeit briefly. Jorge Mateo botched the throw to first and Yoshida advanced to second on the error. That brought Adam Duvall to the plate with the tying run at second, but he struck out to end the game.How did Yoshida feel about his major league debut?“It was very cold, but my heart was burning,̶...

Gwyneth Paltrow won her ski case: Here’s how it played out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:19 GMT

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — When two skiers collided on a beginner run at an upscale Utah ski resort in 2016, no one could foresee that seven years later, the crash would become the subject of a closely watched celebrity trial.But Gwyneth Paltrow’s live-streamed trial over her collision with Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired optometrist, in Park City emerged as the biggest celebrity court case since actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard faced off last year — spawning memes, sparking debate about the burden of fame, and making ski etiquette rules of who was uphill and who had the right of way relevant beyond those who can afford resort chairlift tickets.On Thursday, Paltrow won her court battle after a jury decided the movie star wasn’t at fault for the crash. Here is a look back at highlights from the two-week trial:___LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND THE FAMOUSFor seven days, attorneys highlighted — and downplayed — Paltrow and Sanderson’s extravagant lifestyles.Sanderson’s attorneys sought...

Taiwan’s leader, in US, stresses security for her island

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:19 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — In a highly sensitive U.S. visit, Taiwan’s president is delivering a message that keeping her self-ruled island strong will help ensure the world’s safety — even as her travel is carefully calibrated to try to contain what furious Chinese officials warn could be a strong response.Taiwan is billing President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to New York as simply a “transit,” but she kept a full agenda of events Wednesday and Thursday before flying to Central America. Most provocatively in the eyes of Beijing, her trip is expected to include a meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy next week. In a sign of the sensitivity of her visit, little about Tsai’s full itinerary has been made public, and her events Thursday were closed to the news media. The visit — while important for Taiwan in demonstrating its overseas support — is fraught for both Taiwan and the U.S. because China views Taiwan as its territory and treats any dealings between U.S. and Taiwanese officials as a ch...

Trump, indicted in Stormy Daniels case, claims innocence, ‘political persecution’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:19 GMT

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump, the only U.S. president ever to be impeached twice, made even more ignoble history Thursday as he became the first former commander-in-chief ever to be indicted by a grand jury on criminal charges.In typical Trump style, he wasted no time trying to turn it to his advantage.“This is Political Persecution and Election interference at the highest level in history,” Trump declared in a statement after multiple media reports, citing anonymous sources, broke the news of the indictment. The charges flow from the Stormy Daniels affair in which so-called “hush money” payments were made during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of extramarital sexual encounters. The indictment remains sealed, but the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation was focused on payments that were made to Daniels, a porn star, as well as to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.Trump described the indictment as “unthinkable”...

UK agrees to join Pacific trade pact in post-Brexit deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:19 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. has agreed to join an Asia-Pacific trade pact that includes Japan, Mexico and Australia — the biggest new trade deal Britain has struck since leaving the European Union three years ago.The British government said Friday that it had clinched an agreement after almost two years of negotiations to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP.The government said membership would reduce tariffs on British dairy products and other goods and remove red tape for services, boosting the U.K. economy by 1.8 billion pounds ($2.2 billion) “in the long run.”Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the deal “demonstrates the real economic benefits of our post-Brexit freedoms.”“Joining the CPTPP trade bloc puts the U.K. at the center of a dynamic and growing group of Pacific economies, as the first new nation and first European country to join,” Sunak said.The deal comes as the U.K. pursues an “Indo-Pacific tilt” in its economic and foreign ...

Rush for diabetes and weight-loss drug Ozempic puts cross-border sales in spotlight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:19 GMT

VANCOUVER — The B.C. government’s bid to restrict the sale of diabetes drug Ozempic to prevent non-Canadian residents draining supplies was the right move and a long time coming, says Brett Skinner, founder and CEO of the Canadian Health Policy Institute. Nearly two decades ago, Skinner warned that policymakers in Canada had to wise up to the market realities for pharmaceuticals and realize large-scale demand from Americans for cheaper Canadian drugs threatened the country’s limited supplies. In the case of Ozempic, its popularity has soared in recent years thanks to a ubiquitous advertising campaign coupled with celebrity-driven social media chatter about its effectiveness as a means of losing weight, a so-called “off label” use for the drug. B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said on Tuesday he wants a federal clampdown on sales to non-residents after it was discovered that Americans were being sent thousands of doses of Ozempic in the mail from B.C., the majority prescribed by a sin...

What Chicagoland, Illinois politicians are saying about Trump's indictment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:19 GMT

CHICAGO — Politicians and elected officials from Chicagoland and Illinois are responding after former President Donald Trump was indicted in New York.A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Donald Trump on charges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter, the first-ever criminal case against a former U.S. president and a jolt to Trump’s bid to retake the White House in 2024. READ MORE: Trump indicted in Stormy Daniels hush-money case The indictment, confirmed Thursday by Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Trump, and other people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss sealed criminal charges, is an extraordinary development after years of investigations into his business, political and personal dealings. Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly attacked the investigation as politically motivated, was expected to surrender to authorities next week, according to a person fam...

Illinois Senate approves proposal to protect child social media stars

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:19 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) -- Illinois is one step closer to becoming the first state to regulate child social media influencers.The Senate passed a proposal to create trust accounts for children influencers if their parents have monetized content featuring them. It would also allow the minor to request social media companies to delete all of the content with them once they turn 18. ORIGINAL: Illinois senators create bill to protect kid influencers Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria), the Senate sponsor of the bill, says it solves a new child labor issue. "This new digital era has allowed children to find ways to make money online from the content they make,” Koehler said. “The problem is that many parents take this opportunity to pocket the money themselves, and encourage their children to make more content for their benefit." In addition, the bill would require parents to report details such as their child's hours, how much money they made, and how much they deposited into their child's ...

NYPD cops ordered to patrol in uniform, prepare for mobilization after Trump indictment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:19 GMT

NEW YORK (WPIX) – Top brass at the NYPD issued a memo on Thursday instructing all officers to wear their uniforms and prepare for mobilization following the Manhattan grand jury indictment of former President Donald Trump.The internal NYPD memo, obtained by Nexstar's WPIX, stated that officers of all ranks should perform their duties in uniform and be prepared for mobilization beginning Friday morning. Trump indicted in Stormy Daniels hush money case The NYPD and other law enforcement agencies have been on heightened alert since last week in anticipation of the looming grand jury decision in the Manhattan district attorney's case. Last Friday, a powdery substance and a threatening letter were found inside a mailroom at DA Alvin Bragg's offices. The NYPD and environmental protection officials isolated and removed the suspicious letter, and testing “determined there was no dangerous substance,” Bragg spokesperson Danielle Filson said.Bragg also acknowledged in a memo to staff that t...