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How the Trump fake electors scheme became a ‘corrupt plan,’ according to the indictment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:35 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The role that fake slates of electors played in Donald Trump’s desperate effort to cling to power after his defeat in the 2020 election is at the center of a four-count indictment released against the former president Tuesday. The third criminal case into Trump details, among other charges, what prosecutors say was a massive and monthslong effort to “impair, obstruct, and defeat” the federal process for certifying the results of a presidential election, culminating in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.The 45-page indictment states that when Trump could not persuade state officials to illegally swing the election in his favor, he and his allies began recruiting a slate of fake electors in seven battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — to sign certificates falsely stating that he, not Democrat Joe Biden, had won their states. While those certificates were ultimately ignored by lawmakers, federal ...

Deputy marshal and second man killed, woman wounded during drug investigation shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:35 GMT

VILLE PLATTE, La. (AP) — A deputy marshal and another man were killed and a woman was critically wounded in a shooting during a drug investigation in southern Louisiana, authorities said Tuesday.Ville Platte Deputy Marshal Barry Giglio died at the scene in the city about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of Baton Rouge at about 8:30 p.m. Monday, authorities said.Giglio was shot while helping members of the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office serve a search warrant in a home where drug activity was suspected, Louisiana State Police said.A man and a woman in the home also were struck by gunfire and taken to hospitals, where the man died, authorities said.One person was arrested but authorities didn’t immediately release the names of the suspect and the other victims or other details of the shooting. “This tragedy is yet another reminder of the sacrifices men and women in law enforcement make each and every day when they put on their uniform and badge, not knowing if they’...

Free state park admission for active military, veterans and National Guard in August

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:35 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- State parks will be free for active duty military personnel, veterans and the National Guard for the month of August, thanks to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.The free August Military passes became available starting Aug. 1 and can be picked up at any state park or a CPW office. Service members need to show proof in order to obtain one. "The free park pass provides a chance to experience Colorado’s state parks and the diverse wildlife and landscapes the state provides. All other park fees remain in effect, including camping reservations, boat and off-highway vehicle registrations, and hunting and fishing licenses. The pass is not valid for accessing State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Lands," CPW said in the news release. Celebrate Colorado Day with free state park admission Some parks require reservations so be sure to check before planning your adventure. CPW has other benefits for those who serve, past and present:Free admission to state parks on Veterans DayYea...

Taiwan detains army officer suspected of leaking military secrets to China

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:35 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan has detained an army officer and several collaborators on suspicion of handing military secrets to China.The defense ministry said Wednesday that a lieutenant colonel surnamed Hsieh and other defendants were suspected of having been recruited by China to leak national defense secrets and other information.The detentions come as military tensions between China and Taiwan continue to rise. China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has run a long-standing campaign to recruit retired Taiwanese military personnel to supply state secrets in exchange for money or gifts.Hsieh is also suspected of developing a spy organization of current and retired military personnel tasked with collecting intelligence for China, according to the Taipei Times newspaper, which quoted unnamed prosecutors with Taiwan’s High Prosecutors Office.The office did not immediately answer emailed questions about the case.“The Ministry of National Defense is saddened and severe...

Mideast countries that are already struggling fear price hikes after Russia exits grain deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:35 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Ahmed Salah grew anxious when he heard the news that Russia had suspended a crucial wartime grain deal. The bakery owner in Egypt’s capital is concerned it could mean global food prices soar.“There mightn’t be immediate impact,” the 52-year-old said last week as he oversaw workers baking bread in his shop in Cairo, “but if they didn’t find a solution soonest, things would be very difficult.”Russia pulled out of the deal brokered by the U.N. and Turkey to allow Ukraine’s grain to flow during a global food crisis. It helped stabilize food prices that soared last year after Russia invaded Ukraine — two countries that are major suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other food to developing nations.Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, and other lower-income Middle Eastern countries like Lebanon and Pakistan worry about what comes next. Struggling with economic woes that have driven more people into poverty, they fear rising food prices could create ...

Drone attacks in Moscow’s glittering business district leave residents on edge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:35 GMT

The glittering towers of the Moscow City business district dominate the skyline of the Russian capital. The sleek glass-and-steel buildings — designed to attract investment amid an economic boom in the early 2000s – are a dramatic, modern contrast to the rest of the more than 800-year-old city.Now they are a sign of its vulnerability, following a series of drone attacks that rattled some Muscovites and brought the war in Ukraine home to the seat of Russian power.The attacks on Sunday and Tuesday aren’t the first to hit Moscow — a drone even struck the Kremlin harmlessly in May. But these latest blasts, which caused no casualties but blew out part of a section of windows on a high-rise building and sent glass cascading to the streets, seemed particularly unsettling.“It’s very frightening because you wake up at night hearing explosions,” said a woman who identified herself only as Ulfiya as she walked her dog, adding that she lived in a nearby building. Like other Mu...

Sweden is conducting an analysis of the possibilities of legally banning desecration of Holy Books

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:35 GMT

Ahmad Alush speaks to reporters outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm where he had been granted permission to burn a Hebrew Bible. The man said he had no intention of burning a holy book and only wanted to draw attention to the recent Koran burning in Sweden, writes Yossi Lempkowicz.In response to a letter from Rabbi Menachem Margolin, head of the European Jewish Association, Sweden’s Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer stressed that desecrations of Holy Books ”in no way reflect the Swedish government’s opinions”.Sweden’s Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said that the Swedish government is examining legal and legislative possibilities to ban the desecration of holy books in the country.He made the announcement in a response to a letter from Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Chairman of the European Jewish Association (EJA), who had called on the Swedish government to ban the desecration of Holy Books.Margolin’s letter followed the burning of a Quran in front of a Stockholm mosque and threats...

Taylor Swift reportedly gives 'Eras Tour' truckers $100,000 bonuses

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:35 GMT

As pop superstar Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” continues, the singer has reportedly given the truckers on her tour a $100,000 bonus, according to TMZ.Around 50 truckers received the six-figure bonuses which were reportedly given ahead of the 33-year-old singer’s concert in Santa Clara, California on July 29.The truck drivers are responsible for hauling Swift's concert equipment across the U.S. leg of her global tour. The bonuses totaled about $5 million, TMZ reports.Besides the truckers, Swift also gifted hefty bonuses to just about everyone working on her tour including dancers, riggers, sound technicians, catering, and more.The bonuses total over $55 million, according to PEOPLE.Swift’s sold-out “Eras” tour kicked off in Glendale, Arizona on March 18 and is projected to earn over $1 billion in revenue by the time it concludes on Aug. 17, 2024, in London's Wembley Stadium.Swift is scheduled to headline SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Aug. 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9 before heading to Mexico ...

San Mateo road-rage incident ends in man’s arrest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:35 GMT

SAN MATEO – A road-rage incident over the weekend in San Mateo ended in the arrest of a 24-year-old man on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, police said.The incident happened Sunday afternoon, the San Mateo Police Department said in a news release. A daughter called her father and told him a black car was following her. The father then drove to her location and saw that she was still being followed.While stopped at a red light at East Hillsdale Boulevard and Curtiss Street, the father got out of his car and confronted the driver of the black car. That’s when the driver of the black car brandished a knife and threatened the father, police said.The driver of the black car then hit the father with his car, causing him to roll onto the hood, police said.The driver of the black car was identified, found and arrested near Lodi Avenue and Norton Street, police said, adding that the knife used during the incident was also recovered.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | ...

Lance Lynn gives up 3 solo homers in Dodgers debut and LA beats Athletics 7-3 for 60th win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:35 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lance Lynn gave up three home runs in his Dodgers debut, Mookie Betts hit his 28th homer and Los Angeles beat the Oakland Athletics 7-3 on Tuesday night.“We won, so it was good. That’s all that matters,” Lynn said. “Whenever you come to a new team, you want to make a good impression.”Traded last week by the Chicago White Sox, Lynn retired the first seven batters he faced. But he soon surrendered his 29th, 30th and 31st homers of the season.Zack Gelof went deep in the sixth. Brent Rooker homered on Lynn’s first pitch of the seventh. One out later, Jordan Diaz’s solo shot pulled the A’s to 4-3 in their first visit to Dodger Stadium since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.Lynn (7-9) allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings. The right-hander struck out seven and walked one while eating up precious innings for a team that needs its starters to go deep to preserve the bullpen.“It’s been quite some time since we had a starter...