Tulsi Gabbard's Nuclear Warning Is Scary and Strange
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CNN
2 minutes ago
- CNN
Trump's legal retribution tour is getting more blatant
In case there was any doubt that President Donald Trump and his administration are on a legal retribution tour, this should just about settle it. Trump has often been under investigation during his political career — a fact owing to his near-constant efforts to push boundaries. But perhaps the four biggest examples? The Russia investigation; his Ukraine impeachment; January 6, 2021; and his personal legal troubles after leaving office (including those stemming from January 6). Less than seven months into Trump's second term, key people from every one of these efforts have now apparently faced investigations of their own. More than 10 people who played key roles in these investigations or ran afoul of Trump have faced some kind of significant legal scrutiny. These are steps that go beyond Trump merely accusing them of misdeeds or suggesting they should be probed. Trump and top administration officials have also targeted foes with firings and stripped them of security clearances, but the effort to apply legal scrutiny to some of the most prominent adversaries appears to be ratcheting up. Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this week ordered a grand jury probe into allegations that key Obama administration officials manipulated intelligence in the Russia probe. On Friday came news that New York Attorney General Letitia James, who won a civil fraud case against Trump, faces her own grand jury probe. Reports indicate a similar effort has also targeted Sen. Adam Schiff of California, who figured prominently in two Trump investigations from the president's first term. Often, the allegations being investigated do not relate to the figures' actions in probing Trump. Many of allegations remain unsubstantiated in the public record, like those about the Russia intelligence. None of which means none of the people did anything wrong. There is plenty we don't know. But it would seem telling that key figures from each of these efforts have found themselves under scrutiny. What are the odds that happens — and so quickly — if this isn't about retaliation and sending a message? And even if the investigations don't amount to anything, there is value for Trump in creating legal headaches for these people. It certainly sends a message to anyone who might to investigate him in the future. Here's a look at what we know, broken down by who investigated Trump for what. Barack Obama, et al.: Bondi, earlier this week, ordered prosecutors to begin a grand jury probe into allegations that top Obama administration officials manufactured intelligence about Russia's interference in the 2016 election. The move followed the release of new documents from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that she and others have misconstrued and that don't appear to shed much light beyond previous probes — including ones spearheaded by Republicans. Gabbard and Trump have gone so far as to suggest Obama himself committed treason. Former FBI Director James Comey: We learned last month that the FBI was investigating Comey for possible false statements to Congress. Trump controversially fired Comey in 2017 amid the FBI director's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election and its possible ties to Trump's campaign. The news of the investigation came after top Trump administration officials earlier this year strained to accuse Comey of calling for the president's assassination. Former CIA Director John Brennan: That FBI investigation also included Brennan, who played a key role in early assessments of Russia's interference and whom Trump has regularly attacked. Sen. Adam Schiff of California: The Justice Department is also probing Schiff, according to reports, for allegations of mortgage fraud. Those reports haven't been confirmed by CNN, but Schiff's lawyer Preet Bharara late Friday issued a statement calling the allegations 'transparently false, stale, and long debunked.' Schiff managed Democrats in Trump's first impeachment in 2019 when he was serving in the House and later chaired the House January 6 committee's investigation of Trump. The news comes weeks after Trump called Schiff 'a THIEF' and said, 'He should be prosecuted.' Trump also said in December that Schiff and other January 6 committee members should be jailed. The allegations stem from a confidential Fannie Mae memo raising questions about the possibility of 'occupancy misrepresentation' by Schiff, according to The Washington Post. Liz Cheney: Shortly after the 2024 election, Trump urged the FBI to investigate Schiff's co-chair of the January 6 committee, former Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican. In addition to saying January 6 committee members should be in jail, Trump promoted social media posts calling for Cheney to face a televised military tribunal. While there is no evidence of such an FBI investigation, House Republicans pressed forward with their own probe, focused on the idea that Cheney manipulated evidence in that investigation. That investigation has divided House Republicans, CNN reported in March. This category could also include Schiff, given he managed Trump's first impeachment, which related to the president's efforts to leverage Ukraine for political help in the 2020 election. The Vindmans: Then-interim US Attorney Ed Martin earlier this year sent letters to Democratic Rep. Eugene Vindman of Virginia seeking information about a business Vindman and his brother, Alexander Vindman, founded to help arm Ukraine to fight Russia, according to The Washington Post. CNN has not reported on these letters. Before Eugene Vindman was elected to Congress, the Vindman brothers blew the whistle on Trump tying Ukraine aid to the country announcing an investigation into the Bidens, when Joe Biden was Trump's campaign opponent. Trump has regularly attacked Alexander Vindman, whom former top administration official Elon Musk once called a 'traitor.' New York Attorney General Letitia James: James has faced investigations in multiple jurisdictions, including ones related to alleged mortgage fraud and her actions in investigating Trump. James successfully brought civil fraud charges against Trump in 2023, winning a verdict worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and brought multiple lawsuits against the first Trump administration. Trump has attacked James for years. Shortly before an investigation of James came to light in May, Trump called James 'a total crook.' Special counsel Jack Smith: The Office of Special Counsel, which is temporarily headed by a Trump appointee after the president fired its previous head, is investigating Smith for potential violations of the Hatch Act. (The Office of Special Counsel is separate from the kind of special counsel Smith served as.) That act limits political activities by government employees. Smith led the investigations and attempted federal prosecutions of Trump over January 6 and Trump's decision to take classified documents after leaving the White House in 2021. Those cases resulted in indictments but did not go to trial after Trump was elected president. Trump has frequently attacked Smith in public, often calling him 'deranged.' It's not clear precisely what the probe is focused on, but Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas recently alleged Smith's prosecutorial actions against Trump were geared toward influencing the 2024 election. Miles Taylor: Trump in April signed an executive action that, among other things, ordered the Justice Department to probe the former Department of Homeland Security official. Taylor in 2018 wrote an anonymous New York Times op-ed describing a 'resistance' within the administration to Trump, and later wrote a book critical of Trump. Christopher Krebs: The same executive action also ordered a probe of the former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director, who after the 2020 election undercut Trump's false claims of widespread voter fraud.
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
WARMINGTON: Veteran ignites debate by challenging Nova Scotia's $25G fine for woods walk
For those wondering if Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston was serious about fining citizens $25,000 for taking a walk in the woods, meet the first person to receive one of those lofty fines. His name is Jeff Evely – and he's extremely serious himself. There wasn't a challenge he wasn't up to facing while serving with the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan in 2009 and later in Iraq in 2019. He understands what it's like to go to war and come home with scars. The Air Force veteran of 20 years worked in the unarmed aircraft unit, which meant, 'I would see our young soldiers die at night and watch them get loaded on planes in caskets in the day.' Needless to say, he suffers from PTSD. 'I saw more Canadians loaded into Hercs than most,' he said. 'So, I understand the price and cost of freedom.' And when someone is being told they will face a fine for walking in the forest, he admits he does not approve. 'I fought it last time they did that and I am fighting it this time,' he said. 'It's just a walk in the woods.' On his X account, he posted a video of himself on his own property and then later 'at the ministry office eight minutes from my house' near Sydney, Nova Scotia, where he gave a heads up to the provincial environmental officers that he was going to go into the woods across from their building on Friday. They warned Evely not to do it or he would be fined. He did it and they gave him a ticket for $28,872.50. 'Seems there are taxes and fees and victim sure charges,' Evely said with a chuckle. He feels the people of Nova Scotia and Canada are victims of government overreach and tyranny. The Nova Scotia government's 'stay out of the woods order' comes across to many as Orwellian. There was no order to not sell matches or lighters or ban chainsaws or cooking stoves or to throw the book at actual arsonists with stiffer sentences. Just a sweeping ban on law-abiding people and their movements. 'It's about human dignity,' said Evely, who believes banning citizens from going for a walk in the woods on the premise that they could start a fire is unconstitutional. The JCCF (Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms) agrees with Evely and he said they'll will help him battle this out in court. Having covered veterans in foreign wars, my suggestion to Houston would be to drop this case immediately and not to do to this to a veteran who has to live with the horrors of war. It would be better to alter the message and rules to simply tell people not to have campfires or smoke while in the woods instead of effectively locking them down. Going into the wilderness is a right of passage in Nova Scotia – not just for a Canadian veteran but for everyone. There are ways to prevent forest fires, but taking away freedoms should not be one of them. Evely is prepared to lose his shirt to try to make this point. Feeling people lawfully and respectfully hiking in the woods are not going to start a forest fire, he said his goal is to fight back against 'do as I say or else' authoritarian-style government that goes beyond common sense. That's why veterans like himself fought – and often died – in wars. WARMINGTON: New statue is turning heads while reminding that cancelling history cancels freedom WARMINGTON: Sir John A. Macdonald was set free and now the guy who wanted him freed is too WARMINGTON: Historic Emergencies Act ruling vindicates Freedom Convoy truckers Evely said he harbours no ill will for the provincial officers who laid the charges. 'They are just doing their jobs' and 'I told them it was not personal' and 'we shook hands when I left,' he explained. But Evely will see them in court. The Houston government maintains the ban on entering forests is necessary given the hot, dry conditions throughout the province. Evely says he believes in staying on top of leaders who overstep their authority in treating people like they are enslaved. Either way, a fire has started in Nova Scotia – if not one in the forest, one in the courts. jwarmington@
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Teenage arrested after three shot in New York City's Times Square
A 17-year-old suspect has been arrested after three people were shot in New York City's Times Square in the early hours of Saturday. Gunfire rang out at around 01:20 EDT (05:20 GMT) at West 44th Street and Seventh Avenue, below the towering billboards in one of the world's busiest tourist hotspots. The teenager has not been named by police, and charges were pending. The shooting comes three months before the election for New York mayor, and as President Donald Trump sends federal agents into the streets of Washington DC to crack down on crimes committed by young people. The shooting in Times Square erupted during a fight outside a Raising Cane's chicken restaurant. It stemmed from a dispute, according to the New York Police Department. A handgun was recovered at the scene. Police say a 19-year-old man was shot in the foot, a 65-year-old man was hit in the left leg and an 18-year old woman was grazed in the neck. They were all admitted to hospital in a stable condition. Last month, a gun attack on an office building left four workers dead in Midtown Manhattan. The suspected gunman, a 27-year-old from Nevada, was believed to be targeting the National Football League offices. According to New York police, the city has seen historically low levels of gun violence in recent months. On Friday, Trump ordered federal agents into the streets of Washington DC to curb "totally out of control" levels of crime. Washington DC's homicide rate remains relatively high compared to other US cities, with a total of 98 such killings recorded so far this year. Homicides have been trending higher in the US capital compared with a decade ago. But federal data from January shows that Washington DC last year recorded its lowest overall violent crime figures - once car-jacking, assault and robberies are incorporated - in 30 years. On Saturday, Trump announced plans on Truth Social to host a news conference at the White House on Monday, "which will, essentially, stop violent crime in Washington, DC". A mistaken elevator, frantic emails and a run for help - how New York shooting unfolded Soldiers who tackled military base gunman hailed for 'heroism'
