
US law firms have ways of making partners support Republicans
That lawyer related recently to Times Law spies that the firm would annually deduct $1,000 from each partner, which would then be donated to the Republican Party. The senior management was said to be particularly keen on George W Bush and that donation was imposed regardless of whether individual partners were supporters of the Democrats or any other party — and regardless of whether they were US citizens.
Guests at the launch of the book A Barrister for the Earth, by the Peruvian-born Monica Feria-Tinta, were treated to a novel
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The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
Photos of ‘Free D.C.' protest against Trump's federal takeover of Washington police
A protest against Trump administration's effort to overhaul policing in the District of Columbia drew scores to Dupont Circle before a march to the White House.


BreakingNews.ie
23 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Starmer to speak with allies ahead of Zelenskiy-Trump meeting
Keir Starmer will speak to western allies on Sunday ahead of Volodymyr Zelenskiy's White House meeting with Donald Trump. The British Prime Minister, France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz will host the meeting of the coalition of the willing on Sunday afternoon. Advertisement Mr Zelenskiy will fly to Washington DC on Monday, where he will meet the US president for the next stage of talks. The one-on-one in the Oval Office could pave the way for a three-way meeting alongside Russian leader Mr Putin, the US president has said. The coalition of the willing, made up of 30-plus nations, is prepared to deter Russian aggression by putting troops on the ground in Ukraine once the war is over. The meeting, which is expected to take place at approximately 2pm UK time, comes on the heels of Mr Trump's summit in Alaska with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Advertisement Donald Trump shakes hands with Vladimir Putin after their joint news conference on Friday (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Mr Trump hoped to secure a peace deal from the talks at a military base in Anchorage, but both he and Mr Putin walked away without agreement on how to end the war in Ukraine. The US leader, however, insisted 'some great progress' was made, with 'many points' agreed and 'very few' remaining. Several news outlets have cited sources which claimed that during the negotiations Mr Putin demanded full control of Donetsk and Luhansk – two occupied Ukrainian regions – as a condition for ending the war. In exchange he would give up other Ukrainian territories held by Russian troops. Advertisement Other outlets reported that Mr Trump is inclined to support the plan, and will speak to Mr Zelenskiy about it on Monday when they meet in the Oval Office. After the Alaska summit, the US president told Fox News it was now up to the Ukrainian to 'make a deal' to end the war. Starmer commended Mr Trump's 'pursuit of an end to the killing' following a phone call with the US president, Mr Zelenskiy and Nato allies on Saturday morning. But he insisted Ukraine's leader must not be excluded from future talks to broker a peace in Ukraine. Advertisement The British Prime Minister and European leaders appeared increasingly confident that Mr Trump will offer a 'security guarantee' of air support to back up allied troops on the ground in Ukraine. Mr Starmer welcomed 'the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal'. 'This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring Putin from coming back for more,' he said. But Mr Trump also appeared to have a change of heart on what he wants to achieve from the talks, indicating that he wants a permanent peace settlement rather than a ceasefire. Advertisement Writing on his Truth Social platform, the US president said: 'It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere ceasefire agreement, which often times do not hold up.' Mr Putin described the meeting as 'timely' and 'useful' after leaving Alaska. Experts have warned the face-to-face summit has risked legitimising the Russian leader, after he has been made a pariah by the international community for years. Dr Neil Melvin, director of international security at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), said: 'Vladimir Putin came to the Alaska summit with the principal goal of stalling any pressure on Russia to end the war. 'He will consider the summit outcome as mission accomplished.' I received a report from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. The front, the defense of positions, and up-to-date information on the intentions and movements of the Russian army. We are defending our positions along the entire front line, and for the second day in a row, we have… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 16, 2025 Ukraine's president Mr Zelenskiy warned Russia may ramp up its strikes against his country in the coming days 'in order to create more favourable political circumstances for talks with global actors'. Kyiv's troops are 'defending our positions along the entire front line', he added on social media site X. Mr Zelenskiy had earlier insisted a ceasefire must include an end to fighting on land, in the sea and the air, as well as the return of all prisoners of war and captured civilians, including children. Sanctions on Moscow 'should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war', Mr Zelenskiy said.


Telegraph
23 minutes ago
- Telegraph
West Virginia sending hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington DC
Hundreds of West Virginia National Guard members will be deployed across the nation's capital as part of the Trump administration's effort to overhaul policing in the District of Columbia through a federal crackdown on crime and homelessness. Republican Governor Patrick Morrisey announced Saturday that he was sending a contingent of 300 to 400 members. 'West Virginia is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation's capital,' Morrisey said. The move comes as federal agents and National Guard troops begin to appear across the heavily Democratic city after Trump's executive order on Monday, federalising local police forces and activating about 800 DC National Guard troops. By adding outside troops to join those already assigned to Washington, President Donald Trump is exercising even tighter control over the city. It's a power play that the president has justified as an emergency response to crime and homelessness, even though district officials have noted that violent crime is lower than it was during Trump's first term in office. A protest against Trump's intervention drew scores to Dupont Circle on Saturday afternoon before a march to the White House, about 1.5 miles away. Demonstrators assembled behind a banner that said 'No fascist takeover of DC', and some in the crowd held signs that said 'No military occupation'. Trump was at his Virginia golf club after Friday's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Morgan Taylor, one of the organisers who coordinated Saturday's protest, said they were hoping to spark enough backlash to Trump's actions that the administration would be forced to pull back on its crime and immigration agenda. 'It's hot, but I'm glad to be here. It's good to see all these people out here,' she said. 'I can't believe that this is happening in this country at this time.' She added, 'Any act of getting in the streets, any act of making noise, any act of showing a sense of community, taking care of one another, is an act of resistance.' The West Virginia activation also suggests the administration sees the need for additional manpower, after the president personally played down the need for Washington to hire more police officers. Maj Gen James Seward, West Virginia's adjutant general, said in a statement that members of the state's National Guard 'stand ready to support our partners in the National Capital Region' and that the Guard's 'unique capabilities and preparedness make it an invaluable partner in this important undertaking'. Federal agents have appeared in some of the city's most highly trafficked neighbourhoods, garnering a mix of praise, pushback and alarm from local residents and leaders across the country. City leaders, who are obliged to cooperate with the president's order under the federal laws that direct the district's local governance, have sought to work with the administration, though they have bristled at the scope of the president's takeover. On Friday, the administration reversed course on an order that aimed to place the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration as an 'emergency police commissioner' after the district's top lawyer sued to contest. After a court hearing, Trump's attorney general, Pam Bondi, issued a memo that directed the Metropolitan Police Department to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement regardless of any city law. District officials say they are evaluating how to best comply. In his order on Monday, Trump declared an emergency due to the 'city government's failure to maintain public order'. He said that impeded the 'federal government's ability to operate efficiently to address the nation's broader interests without fear of our workers being subjected to rampant violence'. In a letter to city residents, Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, wrote that 'our limited self-government has never faced the type of test we are facing right now'. She added that if Washingtonians stick together, 'we will show the entire nation what it looks like to fight for American democracy — even when we don't have full access to it'.