Today: October 06, 2024
Today: October 06, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

Political

A former fundraiser for Rep. George Santos has been charged with wire fraud and identity theft

A former fundraiser for U.S. Rep. George Santos was indicted Wednesday on federal charges that he impersonated a high-ranking congressional aide while soliciting contributions for the New York Republican’s campaign. Sam Miele was charged with four counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in an alleged scheme to defraud donors and obtain money for Santos under false pretenses. Prosecutors said Miele impersonated a high-ranking aide to a House member with leadership responsibilities, using a fake name and email address to trick at least a dozen prospective donors. Santos was not charged in the case. The

A former fundraiser for Rep. George Santos has been charged with wire fraud and identity theft
Political

Where will Trump go on trial first? How federal and state prosecutors and judges work out conflicts

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis holds a press conference after the grand jury voted to indict former President Donald Trump on Aug. 14, 2023. Christian Monterrosa/AFP via Getty Images If a person is charged by federal and state prosecutors – or prosecutors in different states – at the same time, which case goes first? A federal grand jury in Atlanta indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 associates on Aug. 14, 2023, on a collective 41 felony counts, including racketeering and forgery. The charges are linked to Trump’s alleged criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results. The latest,

Where will Trump go on trial first? How federal and state prosecutors and judges work out conflicts
Political

Florida's costs for protecting Gov. Ron DeSantis rise as he became GOP presidential hopeful

The costs for protecting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his family and visiting officials rose sharply over the last year as the Republican presidential hopeful embarked on an aggressive travel schedule and entered the GOP primary. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said in a report released this week that it spent more than $8 million to protect the governor from July 2022 to June 2023. That went up nearly 70% from the $4.8 million reported the previous year. FDLE’s total protection costs to include Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, their family, the governor’s mansion and visiting dignitaries

Florida's costs for protecting Gov. Ron DeSantis rise as he became GOP presidential hopeful
Political

Biden is set to mark the anniversary of his signing of a major climate, health and tax law

The White House is ramping up its efforts to illustrate the real-world impact of President Joe Biden’s signature climate, health care and tax law by showing how various Americans say they’ve benefited from his economic policies on the anniversary of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act. At a White House event Wednesday afternoon to celebrate a year since he signed the bill, Biden will stand alongside people — from union workers to small business owners to consumers — who the White House says have been aided by the law. That sweeping package, along with the bipartisan infrastructure law

Biden is set to mark the anniversary of his signing of a major climate, health and tax law
Political

War in Ukraine is a warning to China of the risks in attacking Taiwan

Demonstrators attend a pro-Ukraine rally in Taiwan in February 2023. Walid Berrazeg/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images U.S. defense strategists warn that China may use the distraction of the war in Ukraine to launch military action against Taiwan. They believe Chinese President Xi Jinping is determined to gain control over the breakaway province – which has been beyond Beijing’s control since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 – before he leaves office. In response to these concerns, in July 2023, the U.S. announced a US$345 million military aid package for Taiwan. For the first time, arms are

War in Ukraine is a warning to China of the risks in attacking Taiwan
Political

Prospect of Kenyan troops in Haiti has sparked concerns – but may also prompt soul-searching across the Americas over lack of action

Haitian authorities are fighting a losing battle against organized gangs. Richard Pierrin/AFP via Getty Images The kidnapping and subsequent release of U.S. nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her young daughter in Haiti in early August 2023 drew brief international attention to crime in the impoverished Caribbean nation. But the truth is that such kidnappings are commonplace for Haitians, and they rarely receive attention from outside the country itself. Indeed, Haiti has become a forgotten crisis to many international bodies and foreign governments. News that Kenya has offered to lead an international effort to bring order to the country only underscores the

Prospect of Kenyan troops in Haiti has sparked concerns – but may also prompt soul-searching across the Americas over lack of action
Political

Americans are divided along party lines over Trump’s actions in election cases, AP-NORC poll shows

Americans are deeply divided along party lines in their views of President Donald Trump’s actions in the most recent criminal cases brought against him, a new poll shows, with about half saying his alleged attempt to interfere in Georgia’s 2020 vote count was illegal. The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which was conducted before Monday’s charges in the Georgia case, also shows that about half of Americans — 53% — approve of the Justice Department indicting Trump over his efforts to remain in office after losing the 2020 election. The poll finds

Americans are divided along party lines over Trump’s actions in election cases, AP-NORC poll shows
Political

Trump enjoys strong support among Republicans. The general election could be a different story

After every new indictment, Donald Trump has boasted that his standing among Republicans only improves — and he has a point. Nearly two-thirds of Republicans — 63% — now say they want the former president to run again, according to new polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s up slightly from the 55% who said the same in April when Trump began facing a series of criminal charges. Seven in 10 Republicans now have a favorable opinion of Trump, an uptick from the 60% who said so two months ago. But in

Trump enjoys strong support among Republicans. The general election could be a different story
Political

Georgia case against Trump presents problems from the start: from jury selection to a big courtroom

Putting 19 people on trial at the same time is a difficult assignment for any prosecutor — whether or not one of those defendants is a former president of the United States running to reclaim his old office. The sprawling racketeering indictment returned this week by a grand jury in Atlanta presents a wide range of challenges. A big one is political: Finding jurors who don’t have unshakeable opinions about Donald Trump and others in his orbit. Beyond that, with so many defendants, prosecutors and defense lawyers will labor to keep the names and conflicting stories straight

Georgia case against Trump presents problems from the start: from jury selection to a big courtroom
Political

McCarthy floats stopgap funding to prevent a government shutdown at the end of next month

Congressional leaders are pitching a stopgap government funding package to avoid a federal shutdown after next month, acknowledging the House and Senate are nowhere near agreement on spending levels to keep federal operations running. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy raised the idea of a months-long funding package, known as a continuing resolution, to House Republicans on a members-only call Monday evening, according to those familiar with the private session and granted anonymity to discuss it. On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the two leaders had spoken about such a temporary measure. It would extend federal funding

McCarthy floats stopgap funding to prevent a government shutdown at the end of next month
Political

Georgia election indictment highlights wider attempts to illegally access voting equipment

A day after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, as the country was still reeling from the violent attempt to halt the transfer of presidential power, a local Republican Party official greeted a group of computer experts outside the election office in a rural county in south Georgia, where they were given access to voting equipment. Their intent was to copy software and data from the election systems in an attempt to prove claims by President Donald Trump and his allies that voting machines had been rigged to flip the 2020 election to his

Georgia election indictment highlights wider attempts to illegally access voting equipment
Political

Prosecutors in the Hunter Biden case deny defense push to keep gun charge agreement in place

A legal showdown over the derailed plea deal for Hunter Biden continued Tuesday as prosecutors asserted that an agreement on a gun charge is dead along with the rest of the deal as the case makes a major shift into a special counsel investigation. While the agreement that was supposed to have wrapped up the long-running investigation of President Joe Biden’s son largely unraveled during a contentious court hearing last month, prosecutors said the two sides had continued to negotiate until the defense rejected their final counterproposal the day before U.S. Attorney David Weiss asked to be

Prosecutors in the Hunter Biden case deny defense push to keep gun charge agreement in place
Political

Black female prosecutors like Fani Willis face the unequal burden of both racist and sexist attacks

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in her office in Atlanta, Ga. David Walter Banks/Getty Images On the day he was indicted on financial fraud charges in a New York City courtroom, former U.S. President Donald Trump launched an attack against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. One of the handful of Black female prosecutors in the country, Willis has led a criminal investigation into Trump’s alleged campaign interference in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. “In the wings, they’ve got a local racist Democrat district attorney in Atlanta who is doing everything in her power to indict me over

Black female prosecutors like Fani Willis face the unequal burden of both racist and sexist attacks
Political

Special prosecutor will examine actions of Georgia's lieutenant governor in Trump election meddling

A Georgia state agency said Tuesday that it will name a special prosecutor to consider whether the state’s Republican lieutenant governor should face criminal charges after former president Donald Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted Monday for working to overturn the state’s 2020 election results. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones was one of 16 Republican electors who falsely claimed that Trump won Georgia. As a state senator, he also sought a special session of Georgia’s Legislature aimed at overturning President Joe Biden’s narrow win in the state. But Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was barred

Special prosecutor will examine actions of Georgia's lieutenant governor in Trump election meddling
Political

Will Donald Trump show up at next week's presidential debate? GOP rivals are preparing for it

He says he won’t sign the pledge required to participate, but former President Donald Trump’s Republican rivals are actively preparing as if he will be onstage for the GOP’s first 2024 presidential debate next week. Former Vice President Mike Pence is hosting mock debate sessions with someone playing the part of the former president. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been participating in weekly debate prep sessions for several weeks with an eye toward drawing clear contrasts with Trump. And Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations, is planning to show she can stand

Will Donald Trump show up at next week's presidential debate? GOP rivals are preparing for it
Political

In 'Bidenomics,' Congress delivered a once-in-generation investment — with political promise, peril

There are so many dots on the maps they blur into blobs — each one reflecting trillions of public and private dollars flowing in the U.S. this past year to build thousands of roads, bridges and manufacturing projects in communities large and small, in states red and blue. They include an electric vehicle “battery belt” of manufacturing stretching from Michigan to Georgia, semiconductor fabrication plants in Arizona, Texas, Ohio and New York and broadband coming to Appalachia. Taken together, they represent President Joe Biden’s ambitious attempt to use the levers of government to chart a new era

In 'Bidenomics,' Congress delivered a once-in-generation investment — with political promise, peril
Political

Georgia court's apparent error in early publishing of charges gives Trump opening to attack case

Hours before a Georgia grand jury handed down an indictment charging Donald Trump and 18 allies over efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss late Monday, a mysterious document posted on the court’s website erroneously suggested the former president had already been charged before the file was quickly deleted. The posting of the case before grand jurors voted on the indictment — and officials’ failure to explain what happened — gave the former president an opening in court and on the campaign trial to try to paint Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ case as tainted and the criminal justice

Georgia court's apparent error in early publishing of charges gives Trump opening to attack case
Political

How the Georgia indictment against Donald Trump may be the biggest yet and other case takeaways

The fourth indictment of former President Donald Trump may be the most sweeping yet. The sprawling, 98-page case unveiled Monday opens up fresh legal ground and exposes more than a dozen of Trump’s allies to new jeopardy. But it also raises familiar legal issues of whether the First Amendment allows a politician to try to overturn an election. Already, Trump and his supporters are alleging the indictment is the product of a politicized, corrupt process to hobble him as he competes for the GOP nomination to face President Joe Biden next year. Here are some takeaways from Monday’s indictment: THE

How the Georgia indictment against Donald Trump may be the biggest yet and other case takeaways
Political

Biden heads to battleground Wisconsin to talk about the economy a week before GOP debate

In a show of preemptive counterprogramming, President Joe Biden on Tuesday travels to Wisconsin to highlight his economic policies in a state critical to his reelection fortunes, just a week before Republicans descend on Milwaukee for the party’s first presidential debate of the 2024 campaign. His trip comes on the eve of the anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, major economic legislation that he signed into law with great ceremony — although polls show most people know little about it or what it does. Wisconsin is among the handful of critical states where Biden needs to convince

Biden heads to battleground Wisconsin to talk about the economy a week before GOP debate
Political

Arraignment set for Mar-a-Lago property manager in Trump's classified documents case

The property manager of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate is set for an arraignment Tuesday in Florida in a case accusing the former president of illegally hoarding classified documents. The hearing was postponed last week because the property manager, Carlos De Oliveira, had not secured a Florida-based attorney. Trump waived his right to appear alongside De Oliveira, and valet Walt Nauta, last Thursday, and the judge accepted a not guilty plea the former president made in court papers. Nauta also pleaded not guilty. De Oliveira’s failure to finalize local counsel marked the latest delay in the

Arraignment set for Mar-a-Lago property manager in Trump's classified documents case
Political

Georgia’s indictment of Trump is a confirmation of states’ rights, a favorite cause of Republicans since Reagan

Fulton County Sheriff officers block off a street in front of the Fulton County Courthouse on August 14, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Joe Raedle/Getty Images For the past 50 years, Republican policymakers and judges have sought to bolster federalism in the United States. Since Ronald Reagan’s first inaugural address in 1981, Republicans have been calling for policymakers to rein in the federal government in favor of devolving more power to the states. Contrary to what it sounds like, “federalism” does not mean a strong central government. Instead, it refers to a system of government in which the people may be

Georgia’s indictment of Trump is a confirmation of states’ rights, a favorite cause of Republicans since Reagan
Political

Trump has been indicted in a fourth case. Here's where all the investigations stand

Donald Trump has now been indicted in a fourth case, with the former president being charged Monday in Georgia over his efforts to overturn his 2020 general election defeat in the state. The probe by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis began shortly after the release of a recording of a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which the then-president suggested that Raffensperger could “find 11,780 votes” — just enough to overtake Joe Biden. Trump, a Republican, has described his phone call to Raffensperger as “perfect” and has portrayed the prosecution

Trump has been indicted in a fourth case. Here's where all the investigations stand
Political

Racketeering allegation among charges against Trump in Georgia. Follow live updates

Follow along for live updates on the indictment of former President Donald Trump over his efforts to overturn the results of his 2020 presidential election loss in Georgia. The charges focus on alleged schemes by Trump and his allies to attempt illegally overturn his loss in the state. It’s the fourth criminal case brought against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House, and the second to allege that he tried to subvert the results of the vote. ___ WHAT TO KNOW — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has overseen the sprawling Georgia case against Trump

Racketeering allegation among charges against Trump in Georgia. Follow live updates
Political

Fulton County charges Donald Trump with racketeering, other felonies -- a Georgia election law expert explains 5 key things to know

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney receives documents from court clerk Che Alexander on August 14, 2023. Megan Varner/Getty Images An Atlanta, Georgia, grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump on Aug. 14, 2023, charging him with racketeering and 12 other felonies related to his alleged attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state. Eighteen of Trump’s allies and associates, including former Trump attorney Rudolph Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, were also indicted for racketeering and other felony charges for their alleged involvement in the scheme. This marks Trump’s fourth indictment in

Fulton County charges Donald Trump with racketeering, other felonies -- a Georgia election law expert explains 5 key things to know
Political

US, Japan, South Korea to announce deeper defense cooperation at Camp David summit

The United States, Japan and South Korea are expected to announce plans for expanded military cooperation on ballistic missile defenses and technology development in the face of growing concern about North Korea’s nuclear program when the countries’ leaders gather at Camp David for a summit Friday, according to two senior Biden administration officials. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss planning for the summit, said the announcements will be part of a broad set of initiatives that will be unveiled as President Joe Biden hosts Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean

US, Japan, South Korea to announce deeper defense cooperation at Camp David summit

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