Trump becomes first former president to face criminal charges | First Thing
Businessman expected to face arraignment on Tuesday with New York police warned they may face unusual disorder'. Plus, Tokitae, the oldest orca in captivity, to be set free
Good morning.
Donald Trump has become the first former US president to face criminal charges after a grand jury voted to indict him in New York over a hush-money payment made to the adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election.
What has the former president said? Trump, who is running again for president, reacted angrily in a lengthy statement that denounced the grand jury vote as political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history".
How have Republicans reacted? Republican politicians were swift to condemn the news. Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, called the indictment un-American" and assailed Bragg as a Soros-backed" Manhattan prosecutor who was stretching the law to target a political opponent". News networks that lean towards the Republicans were also vocal in their criticism of the indictment last night.
Why did a grand jury vote to indict Trump and what does it mean for him? The sealed felony indictment is likely to be unsealed in the next few days. At this point the specific charges were not immediately made public.
What do the cyberwarfare leaks show? The documents depict a new world of collaboration between the Russian military and its secret police. And they show how much more aggressive Putin's siloviki, or security forces, have become since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
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