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Lawyers file paperwork to formally request dismissal after judge in November put sentencing on hold indefinitelyDonald Trump's lawyers have filed paperwork pushing for dismissal of his Manhattan criminal hush-money case - and have invoked Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son, Hunter, in their argument.Yesterday, in issuing a 10-year pardon to Hunter Biden that covers any and all crimes whether charged or uncharged, President Biden asserted that his son was selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted' and treated differently'," Trump's lawyers wrote in papers filed on Monday but which were not made public until Tuesday afternoon. Continue reading...

Sylvester Stallone loans second cast for first-ever festival honoring franchise, including bus tour and mural unveilingThe city of Philadelphia is hosting its first RockyFest" in honor of the film franchise starring Sylvester Stallone as the boxing protagonist - and included an event-opening surprise at the top of the so-called Rocky Steps.The festival, which began on the franchise's 48th anniversary on 3 December and runs through 8 December, includes a bus tour, mural unveiling and movie marathon. Continue reading...

Benefield, 33, also received 10 years of probation for shooting Doug Benefield, 58, at their home in FloridaAshley Benefield, the former ballerina convicted in July of manslaughter for killing her estranged husband in what she claimed was self-defense, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison plus 10 years of probation.Benefield, 33, shot her husband, 58-year-old Doug Benefield, at her home in Florida on 27 September 2020. The subsequent media circus and trial, dubbed the Black Swan trial," has left many wondering if the act was intentional or in self-defense. Continue reading...

Stephen Feinberg's company has links to defence contractors, raising questions of conflict of interestDonald Trump has reportedly asked Stephen Feinberg, a billionaire private equity investor with extensive interests in the armaments industry, to be deputy defence secretary in his new administration.The choice, which requires Senate approval, could see Feinberg, 64, take the number two role at the Pentagon, where he would report to Trump's designated defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, whose own nomination faces an uncertain path amid allegations of past sexual misconduct, drunkenness and financial mismanagement. Continue reading...

Lawsuit filed on behalf of abortion providers argues state's 15-week ban is unconstitutionalWeeks after Arizona voters overwhelmingly passed a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution, Arizona's attorney general, Kris Mayes, has agreed that the state will not enforce its 15-week abortion ban while a new lawsuit over the law plays out.The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in Maricopa county superior court on behalf of Arizona abortion providers, argues that Arizona's 15-week ban is now unconstitutional and should be overturned. Continue reading...

Top Meta lieutenant says company overdid it a bit' on moderation after CEO's dinner at Mar-a-LagoMark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump, who have previously engaged in bitter public feuds, are now warming to each other as Zuckerberg seeks to influence tech policy in the incoming administration.The Meta CEO dined at the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida last week, talking technology and demonstrating the company's camera-equipped sunglasses, Fox News reported. Continue reading...

The craven stance of Tesla's board should not be lost in the legal back-and-forthThe first time around, judge Kathaleen McCormick of the Delaware court of chancery got it right. The $56bn pay package awarded by Tesla to Elon Musk in 2018 was indeed a governance abomination, a stitch-up in which ordinary shareholders weren't told about the deeply flawed" process whereby a superstar ceo" secured wildly over-the-top terms from pliant directors.Her closely argued ruling in January spelt it out in persuasive detail. The company had inaccurately described key directors as independent and misleadingly omitted details about the process". Ira Ehrenpreis, the lead director negotiating for Tesla, had a 15-year business relationship with Musk. Another member of the working group regularly went on holiday with Musk's family. A third was the company's general counsel and Musk's former divorce lawyer. Continue reading...

Hannah Kobayashi disappeared voluntarily as she sought to step away from modern connectivity', LA police sayA Hawaii woman who vanished after landing in Los Angeles three weeks ago disappeared voluntarily as she sought to step away from modern connectivity" and was last seen crossing into Mexico, police said at a news conference.Hannah Kobayashi, 30, appeared unharmed as she walked alone with her luggage into a tunnel at the San Ysidro crossing about 125 miles (201km) south-east of Los Angeles around noon on 12 November the day after her family reported her missing, LA police said Monday. Authorities made the discovery after reviewing surveillance video from the US Customs and Border Protection late on Sunday. Continue reading...

The Georgian Dream government's suspension of EU talks has sparked an existential struggle for democracyIn recent years, Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has brazenly pursued a policy of gaslighting an overwhelmingly pro-European population. Rhetorically, it has paid enthusiastic lip service to the national goal of eventual accession to the European Union, an aim that is enshrined in the constitution. In practice, a party founded by the billionaire oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili - whose wealth was accumulated inRussia - has been pulling Georgia ever further into the authoritarian orbit of Vladimir Putin.Foreign agent" legislation passed earlier this year - provoking large protests in Tbilisi - copied and pasted Russian laws designed to curtail the influence of independent civil society organisations. Subsequent restrictions placed on LGBTQ+ rights came from the same playbook. Having awarded EU candidate status to Georgia in 2023, these illiberal moves led Brussels to belatedly conclude that it was being taken for a ride by Mr Ivanishvili's political placemen. Membership talks were accordingly paused in June. Nevertheless, in the lead-up to an election this October, GD politicians were still pledging their commitment to EU membership. Continue reading...

Canadian government scrambles to ward off tariffs as prime minister briefs politicians on meeting with TrumpCanada's federal government has redoubled its efforts to ward off potentially disastrous tariffs from its closest ally, but provincial leaders have hinted at divergent strategies in response to the protectionist threat from president-elect Donald Trump.Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, convened a rare, in-person meeting with his political rivals on Tuesday to brief them on a surprise meeting with Trump at his Florida resort over the weekend. Continue reading...

Dinesh D'Souza admits analysis in film that alleged massive 2020 voter fraud scheme based on inaccurate information'Conservative film-maker Dinesh D'Souza has issued a rare apology for his controversial documentary 2,000 Mules, a cornerstone of post-2020 election fraud conspiracy theories, but a prominent organization in the election denialism ecosystem is standing behind the film's false claims.The film alleged a massive voter fraud scheme involving individuals supposedly stuffing ballot drop boxes with illegal votes. Central to these claims was cellphone geolocation data provided by True the Vote, a Texas-based non-profit that has become a prominent actor in the election denial ecosystem. Continue reading...

The White House is trying to disburse last $7bn in aid approved by Congress before Trump begins second termThe Biden administration is rushing military equipment to Ukraine in a last-ditch effort to shore up the country's defenses against the Russian invasion before Donald Trump assumes the US presidency in January.The newly announced $725m in assistance will include Stinger anti-air missiles, anti-drone weapons, artillery shells and long-range Himars rocket munitions, and anti-armour missiles, as well as spare parts and other assistance to repair damaged equipment from US stocks, the state department said. Continue reading...

This is another example of a two-tiered justice system that routinely shields the powerful - and punishes the powerlessNo one is above the law," Joe Biden tweeted in May. He probably should have added a caveat to that because his own son appears to be floating far above the scales of justice. On Sunday the president issued a full and unconditional" pardon to his middle child, Hunter, who was facing possible prison time for convictions on gun and tax charges. Biden and his spokespeople had previously insisted - at least seven times - that the president would not pardon his 54-year-old son and Donald Trump is, predictably, having a field day with the U-turn.A little background for those who haven't been following the misadventures of Hunter Biden as closely as Republicans have. Despite the fact that, unlike Trump's children, Hunter has never held a position in Biden's administration, Republicans are obsessed with the man and have used his problems to attack the president. And Hunter has made this easy: he has a history of dubious business dealings and his struggles with addiction have led to numerous personal scandals that have been disgracefully weaponised. At one point, the Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene showed nude photos of Hunter engaged in sex acts to the House oversight committee. Continue reading...

Lawrence Hecker, 93, is set to receive a life sentence after admitting to attacking boy in church bell towerShortly before a jury was supposed to be chosen for his trial on criminal charges of kidnapping and raping a boy in the mid-1970s, the self-acknowledged serial child molester and retired Roman Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker pleaded guilty on Tuesday morning.The 93-year-old is scheduled to receive a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment on 18 December in New Orleans's state criminal courthouse, where it has been rare for a Catholic clergyman to be charged - much less convicted - in connection with the church's decades-old clerical molestation scandal. Continue reading...

Despite Minnelli's memoir not being finished and a queue of Academy award, Emmy, Tony and Grammy winners excited to talk', the star of the upcoming biopic is already obviousAs the repeatedly stalled Madonna biopic has shown, it's difficult to make a film about a real-life icon, especially when the icon in question has a say in who will play them. And so it might prove to be with Liza Minnelli. Earlier this year, Minnelli announced that she is writing what is sure to be a blockbuster memoir. The book promises to pull no punches which - when you factor in her parents, her addiction issues and her complicated love life - is a hell of a lot of punches not to pull.The book isn't due to come out until 2026. Despite this, the television rights have already been optioned and, even though it's so far in the distance, Minnelli has already got several ideas about casting. In an email to People magazine, she wrote: First, we need a great script and an actress who loves to move," adding, Honey, first, I'm a dancer ... like the great line in Chorus Line: God, I'm a dancer ... a dancer dances ... even with replaced hips and scoliosis!" Continue reading...

Nearly 2 million Mexican Americans, more than half US citizens, were deported without due process during the Great Depression, reminiscent of what is unfolding todayOne sunny afternoon in February, a large group of plainclothes federal agents descended on Los Angeles's La Placita Park, a sanctuary and bustling cultural hub for the city's growing Mexican diaspora. Wielding guns and batons, they barricaded the park and demanded proof of citizenship or legal residency from the congregants trapped within.Those who failed to produce papers were arrested. More than 400 people were detained and forced on a train back to Mexico, a place many had never been. Continue reading...

Federal investigators find children working at Sioux Falls meat processing plant for second timeNearly a dozen children were working shifts cleaning meat processing equipment used at an Iowa pork plant's so-called kill floor over a four-year period, the US Department of Labor announced.Eleven children were using corrosive chemicals to clean as well as perilous head splitters, jaw pullers, bandsaws, neck clippers and other equipment" at a Seaboard Triumph Foods pork processing plant in Sioux City, according to officials. This is the second time federal investigators have found children working at that particular Sioux Falls meat processing plant. Continue reading...

My father was more thrilled with his present than the times we gave him lovely photos, swanky dinners and a fancy laptopI waited until I was 15 years old to have my first major disagreement with my physicist dad. We were living in India, and I had just been elected (note, not appointed) captain of my high school. Shortly before I assumed office", he was offered a coveted position at an American university. My teenage self was incredulous that he would put his career over my popularity.My pleas to stay back at boarding school were to no avail. My father made no effort to reassure me that the massive geographical and cultural shift would work out. Instead, he said we were sailing uncharted waters and would have to make the best of our situation. So off we went to freezing Minneapolis where we spent a year before my dad's reputed lab was invited to move to Pittsburgh. My exasperation was complete. Continue reading...

Lake-effect snow warnings in place in parts of Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania as residents navigate disruptionSome storm-weary residents of the US's Great Lakes region have seen continued snowfall in recent days and are facing the prospect of even more accumulations this week.Lake-effect snow warnings were in place through Tuesday night in parts of Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania. That was after lake-effect snow fell on parts of western New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio that were already blanketed with a foot or more over the past four days. Continue reading...

In 2024, we have a new post-election lie - Trump didn't just win, Republicans say, but he won big. He won a landslide. That's falseRemember the big lie"? In 2020, Donald Trump lost the presidential election so Republicans just brazenly lied and insisted he won.In 2024, we have a new post-election lie from the Republican party. Trump didn't just win, they say, but he won big. He won a landslide. He won an historic mandate for his Maga" agenda.Mehdi Hasan is the CEO and editor-in-chief of the new media company Zeteo Continue reading...

Maui, struck by one of the deadliest blazes in modern US history, has seen tourism drop, a shortage of houses and persistent inflationJanssen Vergara, 35, couldn't wait to rebuild the three-bedroom house she owned in west Maui before it burned down in last year's historic wildfire. She had been granted a building permit and the burn zone had been cleared for construction.But as the months passed, rebuilding came to feel more and more out of reach. Continue reading...

Both sides have traded fire and accused the other of breaching the truce. Plus, Tori Amos talks about trauma, Trump and Neil Gaiman

Everyone I asked gave a different definition - and when a concept is so nebulous, it becomes a political cudgelIn the aftermath of the election, the working class was constantly invoked and rarely defined - invoked as a badge of authenticity, as the people who really matter, as the salt of the earth, the ones politicians should woo or be chastised for failing to woo sufficiently. Who exactly is in this category? I asked around, and the definitions didn't just vary - they wobbled, clashed and blurred.The more nebulous something is, the more it can mean anything useful to the speaker or writer. I thought of Alice Through the Looking Glass:When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.'The question is,' said Alice, whether you can make words mean so many different things.' Continue reading...

Biden could have achieved a ceasefire in Gaza months ago if he had truly applied pressure on Benjamin NetanyahuJoe Biden stood in the White House Rose Garden last week to announce a ceasefire deal, but it wasn't the one he has been desperate to secure for months. Biden confirmed that Israel and Hezbollah had accepted a US-brokered agreement to stop a war that has devastated large parts of Lebanon. But the deal does nothing to end Israel's calamitous war on Gaza, where Biden and his administration had purportedly been pushing for a ceasefire - while enabling Israel with US weapons and political cover for 14 months.Biden could have achieved a ceasefire in Gaza months ago if he had truly applied pressure on the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. On 26 November, Netanyahu made clear the importance of an uninterrupted flow of US weapons to Israel, saying the 60-day truce with Hezbollah would give Israeli troops a breather" and provide time to replenish arms supplies from Washington. Continue reading...

The running back could end up setting the single-season rushing record as the Eagles start to take shape as a Super Bowl contenderBaltimore Ravens nose tackle Travis Jones dropped the fabulous Saquon Barkley to the cold turf for a one-yard loss on his only carry of the third quarter Sunday, leaving the running back with 44 yards rushing on the day. Barkley has had four separate carries this season for more yardage.The Ravens had done a decent job to that point containing Barkley, but football games consist of four quarters, not three, and Barkley only seems to get stronger these days. As the Philadelphia Eagles ground out a 24-19 victory over a fellow playoff contender, Barkley finished with 107 yards rushing. Continue reading...

Band Aid was well meaning, but it has done more harm than good. Now the diaspora is taking back control of the narrative

An event at the European parliament featuring the French academic Maboula Soumahoro was axed after French MEPs objectedMaboula Soumahoro is a renowned French scholar and public intellectual. The holder of a PhD earned through studies both in France and at Columbia University in the US, she is an associate professor at the University of Tours, a specialist on the African diaspora, and one of France's foremost academics when it comes to race relations.So when the European parliament decided to invite her to an internal event last month as part of a dialogue to discuss ways to promote equality and inclusion in the workplace", it made perfect sense.Rokhaya Diallo is a Guardian Europe columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Early online reaction suggests the concept car might appear more familiar to fans of Barbie or the Pink Panther than traditional Jag owners

Christopher Collings was convicted of sexually assaulting nine-year-old in 2007 and leaving her body in sinkholeMissouri's governor on Monday denied clemency for Christopher Collings, a death row prisoner facing execution for sexually assaulting and killing a nine-year-old girl and leaving her body in a sinkhole.Collings, 49, is scheduled to receive a single injection of pentobarbital at 6pm CT on Tuesday at the state prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri, for the 2007 killing of fourth-grader Rowan Ford. It would be the 23rd execution in the US this year and the fourth in Missouri. Continue reading...

Investment banker has donated regularly to conservative causes although not always in favor of the president-electDonald Trump announced on Monday he has picked investment banker and Republican mega-donor Warren Stephens to serve as ambassador to the UK.Warren has always dreamed of serving the United States full time," wrote Trump in a social media post. I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as the top Diplomat, representing the U.S.A. to one of America's most cherished and beloved Allies."Reuters contributed reporting Continue reading...

This blog has now closed; you can read all our coverage of US politics herePresident-elect Donald Trump - as we reported earlier - responded angrily to Joe Biden's pardon.But he himself pardoned several allies and friends in own final days in office among the 70 people granted clemency in 2021. Continue reading...

Congressman launches bid to unseat colleague from key role in committee to sharpen resistance to TrumpJamie Raskin, the Maryland congressman who spearheaded the second impeachment of Donald Trump, has announced a bid to unseat a veteran Democratic colleague from a key role in a Capitol Hill committee as part of a party drive to sharpen its opposition in preparation for Trump's return to the White House.After days of speculation, Raskin said he would challenge Jerrold Nadler of New York for the post of ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives' judiciary committee. Continue reading...

Search for crew of Wind Walker lasted nearly a day and covered more than 108 sq nautical milesThe search for five people believed to be onboard a fishing vessel that capsized in rough seas in the Gulf of Alaska has been suspended, the coast guard said on Monday.The search lasted nearly a day and covered more than 108 sq nautical miles. Continue reading...

Jamie Lee Komoroski, 27, pleaded guilty over death of Samantha Miller, who was killed leaving wedding in 2023A woman who admitted to drinking and who was driving well over twice the speed limit when she smashed into a golf cart, killing a bride who had just got married at a South Carolina beach, was sentenced on Monday to 25 years in prison.Jamie Lee Komoroski, 27, pleaded guilty at the Charleston county courthouse to reckless homicide, felony DUI causing death and two counts of felony DUI causing great bodily injury before her sentencing. Continue reading...

Roger Golubski, 71, accused of crimes spanning years, found dead in Kansas hours before jury selection set to beginA former Kansas police detective accused of the grossest acts of corruption a police officer can commit" has died shortly before federal prosecutors began trying charges against him.Roger Golubski, 71, had been waiting trial on charges that he kidnapped and raped two women during the 1990s and early 2000s when he was found dead on Monday morning in his home.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

Winnipeg got off to a record-setting start to the season. But balancing corporate demands and human passion is a tough taskFrom our standpoint, the game has never been healthier," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told CNBC in November. He had stopped into the network's Times Square studio to talk about the latest team valuations and the league's future TV and streaming deals. The outlook for both is broadly good. Our competitive balance, how good the game is, is what's fuelling ratings, attendance, partnership growth in terms of sponsorships - the whole package is working together," Bettman continued. All of which is mostly true, except for when it comes to the NHL's best team, the Winnipeg Jets.To be clear, the Jets - valued at just over $1bn - are excellent where it should really count: on the ice. Winnipeg have surprised most with their hot start this season. The Jets went 18-6-0 through the end of November and sit atop the Western Conference and the league. The 2024-25 Jets are the fastest team to reach 15 wins in a season and also the first team in NHL history to win 14 of their first 15 games. A solid team for many seasons on defence and in goal, the Jets have now found their scoring touch, outscoring opponents 94 to 63. It's an exciting time to be a Jets fan, with seemingly few reasons not to watch each game day. Continue reading...

Some Democrats express disappointment in Biden for setting bad precedent' but others leap to his defenceJoe Biden has been criticised by some of his own supporters for issuing a pardon to his son Hunter that he had previously sworn not to give.The president's volte face drew predictable fire from Republicans, led by the president-elect, Donald Trump, who used it to raise the case of the jailed ringleaders of the 6 January 2021 assault on the US Capitol, who he has suggested he will pardon when he returns to the White House. Continue reading...

Trump says Joe Biden's pardon of his son is a miscarriage of justice' in latest supportive reference to convicted rioters

Passenger boarded full international flight without ticket and was later removed from return flight for disruptionsA Delta Air Lines passenger who flew from New York to Paris as a stowaway is remaining in France for now after disrupting the return flight to the US that had been booked for her.The woman, identified as Svetlana Dali, boarded flight 265 - which was full - without a ticket before it departed from John F Kennedy airport in Queens, according to officials. The US's transportation security administration (TSA) said that while Dali, 57, went through property security channels, she never had a boarding pass or passport checked. Continue reading...

Ireland has, in effect, full employment, an expanded workforce and a booming economy. So why is it such a nation in flux?The best description of Ireland's political landscape after Friday's general election might be: strangely familiar. The familiar bit is easy. The two main incumbent parties, Micheal Martin's Fianna Fail and Simon Harris's Fine Gael, received almost exactly the same combined share of the vote (43%) as they did in 2020. As a result, the identical twins of Irish politics that have governed the state since it came into being just over a century ago will continue to do so.One of them, Fianna Fail, which has won the most seats this time, emerged as the dominant political machine in the 1930s and was almost permanently in charge until its vote imploded in 2011 after the bloody death of the Celtic Tiger. It is now edging back, if not towards its old ascendancy, then certainly into a comfortable seat at the centre of power. Its like-minded partner, Fine Gael, has been continually in government in one form or another since 2011, and if the incoming administration lasts a full term it will remain there until 2029.Fintan O'Toole is a columnist with the Irish Times and the author of We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland Continue reading...

Whistleblower report accuses Trump Pentagon pick of financial mismanagement, intoxication and sexist behaviorPresident-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, was reportedly forced out of two leadership roles at veteran-focused non-profits amid allegations of financial mismanagement, drunkenness and sexist behavior.A lengthy account in the New Yorker, based on interviews with whistleblowers, described Hegseth's behavior at two organizations where he held leadership positions: the Koch-backed group Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) and the AstroTurf" billionaire-backed Vets for Freedom (VFF). Continue reading...

The Spaniard is one of the greatest managers in the Premier League era but his club's aura has vanished. He still has reasons to think his job is safe though

Che Rhymefest' Smith co-wrote some of Ye's biggest hits. Now he's plunging into the vipers' pit that is Chicago city politicsChe Smith is your favorite rapper's favorite wordsmith. As Rhymefest, the Chicago native announced himself as a formidable battle rapper, verbally sparring with Eminem and other stars in the late 90s. He co-wrote some of Kanye West's biggest hits, not least the Grammy-winning Jesus Walks, while carving out his own exemplary career as a conscious emcee. He won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Glory, the Selma film soundtrack theme he co-wrote with John Legend and Common, a fellow Chicagoan.Even as the successes piled up, Smith, 47, never stopped thinking about his humanitarian obligation to his home town of Chicago, cut down to a metonym for urban violence and rot. Continue reading...

The outgoing president's abuse of the constitution opens the door to more abuse by the next one. The rules were never meant to condone crimeThe hypocrisy is breathtaking. Yes, any father might do the same for a son. Yes, the boy is reformed, forgiven, on the mend. Only nasty people are out to jail him. Live and let live. Yet there is something monumental in the pardon granted by the outgoing US president, Joe Biden. Six months ago, he scored political points by denying he would pardon his son Hunter Biden. Now, with the election over, he has done so.The easy response is: what is new? President Gerald Ford pardoned his predecessor, Richard Nixon; Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother and other figures whose families had donated to the Democrats; Donald Trump pardoned his son-in-law's father and dodgy aides galore. No one doubts that, as president, Trump will pardon a number of outrageous figures - perhaps even the Capitol Hill rioters of 2021. We wait to see if this includes trying to pardon himself from various pending prosecutions (though he cannot extend these powers to cases brought at state level).Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...