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Manhattan DA’s office sued for records related to Trump prosecution

Manhattan DA’s office sued for records related to Trump prosecution

EXCLUSIVE: America First Legal is suing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office for records of any communication related to the prosecution of former President Trump between prosecutors and the Biden-Harris campaign, the Democratic National Convention and other groups.  America First Legal (AFL) filed the lawsuit Monday morning.  The organization is seeking documents and communication between Bragg’s office and the Biden-Harris campaign, the DNC, Color of Change and CREW.  JUDGE MERCHAN SUED FOR FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES AMID CONCERNS OF DAUGHTER’S DEMOCRAT WORK It is also seeking records related to efforts to raise money off the prosecution of the former president in New York v. Trump.  AFL is also looking to see if records exist between Bragg’s office and Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter — Loren Merchan — who runs a Democrat-affiliated political consulting firm, Authentic Campaigns.  “It is incumbent for Alvin Bragg’s office to meet its transparency responsibilities. The public record now reveals a direct contradiction between statements from the U.S. Department of Justice and Bragg’s own office about coordination between the two,” AFL Vice President Dan Epstein told Fox News Digital.  “And now it would appear that groups like Color of Change may be coordinating activities between Washington, D.C., and New York City behind the scenes.” AFL describes Color of Change as a far-left, Soros-funded group. The organization issued a statement characterizing the prosecution of Trump as the “fruit of our labor.”  AFL says the group visited the White House 16 times and met with both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.  The lawsuit comes as part of America First Legal’s ongoing investigation into Bragg’s office over concerns of impartiality, politically motivated prosecution and the weaponization of the justice system.  AFL sued Merchan last week for refusing to turn over his financial disclosures amid questions about his daughter’s work at Authentic Campaigns.  The CEO of Authentic reacted to the subpoena last week, saying the allegations against the company are “completely false and purely politically motivated.”  Under New York law, judges are required to file annual financial disclosures, which are required to be made available upon request.  Trump was found guilty in an unprecedented criminal trial on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree after a six-week trial stemming from Bragg’s investigation. Trump had pleaded not guilty.  His legal team has moved to appeal the verdict.  Merchan granted Trump’s request to delay sentencing until after the presidential election. The sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 26. 

Security, military experts weigh in on danger to Trump after latest assassination attempt

Security, military experts weigh in on danger to Trump after latest assassination attempt

Security and military experts reacted to the latest attempt on the life of former President Donald Trump, noting the difficulty the U.S. Secret Service faces in protecting the former president. “Wide open areas like golf courses are notoriously difficult to secure,” Josh Schirbard, a former SWAT commander and sniper team leader, told Fox News Digital.  “The routes of ingress are almost infinite, and most golf courses contain an abundance of wooded areas, shrubs, and other landscape features that make masking one’s approach even easier. Given these challenges, the best chance for an assassination attempt would be to use terrain masking and distance as your allies to try to make a long-range rifle shot.” The comments come after the FBI said Sunday it is investigating an apparent attempted assassination on Trump, this time after shots were fired near the former president at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. DONALD TRUMP SAFE AFTER SHOTS FIRED OUTSIDE PALM BEACH GOLF CLUB The suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, was arrested Sunday after fleeing the scene. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters Sunday that the gunman was roughly 300 to 500 yards away from Trump and was armed with an AK-47 style rifle, but was spotted by a U.S. Secret Service agent who “engaged” the suspect.  “Without knowing more about the rifle, there are some challenges with that kind of shot and this weapon system. The ‘standard’ AK-47 fires a 7.62mm round and is one of the most prolific weapons in the world. While it’s incredibly reliable and ‘technically’ has an effective range of 700 yards, it’s not known for being very accurate,” Schirbard said. “We still don’t know much about the shooter and his experience,” he continued. “But we do know that even with a 30-round magazine, attempts like this only get 1 – 3 rounds to hit their mark before the target is out of view. Is this an amateur attempt? Most likely. Long-range snipers also don’t leave their gear behind like this possible shooter.” Chad Robichaux, former Force Recon Marine and Department of Defense (DoD) contractor, told Fox News Digital that the weapon the suspect used could have been effective at about 1,000 yards. “Assuming it was a rifle with a caliber between 5.56 and 7.62, a skilled shooter can effectively hit a target at 1,000 yards,” Robichaux said. “So, if the shooter had any decent skills, he was certainly within range to kill President Trump.” Robichaux also noted that even for an “entry level Marine,” a shot of “500 yards with no scope” should be able to “hit a human-sized target.” JOY REID SUGGESTS TRUMP COULDN’T ‘AVOID THE CONSEQUENCES’ OF HIS OWN RHETORIC AFTER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT Trump was reportedly traveling between the 5th and 6th hole of the course when the incident occurred, meaning that unlike the previous attempt on his life in Pennsylvania, when the former president was stationary, the timing of when shots began to be fired was crucial, as the former president could have continued getting closer to the threat as he progressed through the course. Meanwhile, Mark “Oz” Geist, the bestselling co-author of “13 Hours” and a security and military consultant, told Fox News Digital that the scope may not have made much of a difference. “An alleged weapon obtained from a final firing position at Trump International Golf Course, where former President Donald Trump was playing golf, appears to be an aftermarket semi-automatic replica of a Kalashnikov rifle,” Geist said. “Its maximum effective range is 380 yards with iron sights. A scope wouldn’t necessarily increase the maximum effective range but would provide the shooter with greater accuracy.” “Also included in the pictures was a chain-link fence with a backpack and another carrying case attached to it, which has been indicated to contain ceramic plates, with a gap left to shoot through. This setup suggests that the potential shooter had placed these items in a defensive position, possibly in anticipation of being compromised and receiving return fire from the Secret Service.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump was unharmed in the incident, with senior campaign advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wile writing after the incident that an “evil monster” made an attempt on Trump’s life “for the second time in two months.” “Thankfully, no one was injured at the Golf Course. President Trump and everyone accompanying him are safe thanks to the great work of the United States Secret Service,” they wrote.

Germany expands border controls as right pressures government on migration

Germany expands border controls as right pressures government on migration

The governing parties are seeking to head off challenge of the far right as it faces key elections. Germany has expanded border control measures, with the crossings to all nine of its neighbouring countries now being checked. The checks, implemented on Monday in what the government said last week are a bid to to curb entry of undocumented migrants, are due to last six months. The move has drawn criticism from other European Union members, rights groups, and Brussels for disrupting the bloc’s border-free Schengen zone. However, with national elections looming next year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government is under intense political pressure from far-right political groups to toughen its stance on migration in the wake of a deadly knife attack. The controls include temporary physical structures at land crossings and spot checks by federal police, according to the AFP news agency. Border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland were already in place before the extended regime was announced. Checks will now also cover Germany’s borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. On Sunday, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the step aims to limit irregular migration and “put a stop to criminals and identify and stop Islamists at an early stage”. Faeser promised to minimise the effect of the restrictions on people living and working in border regions, assuring “coordination with our neighbouring countries”. The Ministry of the Interior advised travellers to carry identification when crossing the border. Poland and Austria have voiced concern, and the European Commission has warned that EU members impose such steps only in exceptional circumstances. However, the Social Democrat-led government is being pulled to the right. Germany took in more than one million asylum seekers in 2015-16, many of them Syrians, and has hosted another million or so Ukrainians since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022. But a string of incidents in recent weeks, including a deadly knife rampage, have shocked Germany, fuelling rising public anger and demands for border control. That has helped radical right-wing forces to gain support. Last month, the anti-immigration, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won state elections in Thuringia and came second in Saxony. The AfD is also leading in polls ahead of upcoming state elections in Brandenburg. Faeser’s Social Democrats currently governs the state in coalition with the Greens and Christian Democrats. A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry told reporters on Monday that racial profiling will not be allowed at the borders. “There is absolutely no question [of racial profiling], and I would like to emphasise this again here that racially motivated police action is completely unacceptable and unlawful,” the spokesperson said. Germany’s Federal Police Union, however, questioned the feasibility of the restrictions, citing issues with staffing and a short preparation period. Adblock test (Why?)

Ukraine invites UN and Red Cross to Russia’s Kursk region

Ukraine invites UN and Red Cross to Russia’s Kursk region

Kremlin slams invitation as ‘pure provocation’ as it prepares to welcome Red Cross chief. Ukraine says it has asked the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to verify the situation in areas of Russia’s Kursk region seized by Kyiv. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Monday that he had instructed his ministry to extend formal invitations to the organisations. The invitation is intended to “prove [Ukraine’s] adherence to international humanitarian law”, he added, in a clear reference to numerous atrocities committed by Russian forces in Ukraine since they invaded in February 2022. It was not immediately clear whether the UN or ICRC had responded to the invitation. Yesterday, while on a visit to our warriors in the Sumy region, I instructed @MFA_Ukraine to officially invite the UN and ICRC to join humanitarian efforts in the Kursk region. Ukraine is ready to facilitate their work and prove its adherence to international humanitarian law. — Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) September 16, 2024 Posting on the social media platform X, Sybiha said the Ukrainian army was ensuring “humanitarian assistance” and “safe passage” to civilians in the Kursk region, where Ukraine’s army remains more than a month after it began a major cross-border offensive. Kyiv says it controls about 100 settlements in the southern Russian region on the border with Ukraine. Sybiha said he told his ministry to issue the invitations after a visit to Ukraine’s Sumy region, from which Ukrainian forces launched their lightning raid in August. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it had issued the requests, which asked the ICRC to monitor Ukraine’s compliance with international humanitarian law in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, which cover the protection of people caught up in armed conflicts. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov branded the invitation, which came as ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric arrived in Moscow for a planned visit, as “pure provocation”. He said Russia expects “a sober assessment” of Ukraine’s request from the UN and the ICRC. Spoljaric is to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday, days after shelling killed three Ukrainian ICRC employees in a village in the front-line Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. Spoljaric has condemned the attack. Ukraine has been careful to try to present its army in a different light than the Russian forces occupying about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory. Moscow has denounced Ukraine’s counteroffensive, noting that it has pushed about 150,000 Russian civilians to evacuate. Adblock test (Why?)

Ukraine’s ‘Bucha witches’ volunteer to shoot down Russian drones

Ukraine’s ‘Bucha witches’ volunteer to shoot down Russian drones

Bucha, Ukraine – Valentyna beams when she talks about her new vocation – a “witch of Bucha”. That’s the unofficial moniker of almost 100 women aged 19 to 64 who are volunteers in part-time military service in air defence units in the suburban community northwest of Kyiv. Each “Bucha witch” trains to handle assault rifles and machineguns to shoot down Russian drones that swarm above their homes several times a month. The weapons fly towards Kyiv to blow up buildings, prompting Ukrainian air defence forces to launch pricey Western-supplied missiles at them. The buzzing swarms repeat the route of Russian ground forces in early 2022 when they occupied most of the Bucha district for 33 days and committed atrocities, now well documented, that captured the world’s attention. According to Ukrainian officials and international war crimes monitors, Russian fighters killed hundreds of civilians and robbed, raped and tortured thousands more. A volunteer learns how to reload an assault rifle [Mansur Mirovalev/Al Jazeera] Decimated by the killings, migration and mobilisation, residents in Bucha described a community reeling from a collective post-traumatic stress disorder and itching for revenge. Since April, several women have signed up to become a “Bucha witch” to find solace and fulfilment. “My mum is happy that I found myself. And I did find myself here. Found friends, colleagues, brothers and sisters,” Valentyna, a 51-year-old mother of three sons, told Al Jazeera. She and her peers interviewed for this story withheld their last names and personal details in accordance with military regulations. “We’re all kindred spirits. We have one heart for all. We have one purpose – to speed up the victory and invest in the victory any way we can,” Valentyna said earnestly. Clad in camouflage with blonde hair spilling from under a baseball cap, she was holding an assault rifle and a flak jacket covered with dust, dry leaves and pine needles. Valentyna and four other women spent several hours on a sunlit military range. They built dugouts and pits for their vehicles there. These days, the women are bussed to the range to learn how to load arms, shoot and coordinate attacks in twos and threes. The location is called “Mordor”, and Russian soldiers are routinely called “orcs” in Ukraine. Mordor is a realm in the fictional world of JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth fantasy series while orcs are evil beings. ‘When you put on a uniform, you’re not a woman or a man. You’re a defender’ On a recent Saturday, the women and their instructors “stormed” a dugout covered with grey plastic and pine logs that smelled like a Christmas tree. The male instructors acted unceremoniously, occasionally cursing and yelling things like “Move your a** from the tree!” or “I shot you. You’re f****** dead!” Their commander is gender-blind. “When you put on a uniform, you’re not a woman or a man. You’re a defender,” Andriy Verlaty, a raspy-voiced and burly colonel, told Al Jazeera. “But there are women who can outdo any man in fulfilling military duties, in being responsible, pedantic. “They even manage to wax their assault rifles,” he said like a stern parent admitting he’s proud of his child. Two doors away from his office in a dusty storage room were the twisted pieces of one of their trophies – a shot-down Iranian-made Shahed drone. Remnants of a Russian Geran drone shot down by the female volunteers [Mansur Mirovalev/Al Jazeera] Packed with 50kg (110lb) of explosives, the Shaheds and their modified Russian-made siblings, Gerans, move in raven-like flocks of dozens at 150 kilometres per hour (93 miles per hour). Filling the air with the harrowing screech of their engines, they are easy to spot but hard to shoot down. “Their tactics are always evolving,” Vladyslav Korg, who serves in a Bucha air defence unit, told Al Jazeera. Each Russian drone has a GPS tracker and streams live video to its operator. And when a Ukrainian air defence unit starts shooting, one of the drones, a bombless “spy”, flies up to it and turns on a projector so its operators can sic the swarm, Korg said. Before joining air defence, each Bucha witch has to undergo weeks of training. And it’s not a picnic. “I thought I wouldn’t be able to handle it,” Valentyna said. “But the body handles it. And when strength ends, spirit kicks in.” She panted heavily while doing push-ups with a flak jacket on. Next to her was a first-timer – Kateryna, who owns an art gallery in Kyiv. “I was worried. I’ve never touched a gun before,” she said after the training. “But now, I’m beginning to understand things a little.” The women joked that the drills were a “free outdoor gym”. But they give them much more than workout endorphins. ‘Better to take part’ On the first day of Moscow’s full-scale invasion, another first-timer, Natalya, saw Russian soldiers spilling out of planes and helicopters at the Hostomel airport near Bucha. Several panicked hours later, she fled with her daughters and nieces while her husband and son stayed on to serve in the military. These days, she’s their peer. “It’s better to take part than to watch from aside,” Natalya, a confectioner from 9 to 5, told Al Jazeera. The training is also a form of collective psychotherapy. Valentyna’s village next to Bucha has not been occupied, but her family survived near-death horrors. One day, deafening shelling forced them into their ice-cold basement. The walls were shaking, and shards of stucco kept falling from the ceiling. The shelling was so loud that she could not hear the words of her frightened child, who she hugged as he yelled into her ear. When leaving westwards in a jam-packed car, Russian soldiers flagged it down and ordered the family to roll down the windows. One of the soldiers touched her son’s head with his gun’s muzzle, she said. “That was such a shock and such a fear, a starting point” that eventually led her to the group of female fighters, Valentyna