DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

CNN —House Republicans unloaded a barrage of criticism directed toward FBI Director Christopher Wray Wednesday, outlining a litany of complaints while Wray testified before the House Judiciary Committee. Chairman Jim Jordan opened the hearing launching into a wide array of attacks on the FBI. “House Republicans will attack the FBI for having had the audacity to treat Donald Trump like any other citizen. FBI Director Christopher Wray is sworn in prior to testifying before a House Judiciary Committee hearing. “We did stand up a whole dedicated unit to focus on threats to FBI, individuals, FBI employees and FBI facilities because of the uptick that we saw over that time period,” Wray said.

Persons: Christopher Wray, Wray, Jim Jordan, Hunter Biden, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, “, ”, Matt Gaetz, ” Wray, ” Gaetz, Edgar Hoover, Gaetz, Jonathan Ernst, ’ Wray, Trump . Jordan, Jordan, Jerry Nadler, ” Nadler, Saul Loeb, –, John Durham, Biden, Hunter, ” that’s, ” Jordan, Thomas Massie, Massie, Nadler, Jack Smith’s, – Wray Organizations: CNN — House Republicans, FBI, Catholic Church, Florida Republican, Reuters, GOP, Foreign Intelligence, Republican, Trump ., Ohio Republican, Republicans, Trump, DOJ, FISA, “, White, ” New York Rep, ”, Committee, Getty, CNN, US State Department, Biden, White House, Democratic National Committee, Capitol, Trump’s Locations: Richmond, Florida, Washington , DC, Ohio, United States, Russia, Durham, Ukrainian, Louisiana, Kentucky, Lago, Mar

☆ CNN Exclusive: Biden says war with Russia must end before NATO can consider membership for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —President Joe Biden told CNN in an exclusive interview that Ukraine is not yet ready for NATO membership, saying that Russia’s war in Ukraine needs to end before the alliance can consider adding Kyiv to its ranks. “I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,” Biden said. Biden told Zakaria that it was a “difficult decision” to give Ukraine the controversial ammunition, but that he was convinced it was necessary because Ukraine was running out of ammunition. Biden told Zakaria he was optimistic that Sweden would eventually be admitted to NATO, noting the key holdout, Turkey, is seeking to modernize its F-16 fleet, along with Greece, which has voted to admit Sweden. It’s an observation.’ I said, ‘Since Russia went into Ukraine, 600 American corporations have pulled out of Russia.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zakaria, ” Biden, We’re, he’s, Vladimir Putin’s, Tom Brenner, Kyriakos, It’s, Xi Jinping, “, ’, you’ve, ’ ” Biden, Xi didn’t, CNN “, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Isaac Herzog, Netanyahu, “ It’s, Bibi Organizations: CNN, NATO, White House, Russia, White, West Bank Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Europe, Lithuania, NATO, Ukrainian, Israel, Russian, Sweden, Turkey, Hungary, Greece, “ Turkey, Mitsotakis, China, Saudi Arabia, Beijing, ‘, United States, Riyadh

☆ CNN Exclusive: Biden says sending cluster munitions to Ukraine was ‘difficult decision,’ but ‘they needed them’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The White House announced Friday that the president had approved the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine, the latest instance where the US has provided Kyiv with weapons it initially resisted sending into the war. The cluster munitions that the US will send to Ukraine will be compatible with US-provided 155mm howitzers, a key piece of artillery that has allowed Ukraine to win back territory over the last year. Tom Brenner for CNNBiden told Zakaria that the cluster munitions were being sent as a “transition period” until the US is able to produce more 155mm artillery. But it was not an easy decision,” Biden said. And I think they needed them.”The decision to provide cluster munitions comes at a critical point in the war, as the Ukrainians have struggled to make major gains in their counteroffensive against Russia.

Persons: Joe Biden, “ Fareed Zakaria, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, ” Biden, CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Tom Brenner, Zakaria, “ They’re, “ We’re, Biden, Ukraine – Organizations: CNN, White, US, CNN Biden, Defense Department, Cluster Munitions, Russia, NATO, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Washington, France, Germany, Europe, Lithuania

CNN —Following his defeat in the 2020 election, President Donald Trump spoke to Arizona Gov. Trump also repeatedly pressured his vice president, Mike Pence, to help him find evidence of fraud and overturn the 2020 election results. The Washington Post first reported on Trump pressuring Ducey on overturning the election results. As Ducey was certifying the election results in November 2020, Trump appeared to call the governor – with a “Hail to the Chief” ringtone heard playing on Ducey’s phone. Governor Ducey defended the results of Arizona’s 2020 election, he certified the election, and he made it clear that the certification provided a trigger for credible complaints backed by evidence to be brought forward.

Persons: Donald Trump, Doug Ducey, Ducey, Trump, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Pence, CNN Pence, Jack Smith, Brad Raffensperger, Smith, Raffensperger, “, Daniel Scarpinato, Governor Ducey, ” Trump, ”, Democratic Sen, Mark Kelly, Karrin Taylor Robson, Taylor Robson, Kari Lake, Lake, Katie Hobbs Organizations: CNN, Arizona Gov, Publicly, Republican, Trump, Ducey, Washington Post, Senate, Democratic, GOP, Arizona, of Regents, Stone Creamery, for Free Enterprise Locations: Arizona, Georgia, Fulton County

☆ Exclusive: CNN obtains the tape of Trump’s 2021 conversation about classified documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —CNN has exclusively obtained the audio recording of the 2021 meeting in Bedminster, New Jersey, where President Donald Trump discusses holding secret documents he did not declassify. Hear the conversation Listen to audio exclusively obtained by CNN of a July 2021 conversation during which former President Donald Trump acknowledges he held on to a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran. “These are the papers,” Trump says in the audio recording, while he’s discussing the Pentagon attack plans, a quote that was not included in the indictment. The audio recording comes from a July 2021 interview Trump gave at his Bedminster resort for people working on the memoir of Mark Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff. While that’s the last line included in the indictment, the audio recording obtained by CNN includes several additional lines from the conversation:Trump: “It’s so cool.

Persons: Donald Trump, “ Anderson Cooper, Jack Smith’s, Trump, ” Trump, Hillary Clinton’s, ” “ Hillary, ” Trump’s, “, Anthony Weiner, Bret Baier, Mark, –, Mark Milley, Milley, ”, ’, Weiner, ‘, ’ ” Trump Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, Democratic, Fox News, Fox, Yorker, Joint Chiefs, Trump, Defense Department, FBI Locations: Bedminster , New Jersey, Iran, Lago, Palm Beach , Florida, Bedminster, Mark Meadows

Miami CNN —Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 charges Tuesday in a brief but historic court appearance following his arrest and processing on federal charges. Trump is the first former president to face federal charges following last week’s indictment by special counsel Jack Smith. It underscored the fact that Trump’s legal turmoil is playing out amid a 2024 Republican primary where Trump’s legal troubles have been a central storyline, both for his campaign and his presidential rivals. We love the people, and you see where they are,” Trump said when asked how his court appearance went. Goodman concluded Tuesday’s hearing acknowledging his limited role in the Trump case.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Jack Smith, –, Smith, Grisham, Jonathan Goodman, Goodman, Walt Nauta, Nauta, Francis Suarez, ” Suarez, “, ”, ” Trump, Stanley Woodward, Nauta’s, President Trump, Wilkie D, Ferguson Jr, Jane Rosenberg, Judge Cannon, Judge Goodman, Aileen Cannon, Cannon Organizations: Miami CNN, Republican, Trump, CNN, Southern District of, Trump’s Save, United, Courthouse, Reuters, Circuit, West Palm Beach Locations: Manhattan, New York, Fulton County, Georgia, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Miami, Versailles, Washington, DC, Trump, Bedminster , New Jersey, Miami , Florida, U.S, Ft . Pierce , Florida, West Palm

Miami CNN —Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 37 charges related to alleged mishandling of classified documents. During the hearing, Trump sat hunched over with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. The criminal charges in the Justice Department’s classified documents case escalates the legal jeopardy surrounding the 2024 GOP front-runner. What Tuesday’s hearing is aboutAttorneys Todd Blanche and Chris Kise represented Trump in court for the arraignment. The new charges in the DOJ documents case are drastically more serious and present the possibility of several years in prison if Trump is ultimately convicted.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Trump, Todd Blanche, Trump, Trump’s, Walt Nauta, Jonathan Goodman, Nauta, David Harbach, ” Goodman, “, Department’s, Jack Smith, Justice Department’s, Aileen Cannon –, Lago, –, Chris Kise, Alina Habba, ” Habba, ”, Jay Bratt, Harbach, Julie Edelstein, David Aaron, Perkins, Cannon, Alan Rozenshtein, ” Kel McClanahan Organizations: Miami CNN, Justice Department, Trump, Justice, Doral, Mar, DOJ, “, West Palm Beach, DOJ National Security Division, University of Minnesota, Circuit, George Washington University Law School, CNN Locations: Miami, New York, Ft . Pierce , Florida, West Palm

☆ What to know about Trump’s court appearance
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Jeremy Herb | Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Trump’s aide, Walt Nauta, was also charged in the indictment and is expected to appear in court alongside the former president. Here’s what to know about Tuesday’s court appearance:What happens when Trump gets to the courthouse? CNN reported that Trump’s team has had difficulty retaining seasoned lawyers. The former president is set to return to his Bedminster, New Jersey, resort following his court appearance Tuesday. Following that court appearance, he flew back to Mar-a-Lago and delivered a speech in front of supporters that night.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, He’s, Jack Smith, Trump’s, Walt Nauta, Jonathan Goodman, Alieen Cannon, Cannon, Jorge Colina, Jim, John Rowley, Todd Blanche, Chris Kise, Benedict Kuehne, it’s Blanche, Boris Epshteyn, Nauta, Stanley Woodward, Smith, Karen Gilbert, Gilbert, Nauta –, Police Manuel Morales Organizations: CNN, US, Trump, Miami, Former Miami, Justice Department, Trump’s Save America PAC, Who’s, Miami US, Lago, Trump’s, Navy, Trump White House, Trump –, Prosecutors, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Miami Police Department, Federal Protective Service, DHS, Service Locations: Miami, Lago, Manhattan, Bedminster , New Jersey, New York, Florida, Kise, Washington, DC, Trump from New Jersey, Mar, Police, Bedminster

“Nothing more and nothing less.”The 49-page indictment included new details about how Trump allegedly took classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after leaving office in 2021 and resisted the government’s attempts to retrieve the classified materials. The indictment includes that photo – illustrating how the classified documents Trump kept were interspersed with newspapers and photographs. Trump wasn’t charged over classified documents he turned over voluntarilyWith the 31 documents the indictment describes as underlying the 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information, the indictment also lists when those documents were recovered by the government. A separate special counsel investigation into Biden’s handling of documents remains ongoing, while the Justice Department told Pence’s attorney no charges would be brought over the discovery of classified documents in his Indiana home. What’s next in classified documents caseTrump has been summoned to appear in court in southern Florida at 3 p.m.

Persons: Jack Smith, Donald Trump, Trump, Walt Nauta, ” Smith, Smith, Biden, Justice Department’s, Trump’s, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Nauta, ” Trump, “ Trump, ‘, ’, “, ”, –, Trump wasn’t, Evan Corcoran, Department’s, Biden –, Pence –, What’s, Aileen Cannon Organizations: CNN, Pence, Justice, DOJ, Trump, White, Defense Department, Justice Department, Mar, National Archives, The, Department Locations: Washington ,, Trump, Bedminster , New Jersey, Bedminster, Trump’s, Lago, United States, Trump’s Florida, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Congress, Indiana, Florida, New York, Fulton County

“As president, I could have declassified, but now I can’t,” Trump says, according to the transcript. CNN obtained the transcript of a portion of the meeting where Trump is discussing a classified Pentagon document about attacking Iran. The transcript of the audio recording suggests that Trump is showing the document he’s discussing to those in the room. Look, look at this,” Trump says at one point, according to the transcript. Look, look at this.”“Secret” and “confidential” are two levels of classification for sensitive government documents.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Trump, Trump, Jack Smith’s, he’s, Trump’s, Mark Meadows, Margo Martin, CNN Trump, Mark Milley, Susan Glasser, Milley, –, Smith, General Merrick Garland Organizations: CNN, “, Mar, White, Publicly, Trump, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Yorker, Defense Department, Justice Department Locations: Iran, Florida, Bedminster , New Jersey

CNN —An aide to former President Donald Trump has been indicted in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the mishandling of classified documents from the Trump White House, two sources familiar with the indictment tell CNN. Walt Nauta’s indictment is the second in the special counsel’s investigation after Trump was indicted on seven counts on Thursday. Nauta was with Trump at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club this week. Investigators obtained surveillance footage showing Nauta and the worker moving boxes of the classified documents around the resort, CNN previously reported. Nauta had spoken to investigators repeatedly in the probe, at first telling them he hadn’t handled boxes or sensitive documents at Mar-a-Lago.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jack Smith’s, Walt Nauta’s, Trump, Nauta, “, ‘ Trump Organizations: CNN, Trump White House, Nauta, Patriot, FBI, DOJ, Mar, Trump, Street Journal Locations: Bedminster , New Jersey, Trump’s Florida, Beach

CNN —Former President Donald Trump has been indicted in the special counsel’s classified documents probe, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN, a stunning development that marks the first time a former president has faced federal charges. Ongoing investigationsTrump has railed against the special counsel investigation and the other probes into his conduct, claiming they are all efforts to stop him politically. After federal investigators retrieved documents from the resort in June, his lawyers later told investigators that they had searched the storage area and that all classified documents were accounted for. In recent months, prosecutors heard from dozens of witnesses, including Trump aides and employees of Mar-a-Lago and the Trump Organization. Prosecutors obtained an audio tape of Trump talking about a classified Pentagon document during a 2021 Bedminster, New Jersey, meeting.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, “, ”, ” Trump, General Merrick Garland, Jack Smith, Joe Biden, Fani Willis, Fmr, Lago Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Biden Administration, Justice, Trump, Biden Justice Department, Trump Organization, Democratic, Senate, Trump’s, FBI, Prosecutors, DOJ, National Archives, Mar Locations: Miami, Manhattan, Lago, Fulton County, Georgia, Mar, Washington ,, Florida, Bedminster , New Jersey

CNN —Former Vice President Mike Pence staked out a series of clear differences with boss-turned-2024 rival Donald Trump, and needled other Republican contenders, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in a CNN town hall in Iowa on Wednesday night. Pence participates in a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN's Dana Bash at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 7. “I know the difference between a genius and a war criminal, and I know who needs to win the war in Ukraine,” Pence said. He’s made it clear that he wants to recreate that old Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe.”Pence participates in a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall on Wednesday.

Persons: Mike Pence, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Pence, Trump, Vladimir Putin, ”, ” Pence, “, Pence’s, Jack Smith’s, CNN's Dana Bash, Will Lanzoni, CNN Pence, Putin, it’s, Nikki Haley, DeSantis, Haley’s, DeSantis –, He’s, –, Bash, I’d, ’ ” Pence, Roe, Wade, he’d, United States “ Organizations: CNN, Florida Gov, Republican, Ukraine, Trump, Social Security, Grand View University, Pence’s CNN, Justice Department, National Archives, FBI, Justice, CNN Republican Presidential, Trump’s United Nations, GOP, Hall, America, Electoral, Republican Party, Capitol Locations: Iowa, Russia, Des Moines, Ukraine, Pence’s, Des Moines , Iowa, United States, Indiana, Eastern Europe, Trump, ”

The sources have been informed of the target letter and its contents but had not seen it themselves. Justice Department regulations allow for prosecutors to notify subjects of an investigation that they have become a target. Once informed, a target has the opportunity to present evidence or testify to the grand jury if they choose. Last August, FBI agents retrieved more than 100 classified documents from Mar-a-Lago after obtaining a search warrant. Most of the witnesses have appeared before a grand jury in Washington, DC, but in recent weeks a federal grand jury in Florida has heard testimony from multiple witnesses.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, Jack Smith’s, Smith, Maggie Haberman, Mark Meadows Organizations: CNN, The Justice Department, Prosecutors, DOJ, Trump, Justice, The New York Times, White, FBI, Mar, White House Locations: Lago, Florida, Washington ,

Prosecutors have been examining any effort to obstruct the Justice Department’s investigation after Trump received a subpoena in May 2022 for classified documents. Subpoenas for surveillanceAgents first subpoenaed the Trump Organization for Mar-a-Lago surveillance footage last summer, before the August search by the FBI. But as more classified documents were found through the end of last year, investigators sought more surveillance footage from the Trump Organization, sources tell CNN. Corcoran found about three dozen classified documents, and he turned them over to FBI agents the following day when investigators came to Mar-a-Lago on June 3. In March, a judge ordered Corcoran, who has recused himself from representing Trump in the Mar-a-Lago case, to provide additional testimony.

Persons: Donald Trump’s Mar, Department’s, Trump, Jack Smith, Lago, Walt Nauta, Donald Trump, Jabin, Matthew Calamari Sr, Matthew Calamari Jr, Nauta, Evan Corcoran, Corcoran, Barrett Prettyman, Kevin Dietsch, “, subpoenaing Corcoran, hadn’t Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, White, Prosecutors, Mar, Trump, Trump Organization for Mar, FBI, Trump Organization, Justice Department, Palm Beach, Washington Post, DOJ, Justice, House, The, Department Locations: Florida, Mar, Lago, Trump, West Palm Beach , Florida, Washington , DC

It allows Pence to offer an additional contrast between himself and former President Donald Trump, his political rival who’s under serious investigation by the Justice Department and others. “The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department’s National Security Division have conducted an investigation into the potential mishandling of classified information,” the Justice Department wrote to Pence’s attorney. The Justice Department is still investigating the handling of classified records by Trump and Biden. Two months after Smith’s appointment, Garland appointed special counsel Robert Hur in January following reports that classified documents were found at Biden’s home and former private office. Biden’s team says that when the classified documents were first discovered last fall, they immediately notified the National Archives, which then informed the Justice Department.

Persons: Mike Pence’s, Pence’s, Pence, Donald Trump, “, ”, Joe Biden’s, General Merrick Garland, Trump, Jack Smith’s, Garland, Smith, Robert Hur, Hur, Biden’s Organizations: CNN, The Justice, Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department’s National Security Division, FBI, Justice Department’s National Security Division, Justice, Trump, Biden, DOJ, National Archives, Lago Locations: Pence’s Indiana, Delaware, Lago, Iran

“Clean, clean, clean,” he told CNN in April, referencing the push for a clean debt ceiling resolution. He then later forced President Joe Biden to negotiate a debt limit suspension with spending cuts. “I think the Republican House caucus is willing to go to default,” said Rep. Ted Lieu, a California Democrat. A fired-up Buck, who opposed the debt limit deal, told reporters that he has received calls from constituents about removing McCarthy from the speakership. Now he says he would let us look at the document,” McCarthy told reporters.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, ”, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Joe Biden, Biden, “, ebullient McCarthy, underestimating, ” McCarthy, Schumer, we’ve, ” Schumer, Ted Lieu, Ken Buck, McCarthy “, Buck, McCarthy’s speakership, Chip Roy, Dan Bishop, Scott Perry, speakership –, he’s, Ralph Norman, what’s, “ We’ve, you’ve, Wray, James Comer, Comer, Alejandro Mayorkas, Marjorie Taylor Greene Organizations: CNN, GOP, House Republicans, White, Republican, California Democrat, Republicans, Texas Republican, North Carolina Republican, Caucus, Pennsylvania Republican, South Carolina Republican, FBI, Homeland Security, Rep, Georgia Republican Locations: California, Colorado, Pennsylvania

☆ Manhattan district attorney urges court to reject Trump bid to move criminal case
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Manhattan District Attorney’s office is arguing that former President Donald Trump’s criminal case involving hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels should not be moved to federal court because it had nothing to do with Trump’s official duties as president. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges. Earlier this month, Trump’s attorneys sought to move the criminal case against Trump from New York into federal court, arguing the Manhattan district attorney’s charges against Trump were tied to his duties as president. But the district attorney’s filing urges a federal judge to reject that bid, saying that the payments at question related to his personal business and were made to “conceal criminal conduct that largely occurred before his inauguration.”“The objective of the alleged conduct had nothing to do with defendant’s duties and responsibilities as President,” the Manhattan district attorney’s office wrote. At that hearing, Merchan set a trial date of March 25, 2024, potentially setting the trial to occur during the middle of the Republican presidential primary season early next year.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Daniels, Trump’s, Rudy Giuliani, ” Trump, Michael Cohen, Trump, ”, Juan Merchan, Merchan Organizations: CNN, Manhattan District, Manhattan, Attorney, Trump, Republican Locations: Manhattan, New York

☆ Special counsel John Durham concludes FBI never should have launched full Trump-Russia probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Zachary Cohen Devan Cole Tierney Sneed Evan Perez Hannah Rabinowitz Jeremy Herb Marshall Cohen | Zachary Cohen | Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

“Strzok, at a minimum, had pronounced hostile feelings toward Trump,” Durham wrote, while quoting in a footnote previously known texts between Strzok and Lisa Page, then an FBI attorney. Witness testimony exposed the FBI’s overreliance on the dossier as it sought court approval to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser in 2016. Mixed results over 3+ yearsBarr tapped Durham in 2019 to review the origins of the Russia probe, and the scope of Durham’s work grew over the years. Former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, which inherited the initial Russia probe, released a detailed accounting of Russia’s effort to interfere in the 2016 election. Mueller found no evidence of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, but investigators documented numerous contacts between Trump associates and Russians.

☆ CNN's town hall with President Trump: He's set to face questions from New Hampshire GOP primary voters as legal clouds hang over his 2024 bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination, will take questions from New Hampshire Republicans and undeclared voters in a CNN town hall Wednesday as myriad legal issues loom over his 2024 White House bid. New Hampshire, home to the first-in-the-nation GOP primary, is also home to many swing voters. That’s a view many GOP voters share, according to recent surveys. Ron DeSantis, has not yet officially launched a bid – Trump has maintained a healthy lead in early GOP primary polling. Wednesday’s live town hall audience will be made up of Republicans and undeclared voters who plan to vote in the GOP primary.

CNN —The New York judge handling Donald Trump’s criminal case approved a protective order on Monday that limits the former president’s ability to publicize information on social media related to evidence in the investigation. The Manhattan district attorney’s office had submitted the protective order to restrict Trump’s ability to share information his attorneys receive in the discovery process in part because of Trump’s social media posts about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and witnesses in the case. Trump’s attorneys had opposed the protective order, arguing that it infringed on Trump’s First Amendment rights as he makes another run for president in 2024. On Monday, the district attorney’s office filed a request for a conference to discuss the process for a US district judge to hear the motion. In its filing Monday, the district attorney’s office noted that the defense team’s request to move the case to federal court did not pause the state court’s schedule.

New York CNN —A New York judge will hear arguments Thursday over a proposed protective order in Donald Trump’s criminal case that would limit the former president’s ability to publicize information about the investigation. As a result, the hearing is unlikely to draw the crowds or require the police presence that shut down blocks of lower Manhattan in order to facilitate Trump’s appearance. Trump’s attorneys say that Trump, as a 2024 presidential candidate, should have the ability to defend himself against the charges while campaigning. The proposed protective order submitted by prosecutors, Trump’s attorneys wrote, “would severely hamper President Trump’s ability to publicly defend himself and prepare for trial.”Prosecutors have cited Trump’s public attacks on Bragg and prosecution witness Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, as one reason to restrict what he could say. Trump’s attorneys contend that Bragg and former prosecutor Mark Pomerantz made “disparaging and obnoxious” comments about their client.

CNN —The Air National Guardsman accused of posting a trove of classified documents to social media will be back in court Wednesday for a hearing on whether he will be kept in jail. Prosecutors are expected to argue to a judge that Teixeira should stay behind bars during the course of his legal case. According to charging documents, Teixeira began posting classified information to the Discord chatroom in December 2022, and he began uploading photos of the classified documents in January 2023. The fact that the documents sat online for months before being discovered has revived questions about how classified information is handled across the government. The Pentagon has limited access to classified materials in the wake of the leak, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has directed a 45-day review of classified intelligence handling across the Defense Department.

☆ US government tracking more than 650 potential UFO cases, Pentagon says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The US government is tracking more than 650 potential cases of so-called “unidentified aerial phenomenon,” commonly known as UFOs, according to the director of the office created last year to focus on the sightings. He played video from two of cases that had been declassified, one that had been resolved and the other unresolved. Kirkpatrick explained that this case was unresolved because there was no other evidence beyond the video. He said that in a small number of cases, he has concerns the episodes could be evidence of potential technological advancements. Those cases, he said, are handed off to the intelligence community to investigate further.

CNN —The suspect in the leak of classified Pentagon documents posted on social media has been charged under the Espionage Act with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal of classified information and defense materials. According to charging documents, Teixeira held a top secret security clearance and allegedly began posting information about the documents online around December 2022, and photos of documents in January. Investigators narrowed in on the potential members of the chat group with evidence collected following the discovery of the classified documents online. Four Discord users active in a different Discord chatroom where the documents later appeared told CNN the documents began circulating on Thug Shaker. Several former high school classmates of Teixeira’s told CNN Thursday that he had a fascination with the military, guns and war.

Search resuls for: "Jeremy Herb"

25 mentions found