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Trump Tells Americans: This Moment Will ‘Help this Country Heal’
International Desk
06 Nov 2024, 13:50
Photo: CNN
Former President Donald Trump told his supporters early Wednesday that this moment will “help this country heal.”
According to CNN projections, Trump only needs four more electoral votes to win the presidency. CNN has not yet called the race for the former president and votes are still being counted in several states.
At a convention center in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump promised Americans that “every single day I will be fighting for you” and said he would usher in the “golden age of America.”
Trump was joined on stage by members of his family and his wife, Melania Trump, as well as his running mate, JD Vance, and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
(Source: CNN)
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US Court Rules Trump Can Seek Dismissal of Hush Money Case
A New York judge on Friday gave Donald Trump permission to seek dismissal of his hush money criminal case after he was found guilty on multiple counts regarding payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
The 78-year-old Trump was due to be sentenced on November 26, less than a month after his victory in the US presidential election.
The sentencing was delayed and the judge gave Trump until December 2 to file his motion to dismiss. Prosecutors were given until a week after that to respond. A new sentencing date was not given.
What is the Stormy Daniels hush money case?
Trump was convicted in May on all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The $130,000 (€125,000) paid by Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen was meant to prevent Daniels from disclosing an alleged affair with Trump a decade earlier.
The conviction made Trump the first sitting or former US president to be found guilty of criminal charges.
Trump has repeatedly denied having an affair with the porn actress and paying her to stay silent.
Big win for Trump
Trump spokesperson and incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung hailed it as "a decisive win" for Trump.
The Republican leader has been fighting against any effort to sentence him before his return to the White House in January.
Lawyers for Trump have argued that the case should be dismissed because having it loom over him while he is president would cause "unconstitutional impediments" to his ability to govern.
Prosecutors said they're open to putting the case on hold, perhaps as long as he's in office, but they don't want it to be dismissed altogether.
By getting a judge's permission to have the conviction thrown out, Trump could now have several further hearings delayed once he is sworn in.
Trump has repeatedly denounced the case as a witch hunt, saying it "should be rightfully terminated."
Alongside the hush money case, Trump faces two other federal legal cases.
One of them relates to his effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and the other is connected to classified documents he allegedly mishandled after leaving office.
Trump Threatens Steep Tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China
US President-elect Donald Trump plans to impose a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, citing concerns over illegal immigration and the trade of illicit drugs.
"On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
He also criticized China for not doing enough to prevent illegal drugs from entering the US through Mexico.
"Until such time as they stop, we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America," Trump wrote.
Trump is set to be inaugurated next year on January 20.
Tariffs part of Trump's economic agenda
During the election campaign, he vowed to impose tariffs of 10% on all goods imported into the US and even higher tariffs of 60% on Chinese-made products.
Trump believes one way to boost US manufacturing is by imposing tariffs on imported goods.
He has targeted China in particular , vowing to slap tariffs on Chinese imports of over 60% - much higher than those imposed during his first term.
Trump's nominee for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, would oversee the implementation of tariffs if confirmed. He views tariffs as a negotiating tool with other nations.
In a Fox News op-ed, Bessent argued that tariffs are "a useful tool for achieving the president's foreign policy objectives. Whether it is getting allies to spend more on their own defense, opening foreign markets to US exports, securing cooperation on ending illegal immigration and interdicting fentanyl trafficking, or deterring military aggression, tariffs can play a central role."
Trump to face pushback from trading partners
When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term in office, other countries, including Canada, responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own.
However, Trump brokered the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which came into law in 2020.
It meant goods moving between the United States, Canada and Mexico crossed borders largely duty-free.
His reference to the fentanyl crisis and illegal immigration suggests he is leveraging national security issues to justify breaking the deal, a move permitted under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
Mexico finance ministry however said, "Mexico is the United States' top trade partner, and the USMCA provides a framework of certainty for national and international investors."
In a joint statement from Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Public Safety Minister Dominic Leblanc, emphasized they said they will discuss the border and vast economic ties with the incoming US administration.
"Canada places the highest priority on border security and the integrity of our shared border. Our relationship today is balanced and mutually beneficial, particularly for American workers," the statement read.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Washington warned neither the US nor China would win a trade war.
Trudeau Meets Trump to Talk Trade Amid Tariff Threat
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with US President-elect Donald Trump at the latter's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Friday. The meeting came days after Trump said he would slap a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, until both countries clamped down on drugs, particularly fentanyl, and illegal migrants crossing their borders with the US.
Trump's threat sparked worries in Canada, whose economy is deeply intertwined with that of the US. Over three-quarters of Canadian exports, worth $423 billion (€400 billion), went to the United States last year. And about two million Canadian jobs are dependent on trade.
Economists say imposing hefty tariffs would harm the economies of all countries involved.
Tricky time for Trudeau
The threat of US tariffs comes at a time when Canada's economy is already slowing. That, coupled with the rising cost of living, has already hit Trudeau's popularity.
A general election must be held in the country by late October 2025 and polls show the premier's party is lagging behind the opposition Conservative party.
Trudeau this week pledged to stay united against Trump's tariffs threat. He called a meeting with the premiers of all 10 Canadian provinces to discuss US relations.
While some say Trump's tariff threat is just a bargaining tactic, Trudeau rejected those views. "It is important to understand that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There's no question about it," Trudeau said.
Biden Pardons Son Hunter in Final Weeks of Presidency
US President Joe Biden on Sunday issued an official pardon for his son Hunter, who was facing sentencing for two criminal cases, despite assurances that he would not intervene in his legal troubles.
"No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter's cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son -- and that is wrong," the president said in a statement.
The move is sure to bring about fresh scrutiny over the independence of the US judicial system -- especially at a time when incoming president Donald Trump has moved to appoint loyalists to the FBI and Justice Department himself.
The younger Biden was convicted earlier this year of lying about his drug use when he bought a gun -- a felony -- and has also pleaded guilty in a separate tax evasion trial, but had not faced sentencing.
Biden had repeatedly said he wouldn't pardon his son. "I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted," President Biden said in Sunday's statement.
"The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election," he added.
"I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice."
The pardon comes as criminal cases against President-elect Trump have come to a standstill after a sweeping ruling on presidential immunity by the Supreme Court -- all but ensuring Biden's Republican rival will likely never see a jail cell, even after his landmark conviction for falsifying business records in May.
Plea deal gone awry
US presidents have previously used pardons to help family members and other political allies. Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother for old cocaine charges and Trump pardoned the father of his son-in-law for tax evasion, though in both cases those men had already served their prison terms.
Trump for his part vowed during the election campaign this year to pardon supporters who stormed the US Capitol in a deadly riot on January 6, 2021, in a bid to reverse his 2020 election loss.
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty in a tax evasion trial in September, facing up to 17 years in prison. For the separate gun charge, he was facing 25 years in prison. His lawyers have said he was only being brought before the court because he is the son of the president.
Hunter has paid the back taxes, as well as penalties levied by authorities, and previously reached a plea deal that would have kept him out of jail -- but that agreement fell apart at the last minute.
His case has long been a thorn in the Biden family's side, particularly during this election year when Republicans have charged that Hunter was being treated too leniently.
President Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris took much of the zeal out of the Republican drive to make an example out of his son.
Still, prosecutors appeared unwilling to cut him any slack, rejecting a so-called "Alford plea," whereby Hunter Biden would admit guilt because of the high probability of conviction, but would maintain his innocence.
In a statement to US media, Hunter Biden, who has grappled with drug addiction, said he would "devote the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering."
(Source: BSS)
ABC News Settles $15mn Defamation Suit with Donald Trump
ABC News will pay a $15 million settlement payment to resolve a defamation lawsuit brought by President-elect Donald Trump, according to court documents filed Saturday.
The lawsuit stemmed from on-air comments made by top anchor George Stephanopoulos, who said Trump was found "liable for rape" during an interview with US Representative Nancy Mace that aired in March.
The terms of the settlement require ABC News to make a $15 million donation to a fund dedicated to "a presidential foundation and museum" for Trump.
The news organization and Stephanopoulos will also issue public apologies saying they "regret statements" made about Trump during the aforementioned interview, and the broadcaster will pay an addition $1 million in attorney fees.
The case was settled one day after Judge Lisette M. Reid requested depositions from both Trump and Stephanopoulos.
Trump had been found liable for sexual abuse -- a different transgression from rape under New York law -- in a 2023 case filed by writer E. Jean Carroll.
The settlement marks the latest victory in Trump's string of legal fortune since winning the November 5 presidential election.
Last month, a US appeals court granted the dismissal of charges for Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents upon exiting the White House.
US Special Counsel Jack Smith also paused a second federal case regarding Trump's efforts to subvert the 2020 election results, although Trump faces racketeering charges over the same issue in a case out of Georgia.
And for Trump's May conviction in the hush money case -- the only criminal charges against him to go to trial -- Judge Juan Merchan has indefinitely postponed sentencing.
(Source: BSS)
Teacher and Student Killed in Wisconsin School Shooting
A shooting at a private school in the US city of Madison killed a teacher and a student, the city police chief said at a press conference on Monday. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the suspected shooter, who also attended the same school, was also dead when officials arrived at the scene.
Barnes did not reveal the gender or name of the suspected shooter. The Associated Press agency and the New York Times reported that the shooter was female. The police chief maintained that the suspected shooter's family was cooperating with officials and that all remaining children had been reunited with their families.
Another 6 people injured in Wisconsin shooting, police say
Barnes said another two students remained in critical condition at a hospital and their injuries were life-threatening. Four people were also injured, Barnes said. Those injuries were not life-threatening and two of those injured people have been released from the hospital.
Biden presses Congress to enact stricter gun laws
President Joe Biden called the shooting "shocking and unconscionable" in a statement Monday. "We need Congress to act. Now," he said. "From Newtown to Uvalde, Parkland to Madison, to so many other shootings that don’t receive attention — it is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence. We cannot continue to accept it as normal," he said.
"Every child deserves to feel safe in their class room. Students across our country should be learning how to read and write — not having to learn how to duck and cover," he added.
School director says students handled themselves 'magnificently'
A school official told reporters at a news conference that students very quickly knew the situation was not a drill when they were asked to lock down. The students "handled themselves magnificently," said Barbara Wiers.
"When they heard 'lockdown, lockdown,' they knew it was real," she said.
What do we know about the school?
The Abundant Life Christian School is a private school, attended by some 400 children from Kindergarten to 12th grade. School shootings are not uncommon in the US, with some 322 reported this year alone, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database website.
Such shootings often spark intense political debates over gun control, with many blaming the ease of gun access in the US for the high number of killings at schools.
Zelensky Huddles with European Leaders as Trump Looms
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets Wednesday with NATO chief Mark Rutte and key European leaders in Brussels to discuss "next steps" on Russia's war as Donald Trump prepares to take office in the United States.
The gathering due in the evening was set to bring together German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish leader Donald Tusk, Italian premier Giorgia Meloni and Denmark's Mette Frederiksen and could also include French President Emmanuel Macron.
British foreign minister David Lammy is also expected to attend, as are EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa. The huddle comes just over a month before Trump moves into the White House having pledged to bring a swift end to a conflict that NATO says has left over one million dead and wounded since Russia's 2022 invasion.
European leaders -- keen not to be left on the sidelines -- are scrambling to come up with their own plans as fears swirl that Trump could pull US support for Kyiv and force it to make painful concessions to Moscow.
Discussions have begun between some capitals over the potential deployment of European troops to Ukraine to secure any eventual ceasefire. But while this was raised at a recent meeting between Macron and Tusk, diplomats say it remains too early to come up with concrete proposals.
"Officially that is not on the agenda, but since there will be a lot of important people in the same room, it cannot entirely be ruled out," a NATO diplomat said. Addressing Italy's parliament on Tuesday, Meloni said the meeting in Brussels would reinforce European efforts to assure a "just and lasting peace".
"It is also an important opportunity to discuss the future of the conflict, maintaining close coordination on the next steps to be taken," Meloni said. Zelensky says he believes the war could end next year, and has called for allies to help secure a peace deal that Moscow cannot violate.
He said the leaders would discuss "how to urgently strengthen Ukraine on the battlefield, politically and geopolitically". NATO said that discussions would focus on "ongoing support for Ukraine, in particular air defence" as Russian bombardments have hammered Ukraine's power grid.
Zelensky seeks air defences
Rutte has insisted Kyiv's allies should focus on ramping up arms supplies -- and urged them not to debate possible peace conditions in public as it risks playing into Russia's hands.
Western backers are seeking to shore up Ukraine's forces as Kyiv's fatigued troops are losing ground across the frontline and Moscow has deployed North Koreans to the battlefield. "The aim is to make Ukraine as strong as possible for possible negotiations," a German government source said.
Zelensky on Tuesday said Ukraine "needs 12-15 more air defence systems to fully protect our country from Russian missile strikes". The NATO diplomat said the meeting "will be basically about Zelensky asking for more military aid."
As Trump's return to power approaches, the Ukrainian leader has appeared to soften his stance on any potential peace push. He has said that if Ukraine is given firm security guarantees by NATO and enough weaponry it could agree to a ceasefire along current lines and look to regain the rest of its territory through diplomatic means.
But NATO members have rebuffed Kyiv's calls for an invite to join their alliance right away, sparking speculation that sending peacekeepers could prove an alternative.
(Source: BSS)
