Trump indictment unsealed in documents case

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MIAMI (AP) — The U.S. Secret Service is preparing for former President Donald Trump’s appearance at a federal court in Miami after a grand jury indicted him on 37 felony counts related to his handling of classified documents. Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the agency “will not seek any special accommodations outside of what would be required to ensure the former Presidents continued safety” in connection with Trump’s appearance Tuesday. He added that the Secret Service is in “constant coordination with the necessary entities to ensure protective requirements are met.”

Boris Johnson quits as UK lawmaker after being told he will be sanctioned for misleading Parliament

LONDON (AP) — Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he’s quitting as a lawmaker after being told he will be sanctioned for misleading Parliament. Johnson quit on Friday after receiving the results of an investigation by lawmakers over misleading statements he made to Parliament about a slew of gatherings in government that breached pandemic lockdown rules. Johnson accused opponents of trying to drive him out — and hinted that he might try to return. He said “it is very sad to be leaving Parliament — at least for now.” Johnson quit as prime minister in 2022 amid multiple scandals but remained a lawmaker.

Businessman linked to Texas AG Ken Paxton’s impeachment charged with lying to get $172M in loans

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas businessman at the center of the scandal that led to the historic impeachment of state Attorney General Ken Paxton has been charged with eight counts of making false statements to mortgage lenders to obtain $172 million in loans. The indictment of real estate developer Nate Paul on Friday is the result of a yearslong FBI investigation that Paxton became entangled in three years ago. That move set off events that led to a separate federal probe of the Republican attorney general and to the GOP-led state House of Representatives’ overwhelming vote last month to impeach him. Paul and Paxton have denied wrongdoing.

France hails ‘hero with a backpack’ who intervened in knife attack on very young children

LE PECQ, France (AP) — A 24-year-old Catholic pilgrim in France is being hailed as a hero after he intervened in a savage knife attack on very young children. The man’s father told The Associated Press that he believes his son prevented even worse bloodshed by grappling with the assailant. The man himself says he acted by instinct and that others also intervened. France’s president said news from the hospitals treating victims was reassuring. The children are between the ages of 22 months and 3 years old. Investigators continued to work Friday to unravel the motives of a Syrian man taken into custody after Thursday’s still unexplained attack in and around a playground in the Alpine city of Annecy.

Rep. Santos says he’s protecting family members by seeking to keep bond cosigners secret

NEW YORK (AP) — Rep. George Santos says he’s just trying to protect family members by asking the courts to keep his bond cosigners secret as he fights criminal charges. His lawyer on Friday asked a federal judge on Long Island to overrule a magistrate judge who had ordered the release of the identities of individuals who signed his $500,000 bond. Attorney Joseph Murray said Santos would agree to the disclosure that there is a “family” relationship between the Republican congressman and those who signed his bond. News outlets have requested that the names be revealed.

Putin asserts Ukrainian counteroffensive has begun, while drones strike within Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin says Ukrainian troops have started their long-expected counteroffensive. His comments Friday that Kiev’s forces suffered significant losses came just hours after a string of drone strikes inside Russian territory. Such strikes have been exposing vulnerabilities in Russia’s air defenses. Kyiv has played down talk of a counteroffensive, reasoning that the less said about its military moves the better. But a frontline push by Ukrainian forces appears to be the early stages of a counteroffensive. The war entered a perilous new phase this week with the breach of a dam along the front in southern Ukraine. Floodwaters have forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee.

A little white pill, Captagon, gives Syria’s Assad a strong tool in winning over Arab states

BEIRUT (AP) — Western governments have been frustrated by the red carpet treatment Arab countries have been giving Syria’s president, fearing their reconciliation with the pariah state will undermine efforts to push a solution to its long-running civil war. But while Syria peace efforts are on their agenda, Gulf Arab nations and Jordan have a different priority — stopping the flood from Syria of the highly addictive drug Captagon to their populations. That has made the tiny white amphetamine pill a strong tool in the hands of Syrian President Bashar Assad. By making even limited gestures to Arab countries against the drug, he may gain reconstruction money from them, further integration in the region and even pressure for an end to Western sanctions.

Man who told jurors he had ‘fun’ at the Capitol riot is sentenced to 6 years in prison

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Virginia man who testified he had “fun” at the U.S. Capitol riot has been sentenced to six years in prison for attacking police as he stormed the building. The prison sentence Markus Maly received Friday is significantly lower than the punishment prosecutors sought for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. The Justice Department had recommended a prison sentence of almost 16 years for Maly, a flooring installer. A prosecutor described the 49-year-old Maly as a “lifelong criminal” with 33 prior convictions on his record. But the judge who sentenced Maly noted most of his crimes date back to his 20s.

Blue Jays cut pitcher Anthony Bass after latest anti-LGBTQ+ comments

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays cut pitcher Anthony Bass on Friday, one day after the right-handed reliever said he didn’t think an anti-LGBTQ+ social media post he shared last month was hateful. The team now has seven days to trade Bass or put him on waivers. The move came hours before Bass was set to catch a ceremonial first pitch from Toronto LGBTQ+ activist leZlie Lee Kam before Friday’s game against Minnesota as the Blue Jays begin their Pride Weekend. Bass apologized before a May 30 game after sharing a post on his Instagram calling for anti-LGBTQ+ boycotts of Target and Bud Light over support they showed for the LGBTQ+ community.

With GM and Ford embracing Tesla’s EV charging technology, here’s what it means for consumers

DETROIT (AP) — Starting next year, owners of electric vehicles made by General Motors and Ford will be able to charge their EVs at many of Tesla’s charging stations, the largest such network in the country. As part of their move, both Detroit-area automakers have decided to adopt Tesla’s EV charging connector, the plug that links an electric vehicle to a charging station. With GM and Ford joining Tesla’s charging system, the rest of the auto industry may be forced follow suit. If so, it would provide a major victory to Tesla, which would be assured a new and guaranteed revenue stream for years to come.

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