Jan. 6 prosecutors ask for protective order, citing threatening Trump post
Federal prosecutors overseeing the indictment of former President Donald Trump on charges of seeking to overturn the 2020 election asked a judge Friday to impose a protective order over the discovery evidence in the case, citing a threatening message that Trump had posted Friday on Truth Social, his social media platform: “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” Hours later, Trump’s campaign suggested in a statement that the post had not been directed at anyone involved in the election interference case. Tanya Chutkan, the judge assigned to the case, ordered Trump’s lawyers on Saturday to respond with any objections to the government’s request by 5 p.m. Monday.
On the campaign trail, an impossible task: ignoring Trump’s latest charges
Days after the front-runner was indicted on charges of trying to subvert an election, Republican presidential primary candidates returned to the campaign trail acting as if nothing had changed. But their dogged attempts to create a political safe space — an indictment-free zone, where they are not asked to defend or attack former President Donald Trump, the dominant leader in the race and the party’s most powerful figure — kept failing. As Trump rallies Republicans to his side against what he says is a political persecution, rivals increasingly face questions about how to move beyond a past election to talk about the future.
How Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour conquered the world
Pop superstar Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which is nearing the end of its initial North American leg, has been a business and a cultural juggernaut. Swift’s catalog of hits and her marketing sense have helped her achieve a level of demand and media saturation not seen since the 1980s heyday of Michael Jackson. Although Swift, 33, and her promoters do not publicly report box-office figures, trade publication Pollstar estimated she has been selling about $14 million in tickets nightly. By the end of the world tour, which is booked well into 2024, sales could reach $1.4 billion — exceeding Elton John’s $939 million for his farewell tour, the current record-holder.
Texas troopers join patrols in Austin, leaving many feeling uneasy
Scores of state highway troopers have descended on the Texas capital of Austin. At first, they were welcomed by the city’s Democratic leaders, part of a plan to address violent crime and make up for a shortage of officers in the Austin Police Department. But in a booming city known for its progressive politics, the partnership between the local police, steeped in the language of reform, and the Texas Department of Public Safety, under the direction of Republican state leaders, has raised concern. Now, Austin has two separate law enforcement agencies, with differing approaches to policing, patrolling the streets without formal coordination. One answers to city leaders, the other to Republican Gov. Greg. Abbott.
Ransomware attack disrupts health care services in at least 3 states
A ransomware attack this past week on a California-based health care system forced some locations to close and left others to rely on paper records. Prospect Medical Holdings, which operates 16 hospitals and more than 165 clinics and outpatient centers in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Southern California, announced the cyberattack Thursday. A spokesperson could not estimate Saturday when services would return to normal. It was not immediately clear how many of the system’s sites were affected, but locations in Pennsylvania reported computer outages, some Connecticut facilities were closed until further notice, and a Rhode Island affiliate reported it had to reschedule appointments and revert to paper records.
Mega Millions Jjackpot climbs to $1.55 billion
One of the largest lottery jackpots in U.S. history grew even larger early Saturday after no one matched the Mega Millions numbers in Friday night’s drawing. The new jackpot is $1.55 billion, the third largest ever by a narrow margin. The next drawing is Tuesday night. No one has won the Mega Millions jackpot since mid-April. On July 19, a single ticket won a $1.08 billion jackpot in the competing Powerball lottery. Huge jackpots have become more common in the multistate Mega Millions and Powerball lotteries in recent years because of changes to the games and higher ticket prices.
Jolted by a mutiny, Putin works the crowds
He worked a throng of screaming fans in Dagestan. He hoisted a young girl onto his hip in Kronstadt. He posed shoulder-to-shoulder with seven young siblings, shaking their father’s hand after a naval parade. President Vladimir Putin of Russia is newly out and about, pressing the flesh of the Russian people, in a bid to demonstrate that his years of pandemic-induced isolation are over and that his public support remains strong despite the war in Ukraine and a failed mutiny against his government. His behavior is a noticeable change for the Russian president, who cultivated extreme seclusion during the pandemic.
A shrinking footprint in Africa for France
The country’s president, a trusted ally of France, was taken hostage in the presidential palace by his own guards in July. Protesters massed at the French Embassy soon after, setting it on fire and shattering windows. A colonel in uniform appeared Thursday on state television and announced that the military was ending its cooperation with France. The chaos in the West African nation of Niger over the last 10 days was a repeat of earlier turmoil in nearby Burkina Faso and Mali — all three of which are former colonies of France. The coups have fanned the flames of popular anger against France, a former colonial power.
Imran Khan sentenced to prison, likely dashing hopes of political comeback
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan was arrested Saturday after a trial court sentenced him to three years in prison, a verdict likely to end his chances of running in upcoming general elections. Police took Khan into custody from his home soon after the court’s decision was announced. In its ruling Saturday, the trial court found the former prime minister guilty of hiding assets after illegally selling state gifts. The case is related to an inquiry by the country’s election commission, which found in October that Khan had illegally sold gifts given to him by other countries when he was prime minister and concealed the profits from authorities.
Battle at sea intensifies as Ukraine drone hits 2nd Russian ship in 2 days
A Ukrainian maritime drone packed with explosives rammed into a Russian oil tanker early Saturday off the eastern coast of occupied Crimea, Russian officials and a Ukrainian official said, the second strike on a Russian ship at sea in two days. That attack coincided with a new directive from Ukraine’s maritime authority, dated Friday, warning that six Russian Black Sea ports and the approaches to them would be considered “war risk” areas until further notice. The notice expanded on a less specific warning last month that any vessels sailing to ports in Russia or occupied Ukraine would be considered military targets.
Thousands of scouts are leaving heat-plagued jamboree early
The scout motto is “Be prepared.” But the 25th World Scout Jamboree, taking place as South Korea endures unusually hot weather, has prompted criticism of the event’s organizers, including scouting organization officials and the national government, for their seeming failure to follow that dictum. Hundreds of young attendees have been treated for heat exhaustion, and Friday the scouting associations from Britain, Singapore and the United States said their scouts would be leaving the campsite because of safety concerns. Hours before the contingents announced plans to leave, the South Korean government had said it would spend millions of dollars improving conditions at the jamboree site.
Ukrainians dismayed as Pope declines to condemn Russia at World Youth Day
On Friday, some of the hundreds of thousands of young Catholic pilgrims filing into a park in Lisbon, Portugal, to pray with Pope Francis stopped to embrace their Ukrainian peers standing on a small hill, holding blue-and-yellow flags and wearing black shirts featuring the faces of children killed in Russia’s invasion of their country. But for those hoping that he might take up the cause of the Ukrainians at World Youth Day, there was disappointment, just as there was last year when Francis delivered a prayer for peace that consecrated both Russia and Ukraine to Mary, leaving many Ukrainians feeling lumped in with their aggressors.
By wire sources
