Donald Trump tracker: Live news and updates on Trump’s latest moves
Welcome to your one-stop destination for all the latest news, updates, and insights on the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. As a prominent figure in the world of politics, business, and entertainment, Trump has been a subject of immense interest and discussion across the globe. Our dedicated page brings you the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on everything related to the former President, ensuring that you stay informed and engaged with the world of Trump.
From his early days as a real estate mogul and reality TV star to his tenure as the President of the United States, Donald Trump has been a polarising figure who has captured the attention of millions. Our news page covers a wide range of topics, including his policies, speeches, controversies, and achievements during his time in office. We also delve into his post-presidency activities, legal battles, and future political aspirations, providing you with a complete picture of the man who has left an indelible mark on American history.
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Raskin urges faith in justice system amid special counsel in Hunter Biden case
In a recent assertion, Jamie Raskin, a Representative hailing from the Democratic party in Maryland, urged for faith in the justice system in view of a special counsel appointed in the case against Hunter Biden. In this context, last Friday observed special counsel credentials granted by Attorney General Merrick Garland to David Weiss. Weiss has held the role of federal prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden for a length of five years. The Attorney General's standpoint was clear when he voiced, "I have deduced that appointing him as the special counsel aligns with public interest."
Expressing his views on the talk show "This Week" airing on ABC, Raskin talked about the sanctity of the justice system saying, “This is why we possess a Justice Department. We should rely on them to carry out their duties”. According to Raskin, the promotion of Weiss acts to substantiate his position, empowering him to proceed with the case against Biden, irrespective of the implications. Throwing light on Weiss's intentions, Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, stated that Weiss desires the freedom to level charges as per his discretion.
The case in question has been actively pursued by House Republicans anchored by James Comer, the chair of House Oversight, Republican party from Kentucky. They have been investigating Hunter Biden's commercial transactions and personal demeanour. Raskin, who is the leading member of this House committee, expressed strong disagreement towards any members of the presidential family exploiting their familial status for financial gains, referencing the actions that Hunter Biden is suspected to have engaged in.
Raskin pointed out that this is not a unique occurrence, citing the case of Jared Kushner, the former presidential son-in-law, who allegedly secured an investment amount of two billion dollars from the Saudi royal family after the former President Donald Trump's term concluded.
In conversation with Jonathan Karl, the host of the abovementioned show, Raskin professed that the allegations against Hunter Biden range over a spectrum of misconducts, yet he believes that the Republicans have failed to establish a connection between Hunter Biden's wrongdoings and President Joe Biden. In Raskin's words, "They’ve not as much as touched President Joe Biden in this matter.”
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Alabama riverfront brawl sparks national discussion on racial unity
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A mobile recording of a violent encounter on a riverfront dock in Alabama has unexpectedly ignited a national discourse on racial unity. Several online videos depicting an altercation between a group of white boaters and a Black riverboat co-captain have quickly become internet sensations, penetrating deeply into the collective conscience of Black America and culminating in a broader cultural milestone.
Tulane University sociology professor Andrea Boyles attributes the significant reaction to the incident to a long-standing history of anti-Black racism and attacks. The incident's shockwaves have been magnified by current racial tensions ignited by anti-Black legislation and debates surrounding the teaching of black history.
Many perceive the August 5 incident on the riverfront dock in Montgomery, Alabama's capital city with deep civil rights heritage, as a long-overdue response to numerous previous unanswered appeals for assistance from Black victims of violence and mob attacks.
Michelle Browder, a local artist and entrepreneur in the social justice space, described the attack by the boaters on the Black riverboat co-captain as the product of a mob mentality, causing a consequential moment as Black people rallied together.
After audiences have been oversaturated with narratives of lethal violence against Black individuals, the video from Montgomery has struck a heartfelt chord as it did not end with the worst possible outcomes usually faced by Black Americans.
Smoke and commotion can be seen in the videos, which reveal several white men attacking the Black riverboat co-captain after his attempts to move their pontoon boat. The private boat owned by the white boaters was docked in a spot reserved for the city-owned Harriott II riverboat, where more than 200 passengers awaited disembarkation.
The videos also show Black individuals, including a teenage riverboat crew member, rushing to the co-captain's aid. Alabama police have since charged four white individuals with misdemeanor assault in connection to the incident, while a man who took part in the fight using a folding chair as a weapon handed himself in and was charged with disorderly conduct.
The brawl's aftermath has seen a wave of memes, jokes, parodies, reenactments, and merchandise inspired by the incident saturating the internet. However, many social media observers point towards the significance of the incident's locale, a city deep in the shadows of the Confederacy and segregation.
Timothy Welbeck, director of the Center for Anti-Racism at Temple University in Philadelphia, stated that much of the reaction to the riverfront brawl is emblematic of Montgomery's tumultuous history regarding racial relations.
In addition, the incident has highlighted the persistent trauma of Black Americans witnessing acts of violence and mob attacks without the ability to intervene. In stark contrast, during this rare occurrence, bystanders were not only able to document the event but also physically intervene and offer assistance.
Historically, Black victims of crime often had to suffer without help or intervention. The iconic murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police underscores this point. However, the riverfront brawl showed that in certain circumstances, bystanders could step in, intervene, and ultimately prevent further harm - a hopeful message for the future, despite the grim realities of the past.
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Trump on brink of fourth indictment over Georgia election interference claims
In what seems like an escalating investigation into former President Donald Trump's efforts to flip the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, a state prosecutor seems to be on the brink of issuing criminal charges. According to two witnesses who confirmed they were scheduled to appear before a grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia next week, this indicates that Fani Willis, the district attorney in the county, is preparing for the possible indictments against Trump and his allies.
Facing charges in Georgia would mark Trump's fourth indictment in less than half a year. He is currently already fighting federal criminal charges related to interference in the 2020 election and possession of classified documents, along with criminal charges in New York tied to hush money payments.
This indictment in Fulton County would symbolize the conclusion of a long investigation into Trump's attempts to alter the results of the Georgia election, which was marginally won by Joe Biden. In the aftermath of the Election Day, the former president spread false information about the results online, directly contacted a state official, pleading for the results to be overturned and plotted the usage of counterfeit electors to alter results. Willis initiated this investigation in early 2021.
"I am expected to testify before the Fulton County grand jury on Tuesday," wrote Geoff Duncan, who served as the lieutenant governor of Georgia during the 2020 election, in a Saturday afternoon post on X, previously known as Twitter. "I am ready to answer their questions related to the 2020 election. It is imperative for Republicans to remember that honesty should not be perceived as weakness."
An Atlanta-based journalist, named George Chidi, also publicized on X that he was summoned to testify on Tuesday. After the witness testimonies, it is expected that an indictment would likely follow, possibly as early as Tuesday late afternoon or evening. Legal observers had initially forecasted that charges would be issued around the middle of August.
Trump faced federal charges at the beginning of the month for his alleged conspiracy against the U.S. in his attempts to reverse the results of the 2020 election. On Truth Social, Trump has been protesting against the Georgia investigation and the other three charges he is currently facing as politically driven. He has also launched unsupported personal attacks against Willis.
"They want to charge me in Georgia?" he posed on Saturday on Truth Social. "That phone call was flawless. They are simply witch hunting!"
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Florida's redrawn congressional map legal dispute pivots to Al Lawson's seat
In a sizeable legal battle over Florida's contested congressional map, an agreement was reached late on Friday. The outcome could see the return of a north Florida district, once presided by a Black Democrat. Despite this development, the litigation isn't over. The focus of the ongoing lawsuit has now shifted solely to the seat once held by Democrat Al Lawson. Consequently, the plaintiffs will no longer challenge the modifications to other districts such as those in central Florida and Tampa Bay. The lawsuit regarding Florida's congressional maps in federal court will also proceed independently.
"This is a promising step forward for Black voters whose voting power was disgracefully targeted by Governor DeSantis in his quest for artificial power," said Olivia Mendoza, the National Redistricting Foundation's director of litigation and policy. "Floridians deserve fair maps — and success in this case will deliver a major step in that direction." The Foundation, led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, supports the lawsuit.
Upon being approached for a comment, Florida's Secretary of State Cord Byrd responded: "I don't comment on pending litigation. The stipulation speaks for itself."
Last year, Governor Ron DeSantis successfully introduced a new congressional map that dismantled Lawson's seat. This significant move resulted in Florida Republicans gaining four seats and subsequently a narrow majority in the U.S. House.
Several groups, among them Black Voters Matter, Equal Ground, Florida Rising, and the League of Women Voters of Florida, initiated a lawsuit against Florida over the congressional maps inscribed into law by the governor in April 2022. Originally, the two-week trial was set for later this month. However, the plaintiffs' lawyers, together with the DeSantis administration and the GOP-controlled Legislature, devised an agreement rendering that unnecessary.
Significantly, the lawsuit will no longer cover issues such as the potential bias towards Republicans in the redrawing of some districts, which contravenes Florida's anti-gerrymandering standards endorsed by voters. Instead, the remaining legal question surrounds whether the redistricting standards contravene the U.S. Constitution's equal protection clause, as argued by DeSantis.
Florida's Fair Districts provision asserts that congressional districts can't be designed in a manner that undermines minority voters' ability to elect their preferred candidates. However, DeSantis' proposed map divides a district that connects Black neighborhoods stretching from west of Tallahassee to Jacksonville. DeSantis justified this by arguing that Lawson's old district was unconstitutionally racial gerrymandering — a claim that could be undermined by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on redistricting.
Despite this, DeSantis' and the Legislature's lawyers agreed on Friday that "none of the enacted districts in North Florida are districts in which Black voters have the ability to elect their preferred candidates.”
Lawson announced on Saturday that he would consider rerunning for his old seat if the district was reinstated to a similar configuration before the midterms. He mentioned that he often hears from constituents in his old district who claim they can't get assistance from Republican congressional members.
"It's almost like they have no representation there," Lawson said in an interview.
Due to population growth, Florida gained one congressional seat in 2022, bringing the total to 28. Originally, the GOP-controlled Legislature in Florida enacted a map that likely would have resulted in Republicans holding 16 of those seats. However, DeSantis vetoed the map, arguing its unconstitutionality due to the preservation of Lawson's seat. This led to the Republican legislative leaders giving in to DeSantis' demands, passing the current map which resulted in Republicans attaining 20 out of 28 congressional seats.
The stipulation agreed upon on Friday states that if the groups win the lawsuit over the north Florida seat, the "appropriate remedy" would be to design a seat that incorporates Black communities in Jacksonville, along with those in Tallahassee and Gadsden County west of the state capital.
However, it is still up to the Florida Legislature to potentially draft a remedial map during the session in January 2024. This leaves open the possibility for a different configuration from Lawson's old seat. If the map does not meet the suing groups' satisfaction, the stipulation allows the courts to step back into the dispute in April.
The agreement clearly states that any new map would revolve around north Florida and would only affect those districts. As such, seats held by Republicans such as Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who successfully flipped a Tampa Bay seat last year, would be unaffected.
The joint stipulation also allows for an expedited trial schedule to resolve the legal dispute ahead of the 2024 elections.
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Cryptocurrency mogul Bankman-Fried jailed for alleged witness tampering
A bail revocation and jail order has been passed by a federal judge against cryptocurrency firm FTX's founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, who has been indicted. The judge made this ruling on grounds of perceived tampering attempts with witnesses linked to his ongoing case on multiple occasions. Bankman-Fried was previously charged with accusations of fraud and money laundering by Manhattan federal prosecutors in December, and he was held under house arrest in his parent's residence in Palo Alto, California.
According to prosecutors, two actions performed by Bankman-Fried since his arrest illustrated efforts to influence or intimidate potential witnesses. These actions included using the encrypted application Signal to reach out to the general counsel of FTX's U.S. operations, wherein he suggested mutual resource utilization or at least working in coordination. Also, Bankman-Fried reportedly shared private writings by Caroline Ellison—a former executive at a company linked to him and an ex-girlfriend— with a journalist from the New York Times. Ellison, who is expected to testify against Bankman-Fried in the upcoming October trial, has confessed to fraud charges and is actively working with the government.
Though not disputing his actions, Bankman-Fried's attorneys defended that these did not infringe his bail terms. They argued that his deeds were in an attempt to defend his reputation and should not be penalized.
However, U.S. District Judge, Lewis Kaplan disagreed in yesterday's ruling. He believed Bankman-Fried's actions were calculated attempts to deter witnesses from cooperating. Kaplan perceived Bankman-Fried's Signal message as an "invitation" for mutual cooperation, while Ellison's writings were seen as tools to discredit and intimidate the main subject. When the verdict was passed, Bankman-Fried displayed no outward reaction, merely fidgeting with his hands.
Following the judge's decision, Bankman-Fried's attorney, Mark Cohen, stated intentions to contest the ruling, and requested Kaplan to place his order on hold until the appeal went through–an application Kaplan denied. At the end of the hearing, Bankman-Fried began to remove his suit jacket, tie, shoes, and wristwatch, in the presence of two U.S. marshals. There is presently no information available about where Bankman-Fried will be held until his trial date.
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Special counsel appointed to investigate Hunter Biden, stirring election concerns
The latest development found on Friday that a special counsel was appointed to investigate Hunter Biden. This ensures that the examination of the President's son, and the subsequent headlines, will likely persist throughout the senior Biden's reelection campaign. Thus far, no evidence has emerged linking Hunter Biden's business ventures to President Joe Biden. However, the Department of Justice's decision to allow a special counsel adds substance to a narrative that many right-leaning individuals see as the key to the President's political downfall. Still, this outcome appears to have satisfied no one.
Inside the White House, the selection of U.S. Attorney David Weiss as special counsel was met with private dissatisfaction. Individuals close to Biden speculate that Weiss' appointment is the result of a GOP pressure campaign, intended to distract from the legal troubles surrounding their party's presidential frontrunner, Donald Trump. Despite this, many Republicans also expressed their discontent, asserting that the appointment of a special counsel was purposed to protect the president by creating a mechanism to stall the various Hunter Biden probes being conducted by the GOP-led House of Representatives.
Following the announcement of Attorney General Merrick Garland, it became clear that despite the White House's effort to move on, Hunter Biden's legal issues would continue to loom over his father's reelection bid.
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who has contemplated challenging Biden in a Democratic primary and has encouraged others to do so, said. “This is exactly, exactly why I’m trying to raise the alarm.”
Indeed, the implications of this decision could be large. It was a mere two weeks ago when the younger Biden was close to concluding a plea deal that could have put an end to his legal concerns. However, a federal judge in Delaware rejected the proposed immunity he would be given. On Friday, Garland approved Weiss to carry on the investigation as special counsel. Weiss, a Trump appointee, proclaimed on Friday that plea agreement discussions had collapsed and a trial was likely.
Despite these revelations, insiders connected to Biden minimized its impact and pledged full cooperation with the now fully empowered special counsel’s investigation.
The investigation into Hunter Biden was a topic of discussion for the Biden family prior to launching the 2024 campaign. The President expressed private frustration with the five-year investigation of his son and the strain it exerted on Hunter himself, who has publicly spoken about his issues with drug addiction.
The allegations against Hunter Biden have been largely dismissed by Biden aides as they believe that the majority of voters are not interested in the matter. However, Republicans have maintained their accusations against the “Biden Crime Family", stirring more controversy.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy expressed his discontent with the appointment of Weiss as special counsel through social media. He expressed distrust in Weiss, given his involvement in the initial plea deal discussions.
Many Democrats worry that Hunter Biden's ongoing investigation, along with the President's age could be potential tripwires for his reelection attempt.
“We may know the scale here is dramatically different. I mean, we have one individual who tried overthrow our democracy and behave like a fascist dictator. … Hunter Biden is a guy who had substance abuse problems,” said a national Democratic strategist. “But for voters, unfortunately, in this partisan environment we’re in, it’s going to be hard for voters to make a distinction."
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Judge warns Trump: halt inflammatory remarks or face expedited trial
During a hearing on Friday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan cautioned Donald Trump and his attorney, John Lauro, that if the continuous "inflammatory: statements related to Trump's ongoing criminal prosecution do not stop, the trial concerning his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results would need to be expedited. Worried over the potential impact on the case's proceedings, Chutkan advised both parties to be mindful when discussing the case in public.
This warning was issued at the end of the first courtroom session in Trump's latest criminal case. The hearing's primary goal was for special counsel Jack Smith and Trump's legal team to resolve disagreements over the handling of evidence in the case. prosecution say they are ready to share millions of documents with Trump's defense once Chutkan orders the protection of evidence.
Being conscious of the critical nature of the case, Chutkan reiterated her intent to treat Trump like any other accused, barring politics from the courtroom. The consequences of Trump's utterances that might qualify as embarrassing or intimidating to the witnesses were not ruled out.
She affirmed that Trump's political campaigns need to respect the justice system's orderliness, implying any comment about witnesses in this case must comply. Ambiguous comments that might prejudice potential jurors or intimidate witnesses were considered dangerous to proceedings, and if such statements persist, it would be crucial to expedite the trial.
This hearing was Chutkan's initial substantial intervention in the case, where Trump is facing three conspiracies, all aiming to upset the smooth transfer of power to Joe Biden post the 2020 election. Trump has frequently targeted Chutkan, who was appointed by Obama, in his social media posts, demanding her recusal without providing any grounds. Lauro, however, did not support Trump's demand.
Chutkan's remarks were not targeting any particular statement by Trump but served as a broad warning. Troubling recent comments by Trump concerning Mike Pence were flagged by the prosecution, given the latter's supposedly crucial role as a witness at the trial.
As early as today, the prosecution is ready to share an exceptionally organized trove of 11.6 million "pages or files" of evidence with Trump's defense. This overwhelming amount of evidence led Chutkan to jest that it would inevitably influence Trump's proposed trial date.
In contrast, the prosecution aims for the trial to start on January 2, indicating a swift turnaround that they believe is in the public's best interests. The prosecution also argues that the large amount of evidence has been exceptionally organized to facilitate its review by Trump's team.
The majority of Friday's hearing focused on outlining the limitations on Trump's ability to examine the evidence. Chutkan began by rejecting a proposal from the special counsel that essentially imposed a complete ban on Trump sharing any particulars of the evidence he evaluates.
Chutkan expressed the importance of safeguarding Trump's First Amendment right, especially during his presidential campaign. Nonetheless, the orderly administration of justice remained her ultimate objective. Lauro highlighted the potential political implications of the case on Trump's campaign and raised the possibility of the prosecution accusing him of breaking evidence-sharing agreements if there are run-of-the-mill exchanges with rivals, like Pence, during the campaign. However, Chutkan dismissed these political considerations, stating that they should not influence her decisions.
The defense's request to permit Trump to scrutinize sensitive evidence without a legal team representative's supervision was approved by Chutkan. However, electronic devices capable of reproducing such material were banned during the review, and his team is obliged to scrutinize any notes Trump takes to ensure no witness's identifying information is disclosed.
Furthermore, Chutkan supported the prosecution's request to categorize numerous recordings of witness interviews and transcripts as "sensitive" materials prohibiting public disclosure. She also dismissed the defense's bid to widen the circle of Trump aides permitted to review evidence in the case, branding the current definition as overly broad.
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