Tag: justice

Defendant Trump slams criminal charges as ‘insult to our country’

by Gerard Martinez with Frankie Taggart in Washington Agence France-Presse PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump offered a full-throated defense of his conduct Tuesday in his first public remarks since being charged over hush money payments to a porn star, blasting the criminal prosecution as “an insult to our country.” Hours earlier the 76-year-old former US president pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts in a dramatic hearing in New York that transfixed […]

Johnson & Johnson proposes $8.9 bn settlement of talc cancer claims

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday proposed an $8.9 billion settlement to resolve years-old lawsuits claiming that its talcum powder products caused cancer. The New Jersey-based company said the proposed settlement, which needs the approval of a bankruptcy court, “will equitably and efficiently resolve all claims arising from cosmetic talc litigation.” J&J has been facing thousands of lawsuits over talcum powder containing traces of asbestos blamed for […]

Trump charges: hush money paid to porn star, model and doorman

New York, United States | AFP | Tuesday 4/5/2023  Prosecutors laid out a case of lies and cover-ups against Donald Trump on Tuesday over hush-money payments made to a porn star, a Playboy model and a doorman to hide potentially damaging information ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Here’s an explanation of the felony counts against Trump, the first former US president ever to face criminal charges, and what will happen next: – The charges […]

New York case just part of Trump’s legal woes

Donald Trump on Tuesday became the first US president to be arrested on criminal charges — but the 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business records are far from the only legal peril threatening the ex-leader as he seeks a return to the White House. The rebellious Republican billionaire has described the charges as being the work of “radical left Democrats” who have “criminalized the justice system” and are seeking to derail his presidential candidacy. […]

Defiant Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts

Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts inside a packed New York courtroom Tuesday, in a dramatic hearing that transfixed the nation and began the countdown to the first ever criminal trial of an American president. After a stern glare to waiting press, Trump spent about an hour inside a Manhattan courtroom where he voluntarily surrendered to face charges over hush money payments that have already upended the 2024 White House race in […]

Trump leaves Trump Tower to surrender to criminal charges

New York, United States | AFP | Tuesday 4/4/2023 – 19:11 UTC+2 | 58 words Donald Trump left his New York skyscraper amid tight security Tuesday to turn himself in for a historic court appearance on criminal charges that threaten to upend the 2024 White House race. His motorcade departed Trump Tower to drive the six-mile (10-kilometer) journey to the courthouse in Manhattan with police lining the streets and helicopters buzzing overhead. © Agence France-Presse

‘Trump or Death:’ dueling protests outside court mirror US divide

by Maggy DONALDSON and Andrea BAMBINO Dozens of Donald Trump supporters demonstrated outside the courthouse where the former president is due to be arraigned on criminal charges Tuesday, as a handful of vocal counterprotestors shouted an anti-fascist message. Members of the New York Police Department community affairs division stepped in to the fray as the pro-Trump side — many sporting familiar “MAGA” hats and attire emblazoned with the American flag — yelled slurs at their […]

Leonardo DiCaprio testifies in corruption trial against Fugees member

by Charlotte PLANTIVE Leonardo DiCaprio was in Washington Monday — not to press lawmakers on his environmental causes or to film another blockbuster hit, but rather to testify in a political corruption trial featuring a 90s hip-hop star and a disgraced Malaysian financier. Pras Michel, a member of the US musical trio The Fugees, is facing charges for allegations of helping to secretly funnel money from Low Taek Jho — the Malaysian businessman at the […]

Police, journalists greet Trump but few New Yorkers

by Andrea BAMBINO and Celine GESRET Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Hoards of reporters, police and barriers greeted Donald Trump when he arrived at his Manhattan residence Monday — but only a small group of supporters. Just before midday, authorities closed off Trump Tower to the public, as a heavy police presence and barricades surrounded the building situated on Fifth Avenue. A tiny group of Trump supporters staged a demonstration that relied […]

Trump heads into unknown as New York arraignment looms

by Gerard Martinez, with Michael Mathes in Washington Agence France-Presse WEST PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump is expected to fly Monday to New York for his historic arraignment on criminal charges, taking the United States and the office of the presidency into uncharted and potentially volatile territory. The 76-year-old billionaire was indicted last week by a grand jury on a series of counts related to a hush-money payment made to an adult […]

Trump gave ‘false expectation’ of arrest: New York prosecutor

by Peter HUTCHISON Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump created a “false expectation” of his imminent arrest, the New York prosecutor investigating the ex-president over hush money said Thursday, as tensions build over a possible indictment. The comments come amid uncertainty over when a grand jury hearing the case will take a vote on charging Trump, a historic move that would inflame the 2024 election campaign in which the 76-year-old Republican […]

Trump to be arrested? US girds for drama

by Peter HUTCHISON Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — New York police tightened security Monday ahead of a possible historic indictment of Donald Trump over hush money paid to a porn actress, with the ex-president calling for mass demonstrations if he is charged. Only a couple of dozen Trump supporters attended a protest in America’s financial capital on Monday evening though, as a grand jury weighs an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin […]