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In Trump probe, grand jury hears from final witnesses

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:50:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York grand jury investigating Donald Trump appeared to be hearing from final witnesses as law enforcement officials accelerated security preparations Monday in advance of a possible indictment and as fellow Republicans staked out positions in a criminal probe expected to shake up the 2024 presidential race.Testimony from Robert Costello, a lawyer who had a falling out with the key government witness in the Trump investigation, came as the grand jury that for months has been investigating Trump over hush money paid to a porn star during his 2016 campaign appeared to be wrapping up its work.Costello was invited to appear after saying he had information raising questions about the credibility of Michael Cohen, a key witness in the investigation who has already appeared multiple times before the grand jury. Costello’s testimony was expected to give the former president an indirect opportunity to make a case that he shouldn’t face criminal charges, though ther...

Former Australian elite soldier charged with Afghan’s murder

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:50:14 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Police on Monday charged the first Australian veteran for an alleged murder in Afghanistan three years after a war crimes investigation found that 19 Australian special forces soldiers could face charges for illegal conduct.Former Special Air Service Regiment trooper Oliver Schulz, 41, was arrested in New South Wales state and charged by police with the war crime of murder, an Australian Federal Police statement said.“It will be alleged he murdered an Afghan man while deployed to Afghanistan,” the statement said.Schulz’s charge was mentioned late Monday in a Queanbeyan court where his lawyer did not apply for his release on bail. Schulz was remanded in custody to appear in a Sydney court on May 16.Australian Broadcasting Corp. broadcast helmet camera video in 2020 of a soldier it said was Schulz shooting an Afghan man in 2012 in a wheat field in Uruzgan province.Schulz, who was awarded the Commendation for Gallantry for his service in Afghanistan, fa...

2 missing Florida boaters found dead in lake near Legoland

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:50:14 GMT

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say they recovered the bodies of two boaters Monday afternoon, nearly two days after they went missing following an accident on a central Florida lake near the Legoland theme park.The bodies of Orlando Ortiz, 30, of Winter Haven, and Jeffrey Marrero, 34, of Auburndale, were located in Lake Eloise about 150 yards (meters) apart, according to a Polk County Sheriff’s Office news release.Sheriff Grady Judd previously said at a news conference that the two men had jumped into Winter Haven lake to save a third person from their group, a woman, who was struggling in the water. The men became separated from the boat and had not been seen since Saturday evening.The third person, 38-year-old Velcky Velazques, was rescued by sheriff’s deputies who had been summoned when a 10-year-old girl on the boat dialed 911 on a cellphone. That child and an 8-year-old girl remained on the boat as it drifted and were rescued safely by deputies aboard a fishi...

Trump loses last bid to keep key evidence out of rape trial

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:50:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s effort to keep key evidence out of his civil rape trial next month was rejected by a federal judge Monday.Judge Lewis A. Kaplan in Manhattan ruled that key witnesses will be allowed to testify and misogynistic remarks Trump made about women in 2005 when he apparently didn’t realize he was being recorded can be played for a jury that will hear quarter-century-old rape allegations made by a former magazine columnist.A trial in the case filed by E. Jean Carroll is scheduled to start April 25. Carroll and Trump are expected to testify.Carroll said in a 2019 memoir that she was raped by Trump in the mid-1990s in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman, an upscale Manhattan department store. She said a chance encounter filled with lighthearted banter turned violent when they entered a small room while teasing one another about who would try on a piece of lingerie.Trump has repeatedly insisted he never met Carroll at the store and that he didn...

Teacher shot by 6-year-old describes challenging recovery

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:50:14 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia teacher who was shot and wounded by her 6-year-old student said she has had four surgeries and is going through a challenging recovery.Speaking publicly for the first time since the Jan. 6 shooting, first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner said during an exclusive interview with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie that she has some days when she “can’t get up out of bed,” while others she is able to go about her day and make it to appointments.“For going through what I’ve gone through, I try to stay positive. You know, try to have a positive outlook on what’s happened and where my future’s heading,” Zwerner said in a portion of the interview that was aired Monday on “NBC Nightly News.” Zwerner was hospitalized for nearly two weeks after being shot in the chest and left hand as she taught her class at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. The shooting rattled the military shipbuilding community and sent shock waves around...

Man stabbed by 2 suspects, carjacked in Toronto: police

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:50:14 GMT

Toronto police say a man was stabbed and carjacked by multiple suspects northwest of the city.Officers were notified of a carjacking in the Rogers Road and Old Weston Road area just after 8 p.m. on Monday.Police said two suspects stabbed and seriously injured a man in his 50s before stealing his vehicle.The car is described as a blue Nissan Rogue with the Ontario licence plate CWAE278, last seen travelling towards Keele Street.

Two men who lost fingers crossing into Canada become Canadian citizens

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:50:14 GMT

WINNIPEG — Razak Iyal was given a warm embrace as he officially became a Canadian citizen, more than six years after nearly freezing to death  walking across the Canada-United States border in Manitoba.It was a low-key citizenship ceremony but one steeped in hope, gratitude and assurance. Iyal, 40, was joined by a group of close friends as he logged on last week for the virtual event, which included dozens of others sitting in front of a judge to swear their allegiance to Canada. As the ceremony concluded with the playing of “O Canada,” the Ghana-born Iyal revelled in his new Canadian status. “At that time, I (felt) like a Canadian because reciting the national anthem means everything,” he said Monday in an interview. The day concluded with a few photos and some food. Iyal was gifted a Canadian flag by a woman and friend whom he calls his “Canadian mom.” He held onto the flag as he took his oath. “I’ll make sure I protect this flag ...

1 dead in Mississauga shooting

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:50:14 GMT

One person has died following a shooting in Mississauga.Peel Regional Police were called to Dream Crest Road and Fallingbrook Drive around 7:15 p.m. on Monday for reports of a shooting.Officers located one victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene.Investigators said there is limited information at this time, and a heavy police presence is expected in the area.There aren’t believed to be any more victims.

Cruise wants to test self-driving vehicles across California

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:50:14 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle unit on Monday asked California for permission to test the cars across the entire state.The GM subsidiary already is running an autonomous ride-hailing service in its hometown of San Francisco after testing for more than two years. It doesn’t have specific plans yet to expand testing in California, but applying with the Department of Motor Vehicles is a step toward entering cities such as Los Angeles.“While this application doesn’t represent any immediate change to our testing or operations, we hope to continue working with the California DMV to safely and responsibly test our services in other cities in the future,” Cruise spokesman Drew Pusateri said in a statement.If granted, the test permit won’t allow Cruise to carry non-employee passengers outside of San Francisco. Testing could be done up to 55 miles per hour (88 kilometers per hour) statewide, Cruise said. Cruise also has been testing autonomous Chevr...

Review says London police racist, misogynistic, homophobic

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:50:14 GMT

LONDON (AP) — London police have lost the confidence of the public because of deep-seated racism, misogyny and homophobia, according to an independent review commissioned after a young woman was raped and killed by a serving officer.The Metropolitan Police Service, which has more than 34,000 officers and is Britain’s biggest police force, must “change itself” or risk being broken up, the report published Tuesday said.“It is not our job as the public to keep ourselves safe from the police. It is the police’s job to keep us safe as the public,’’ said Louise Casey, an expert on victims’ rights and social welfare who led the review. “Far too many Londoners have now lost faith in policing to do that.”The findings ratchet up the pressure for a major overhaul of the Metropolitan Police after a series of scandals involving its treatment of women and minorities. In a preliminary report released in October, Casey found that the department had failed to properly vet and train officers, a...