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Olaf Scholz faces new probe over German tax fraud scandal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:39 GMT

BERLIN — Germany’s center-right opposition wants to raise the heat on Chancellor Olaf Scholz by launching a parliamentary investigation into his alleged connection to a massive tax evasion scandal.The case — which dates back over five years to the time when Scholz was still mayor of the Hamburg city-state — is linked to the broader so-called “Cum Ex” affair, under which the German state was defrauded by over €30 billion as some banks, companies, or individuals claimed tax reimbursements from authorities for alleged costs that never occurred. The scandal already hung over the Social Democratic politician’s election campaign in 2021 but had little impact in the end as Scholz’s potential involvement remained unclear. Now it is heating up again after new details emerged that put his previous defense in question.The Hamburg regional parliament plans to summon Scholz this spring — which will be for the third time — to an investigative committee looking into the scandal. ...

Trump faces 34 criminal charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:39 GMT

NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump turned himself in Tuesday to authorities in the Manhattan district attorney’s office, where he will be booked on criminal charges connected to his alleged role in a hush money payment made to a porn star.Trump, the first current or former president ever to be indicted, waved to the crowd and then entered the district attorney’s office around 1:30 p.m., accompanied by U.S. Secret Service agents and his lawyers.He is expected to be fingerprinted, but is unlikely to have his mug shot taken. He will remain in the custody of the district attorney’s office until he is escorted to a courtroom in the same building Tuesday afternoon to be arraigned. After his arraignment, he is expected to be released without having to post bail.For Trump, the accommodations of the district attorney’s office, a drab government facility, are much less comfortable than his typical surroundings. He seemed to acknowledge the extraordinary circumstances even as t...

Reports: Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:39 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter.The plea came during a brief arraignment in a lower Manhattan courtroom as Trump faced a grand jury indictment arising from a hush money payment to a porn actor during Trump’s 2016 campaign.The two officials who confirmed the plea spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because prosecutors had not yet released the indictment publicly.The arraignment, though procedural in nature, amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. The case is unfolding against the backdrop not only of his third campaign for the White House but also against other investigations in Washington and Atlanta that might yet produce even more charges.A silent and stone-faced Trump, his lips pursed in apparent anger...

Trove of ‘ghost guns,’ fentanyl seized in Brockton as police arrest father and son suspects during raid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:39 GMT

Numerous firearms and illegal ammo magazines, as well as 800 grams of fentanyl were found after authorities raided a property in Brockton, officials announced.Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio said troopers and Brockton police executed search warrants for a residence on Moraine Street Friday morning on March 31, as well as for a 2016 Audi A7 sedan.Officers involved saw “evidence of firearm and narcotics manufacturing and trafficking,” according to Procopio, and during their raid, recovered seven “ghost guns” that included pistols and rifles, along with ammunition, firearms parts and multiple large capacity magazines.Also located were tools and equipment used for gun manufacturing, along with firearms in “various states of manufacture.” Ghost guns themselves are considered to be firearms “assembled by a private individual from separately obtained parts, and which are thus difficult to trace,” Procopio stated.In addition to the gun...

Documents: Read Trump indictment; Manhattan DA’s statement of facts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:39 GMT

The unsealed indictment of former President Donald J. Trump accuses him of 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday.Read Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s indictment and statement of facts below.Manhattan DA: Trump indictmentManhattan DA: Statement of facts in Trump caseDocuments:Donald-J.-Trump-IndictmentDonald-J.-Trump-SOF  

Trump pleads not guilty to criminal charges in historic indictment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:39 GMT

Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation of hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels amid the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump entered the plea during an unprecedented and extraordinary court proceeding bound for the history books.A grand jury investigating Trump indicted him March 30, making him the first former president in United States history to face criminal charges.The charges against Trump had remained under seal until today’s court appearance and are being made public shortly.Trump reportedly faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud and hush money payoffs to women on the eve of the 2016 election, with whom he allegedly cheated on his wife, Melania. That includes Daniels and playboy model Karen McDougal.Former US president Donald Trump appears in court at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on April 4, 2023. (Photo by Steven HIRSCH / POOL / AFP...

Trump pleads not guilty to 34 charges; admonished by judge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:39 GMT

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, ERIC TUCKER, JENNIFER PELTZ and WILL WEISSERT (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has warned former President Donald Trump to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest.Trump, speaking briefly during his arraignment, told the judge he was pleading “not guilty” and was advised of his rights by the judge. Judge Juan Merchan also warned Trump that he could be removed from the courtroom if he is disruptive, but Trump spoke only a few times to respond to questions.He’s next due in court in December, but his lawyers asked for him to be excused from attending the hearing in person because of extraordinary security proceedings. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records arising from a hush money payment to a porn actor during his 2016 campaign, according to two law ...

Dolphins Deep Dive: NFL meetings takeaways, Mike McDaniel and Steve Ross committed to Tua

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:39 GMT

The South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Chris Perkins and David Furones recap the NFL meetings and discuss the Dolphins’ commitment to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. ()

Director: Marriott’s ‘Damn Yankees’ about love, baseball, the underdog

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:39 GMT

When Lincolnshire’s Marriott Theatre asked San Diego-based James Vasquez to direct the musical, “Damn Yankees,” running April 12-June 4, there was no hesitation, just joy.“I love ‘Damn Yankees,’” said Vasquez. “Two of my favorite things in life are musical theater and baseball,” he said, and that’s what the show is about. The musical, which won seven Tony Awards, features lots of singing and dancing with a plot involving the New York Yankees and the Washington Senators and the race for the pennant in the 1950s.“Given the opportunity to tell this story again was something I wasn’t going to pass up,” said Vazquez, who directed the production in 2017 in San Diego.There’s plenty more Vasquez loves about the show besides it being about baseball.“For me it is a story about true love and about home,” he said. “We think the grass might be greener on the other side, but we are often reminded...

Healey to establish Latino Council to advise her administration

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:39 GMT

The governor will use her executive authority to create an entirely new state council aimed at improving the well-being of the state’s Latino communities, her administration has announced.“Our Latino community makes Massachusetts strong. With the collective vision and drive of this incredible group of Latino leaders, we will grow even stronger. Together, we can break down systemic barriers and expand access opportunities by prioritizing education, job training, entrepreneurship and affordability,” Gov. Maura Healey said with the Tuesday announcement.The governor, according to her office, will sign an executive order establishing a 40 member advisory board called the Governor’s Council on Latino Empowerment, tasked with advising the governor on “strategies to expand economic opportunities for and improve the overall wellbeing of Massachusetts’ Latino community.”The former executive director of the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants, Josiane Martinez, will chair the new ...