Politics
Trump Probe May Be Complicated By Documents At Biden Office
WASHINGTON — The U.S. The number of classified documents is vastly different, as are the discovery conditions.
But the revelation that President Joe Biden’s lawyers discovered a “limited number” of classified materials in a locked closet is an unexpected twist for a Justice Department already probing Donald Trump for the preservation of top secret documents at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago.
Despite significant factual and legal disparities between the scenarios, Trump seized on the news to mitigate his vulnerability – at least in the eyes of the public. The information is unlikely to impact the Justice Department’s decision to charge Trump. However, it may make a criminal case more difficult to sell politically, increasing the mistrust of Republicans in Congress and others who have questioned the basis for a plausible prosecution.
“I don’t think it affects Trump’s legal judgment at all, but it certainly affects the political narrative going forward,” said a U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama during Trump’s presidency.
A special counsel is leading the Mar-a-Lago investigation, and the Biden situation is being looked into by the top federal prosecutor in Chicago, who is still working for the Trump administration. All of this is taking place as newly elected Republicans gain control of the House, with plans to target the agency with allegations of politicized law enforcement.
People Call for Raids Of Bidens Home
Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, who is the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, has already asked the director of national intelligence for a damage assessment of the classified information that was leaked. And, in response to the FBI’s discovery of boxes of secret records at Mar-a-Lago in August, Trump wondered on Twitter, “When is the FBI going to raid Joe Biden’s numerous houses, possibly even the White House?”
DOJ investigating potentially classified Biden documents
The White House says the Justice Department is evaluating potentially secret materials discovered in President Joe Biden’s former institute’s Washington office space and swiftly turned over to the National Archives. (Jan. 10)
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He later questioned why “the ‘Justice’ Department” had not made the information public before the November midterm elections.
The Differences Between Biden and Trump
There are differences between the situations of Trump and Biden, especially regarding the seriousness of the ongoing Mar-a-Lago grand jury investigation.
The search for his property came after months of back-and-forth between government officials and Trump representatives about the keeping of presidential records.
After finding classified information in a Palm Beach, Florida, home, the National Archives and Records Administration took 15 boxes from the House and called the FBI in January. However, Trump representatives rejected the Archives’ demands to surrender all papers for months. Even though officials from the Justice Department sent a subpoena for classified information and went to Mar-a-Lago last spring, they say that the former president’s staff did not give them all the documents.
Unclear When A decision Will be Made
FBI agents returned in August with a warrant indicating that they were investigating crimes such as deliberate retention of national security information and attempts to hinder the federal investigation. They say they found more than 300 of these papers in the building. They found documents marked “classified” in a storage room and an office desk drawer.
It’s unclear whether Trump or anyone else will face charges or when a decision will be made. The former president will face criminal charges in a separate investigation in Atlanta, where a special grand jury probing efforts to alter Georgia election results has completed its work.
The White House is also trying to tell the difference between the Mar-a-Lago case and the secret information found in Biden’s old institute’s Washington office.
Richard Sauber, the president’s lawyer, said on Nov. 2 that the president’s lawyers found “a small number of classified documents” from the Obama administration when they were putting files in a locked cabinet to leave the Penn Biden Center.
The statement stated that the White House contacted the Archives that day, that the Archives took possession of the materials the next morning, and that the Archives had not previously requested the records – a clear contrast to how the Trump administration handled Archives requests.
Even still, major concerns remain, such as the substance and exact amount of the Biden records, how they got to the center, why they stayed there, and why the administration took more than two months to disclose their finding. The Justice Department has remained silent as well.
The Biden news was a stroke of good fortune for the former president, who had earned the nickname “Teflon Don” during his long business career for frequently escaping repercussions, and who had for months falsely compared his treatment of presidential records to that of his predecessors.
More Political accusations for Trump
Politically, the accusations come at a good time for Trump, who just launched a new presidential campaign at the end of last year and is getting ready to speed up his campaigning. More and more people are looking into how he handled sensitive documents and how he tried to change the results of the 2020 election. The new developments could give political cover, particularly among casual audiences who are too busy to dive into the specifics of either claim.
“Certainly, it offers him something to talk about. “Not that requiring something to be factual has ever stopped him before,” Tim Miller, a former Republican strategist turned Trump critic who worked on Jeb Bush’s 2016 campaign, said.
When looking into Espionage Act crimes, like the one the Justice Department did about Trump, the focus is often on whether or not the action was done on purpose or by accident.
That was going to be the case with the Trump investigation, but proving Trump’s willfulness beyond a reasonable doubt is likely to be especially important now if the Justice Department is to ensure public trust in any indictment it brings — and to demonstrate that the allegations amount to more than simple misplacement or mishandling of government secrets.
SOURCE – (AP)
Politics
Trump Called This Visa ‘Very Bad’ For Americans. Truth Social Applied For One
MIAMI (AP) – The social media corporation established by ex-President Donald Trump has submitted an application for a business visa program that he aimed to limit during his tenure and that numerous of his supporters desire him to reduce if he were to serve a second term.
Trump Media & Technology Group, the company responsible for Truth Social, submitted an application in June 2022 for an H-1B visa for an employee earning an annual salary of $65,000, which is the minimum wage level permitted by the program. According to federal immigration data, the corporation received approval for a visa a few months after. The corporation asserts that it did not employ the worker.
AP – VOR News Image
Trump Called This Visa ‘Very Bad’ For Americans. Truth Social Applied For One
The act of applying for the visa highlights the contradiction between Trump the candidate, who has advocated for a protectionist approach that encourages corporations to prioritize American workers, and Trump the businessman, who has expressed his intention to utilize all available means for his companies. The investment firm established by Jared Kushner, who is both President Trump’s son-in-law and a White House adviser, submitted an application and received approval to employ a foreign individual as an associate through the visa program.
According to a statement from Trump Media & Technology Group, the application was submitted when the company was under previous management. However, it is worth noting that the current CEO, Devin Nunes, who was already leading the company, was involved in the application process when it was initially filed with the U.S. Department of Labor.
The company has never employed, and has no intentions of employing, a worker through the H-1B visa program. The company stated that upon discovering the application, which was submitted under a previous management period, the present management promptly halted the process in November 2022.
The cost for corporations to file an H-1B visa petition is approximately $5,000 per employee. Companies have the ability to retract applications even after they have been granted approval. The data maintained by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services does not include information about visa revocations. However, a representative from the Labor Department, which also monitors H-1B applications, stated that they have no documented evidence of Truth Social submitting a request for withdrawal.
An ubiquitous instrument utilized by technology enterprises.
Technology companies frequently employ individuals through the H-1B program. Prior to assuming the presidency, Trump openly acknowledged his utilization of visas, mostly for the purpose of importing foreign models and a limited number of workers for his hotels and resorts. This information is based on an examination of the petitions filed since 2009.
However, apart from renewing current applications, his companies seemed to have ceased requesting H-1B visas until the creation of Truth Social.
According to the Labor Department, Trump Media & Technology Group submitted an application for an employee to receive a salary of $65,000. The employer is listed as Will Wilkerson, who is a co-founder of the company and a former senior vice president of operations. The employment is located in Atlanta, as indicated by the provided address.
In August 2022, Wilkerson submitted a whistleblower complaint to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, accusing the corporation of committing securities breaches. He lost his job, and The Washington Post reported that he is now actively working with federal investigators. His legal representatives stated that he would refrain from providing any comments.
‘I should be prohibited from using it.’
Trump often discusses the influx of migrants who unlawfully cross the U.S.-Mexico border, but his policy agenda throughout his presidency also involved restrictions on legal immigration, such as family-based visas and the visa lottery program.
AP – VOR News Image
Trump Called This Visa ‘Very Bad’ For Americans. Truth Social Applied For One
During a primary debate in 2016, Trump expressed his disapproval of the H-1B visa program, describing it as both “very detrimental” and “inequitable” for American workers.
“To begin with, I possess extensive knowledge and understanding of the H-1B visa.” And it’s a tool that I frequently utilize, even though I should not have permission to do so. “We should not possess it,” he stated. “Furthermore, it is crucial to acknowledge that I am a businessman and I must prioritize my actions based on necessity.”
Three months into his presidency, Trump issued an executive order titled “Buy American and Hire American.” This order instructed Cabinet members to propose changes that would prioritize the allocation of H-1B visas to applicants who were either well paid or highly talented, with the aim of safeguarding American workers. He has previously asserted that the program was utilized by technology businesses to acquire overseas employees at a reduced salary.
Under his administration, a research conducted by the nonpartisan National Foundation for American Policy revealed that the government was intensifying its examination of cases by issuing additional information requests to companies seeking to employ foreign workers and rejecting a higher number of petitions.
The “Project 2025” handbook, created by supporters anticipating Trump’s potential assumption of power, suggests that the H-1B program should be restructured to function as an exclusive mechanism for attracting the most talented individuals at competitive wages, while also ensuring that American workers are not put at a disadvantage by the program.
Nicolas Morales, an economist specializing on labor and migration at the research department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, stated that over 60% of the total visas granted are attributed to companies in the professional, scientific, and technical services sectors. Morales stated that he has discovered that the visa program has proven advantageous for small enterprises in maintaining their operations.
Participating in and being selected in the H-1B lottery is advantageous for them. “It enhances their likelihood of survival,” he stated. “Over the next five years, small companies that heavily rely on skilled labor are expected to remain active.”
AP – VOR News Image
Trump Called This Visa ‘Very Bad’ For Americans. Truth Social Applied For One
The applications necessitate employers to affirm that they will furnish foreign workers with equivalent benefits as those provided to U.S. workers, and remunerate them at a higher rate than individuals with comparable expertise and qualifications, or above the standard wage for that particular occupation. Companies are required to notify their workers of the filing by displaying a notice in two locations at the workplace.
A significant portion of the criticism surrounding the H-1B program is to corporations providing foreign workers with salaries that fall under the lower wage brackets. The application submitted by Kushner’s investment firm to employ a foreign worker seems to address the allegation adequately.
The Labor Department approved a document in which Kushner’s investment firm stated that it would provide a salary of $200,000 to this employee. This amount falls inside the highest compensation range for H-1B visas, which are usually granted to individuals who are highly skilled in their industry and hold senior positions. According to recent data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the company has been granted a visa approval.
Kushner has abstained from joining the Trump campaign and has been actively pursuing his own business ventures by submitting applications for tourism projects in the Balkans.
SOURCE – (AP)
World
HAITI: Haitians Scramble To Survive, Seeking Food, Water And Safety As Gang Violence Chokes The Capital
Port-au-Prince, Haiti – As the sun sets, a hefty man yells into a megaphone, drawing a curious crowd around him. Next to him is a little cardboard box containing many currencies worth 10 Haitian gourdes, or around 7 US cents.
“Everyone give whatever they have!” the man yells as he grabs the arms and hands of individuals approaching a district in the capital of Port-au-Prince that has been targeted by violent gangs.
The community recently voted to purchase a metal barricade and construct it themselves in an effort to protect inhabitants from the unrelenting violence that killed or maimed over 2,500 people in Haiti between January and March.
AP – VOR News Image
HAITI Scramble To Survive, Seeking Food, Water And Safety As Gang Violence Chokes The Capital
“Every day, I wake up and find a dead body,” said Noune-Carme Manoune, an immigration officer.
Life in Port-au-Prince has become a survival game, pushing Haitians to their limits as they struggle to keep secure and alive while gangs outnumber the police and the government is mainly absent. Some are erecting metal barricades. Others accelerate aggressively as they approach gang-controlled regions. The few who can afford it hoard water, food, money, and medicine, all of which have become scarce since the main international airport shuttered in early March. Marauding bandits have effectively stopped the country’s largest ports.
“People in the capital are trapped; they have nowhere to go,” stated Philippe Branchat, the International Organization for Migration’s leader in Haiti, in a recent statement. “The capital is surrounded by armed groups and threats. “The city is under siege.”
Phones frequently buzz with warnings reporting gunshots, kidnappings, and fatal shootings, and some shops have so many armed guards that they resemble tiny police stations.
Gang attacks were once limited to specific places, but they can now occur anywhere and at any time. Staying at home does not ensure safety: A stray gunshot hit a man in the back while he was playing with his daughter at home. Others were killed.
Schools and petrol stations are closed, with fuel on the illicit market retailing for $9 per gallon, or about three times the official price. Banks now ban consumers from withdrawing more than $100 per day, and cheques that used to clear in three days now take a month or more. Police officers must wait weeks to be paid.
AP – VOR News Image
Haitians Scramble To Survive, Seeking Food, Water And Safety As Gang Violence Chokes The Capital
“Everyone is under stress,” said Isidore Gédéon, a 38-year-old guitarist. “People are distrustful of one another following the prison breach. The state does not have control.”
On February 29, gangs with an estimated 80% control of Port-au-Prince initiated coordinated attacks on crucial governmental infrastructure. They set fire to police stations, attacked the airport, and stormed Haiti’s two largest prisons, freeing over 4,000 inmates.
At the time, Prime Minister Ariel Henry was in Kenya to advocate for the deployment of a police force supported by the United Nations. Henry is still barred from entering Haiti, and a transitional presidential committee charged with appointing the country’s new prime minister and Cabinet might be inaugurated in as soon as this week. Henry has promised to quit once a new leader has been installed.
Few expect that this will be the end of the crisis. Not only are gangs causing bloodshed, but Haitians have also embraced a vigilante movement known as “bwa kale,” which has slain several hundred suspected gang members or associates.
“There are certain communities I can’t go to because everyone is scared of everyone,” he stated. “You could be innocent, and you end up dead.”
In only one month, more than 95,000 people have fled Port-au-Prince as gangs invade towns, torch homes, and kill people in opposing territory.
Those fleeing by bus to Haiti’s southern and northern provinces face the possibility of being gang-raped or killed as they transit through gang-controlled areas where gunmen have opened fire.
According to the International Organization for Migration, violence in the capital has rendered approximately 160,000 people homeless.
“This is hell,” said Nelson Langlois, a producer and camera operator.
Langlois, his wife, and their three children spent two nights sleeping flat on their home’s roof as gangs raided the neighborhood.
AP – VOR News Image
Haitians Scramble To Survive, Seeking Food, Water And Safety As Gang Violence Chokes The Capital
“Time after time, we peered over to see when we could flee,” he said.
Langlois, who was forced to split up due to a lack of shelter, now lives at a Vodou temple while his wife and children reside somewhere in Port-au-Prince.
Langlois, like the majority of city dwellers, spends much of his time indoors. The days of playing pickup soccer on dirt roads and drinking Prestige beer in pubs while listening to hip-hop, reggae, or African music are over.
“It’s an open-air prison,” Langlois explained.
The violence has also pushed companies, government organizations, and schools to close, leaving many Haitians unemployed.
Manoune, a government immigration official, stated that she has been making money by selling treated water because she is out of work due to postponed deportations.
Meanwhile, Gédéon stated that he no longer plays the drums for a living, saying that pubs and other venues have closed. He sells small plastic bags of water on the street and has worked as a handyman, repairing fans and fixing appliances.
As the crisis worsens poverty in Haiti, students are also entering the workforce.
Sully, a tenth-grade student whose school stopped over two months ago, stood on a street corner in Pétion-Ville, selling fuel he bought on the illegal market.
“You have to be careful,” added Sully, who requested that his last name be omitted for safety reasons. “During the morning it’s safer.”
He sells approximately five gallons every week, earning about $40 for his family, but he can’t afford to join his classmates who are learning online.
AP – VOR News Image
Haitians Scramble To Survive, Seeking Food, Water And Safety As Gang Violence Chokes The Capital
“Online class is for people more fortunate than me, who have more money,” he remarked.
The European Union confirmed last week the establishment of a humanitarian air bridge from Panama to Haiti. Five flights arrived in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti’s only working airport, bringing 62 tons of medicine, water, emergency shelter equipment, and other crucial supplies.However, crucial items cannot be guaranteed to reach those in most need. Many Haitians are still confined in their homes, unable to buy or look for food amid flying gunshots.
According to aid organizations, approximately 2 million Haitians are on the edge of hunger, including over 600,000 children.
Nonetheless, individuals are devising strategies to survive.
Back in the area, residents are putting up a metal barricade, and sparks fly as one man cuts metal while others shovel and mix concrete. They are well into the project and aim to complete it soon.
Others are doubtful, noting accounts of gangs jumping into loaders and other heavy machinery to demolish police stations and, most lately, metal barricades.
SOURCE – (AP)
World
North Korea Fires Suspected Short-Range Missiles Into The Sea In Its Latest Weapons Test
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea test-fired suspected short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday, according to its neighbors, as anticipation grew that it might soon send a forbidden satellite into orbit.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the weapons launched from the North’s capital region flew for roughly 300 kilometers (185 miles) before crashing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The ranges indicate that the weapons might target locations in South Korea.
AP – VOR News Image
North Korea Fires Suspected Short-Range Missiles Into The Sea In Its Latest Weapons Test
The Joint Chiefs of Staff sharply criticized the launches, calling them a “clear provocation” that jeopardized peace on the Korean Peninsula. It stated that it will be prepared to “overwhelmingly” respond to North Korean provocations in accordance with its military alliance with the United States.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, told reporters that North Korea launched at least one ballistic missile that flew 250 kilometers (155 miles) at a maximum height of 50 kilometers (30 miles). He claimed that North Korea’s frequent missile testing and other provocative activities endanger the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community.
The Japanese coast guard advised ships to exercise caution around falling items, although there were no immediate reports of damage.
North Korea has escalated its weapons testing in recent months as it seeks to improve its military capabilities, while diplomacy with the United States and South Korea has stalled. According to observers, North Korea believes that upgrading its military arsenal will give it leverage to gain larger concessions from the United States if negotiations begin.
AP – VOR News Image
North Korea Fires Suspected Short-Range Missiles Into The Sea In Its Latest Weapons Test
North Korea announced on Saturday that it tested a “super-large” cruise missile warhead and a new anti-aircraft missile in a western coastal area last week. North Korea also tested a solid-fuel intermediate-range missile with hypersonic warhead capabilities in early April, a weapon experts believe is intended to attack remote sites in the United States Pacific island of Guam and elsewhere.
North Korea has already tested nuclear-armed missiles capable of striking targets in South Korea, Japan, and the mainland United States. Many experts believe North Korea already has nuclear missiles capable of reaching all of South Korea and Japan, but it has yet to create operational intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the continental United States.
In response to North Korea’s growing nuclear threats, the United States and South Korea have increased bilateral military drills and trilateral exercises with Japan. Kim Myung-soo, chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with U.S. Space Command Commander Stephen N. on Monday to discuss addressing North Korean threats, according to the South Korean military.
Some experts believe North Korea may launch its second spy satellite this month to commemorate a significant milestone, such as the April 15 birthday of its founder, Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of leader Kim Jong Un, or the April 25 founding anniversary of a predecessor of the North’s military.
Resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council prohibit North Korea from launching ballistic missiles or satellites. The world body views a satellite launch as a test of its banned ballistic missile technology.
AP – VOR News Image
North Korea Fires Suspected Short-Range Missiles Into The Sea In Its Latest Weapons Test
South Korea’s military said Monday that it had discovered evidence that North Korea is preparing to launch a spy satellite, but there are no indications that it is near.
North Korea sent its first military spy satellite into orbit in November, although its capabilities are widely questioned. In late December, Kim Jong Un announced that North Korea would launch three additional military spy satellites in 2024.
SOURCE – (AP)
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