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A grand jury has indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on a fraud charge, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Thursday. It is the latest indication of President Donald Trump and his administrationās determination to use the Justice Department to pursue the presidentās political foes.
James last year won a staggering judgment against Trump and his companies in a lawsuit alleging he lied to banks and others about the value of his assets.
James was indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia on one count after a mortgage fraud investigation, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter. James has denied wrongdoing. She has said that she made an error while filling out a form related to the home purchase but quickly rectified it and didnāt deceive the lender.
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Senate Democrats decry Trumpās deployment of National Guard troops to US cities
With a series of Senate floor speeches, Democrats are decrying how President Donald Trump has sent National Guard troops to U.S. cities as part of his campaign against crime.
The Democratic senators say that the presidentās decision to send troops onto city streets presents a constitutional crisis that could threaten Americansā civil rights and liberties. The Senate is voting later on an annual defense authorization bill, and Democrats are pressing for a Senate hearing on Trumpās domestic use of National Guard troops.
āThe president has no legal basis for deploying federal troops to Illinois against the wishes of the Illinois governor. There is no rebellion or insurrection happening in our state. Americans have the right under the First Amendment to protest this administrationās cruel and misguided immigration policy,ā said Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, in one of the floor speeches.
Troops will miss paychecks next week without action on the government shutdown
The nationās third shutdown in 12 years is once again raising anxiety levels among service members and their families because those in uniform are working without pay.
While they would receive back pay once the impasse ends, many military families live paycheck to paycheck. During previous shutdowns, Congress passed legislation to ensure that troops kept earning their salaries, but time is running out.
Heather Campbell said her family of five will have to survive on credit cards if her husband isnāt paid on Wednesday. Heās an officer in the Air Force.
āYouāre asking us to put our lives on the line or the people we love to put their lives on the line,ā said Campbell, 39, who lives outside Montgomery, Alabama, near Maxwell Air Force Base. āAnd youāre not even going to give us our paycheck. What?ā
More airports report delays Thursday because of a shortage of air traffic controllers during the shutdown
More flight delays were reported Thursday at airports across the country because a number of air traffic controllers who are expected to work without pay during the shutdown have been calling in sick.
The major hub of Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey was reporting average delays of almost an hour and a half Thursday afternoon because of staff shortages. Earlier in the day, the Dallas-Fort Worth airport was reporting delays but those resolved by the afternoon.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is urging controllers to show up for work, but he understands that they are frustrated with the shutdown and worried about how they will pay their bills without a paycheck.
Problems have been reported at various airports all week. Thereās no way to predict where there might be problems. And even a small number of absences can cause problems because the FAA is already critically short on controllers.
New York Attorney General Letitia James indicted on fraud charge, AP source says
A grand jury has indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on a fraud charge, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Thursday.
James was indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia on one count after a mortgage fraud investigation, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
ā¶ Read more about Letitia James
Trump doesnāt offer details on what conditions might lead to a two-state solution
The president was asked about an element of his peace proposal that says there may eventually be a path for Palestinian statehood if āconditionsā are in place, and Trump said, āWeāre going to see how it all goes.ā
āThereās a point at which we may do something that would be a little bit different and may be very positive for everybody. But weāll be looking at that at the time,ā Trump said.
The president added that he was hopeful things would progress that far, adding: I think weāll get to that period, too.ā
Chicagoās mayor accuses Trump of sowing chaos and terror
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has accused President Donald Trump of overstepping his authority by sending troops into his city, sowing chaos and terror.
Johnson spoke to reporters outside a courthouse in Chicago during a break in proceedings Thursday at which the state of Illinois urged a judge to order the National Guard to stand down in the Chicago area.
The mayor said
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