Trump vows to ‘take over’ Washington DC: ‘We’re going to make it lovely’
Donald Trump used President Joe Biden’s 81st birthday to tout his personal obvious weight reduction and “glorious” general well being.
The previous president posted a letter from his physician Bruce Aronwald on Fact Social on Monday, studying: “His bodily exams had been effectively inside the regular vary and his cognitive exams had been distinctive.”
The letter added that Mr Trump has “diminished his weight by an improved weight loss program and continued every day bodily exercise, whereas sustaining a rigorous schedule”.
The previous president’s boasts about his obvious good well being got here the identical day that his authorized staff was in federal courtroom in Washington DC for oral arguments in regards to the partial gag order in his federal election interference case.
Decide Tanya Chutkan dominated that Mr Trump can not make “disparaging or “inflammatory” feedback about individuals or entities concerned within the case introduced by Particular Counsel Jack Smith.
Mr Trump’s staff argued that restrictions throughout his 2024 marketing campaign would violate his proper to free speech.
A panel of judges didn’t seem to purchase that argument, however an official ruling is but to be made.
In the meantime, his New York civil fraud trial enters its eighth week. The gag order has been paused in that case.
Key Factors
Present newest replace
Trump Georgia co-defendant avoids jail over harassing tweets
Donald Trump’s Fulton County election interference co-defendant Harrison Floyd has prevented jail after a listening to by which District Legal professional Fani Willis requested his bond to be revoked over tweets that appeared to harass witnesses within the sprawling racketeering case.
Decide Scott McAfee says the query at difficulty right here is whether or not Mr Floyd’s posts quantity to oblique communication with witnesses.
There was a technical violation of Mr Floyd’s bond, he says, however not each violation compels revocation.
The prosecution and defence groups will now meet to find out how the bond phrases might be modified to be clearer.
Oliver O’Connell21 November 2023 21:23
Recap: Judges aren’t shopping for Trump’s gag order attraction
However the judges additionally seem prone to slender the scope of the order, hoping to steadiness First Modification protections and political speech in opposition to the wave of threats and harassment unleashed by Mr Trump and his supporters in the direction of the prosecutors, judges, witnesses and potential jurors concerned with a rising listing of litigation in opposition to him.
The gag order imposed by US District Decide Tanya Chutkan final month blocked Mr Trump from launching a “pretrial smear marketing campaign” as he seeks the 2024 Republican nomination for president, the decide wrote.
That order was paused by the appeals courtroom in Washington DC, which heard arguments within the case on Monday throughout a listening to that lasted almost three hours. A ruling just isn’t instantly anticipated.
Alex Woodward has the complete story.
Oliver O’Connell21 November 2023 21:00
Fulton County DA Fani Willis delivers a PowerPoint presentation to underline her factors as to how Mr Floyd violated the bond restrictions in three other ways.
In response, the defence argues that the phrases of the bond haven’t been met or damaged.
Oliver O’Connell21 November 2023 20:48
After a brief break, the defence argues that it’s inconceivable that these individuals tagged within the posts by Mr Floyd would know of it, noting that the prosecution contacted them and allow them to know that they had been talked about.
Mr Floyd’s lawyer compares what occurred to somebody shouting throughout Mercedes Benz Stadium slightly than particularly speaking “with” versus “speaking about”.
He says there have been no threats within the posts made by Mr Floyd.
Oliver O’Connell21 November 2023 20:32
The third witness is Von DuBose, the lawyer for election staff Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.
He employed a agency to carry out menace assessments for them. They’re each witnesses within the Georgia case (and a trial to find out how a lot Rudy Giuliani owes them for his personal damaging feedback about them is beginning in a number of weeks).
The menace report spikes had been so excessive following harassment in opposition to them that they needed to go away their home at one level.
Oliver O’Connell21 November 2023 20:05
Subsequent up on the witness stand is Gabriel Sterling, COO of the Georgia Secretary of State’s workplace. He’s proven the assorted Twitter posts by which he’s tagged in each his skilled and private accounts and referred to as a bit of “💩”.
The defence staff retains calling the @ image an “ampersand” which as we all know is definitely “&”.
Mr Stirling tells them that such insults are par for the course as a public determine.
He says he didn’t contact regulation enforcement relating to these particular tweets.
Oliver O’Connell21 November 2023 20:02
Mr Floyd’s defence lawyer is making an attempt to select at much less of what his consumer mentioned and extra about how social media works. He’s contending that tagging somebody in a put up just isn’t speaking instantly with that particular person.
He additionally argues that Mr Floyd was not asking for individuals to reply to his posts (it was of their feedback that the threats had been made).
Decide Scott McAfee seems to be bored with this nitpicking.
DA Willis is now questioning Mr Hill on redirect. She notes that the bond settlement consists of no “oblique” communication with witnesses in addition to direct communication.
Oliver O’Connell21 November 2023 19:43
The state is arguing that Mr Floyd’s tweets led to additional harassment of these talked about, together with Ruby Freeman, as per the touch upon the tweet learn out in courtroom under:
Oliver O’Connell21 November 2023 19:16
Mr Floyd’s lawyer tried to argue that the Twitter/X account in query can’t be confirmed to be his consumer’s.
The witness, Mr Hill, lists the a number of methods by which they may determine that the account belongs to Mr Floyd, maybe most damningly that his lawyer referred to in a courtroom submitting as his consumer’s posts.
As Mr Floyd’s social media posts are learn out to the courtroom referring to Brad Raffensperger, Ruby Freeman, and former defendant Jenna Ellis, Mr Hill confirms that Ms Ellis is now a witness for the state following her plea deal.
Oliver O’Connell21 November 2023 19:00
Fulton County: Fani Willis argues for first time in sprawling Georgia election case
Fulton County District Legal professional Fani Willis is arguing why her workplace believes Harrison Floyd’s bond ought to be revoked and he ought to be despatched again to jail for intimidating witnesses.
Mr Floyd’s defence staff argues that the tweets that landed him again in courtroom weren’t supposed to be intimidating. His lawyer says “there’s no want” to ship him again into state custody, and prosecutors merely “may’ve addressed the problem” by calling up his attorneys with their considerations first. However then he defends his consumer’s feedback as “political speech” that “the state is making an attempt to silence.”
Ms Willis mentioned she’ll name three witnesses: Michael Hill, an investigator in her workplace; Gabe Sterling, a key deputy within the Secretary of State’s workplace; and Ruby Freeman’s lawyer Von DuBose.
Ms Freeman was one of many election staff who had been harrassed after engaged on the 2020 election in Fulton County.
Oliver O’Connell21 November 2023 18:40