Trump indicted by N.Y. grand jury, slated to appear in court Tuesday

A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict former president Donald Trump, making him the first person in U.S. history to serve as commander in chief and then be charged with a crime, and setting the stage for a 2024 presidential contest unlike any other.

The indictment was sealed, which means the specific charge or charges are not publicly known. But the grand jury had been hearing evidence about money paid to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, allegedly to keep her from saying she’d had a sexual encounter with Trump years earlier. Trump is expected to turn himself in and appear in court on Tuesday at 2:15 p.m., said a person familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not been publicly announced.

Trump, who is campaigning to return to the White House in 2024 and leading in most polls of Republican voters, is also the focus of criminal probes in Georgia and Washington, D.C., related to his efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory and his handling of classified material at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida home and private club.

Those cases have raised serious questions about national security and the basic functions of democracy. The New York case, in contrast, stems from a hush-money plan and Trump’s alleged conduct before he became president. The indictment follows weeks of speculation about whether and when Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg might take such a momentous step toward a courthouse showdown with one of the most combative politicians in modern American history.

Being charged with — or found guilty of — a crime does not disqualify Trump from running for office. Still, the indictment suggests a remarkable possibility: a soon-to-be-77-year-old running for president while simultaneously seeking to beat a conviction. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and says he did not have an affair with Daniels.

A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney said Thursday evening that the office had contacted Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender for arraignment “on an indictment, which remains under seal.”

Bragg and his investigative team have spent months probing whether Trump falsified business records connected to the Daniels payments in a way that could constitute a campaign-finance violation — a set of facts and allegations that some lawyers called a “zombie” case because it has lingered, seemingly lifeless but not actually dead, for years.

Trump, who has long railed against law enforcement officials, particularly when it comes to investigation of his conduct, quickly issued a statement condemning the indictment. Democrats, he charged, “have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable — indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference. Never before in our Nation’s history has this been done.”

The indictment was filed behind closed doors at the Lower Manhattan courthouse after the clerk’s office was closed for the day. It was not immediately clear whether it will be unsealed before Trump appears in court.

Trump, like any criminal defendant, is expected to be processed before his arraignment, including fingerprinting and mug shots. Security will be a concern, given that he has a significant Secret Service detail as a former president — a novel issue in a historic case. The special agent in charge of Trump’s security detail, Sean Curran, or Curran’s deputy, is likely to personally accompany Trump when he is processed.

Donald Trump was indicted. Here's what it means and what happens next.

Trump was at Mar-a-Lago Thursday afternoon when his lawyers said he had been indicted. His legal team was surprised by the precise timing, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss it.

The former president has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing and maintained that those investigating him were making politically motivated accusations — a posture that energizes the most loyal segments of his base, even as some more mainstream Republicans have expressed interest in finding a new party standard-bearer.

Trump vowed Thursday to rally his fellow Republicans to defeat Bragg, an elected Democrat. “And then we will defeat Joe Biden, and we are going to throw every last one of these Crooked Democrats out of office,” he said.

Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina, the lawyers who have been representing Trump in the Bragg case, confirmed in a statement that their client was indicted but said: “He did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in Court.”

Legal experts have said that the apparent prosecution theory of the case is an untested application of state law, but that it isn’t necessarily fatal to the case. Trump’s legal team is expected to try to have the case tossed before it ever gets to trial — arguing that, among other things, there was no crime committed because even the alleged conduct by Trump does not fit the meaning or application of the law.

One person with knowledge of Trump’s political operation said advisers have been prepping for charges, and drawing up lines of attack on Bragg and key witnesses.

David Urban, a longtime adviser to Trump who is not working for him in 2024, said Trump is gearing up to fight the case. “If you’re going to indict the president, there should be a dead body laying next to him. This is far from it,” he said.

In addition to any legal challenges for prosecutors, the case against Trump will face significant political head winds. Many Republican elected officials leaped to Trump’s defense on Thursday, denouncing what they called the weaponization of the criminal justice system.

Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican Party, called the indictment “a blatant abuse of power from a DA focused on political vengeance instead of keeping people safe.”

Bragg’s investigation appears to have focused on $130,000 paid by former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who has said he fronted the money involved in the Daniels transactions to ensure her silence ahead of the 2016 election, and was later reimbursed by Trump. The reimbursement payments were erroneously classified as legal fees, previous investigations have found.

The porn star, the checks and the president: Trump's tawdry path to peril.

Legal experts have said Bragg seems to be building a case of alleged business fraud, which is a misdemeanor but can be upgraded to a felony if the fraud is committed to further or conceal a separate crime. In this case, Bragg’s office appears to be alleging that business records were falsified to conceal a payment that amounted to an undisclosed campaign contribution to benefit Trump’s 2016 bid for president.

Trump’s lawyers and defenders have argued that he cannot be charged with such a crime because the purpose of the payment was not to help the campaign, but to protect Trump’s reputation and marriage.

Cohen, who would probably be a key witness for Bragg, served time in prison after pleading guilty in two federal criminal cases — including one that involved campaign finance violations related to Daniels and another woman who alleged an affair with Trump. He also pleaded guilty to lying to Congress, and his credibility has been attacked by Trump’s defenders, which could undermine his strength as a witness.

Bragg’s office already has won a conviction against Trump’s family business, successfully prosecuting the Trump Organization on tax fraud and related counts at a criminal trial in New York Supreme Court late last year. In that proceeding, longtime Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg testified against the Trump family’s company under a plea agreement that called for him to serve five months in prison in exchange for his assistance at the trial. He had been facing up to 15 years in prison after dodging taxes on $1.7 million in income.

As a result of the December conviction, the Trump Organization was ordered to pay a $1.6 million fine to the state, the largest amount allowable under New York law. Trump was not charged in the case.

LIVE UPDATES - Russian Air Defenses Down Mi-8 Helicopter in Ukraine Operation, Top Brass Reports

©Russian Defence Ministry/TASS

Russian air defense forces intercepted a Ukrainian Grom-2 ballistic missile and shot down a Mi-8 helicopter over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Thursday.

"Air defense capabilities shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Mi-8 helicopter near the settlement of Temirovka in the Zaporozhye Region. In addition, during the last 24-hour period, they intercepted a Grom-2 operational/tactical missile, three rockets of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system, and also destroyed two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near the communities of Novoandreyevka and Zelyony Gai in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

Russian forces strike over 90 Ukrainian artillery units in past day Russian forces struck over 90 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions in the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the past 24 hours, operational/tactical and army aviation aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian group of forces struck 93 artillery units at firing positions, manpower and equipment in 107 areas," the spokesman said.

Battles in Kupyansk direction

Russian forces struck Ukrainian manpower and equipment in the Kupyansk area, eliminating roughly 50 enemy troops over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kupyansk direction, army aviation aircraft and artillery of the western battlegroup struck the enemy manpower and equipment in areas near the settlements of Gryanikovka and Sinkovka in the Kharkov Region, Novosyolovskoye and Stelmakhovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

The strikes eliminated enemy troops and equipment, the general said.

"As many as 50 Ukrainian personnel, and also two motor vehicles were destroyed," Konashenkov reported.

Battles in Krasny Liman direction

Russian forces eliminated roughly 130 Ukrainian troops in the Krasny Liman area over the past day, he said.

"In the Krasny Liman direction, aircraft, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems of the battlegroup Center struck the Ukrainian army units in areas near the settlements of Chervonaya Dibrova and Nevskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Yampolovka, Torskoye and Grigorovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

The strikes eliminated as many as 130 Ukrainian troops, two armored combat vehicles, a Grad multiple rocket launcher and an Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer in that area in the past 24 hours, the general specified.

Battles in Donetsk direction

Russian forces destroyed over 340 Ukrainian troops and mercenaries in their advance in the Donetsk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Donetsk direction, the enemy’s losses amounted to over 340 servicemen and mercenaries, two tanks, four infantry fighting vehicles, six armored combat vehicles, nine motor vehicles, an Uragan multiple rocket launcher and also D-20 and D-30 howitzers in the past 24 hours as a result of active operations by units of the southern battlegroup, air strikes and artillery fire," the spokesman said.

Battles in southern Donetsk, Zaporozhye directions

Russian forces eliminated over 25 Ukrainian troops in the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas in the past day, Konashenkov reported.

In the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, army aviation aircraft and artillery of the battlegroup East struck the Ukrainian army units in areas near the settlements of Vladimirovka and Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Malinovka and Shcherbaki in the Zaporozhye Region, the spokesman specified.

"Over 25 Ukrainian troops and two armored combat vehicles were destroyed in those directions in the past 24 hours," the general said.

Battles in Kherson direction

Russian forces destroyed roughly 25 Ukrainian troops and three howitzers in the Kherson area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kherson direction, as many as 25 Ukrainian personnel, 11 motor vehicles, and also three D-30 howitzers were destroyed as a result of damage inflicted on the enemy by firepower," the spokesman said.

Russian forces destroy Ukrainian army’s ammo, fuel depots

Russian forces destroyed an ammunition depot, a fuel storage facility and a Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system of the Ukrainian army in the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the area of the settlement of Grebennikovka in the Sumy Region, a Ukrainian Buk-M1 self-propelled anti-aircraft missile launcher was obliterated. In the area of the settlement of Olgovka in the Kherson Region, an ammunition depot of the 126th territorial defense brigade was destroyed. Also, a fuel storage facility of the 102nd territorial defense brigade was eliminated near the settlement of Zaliznichnoye in the Zaporozhye Region," the spokesman said.

In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 404 Ukrainian warplanes, 227 helicopters, 3,622 unmanned aerial vehicles, 415 surface-to-air missile systems, 8,472 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,076 multiple rocket launchers, 4,462 field artillery guns and mortars and 9,199 special military motor vehicles since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, Konashenkov reported.

Video - Ukrainian Christians Resist Attempts by Kiev Regime to Seize Kiev-Pechersk Lavra

Some of the faithful who gathered at the monastery admonished the Ukrainian government officials, arguing that the latter were "warring against God."

Christians in Ukraine rallied to nonviolently protect a famous monastery in Kiev from attempts by the Zelensky regime to seize it and evict the monks living there.

Videos that emerged online show Christian faithful gather in front of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and pray, preventing the government commission sent to do an inventory of the monastery from entering.

Some of the believers can be heard admonishing the government officials, telling them “You are warring against God” and “We do you no harm, let us pray for our husbands.”

Earlier this month, the National Kiev-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve in Ukraine ordered the monks of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to vacate the premises of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, after Ukrainian government accused the UOC of violating the terms of an agreement on the use of state property.

Unable to enter the monastery and perform its task, the commission ended up leaving the scene, having accomplished nothing.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s minister of culture suggested that the monks could stay if they were to join the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).

Earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia strongly condemns Ukraine’s decision to evict monks from the Kiev-Pechesk Lavra monastery.

"We condemn. We strongly condemn these actions. We condemn the pressure that is being exerted on the clergy, which is being exerted on the Russian Orthodox Church," Peskov told reporters.

When asked about possible evacuation of monks to Russia, the Kremlin spokesman said that everything depends on their own decisions but "no one will remain indifferent" to their fate.

China, Brazil Strike Blow Against Dollar Through Bilateral Trade

©AFP 2023 / STR /

China and Brazil are moving to a new level of bilateral trade. China has made a strong move to increase its economic influence in Latin America. Brazil's example could stimulate the displacement of the dollar from the Southern Common Market's (MERCOSUR) trade with China.

China and Brazil have signed an agreement to trade using their local currencies. The announcement was made Wednesday at a high-level China-Brazil business forum in Beijing.

The two sides will set up a clearing house to facilitate settlements without using the US dollar and loans in local currencies. This will help companies make transactions easier and cheaper. Settlement in local currencies will also minimize financial risks in trade transactions due to fluctuations in the dollar's exchange rate.

The instability of the US financial system, and consequently the dollar, is one of the main incentives for transferring payments to yuan and Brazilian reals, Chen Fengying, a research fellow at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told Sputnik.

“In the wake of the current international financial crisis, many countries are taking steps to diversify their currency baskets. The exchange rate volatility is mainly due to a sharp increase in interest rates by the Fed. This is causing market anxiety due to the uncertainty of US monetary policy, which reflects on the stability of the dollar. In the past, both China and Brazil were in the dollar zone, and it was necessary for the dollar to remain stable in order to maintain bilateral trade stability.

The current instability of the US dollar exchange rate negatively affects bilateral trade and investment and is detrimental to the interests of China and Brazil. In addition to Brazil and China, Russia and countries in the Middle East also use the method of settlement in local currency on the basis of swap agreements. This allows them to minimize risks, protect their interests and assess the potential of their own currencies.”

Brazil is China's ninth largest trading partner, and China is Brazil's largest trading partner. China overtook the US as Brazil's top trading partner in 2009. According to statistics from China's General Administration of Customs, bilateral trade reached $171.49 billion in 2022, an increase of 4.9 % from the previous year. Brazil's exports to China totaled $89.43 billion in 2022, according to official Brazilian data, or 26.8 % of its total exports.

The transition to local currencies will promote the development of China-Brazil cooperation in food and minerals, and also open up new opportunities for the export of high value-added goods from China to Brazil and from Brazil to China. These are the most promising areas of cooperation identified at the Beijing Business Forum.

According to expert Chen Fengying, the transfer of investments into local currencies will also bring significant bonuses. Brazil has become China's largest investment destination in Latin America.

“Brazil's decision to trade with China using its own currencies is correct and timely, especially in the context of the annual growth of bilateral trade. Settlement in local currencies can best support the stability of bilateral trade, strengthen the confidence of capital market participants in the future, and reduce the costs for companies caused by fluctuations in the U.S. dollar exchange rate. Under the announced agreement, only trade transactions between China and Brazil will be conducted in local currency for the time being. Both sides will benefit even more from expanding the scope of the agreement to include investment.”

More than 25 countries, including Chile and Argentina, already settle their accounts with China in yuan. Brazil's example may encourage other Chinese partners in the region to switch to trade settlements in national currencies, said Mikhail Belyaev, a Russian independent expert on financial and economic issues:

“It is certainly a strong example for other countries to take the same step as Brazil. The whole of Latin America is under quite strong American influence, including financial influence. Brazil is also keeping an eye on America. But it is moving away from the dollar because it benefits from it. The dollar is ‘toxic.’ And if it is ‘toxic’ for Russia today, it does not mean that it will not be ‘toxic’ for, say, Brazil or any other Latin American country tomorrow. This fact serves as a catalyst for countries in the region to follow Brazil's example and develop trade settlements with China in their national currencies. At the same time, it strengthens China's economic and financial influence in the region.”

After Argentina, Brazil is the second Mercosur country to switch to local currencies for its trade with China. This is a strong incentive for the other two Mercosur players, Uruguay and Paraguay. Especially since China and Uruguay are negotiating a free trade agreement.

Para pemain timnas Indonesia U-20 kompak kenakan pita hitam

Para pemain tim nasional Indonesia U-20 kompak mengenakan pita hitam, yang menjadi simbol kesedihan mereka karena Piala Dunia U-20 batal diselenggarakan di Tanah Air.

Sebelumnya FIFA telah membatalkan penyelenggaraan Piala Dunia U-20 di Indonesia, melalui pernyataan di laman resminya. Upaya Ketua Umum PSSI Erick Thohir untuk berkomunikasi dengan FIFA ternyata gagal membuahkan hasil yang menggembirakan bagi publik sepak bola Tanah Air.

"Perasaan kita tentu sangat sedih dan kecewa. Kita sudah latihan bersama sekitar dua tahun tapi apa boleh buat, kejadian ini membuat mimpi kita terkubur," kata bek tim nasional Indonesia U-20 Kadek Arel Priyatna dalam pernyataan tertulis yang diterima pewarta di Jakarta, Kamis malam.

"Ini kita memakai simbol pita hitam, simbol duka cita terhadap Piala Dunia U-20 yang batal. Kita berharap para suporter juga bisa menggunakannya," tambah pemain Bali United tersebut.

Kisruh mengenai penyelenggaraan Piala Dunia U-20 di Indonesia memantik perdebatan banyak pihak, terutama setelah dua gubernur yang provinsinya diamanahi tanggung jawab untuk menjadi tempat pertandingan menyatakan penolakannya terhadap kedatangan timnas Israel.

Gubernur Bali I Wayan Koster sempat menyurati Menteri Pemuda dan Olahraga untuk menyatakan keberatannya tersebut, sedangkan Gubernur Jawa Tengah Ganjar Pranowo sempat memberikan pernyataan tertulis dengan inti serupa. Hal tersebut kemudian memuncak pada keputusan FIFA untuk membatalkan penyelenggaraan ajang dua tahunan tersebut di Indonesia.

Kadek sendiri menyatakan dirinya merasa semakin sedih, karena salah satu pihak yang menolak kedatangan tim peserta adalah Gubernur Bali.

"Jujur saya kaget, kepala daerah saya sendiri yang menolak Israel. Seharusnya itu kan bisa menambah wawasan wisatawan tentang Bali di mata dunia," ucap pemain 17 tahun itu.

Partisipasi Indonesia di Piala Dunia U-20 sebenarnya masih belum jelas, karena FIFA hanya membatalkan penyelenggaraan di Indonesia dan bukan menyatakan tim Garuda Nusantara telah dicoret sepenuhnya. Selain itu, total sudah ada 24 tim yang dipastikan akan mengikuti ajang tersebut.

"Kita belum tahu keputusan selanjutnya. Kita berharap kalau pindah tempatnya, kita masih diperkenankan (bermain). Karena kualifikasi sudah ada 24 tim, harapan kita itu saja," kata Wakil Ketua Umum PSSI Zainudin Amali saat menemui para pemain timnas U-20 pada Kamis siang.

Beijing demands that US stop provoking China

Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesman Tan Kefei
©AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File

The US Armed Forces must stop provoking China in the South China Sea, otherwise they will bear responsibility for any potential incidents, Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesman Tan Kefei warned on Thursday.

The comment was Tan’s response to a US Navy vessel that allegedly sailed near the China-controlled Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.

"We sternly demand that the United States immediately stop such provocations, otherwise it will bear full responsibility for all the serious consequences of their causing a potential incident," the Chinese Defense Ministry quoted him as saying on WeChat.

"The Chinese People’s Liberation Army will take all necessary measures to protect national sovereignty and security and will resolutely defend peace and stability in the South China Sea," Tan assured.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Milius passed near the Paracel Islands last Friday. China’s top brass claimed that the US warship did this without the Chinese government’s permission and had violated China’s sovereignty. The US 7th Fleet replied by saying in a news release that the US destroyer had acted in line with international law, while conducting a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP).

Beijing has disputed the territorial jurisdiction of some islands in the South China Sea where large hydrocarbon reserves were found with Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia. The most disputed territories are the Xisha Islands, also known as the Paracel Islands, the Nansha or Spratly Islands and Huangyan Island (Scarborough Reef).

China strongly opposes the United States' sensationalization of the "China threat" in its new defense act, said Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a spokesman for China's Defense Ministry.

Tan said in a news release on Saturday that the US' National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 involves a number of negative provisions regarding China. It plays up the so-called "China threat" in disregard of facts and brazenly interferes with China's internal affairs to fabricate excuses for expanding military expenditures and maintaining its hegemony, he said.

"Such acts have not only harmed China's sovereignty, security and interests, but have also poisoned the ties between the two countries and the two militaries," said Tan. "China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the US' move, and has lodged solemn representations with the US."

The spokesman said that China is following a path of peaceful development and a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, and has always taken concrete actions to safeguard world peace, foster the common development and strive for a better, shared future for mankind. The Chinese military has always been a staunch force for protecting world peace and stability and this fact has been recognized by the international community and brooks no denigration, according to Tan.

In stark contrast, the US has either waged wars against other countries or created conflicts, causing massive casualties and displacement of innocent civilians.

"Facts have proved again and again that the US is the very direct threat to the international order and the driver behind turbulence in many regions," he noted.

Speaking about the Taiwan question, the spokesman said that, for a certain period, the US has been constantly distorting and invalidating the one-China principle, frequently selling arms to Taiwan, strengthening its military connection with Taiwan and concocting Taiwan-related acts that damage China's sovereignty. These moves have seriously jeopardized the peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and increase the risk of China-US military confrontation.

"The People's Liberation Army is, as always, ready to resolutely safeguard our national reunification and territorial integrity," Tan said.

"We urge the US to abandon its obsession with this zero-sum game and adopt objective and rational perspective of China's national defense and military, truly respect China's core interests and major concerns, and work with China to implement the consensus reached by our national leaders. Only in this way, can the military-to-military relations between the two countries get back on track," he stressed.

China willing to work with Russian military on several fronts - Chinese defence ministry

China said its military was willing to work together with the Russian military to strengthen strategic communication and coordination, the Chinese defence ministry said on Thursday.

The two countries would work together to implement global security initiatives, said Tan Kefei, a spokesman at the Chinese defence ministry, at a regular press conference.

Tan said the two countries would deepen military trust and jointly safeguard international fairness and justice.

They will also further organise joint maritime, air patrols and joint exercises, Tan said.

China President Xi Jinping recently visited Russia and met with President Vladimir Putin - a visit the United States denounced.