Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he campaigns at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. August 12, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
Former President Donald Trump said that he received counsel from numerous people shortly after the 2020 election but that it was his decision to push the false claim he won the presidency and try to overturn the results.
“It was my decision, but I listened to some people,” Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in an interview that aired Sunday.
Trump has been indicted over his efforts to subvert the 2020 election results. He has pleaded not guilty in all cases and denied any wrongdoing.
A central premise of special counsel Jack Smith’s case, according to his indictment of the former president, is that Trump knew the election claims he was making were false after being told by close aides that he had lost but disseminated them anyway to make them appear legitimate – all in service of an alleged criminal conspiracy.
“I was listening to different people, and when I added it all up, the election was rigged,” Trump told Kristen Welker in the interview, again pushing the false claim as he seeks the 2024 Republican nomination for president.
“You know who I listen to? Myself. I saw what happened,” Trump said.
The former president said he didn’t listen to his attorneys who told him he lost the election because he didn’t respect them.
“You hire them, you’ve never met these people, you get a recommendation, they turn out to be RINOs (Republicans in name only), or they turn out to be not so good. In many cases, I didn’t respect them,” Trump said. “But I did respect others. I respected many others that said the election was rigged.”
Following his election loss, Trump tried multiple avenues to overturn the election results. He pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and another official to “recalculate” the numbers and “find” enough votes to let him win.
Trump’s campaign also tried to install fake GOP electors in seven swing states.
The House select committee that investigated Trump’s actions in the lead-up to the January 6, 2021, insurrection argued that the evidence shows he actively worked to “transmit false Electoral College ballots to Congress and the National Archives” despite concerns among his lawyers that doing so could be unlawful.
“That evidence has led to an overriding and straightforward conclusion: the central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump, whom many others followed. None of the events of January 6th would have happened without him,” the committee’s final report states.
Smith’s federal election interference investigation is one of four criminal cases against the former president. Trump is facing four charges in Smith’s case, including obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Trump was also charged in a sweeping Georgia indictment accusing him of being the head of a “criminal enterprise” to overturn the 2020 election.
The European Union could become as dependent on China for lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells by 2030 as it was on Russia for energy before the war in Ukraine unless it takes strong measures, a paper prepared for EU leaders said.
The document, obtained by Reuters, will be the basis of discussions on Europe's economic security during a meeting of EU leaders in Granada in Spain on Oct. 5.
Worried by China's growing global assertiveness and economic weight, the leaders will discuss the European Commission's proposals to reduce the risk of Europe being too dependent on China and the need diversify towards Africa and Latin America.
The paper said that because of the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources like solar or wind, Europe will need ways to store energy to reach its goal of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
"This will skyrocket our demand for lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells and electrolysers, which is expected to multiply between 10 and 30 times in the coming years," the paper, prepared by the Spanish presidency of the EU, said.
While the EU has a strong position in the intermediate and assembly phases of making electrolysers, with a more than 50% global market share, it relies heavily on China for fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries crucial for electric vehicles.
"Without implementing strong measures, the European energy ecosystem could have a dependency on China by 2030 of a different nature, but with a similar severity, from the one it had on Russia before the invasion of Ukraine," it said.
According to the European Commission, in 2021, the year before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU took more than 40% of its total gas consumption, 27% of oil imports and 46% of coal imports from Russia.
Workers are seen at the production line of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EV) at a factory in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, China August 28, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing Rights
Ending most energy purchases from Russia caused an energy price shock in the EU and a surge in consumer inflation, forcing the European Central Bank to sharply raise interest rates in a move that has curbed economic growth.
Lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells were not the only area of EU vulnerability, the Spanish presidency paper said.
"A similar scenario could unfold in the digital-tech space," the document said. "Forecasts suggest that the demand for digital devices such as sensors, drones, data servers, storage equipment and data transmission networks will rise sharply in this decade."
"The EU has a relatively strong position in the latter, but it shows significant weaknesses in the other areas," it said.
By 2030, this foreign dependency could seriously hinder the productivity gains that the European industry and service sector urgently require and could impede the modernisation of agriculture systems essential to addressing climate change, it said.
A view shows a damaged car, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya September 17, 2023. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori Acquire Licensing Right
People whose homes were swept away by flooding in Libya's eastern city of Derna a week ago faced the dilemma on Sunday of whether to stay and risk infection or flee through areas where landmines have been displaced by the torrents.
Thousands of people were killed after two dams above Derna broke on Sept. 10 during a powerful storm, bringing down residential blocks lining a usually dry river bed as people slept. Many bodies have been washed out to sea.
The U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said approximately 11,300 people had died - more than double the figure given by the International Organization for Migration on Friday.
The Libyan Red Crescent, which OCHA cited for the data, distanced itself from the report but OCHA stood by it.
More than 1,000 have already been buried in mass graves, according to the United Nations, and aid groups have warned against the practice. Libyan authorities have confirmed that 150 people have been poisoned by polluted water in the flood-hit areas.
Volunteers carry a dead body they found under the rubble of a building after a deadly storm and flooding hit Libya, in Derna, Libya September 17, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra Acquire Licensing Rights
Mohamed Wanis Tajouri said he had come to Derna from Benghazi down the coast with fellow medical students to carry out disinfection and sterilization work.
"After floods epidemics occur," he said.
Sunrise on Sunday revealed a scene of quiet devastation, with piles of rubble cleared to the sides of empty roads along with tangled metal including pieces of wrecked cars.
Hamad Awad sat on a blanket on an empty street with a bottle of water and bedding alongside him.
"I am staying in our area trying to clean it and trying to verify who is missing," he said. "Thank God for giving us patience."
Entire districts of Derna, with an estimated population of at least 120,000, were swept away or buried in mud. State media said at least 891 buildings had been destroyed in the city, whose mayor has said 20,000 people may have died.
A view of dead bodies at a beach, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya September 17, 2023. REUTERS/Ayman Al-Sahili Acquire Licensing Rights
Mohamed Alnaji Bushertila, a government employee, said 84 members of his wider family were missing. Another resident said survivors were at a loss over what to do next.
"We still do not know anything, we are hearing rumours, some are trying to reassure us, others are saying you need to leave the city or stay here. We have no water and no resources," said the man, who gave just one name, Wasfi.
OCHA said the homeless were surviving in makeshift shelters, schools or packed into the houses of relatives or friends.
Floodwaters had shifted landmines and other ordnance left over from years of conflict, posing an extra risk to the thousands of displaced people on the move, it said.
CLINGING ON
Aid organizations have flown in emergency aid and some countries have sent supplies, although international officials say much more help is needed. A French field hospital was being prepared in footage aired by Libya's Al Masar television.
"People came with aid from all over, and this made it easier on us, and we felt that we are not alone," said Derna resident Hassan Awad as civil protection workers from Algeria searched the rubble of multistorey buildings in the city for survivors.
A view shows a cat between the debris, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya September 17, 2023. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori Acquire Licensing Rights
Awad pointed to a rusty pole between two buildings and said clinging to it was how his family had survived the flood which tore through their home, covering everything in mud.
"We found dead bodies, of neighbours, friends and loved ones," he said. On the seafront, an excavator moved smashed furniture and cars to try to find victims underneath. Another excavator cleared rubble from buildings as rescue workers paused and knelt nearby to pray.
In al Badya, a coastal settlement west of Derna, the hospital was treating victims from Derna as well as its own. Doctors built makeshift dams in the street when the flooding hit to try to hold back the water, but it rose within the building.
"This affected machinery and the infrastructure of the lower level of the hospital," the hospital's head, Abdel Rahim Mazek, said.
Elsewhere in the town, volunteers handed out clothing and food.
"People left their houses with nothing, they didn't even have their underwear," said one of the initiative's supervisors, Mohammad Shaheen.
Volunteer Abdulnabi said the team came from Ajaylat, around 800 miles (1,200 km) away in western Libya, divided from the east by more than a decade of on and off conflict.
Rescuers work , in the aftermath of the deadly storm that hit Libya, in Derna, Libya September 17, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra Acquire Licensing Rights
"People are coming together to help those impacted," he said.
The country of 7 million people has lacked a strong central government since a NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and its oil wealth is dispersed among competing groups.
Analysts said the disaster had brought some coordination between the internationally-backed administration in Tripoli in the west and the rival administration in the east but that reconstruction efforts would likely reopen faultlines.
The OCHA report on Saturday said alongside 11,300 dead more than 10,000 people were missing in Derna after Storm Daniel swept over the Mediterranean and into the city and other coastal settlements.
A spokesman for the Libyan Red Crescent cited by the report referred Reuters to the authorities, saying "figures are changing and the Red Crescent is not responsible for this."
An official from the administration that runs eastern Libya, Dr. Osama Al-Fakhry said: "The number of dead so far is 3,252, and they are those who were buried".
OCHA spokesperson Eri Kaneko stood by its report, noting that the World Health Organisation had confirmed 3,922 deaths.
More than 40,000 people had been displaced, OCHA said, cautioning that the figure was likely much higher since access had been restricted to the worst-affected areas such as Derna.
An aerial view shows rescue teams searching for dead bodies at a beach, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya September 17, 2023. REUTERS/Ayman Al-Sahili Acquire Licensing Right
The US controls the military actions in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a commentary for the program called "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" that comes out on the Rossiya-1 television channel, adding that Washington is in fact pursuing a war against Russia by supplying weapons.
"No matter what it says, it (the US - TASS) controls this war, it supplies weapons, munition, intelligence information, data from satellites, it is pursuing a war against us," the minister said on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) as he commented on statements by the US on readiness to supply long-range shells with depleted uranium to Ukraine. An excerpt of the commentary was posted by journalist Pavel Zarubin on his Telegram channel.
"What is happening is that Ukraine has been prepared for years to fight with its hands and its bodies to strategically defeat Russia. No matter what they say, they are managing this war, they are supplying weapons, ammunition, intelligence, satellite data — they are waging a war against us," Lavrov said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko that the United States tries to solve all problems it encounters with force, threats or economic sanctions. He highlighted that Russia is not a threat to anyone, and the Americans themselves acknowledge that the real threat emanates from the White House.
Possible supplies of longer-range missiles to Kiev by Western countries will not change the essence of what is going on in Ukraine, Lavrov said. "I am unable to comment on their statements <…> but the fact that it will not change the essence of what is going on in Ukraine is obvious. While what is going on is that Ukraine has been prepared, has long been prepared for inflicting strategic defeat to Russia using its hands and its bodies," the minister said.
Earlier, the Pentagon announced additional security assistance worth $175 mln for Kiev.
In September, US media reported that the Biden administration was looking at supplying Ukraine with ATACMS with a range of up to 190 miles, capable of striking deep into Russian territory, this fall to boost Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
The latest package for the first time includes depleted uranium rounds for previously committed Abrams tanks.
The US and its allies began pouring weapons and ammunition into Ukraine shortly after Russia launched its military operation in the country in February 2022. The Kremlin has repeatedly warned against further escalation leading to NATO's direct involvement in the conflict.
Watch Russian Ka-52 Helicopter Destroy Ukrainian Control Center
The Ka-52 Alligator is a Russian attack helicopter designed for reconnaissance, target designation and anti-tank warfare.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has released footage of a Ka-52 Alligator reconnaissance and attack helicopter destroying a Ukrainian control center and armored vehicles.
Ukraine launched its counteroffensive against Russia on June 4 after several postponements while Kiev asked its Western donors to increase military and financial aid.
Three months later, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had failed and that Ukraine had lost 71,500 men in the attack. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu added that Ukraine had not achieved any of the goals of its counteroffensive in any direction.
Russian Military Repels 6 Attacks in Donetsk Direction, Kiev Loses 350 Troops
The Russian army repelled six attacks by the Ukrainian armed forces in the Donetsk and South Donetsk direction over the past 24 hours, with Kiev losing up to 350 servicepeople, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
"In the South Donetsk direction, three attacks by assault groups of the 35th and 36th brigades of the Ukrainian marines in the areas of Staromaiorskoe of the Donetsk People's Republic [DPR] and Priytnoe of the Zaporozhye Region were repelled during the day by courageous actions of the units of the Vostok group of forces in cooperation with aviation and artillery," the ministry said.
In the Donetsk direction, the units of the Southern group of forces, together with aviation and artillery, repulsed three attacks of assault groups of the 53rd motorized infantry brigade and the 79th airborne assault brigade of the Ukrainian army near the Russian-controlled village of Marinka in the DPR, the ministry said. Kiev has lost up to 180 servicepeople, the ministry added.
Russian aviation and artillery have also hit the shops of the Kharkov armored plant, where Ukrainian tanks were being repaired, as well as Ukrainian command and observation posts were located, the ministry said.
In addition, Russian air defense systems shot down 28 Ukrainian drones, two JDAM aerial bombs, one HARM shell and one HIMARS missile over the past 24 hours, the defense ministry said.
This Russian Warship Rips Ukrainian Drone Boats Apart
Patrol vessels from Project 22160 of the Black Sea Fleet performed best out of all warships during a special military operation, according to media reports.
These relatively modestly equipped patrol ships proved to be a powerful tool against the kamikaze drones used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
On 13 September, the vessel Vasily Bykov shot down three Ukrainian speed boats, and on 14 September, the Sergei Kotov destroyed five unmanned vessels using standard armaments.
Recent events have shown that artillery armaments are highly in demand for small patrol ships. Each ship is equipped with the AK-176MA-01 unit, which has a high-speed 76mm cannon, and the MR-123 'Bagira' control system that includes radar for detecting small surface objects. The cannon is capable of firing at both sea and air targets and can operate in manual and automatic guidance modes.
This weapon can effectively target both aerial and surface objectives at a range of more than 10km, making warships which have been equipped with it extremely valuable during the special military operation. Recently, machine guns and cannon played a crucial role in defeating unmanned vessels attacking Sevastopol from the sea. Additionally, ships of this type can be equipped with extra machine-gun emplacements, considerably increasing the density of fire.
Furthermore, Alexander Spiridonov, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Industry and Trade, confirmed that these vessels are equipped with Kalibr missiles. Only two Project 22160 ships are operating at present in the Black Sea Fleet, but it is expected that the fleet will grow to six.
The third vessel, Viktor Velikiy, is expected to enter service by the end of 2023.
