Barricades have been erected outside a New York court as the city prepares for the possibility Donald Trump could be arrested and charged over alleged hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign.
It would be the first criminal case brought against a former US president.
Crowds have already started to gather outside Trump Tower and Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, as well as Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
On Saturday, Mr Trump urged followers on social media to protest against what he said was his looming arrest.
It has raised fears of a repeat of violent scenes seen at Capitol Hill after his 2020 presidential defeat.
New York Mayor Eric Adams told reporters police were monitoring social media and keeping an eye out for “inappropriate actions” in the city.
The New York Police Department said there were no known credible threats.
However, barricades have been erected outside Trump Tower and Manhattan Criminal Court for crowds and any trouble following the former president’s claim his arrest is imminent.
Image: Donald Trump supporters outside his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Pic: Phelan M. Ebenhack via AP
Image: …and outside the New York court where district attorney Alvin Bragg continues his investigation
Image: …and Trump Tower
If charged, Mr Trump would likely have to travel from his Florida home for fingerprinting and other processing.
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Law enforcement officials met on Monday to discuss the logistics, several media outlets reported.
Mr Trump’s lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, told the Associated Press news agency that if the former president is indicted “we will follow the normal procedures”.
A grand jury, which heard further testimony on Monday, could bring charges as soon as this week.
Mr Trump, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the White House again in 2024, had predicted he would be arrested on Tuesday.
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On Monday the grand jury heard from a witness, lawyer Robert Costello. He said Mr Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen had handled the hush-money payments without Mr Trump’s involvement.
“Michael Cohen decided on his own – that’s what he told us – on his own, to see if he could take care of this,” Mr Costello told reporters following his testimony, at Mr Trump’s legal team’s request.
Mr Cohen, who testified twice before the grand jury, has said publicly Mr Trump directed him to make the payments on his behalf.
The investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is one of several legal challenges Mr Trump faces, including legal action over the 6 January, 2021, Capitol riots.
Mr Bragg’s office has apparently been examining whether any state laws were broken in connection with the payments or the way Mr Trump’s company compensated Mr Cohen for his work to keep the women’s allegations quiet.
Mr Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal campaign finance violations tied to his arranging payments to Ms Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, and another woman in exchange for their silence about affairs they claimed with Mr Trump.
Mr Trump has denied any wrongdoing and that any such affairs took place.
Around 44% of Republicans say Mr Trump should drop out of the presidential race if he is indicted, according to a seven-day Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded on Monday.
It is “Liberation Day” III – the third tariff deadline set by Donald Trump.
From today, countries without bilateral trade agreements face reciprocal tariffs – ranging from 25% to 50% – with a baseline of 15% to 20% for any not making a deal.
He has delayed twice, from April to July and from July to August, but hammered this date home in his trademark caps-on style: “THE AUGUST FIRST DEADLINE STANDS STRONG, AND WILL NOT BE EXTENDED. A BIG DAY FOR AMERICA!!!”
“Will not be extended” for anyone but Mexico, it seems. The country secured a 90-day extension at the last minute, with Mr Trump citing the “complexities” of the border.
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Explained: The US-UK trade deal
By close of business on the eve of deadline, he had a handful of framework deals – some significant – including the UK (10%), the EU, Japan and South Korea (15%), Indonesia and the Philippines (19%), Vietnam (20%).
On the EU agreement, which he struck in Scotland, the president said: “It’s a very powerful deal, it’s a big deal, it’s the biggest of all the deals.”
But what happened to the “90 deals in 90 days” touted by the White House earlier this year?
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The short answer is they were replaced by letters of instruction to pay a tariff set by the US.
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Amid of flurry of late activity, the US played hardball with major trading partners like Canada.
“For the rest of the world, we’re going to have things done by Friday,” said US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick – the “rest of the world” meaning everyone but China.
There is, apparently, the “framework of a deal” between the world’s two largest economies, but talks between Washington and Beijing are continuing.
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In terms of wins, he can claim some significant deals and point to his tariffs having generated an impressive $27bn (£20.4bn) in June, not bad for a single month.
But the legality of the approach is under siege – with the US Court of International Trade ruling that the “Liberation Day” tariffs exceeded the president’s authority, with enforcement paused pending appeal.
The deadline has stirred the pot, forcing a handful of deals onto the table. Whether they stick or survive legal scrutiny is far from settled.
But the playbook remains the same – threaten the world with trade chaos, whittle it down, celebrate the wins, and pray no one checks what’s legal.
Two senior US officials will visit Gaza later today, amid growing concerns about the scale of the humanitarian crisis.
Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee will inspect a food distribution site – and report back to the president immediately.
Our US correspondent David Blevins says the visit “is not unprecedented but is highly unusual … due to obvious security concerns and political sensitivities”.
He added: “I think it reflects the growing concern there is here in the United States about the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe.”
Image: Steve Witkoff met Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday. Pic: US embassy in Jerusalem
Aid workers on the ground have warned that a “politically manmade famine” is taking place in the territory.
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, told The World With Yalda Hakim that “more and more people will continue to die” unless there is urgent change.
Donald Trumphas expressed frustration at the lack of aid reaching Palestinians and has repeatedly blamed Hamas– but US government analysis has found no evidence that the militant group is systemically stealing supplies.
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He told reporters yesterday: “It’s terrible what’s occurring there. People are very hungry, you know.
“The United States gave $60m … for food. And, it’s a shame because … I don’t see the results of it. Part of the problem is Hamas is taking the money and they’re taking the food.”
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8:07
Kids are ‘dying silently of hunger’
On Thursday, Mr Witkoff arrived in Israel and held discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu– the first meeting between the pair since both Israel and the US withdrew their negotiating teams from Qatar a week ago.
At the time, he claimed that Hamas “shows a lack of desire” to reach a truce.
Under heavy international pressure, Israel has paused fighting in parts of Gaza and airdropped food – although the volume of supplies remains far lower than what aid organisations say is needed.
Image: Palestinians rush to collect humanitarian aid airdropped in central Gaza. Pic: AP
While more aid trucks have entered Gaza, nearly all the lorries are stripped of their cargo by crowds of Palestinians desperate for food, or looted by armed gangs.
The alternative food distribution system run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has also been marred by violence.
Doctor Tom Adamkiewicz, a paediatrician working at Nasser Hospital in Gaza, told Sky News that the majority of the hospital’s patients have signs of malnutrition – and “many children are passing out literally during the day and injuring themselves”.
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3:41
Gazan boy arrives in UK for treatment
Separately, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul also arrived in Israel on Thursday on a two-day trip that will also take him to the occupied West Bank.
Germany, traditionally a staunch ally of Israel, has been increasingly critical. Mr Wadephul warned that Israel is “increasingly finding itself in a minority position”.
But he stopped short of moving towards recognising a Palestinian state, something his allies France, the UK and Canada have vowed to do in Septemberif certain conditions are met.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s prime minister has called on the EU to “freeze” its trade agreement with Israel – with Ulf Kristersson describing the situation in Gaza as “utterly deplorable”.
After visiting Gaza, Mr Witkoff will travel to Russia. He has held extensive talks in Moscow with Vladimir Putin in the past.
The US president has given his Russian counterpart until 8 August to reach a deal to halt the fighting in Ukraine, or else he will impose economic sanctions.
Heavy rain and floods are hitting parts of the US east coast, causing flight cancellations and leaving drivers stranded in cities including New York.
A total of almost 50 million people in the US are under flood watches, and states of emergency have been declared in New Jersey and New York City, with state workers being sent home early.
Airports in NYC, New Jersey and Philadelphia all reported significant flight delays and cancellations as the severe weather arrived on Thursday.
Flights leaving all three of New York’s largest airports are delayed, and all inbound flights are being held until conditions improve, Sky’s US partner NBC News reports.
Planes have also been grounded at airports in Washington DC and Baltimore, Maryland.
A major highway in the New York borough of Queens was closed in both directions, with traffic cameras and social media posts showing vehicles stranded in deep water.
Officials in New York have warned that heavy rain could also flood parts of the subway and basements.
People living in basements have been urged to move to higher floors and New Yorkers are being asked to avoid travel until Friday afternoon.
The commuter rail system into suburban Long Island suspended trains on one of its busiest lines as officials pleaded with people to stay at home.
“Stay home this evening unless it’s absolutely necessary for you to go out,” Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman told Long Island residents.
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0:47
Earlier this month: Flash flooding on New York subway
Tornado warnings were also in place in New Jersey, and while no twisters were reported, more than 6,000 electricity customers have been left without power.
In some parts of Pennsylvania, National Weather Service warnings said there could be up to three inches of rain in just one hour, and a downpour flooded the streets of Reading.
Up to four inches of rain have fallen in parts of Maryland and Washington DC, and the heavy rain is continuing, NBC reports.
Flood and severe thunderstorm watches are in effect for parts of Pennsylvania until Friday, with four to six inches of rain possible in some areas.