Connect with us

Published

on

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) is facing the biggest political test of his career: the possible indictment of former President Trump.

It’s a consequential moment that could end with Bragg becoming the first in history to prosecute an indicted former president.  

As the possibility rises, Bragg is facing questions about the strength of his case, about his motives for going forward and even over whether he’ll pull back from the brink.

“Alvin Bragg is caught between a rock and a hard spot,” said Susan Del Percio, a longtime New York-based Republican strategist who has opposed Trump. “He had to bring the charges forward because of public pressure, but he isn’t sure if they’ll stick.” 

Bragg is probing Trump’s involvement in a hush payment that his fixer, Michael Cohen, made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. Trump predicted an arrest on Tuesday, but that did not come to fruition. It now appears that an indictment from the grand jury could come as soon as next week.

Since Trump’s surprise posts on Truth Social that he expected to be arrested, Bragg’s profile has gone national.

Republicans in Congress have promised an investigation, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) saying an indictment would “blow up the country.” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) went further, saying that Bragg should be “put in jail.”

A trio of Republican House chairmen, led by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), earlier this week demanded the district attorney turn over all documents and communications about the case.

“He should be disbarred,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said of Bragg. “If he’s going to be using his position to target the Republican Party’s top primary presidential candidate just for politics, that’s not what a DA should be doing. He should be prosecuting crime. That’s what people pay taxes for there.”

Bragg’s office hit back on Republicans’ request in a letter on Thursday, saying the request would interfere with ongoing law enforcement duties and violate state sovereignty.

The move “is an unprecedent[ed] inquiry into a pending local prosecution,” his office wrote. “The letter only came after Donald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day and his lawyers reportedly urged you to intervene. Neither fact is a legitimate basis for congressional inquiry.”

Bragg, 49, was at least already used to criticism and conflict from the race to succeed Cyrus Vance Jr. (D) and his short tenure after taking the job on Jan. 1, 2022.

After a grueling, eight-way primary for the job, the district attorney — during his first days in office — took partisan fire from Republicans.

A progressive who ran on balancing public safety with justice, Bragg issued a “Day One” memo instructing his office to reserve jail time for only the most serious crimes and to not prosecute certain low-level offenses.

The list included misdemeanors related to resisting arrest for noncriminal offenses, marijuana possession and trespassing.

It led to searing criticism from New York City’s police commissioner — appointed by a Democratic mayor — and Republicans, who accused Bragg of being soft on crime. 

Bragg ultimately revised the policies the next month, but the attacks from the right haven’t stopped. 

Basil Smikle, a consultant who served as the executive director of the New York State Democratic Party, said Bragg has been a longtime target of those on the right since he was sworn into the job.

In the New York gubernatorial race against now-Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) last year, Republican Lee Zeldin repeatedly campaigned on removing Bragg if he was elected. 

“He’s handled the pressure and fended off criticism well but will be heavily scrutinized no matter the outcome,” said Smikle.

Bragg has also taken criticism from Democrats and members of his own prosecutorial team after he last year opted against moving forward in a different investigative prong involving Trump.

A grand jury empaneled before Bragg took office was hearing evidence about whether Trump’s businesses improperly manipulated property values for tax and loan benefits. Bragg’s decision to not seek an indictment from that jury compelled two top prosecutors in the probe — Mark Pomerantz and Carey Dunne — to resign.

“The team that has been investigating Mr. Trump harbors no doubt about whether he committed crimes — he did,” Pomerantz wrote in his resignation letter, which The New York Times first published last March.

Liberals were enraged at the revelation, and Bragg started taking criticism from many in his own party as the investigation stalled.

Now, Bragg appears to be moving toward an indictment of Trump after all. He convened a new grand jury earlier this year to hear evidence in the hush money probe, and a series of recent steps suggest an indictment could come as soon as next week.

“In some ways, I think he felt some pressure to bring something forward because of all of this to help wipe his slate clean,” one strategist said. “This would be his chance to redefine himself and have a bit of redemption.”

“It was such an utter mess,” the strategist said.  

Some of Bragg’s earlier detractors are now cheering him on. But it is Republicans who have now again gone on the attack, accusing Bragg of weaponizing the legal system. 

Trump called Bragg “a danger to our country” and called for his removal on Thursday.

“He sort of can’t win. In many ways, I feel a lot of empathy for him,” said Catherine Christian,  a former financial fraud prosecutor in Bragg’s office who was not involved in the Trump investigation.

Despite the rising tensions, the probe has yet to turn up an indictment. For reasons unclear, the grand jury did not meet about the case on either Wednesday or Thursday.

Some have speculated that Bragg could change course again.

“I think that the heat is on this DA, I think he’s going to make a very sober decision and I would not be surprised if he doesn’t step back from the brink,” CNN political commentator Van Jones said on CNN Monday night. ‘Bear huggers’ wanted: Potential dream job now open Asteroid expected to pass close to Earth on Saturday

But Christian said the lack of grand jury meetings late this week is no sign Bragg is backing away.

“I’ll be blunt: if he does that, he might as well just hang it up. All of this, and then say nevermind? Are you kidding me?” said Christian.

Mychael Schnell contributed.

Continue Reading

UK

Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week’s council elections

Published

on

By

Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week's council elections

Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out forming coalitions at a local level with Reform after the council elections next week.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the Conservative leader did however categorically rule out a pact with Nigel Farage’s party on a national level.

“I am not going into any coalition with Nigel Farage… read my lips,” she said.

However, she did not deny that deals could be struck with Reform at a local level, arguing that some councils might be under no overall control and in that case, “you have to do what is right for your local area”.

“You look at the moment, we are in coalition with Liberal Democrats, with independents,” she said. “We’ve been in coalition with Labour before at local government level.

“They [councillors] have to look at who the people are that they’re going into coalition with and see how they can deliver for local people.”

She added: “What I don’t want to hear is talks of stitch-ups or people planning things before the results are out. They have to do what is right for their communities.”

More on Electoral Dysfunction

A total of 23 councils are up for grabs when voters go to the polls on Thursday 1 May – mostly in places that were once deemed Tory shires, until last year’s general election.

It includes 14 county councils, all but two of which have been Conservative-controlled, as well as eight unitary authorities, all but one of which are Tory.

Ms Badenoch has set expectations low for the Tories, suggesting they could lose all the councils they are contesting.

The last time this set of councils were up for election was in 2021, when the Conservative Party was led by Boris Johnson who was riding high from the COVID vaccine bounce.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

Sports

Landeskog scores 1st NHL goal in nearly 3 years

Published

on

By

Landeskog scores 1st NHL goal in nearly 3 years

Perhaps the only detail more emphatic than the goals in the Colorado Avalanche‘s 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars Saturday night, was the impact provided by their captain, Gabriel Landeskog.

Landeskog, who returned in Game 3 of this Western Conference first-round series after missing nearly three seasons while recovering from a knee injury, scored his first goal since June 20, 2022, in a multi-point performance that saw the Avalanche tie the series at 2-2 in Game 4 at Ball Arena. Game 5 is Monday in Dallas.

“It means a lot,” Landeskog told reporters after the win. “Obviously, I’ve envisioned scoring again for a long time. There obviously days when I didn’t know if I was ever going to score again. It obviously feels good. It’s a tight playoff series in a big game here at home. To get to do it here at home in front of our fans obviously means a means a lot. Super exciting. Hopefully more to come.”

A short-handed goal from Logan O’Connor midway through the first period followed by a late power-play goal from Nathan MacKinnon staked the Avalanche to a 2-0 lead entering the second period.

That set the stage for Landeskog, who was in the slot when Brock Nelson fed a pass that the 32-year-old winger launched for a one-timer that beat Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger for a 3-0 lead.

Landeskog, who was playing on the second line, was instantly mobbed by his teammates on the nice such as Samuel Girard, Valeri Nichushkin, Devon Toews and Nelson, who joined the Avalanche at the NHL trade deadline.

As Landeskog returned to the bench, he was congratulated by the entire team which also included a hug from a smiling MacKinnon, who along with Landeskog, have been with the franchise for more than a decade.

“I was just proud of him again,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told reporters after the game. “I was proud of him regardless of if he scores or not because I know what he’s gone through, and I know how difficult that was. I think that takes it to another level. You know he wants to come back and contribute like he did in the past and he’s off to a great start.”

Landeskog’s goal was the latest milestone in what’s been a lengthy recovery from a chronically injured right knee. He missed what amounted to 1,032 days since his last NHL game.

In that time, the Avalanche have remained in a championship window but have dramatically altered their roster. The Avs have nine players from that championship team who have remained with the franchise and have since reshuffled a roster that led to them re-acquiring defenseman Erik Johnson, one of Landeskog’s closest friends, in their bid for the fourth title in franchise history.

Even with all the changes, there were still questions about when they could see Landeskog return to the lineup. And if Landeskog did return, what he could look like?

His first professional game in three years came April 11 with the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate where he logged 15 minutes. Landeskog would then score a goal and get an assist in his second and final game.

And much like his AHL stint, all it took was two games for Landeskog to score and have another two-point performance.

While Landeskog’s goal became the most celebrated moment of the evening, what he did to help create the Avalanche’s fourth goal was an example of why he’s so crucial to their title aspirations.

Landeskog played a pass to Nelson who then found a Girard for a shot from the point that gave the Avs a 4-0 lead in the fourth. In the time Landeskog passed the puck, he anchored himself at the net front to gain position on 6-foot-7 Stars defensemen Lian Bichsel to screen goaltender Casey DeSmith, who replaced Oettinger for the third period.

Jockeying with Bichsel, who is six inches taller and 16 pounds heavier, allowed Landeskog to test both his strength and that right knee to gain leverage.

The result? Girard’s shot found space in traffic with Landeskog making it hard for DeSmith to see the puck.

“He’s a big boy,” Landeskog said with a smile. “He’s a big strong guy, a physical player and hard to play against. I was trying to get in front of their goal, and he was trying to get me out of there. It was a good battle.”

Continue Reading

World

Several killed after vehicle drives into crowd at street festival, police in Vancouver say

Published

on

By

Several killed after vehicle drives into crowd at street festival, police in Vancouver say

A number of people have been killed and multiple others injured after a driver drove into a crowd at a street festival in Vancouver, police have said.

The driver has been taken into custody after the incident shortly after 8pm local time on Saturday, police added.

People were in the area near 41st Avenue and Fraser Street for the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party, named after a national hero of the Philippines.

Vancouver’s mayor Ken Sim said in a post on X: “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event.”

He added: “Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time.”

Video posted on social media showed victims and debris strewn across a long stretch of road, with at least seven people lying immobile on the ground.

A black SUV with a crumpled front section could be seen in photos from the scene.

More on Canada

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

Trending