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Donald Trump lashed out at his political opponents in an angry speech at a New Jersey fundraiser just hours after he pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges. 

In a speech that lasted just over half an hour on Tuesday night, he attacked a range of prominent public figures including Bill and Hillary Clinton, President Joe Biden and his family, and the prosecutor in the Miami legal case.

“Today, we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country,” he opened.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Tuesday, June 13, 2023, after pleading not guilty in a Miami courtroom earlier in the day to dozens of felony counts that he hoarded classified documents and refused government demands to give them back. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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Donald Trump speaking

He claimed his indictment was “another attempt to rig and steal an election” that was “straight out of a fascist or communist nation”.

Trump is accused of unlawfully keeping classified security documents when he left office and lying to officials trying to recover them from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

The documents related to nuclear programmes and other sensitive military secrets.

Some of the 37 charges come under the Espionage Act with prison sentences of up to 20 years.

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He detailed some of his legal defence during the speech, claiming he had every right to keep the classified documents.

“They are threatening me with 400 years in prison for possessing my own presidential papers,” he claimed.

“Whatever documents the president decides to take with him, he has the right to do so – it is an absolute right.”

“They’ve got to drop this case immediately as it is destroying the country,” he said, adding that the case was a “sham”.

He touched on the classified documents previously found in Joe Biden’s possession and made other claims against his 2016 presidential rival Hillary Clinton.

“I’m the only one who followed the law,” he claimed.

“Joe Biden had no authority to declassify as vice president, I did as president. Nothing happens to crooked Joe.

“I did everything right and they indicted me.”

People react as former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks following his arraignment on classified document charges, at Trump National Golf Club, in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky
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Trump supporters in the crowd reacting to his speech

Towards the end of his speech, he repeated inflammatory claims on issues central to his election campaign.

He said he would strengthen border controls and end the war in Ukraine “in 24 hours”.

Trump also asserted he would appoint a special prosecutor “to go after” President Biden and his family.

The US is a “nation in serious decline,” Trump continued.

Read more: What investigations is Donald Trump facing?

“If the communists get away with this, it won’t stop there – [the] persecution of Christians, pro-life parents, future Republican candidates.”

“I will totally obliterate the deep state, we know who they are.

“I am the only one who can save this nation.

“Justice will be done, we will take back our country,” he finished.

The fiery speech in Bedminster, New Jersey came hours after he appeared in a Miami courtroom to face the federal charges.

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Trump: ‘I think it’s a rigged deal here’

US magistrate judge Jonathan Goodman allowed Trump to leave court without conditions or travel restrictions, and no bail was required.

Legal experts say it could be a year or more before a trial takes place.

Trump is currently the frontrunner in the race to become the Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

His former aide and co-accused, Walt Nauta, did not enter a plea.

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Outside the courthouse, there were chaotic scenes with supporters and protestors clashing.

The former president also stopped at a Cuban bakery after the hearing, where local community leaders prayed with him in both English and Spanish.

Donald Trump at a cafe in Miami
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Donald Trump at the Cuban bakery in Miami

It was Trump’s second courtroom appearance in recent months.

In April, he pleaded not guilty to state charges in New York stemming from a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

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Federal judges rule Trump tariffs can stay in place for now – as president rages at trade court’s ‘country threatening decision’

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Federal judges rule Trump tariffs can stay in place for now - as president rages at trade court's 'country threatening decision'

A federal appeals court has ruled that Donald Trump’s sweeping international tariffs can remain in place for now, a day after three judges ruled the president exceeded his authority.

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) has allowed the president to temporarily continue collecting tariffs under emergency legislation while it considers the government’s appeal.

It comes after the Court of International Trade blocked the additional taxes on foreign-made goods after its three-judge panel ruled that the Constitution gives Congress the power to levy taxes and tariffs – not the president.

The judges also ruled Mr Trump exceeded his authority by invoking the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

The CAFC said the lower trade court and the Trump administration must respond by 5 June and 9 June, respectively.

Trump calls trade court ‘backroom hustlers’

Posting on Truth Social, Mr Trump said the trade court’s ruling was a “horrible, Country threatening decision,” and said he hopes the Supreme Court would reverse it “QUICKLY and DECISIVELY”.

After calling into question the appointment of the three judges, and suggesting the ruling was based on “purely a hatred of ‘TRUMP’,” he added: “Backroom ‘hustlers’ must not be allowed to destroy our Nation!

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Trump asked about ‘taco trade’

“The horrific decision stated that I would have to get the approval of Congress for these Tariffs. In other words, hundreds of politicians would sit around D.C. for weeks, and even months, trying to come to a conclusion as to what to charge other Countries that are treating us unfairly.

“If allowed to stand, this would completely destroy Presidential Power — The Presidency would never be the same!”

The US president unveiled the controversial measures on “Liberation Day” in April, which included a 10% tariff on UK imports and caused aggressive sell-offs in the stock market.

Mr Trump argued he invoked the decades-old law to collect international tariffs because it was a “national emergency”.

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From April: ‘This is Liberation Day’

Tariffs ‘direct threat’ to business – Schwab

The trade court ruling marked the latest legal challenge to the tariffs, and related to a case brought on behalf of five small businesses that import goods from other countries.

Jeffrey Schwab, senior counsel for the Liberty Justice Center – a nonprofit representing the five firms – said the appeal court would ultimately agree that the tariffs posed “a direct threat to the very survival of these businesses”.

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US treasury secretary Scott Bessent also told Fox News on Thursday that the initial ruling had not interfered with trade deal negotiations with partners.

He said that countries “are coming to us in good faith” and “we’ve seen no change in their attitude in the past 48 hours,” before saying he would meet with a Japanese delegation in Washington on Friday.

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‘Harvard isn’t Harvard anymore’: The crucible of free speech lacking the freedom it once had

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'Harvard isn't Harvard anymore': The crucible of free speech lacking the freedom it once had

Harvard graduates have a lot to say. In a sign of the times, now isn’t the time to say it.

That much was clear when I sought student opinion at the gates of America’s oldest university. There is a reluctance to talk about Trump.

“He needs to come back to this country,” said a Harvard dad of his son, politely declining an interview on the youngster’s behalf.

The young man, British, falls into the category of international student – a vulnerable species, currently, in America’s elite university system.

For him, saying the ‘wrong’ thing carries the risk of an exclusion order to go with his graduation certificate. Dad knows best.

It is the modern reality at the gates of Harvard – this iconic seat of learning and crucible of free speech and ideas isn’t as free as it was. For now, at least.

Read more:
Trump administration halts international student visa applications

Students walking to graduate Harvard University
Harvard graduation ceremony

It’s fair to say Harvard had other things on its mind this week, with Thursday’s ‘commencement’ day and graduation parades winding their route through surrounding streets in a ‘town and gown’ spectacle.

There were bagpipes and brass bands to lead students in their crowning moment. It was an emotional thank you and goodbye to Harvard, with a celebration soundtrack of music and ‘mwah’.

And yet, there was a political undercurrent. There has to be, when a US institution is at war with its president.

Some students wore a white flower on their lapel as a symbol of solidarity with Harvard’s international students.

Some graduates were seen wearing white flowers in support of their international student peers
Harvard president Alan Garber
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Harvard president Alan Garber said graduates came from ‘around the world, just as it should be’

In giving his speech at the podium, Harvard president Alan Garber was given a standing ovation when he noted that graduates hail from “around the world, just as it should be”.

As graduates and families gathered in Harvard Yard, the university’s defiance against Trump was playing out simultaneously in court, where the latest hearing took place on government efforts to stop the enrolment of foreign students.

People watch the Harvard graduation ceremony from a nearby park
Leo Gerden, a 22 year-old student from Sweden
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Donald Trump is ‘trying to crush us,’ Leo Gerden tells Sky News

Leo Gerden, a 22 year-old student from Sweden, was graduating in economics and government. We chatted while he stiffened himself with a Starbucks for the celebrations ahead.

What were his thoughts, as someone fitting the profile picked on by the government of his host country?

“I feel like the entire Harvard is under attack, because without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard anymore,” he said.

“He’s trying to crush us, but we have shown over the last couple of weeks that he won’t do that easily. The uncertainty itself is going to cause a lot of harm.

“People are definitely reconsidering their plans right now, whether it was coming to America, going to any university, because they might be next on Trump’s target list.”

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The distraction is widely shared across campus, so is the sentiment – not that it’ll trouble the White House.

Places like Harvard don’t lean Trump, and he’ll lose few votes in this fight.

It is a conflict to shape the future of US education – it’s politics, but it’s much more.

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Former Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs assistant breaks down as she tells trial of alleged sexual assaults: ‘I thought I was going to die with this’

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Former Sean 'Diddy' Combs assistant breaks down as she tells trial of alleged sexual assaults: 'I thought I was going to die with this'

A former employee of Sean “Diddy” Combs broke down in tears as she described being sexually assaulted by the hip-hop star on several occasions – telling the court the alleged abuse was “the most traumatising, worst thing that’s ever happened to me”.

Three weeks into the trial, Mia* is the second alleged victim to testify against Combs, following his former partner Cassie’s evidence alleging years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse.

While Cassie waived her right to anonymity, Mia did not want to be identified and is appearing in court in Manhattan, New York, under a pseudonym.

She started by telling the court about witnessing Combs, 55, being violent towards Cassie, before moving on to talk about her own experiences.

Diddy trial day twelve – as it happened

Sean "Diddy" Combs' mother Janice Combs arrives at court.
Pic: Reuters
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Combs’s motherJanice Combs has been supporting him in court every day. Pic: Reuters

Mia told the court she once woke to find Combs on top of her and that he forced her to have sex against her will. Another time, he forced her to perform oral sex, she alleged.

He also once threw a bucket of ice on her head and slammed her arm into a door on another occasion, she said.

The court heard Mia had never told anyone about the alleged sexual assaults by Combs until she spoke to government investigators for this case.

“I was going to die with this,” she said, becoming tearful on the stand. “I didn’t want anyone to know ever.”

Telling the court she could not say “no” to her former boss, she said: “I knew his power. And his control. I didn’t want to lose everything that I worked so hard for.”

She also said she feared being attacked and was “always” worried about being physically hurt by Combs. “I didn’t want to die or get hurt.”

Mia said she felt “desperate”, “terrified and trapped” and described the alleged sexual assaults as “the most shameful thing of my life”, and “the most traumatising, worst thing that’s ever happened to me”.

Asked why she is speaking out now, she told the court: “Because I have to tell the truth.”

Marc Agnifilo, arrives at court for Sean "Diddy" Combs sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial at U.S. court in Manhattan, in New York City, U.S., May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
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Marc Agnifilo, one of Diddy’s defence lawyers, pictured outside court. Pic: Reuters/ Eduardo Munoz


‘Chaotic and toxic’

Mia, faltering at times, said working for Combs came with extreme highs and lows.

Sometimes he would offer advice and act like her “protector”, she said. Other times, he would “humiliate” her and berate her for small mistakes, and work her so hard she had little sleep, she said.

“It was chaotic. It was toxic,” she told the court.

Combs’s employees were always on edge because his mood could “change in a split second”, causing everything to go from “happy to chaotic”, she said.

Mia told how she was barely at home once she started working for Combs. Like other employees, she often slept at his properties in LA, Miami and New York.

She told the court she was not allowed to leave without his permission and was not allowed lock her door, even though it seemed as if other members of the predominantly male security staff were able to do so.

“This is my house. No one locks the doors,” Combs allegedly said to her.

On one occasion, Mia said she worked without sleeping for five days, with prescription drugs getting her through it. It was only when she had a physical breakdown that Combs allowed her to sleep, jurors were told.

Mia’s testimony echoed that of prior prosecution witnesses, including several of Combs’s other former employees, as well as Cassie.

King Combs and Quincy Brown, sons of Sean "Diddy" Combs, arrive at court for Sean "Diddy" Combs sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial at U.S. court in Manhattan, in New York City, U.S., May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
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King Combs and Quincy Brown, two of Combs’s sons, were in court for today’s session. Pic: Reuters/ Eduardo Munoz


Cassie, an R’n’B singer and model whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, spoke for four days during the first week of the trial.

She told jurors her ex-partner subjected her to hundreds of “freak offs” – drug-fuelled marathons in which she said she engaged in sex acts with male sex workers while he watched and filmed them.

Heavily pregnant at the time, it was confirmed in court yesterday that she gave birth to her third child earlier this week.

Mia is the second of three women testifying about alleged sexual abuse by Combs. The third woman, using the pseudonym “Jane”, is also expected to testify about participating in freak offs.

Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution.

During their opening statement, his lawyers conceded he could be violent at times, but said that did not make him a sex trafficker or racketeering leader. Combs denies using threats or his music industry clout to commit or cover up abuse.

What did Mia say about Cassie?

Sean "Diddy" Combs watches as his former girlfriend Casandra "Cassie" Ventura is sworn in as a prosecution witness before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian at Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., May 13, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane
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Cassie, who was heavily pregnant when she testified, has now given birth to her third child. Pic: Reuters/ Jane Rosenberg

In the first part of her testimony, Mia told the court she saw Combs beating Cassie on several occasions and that she sustained injuries, including black eyes, other bruises, and fat lips.

The two became friends, she said, and are still friends today.

Mia described a party at Prince’s house that she and Cassie “snuck out” to, saying Prince’s security had to intervene when Combs turned up and started to attack her.

Read more:
Everything you need to know about the Sean Combs trial
The rise and fall of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
What we learned from Cassie’s testimony

She also described a trip to a private island in Turks and Caicos, in the Caribbean, saying she remembers Cassie being “terrified” as Combs banged on her door “screaming”.

On another occasion during that trip, they used paddle boards to go out to sea to get away from him, she said – but the weather changed and the sky turned dark.

“I was trying to weigh if it was scarier to face Mother Nature or go back to Puff,” Mia said, using the name she knew him by. “We eventually went back to Puff.”

Combs was also abusive to Cassie at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012, the court was told. Mia alleged she saw him digging his nails into her as they watched a film.

Mia’s testimony will continue when the trial resumes on Friday.

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