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President Biden’s son Hunter has unexpectedly pleaded not guilty to two tax crimes after a plea deal fell apart in court.

The 53-year-old appeared in Delaware after being charged with evading $100,000 (£77,000) in taxes from income of over $1.5m in 2017 and 2018.

He had previously reached a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty in exchange for two years’ probation.

However, the agreement unravelled on Wednesday over multiple concerns, such as it apparently giving Biden protection against future charges.

At one point Biden answered “yes” when asked if he was pleading guilty, before later pulling back.

The judge, Maryellen Noreika, raised issues about the wording of the deal and gave the two sides 30 days to explain why she should accept it.

The agreement had been reached following much negotiation and covered a separate felony charge of Biden possessing a gun while being a drug user in 2018.

Under its terms, that case would be wiped from his record.

However, the judge said technical issues needed resolving – including her role in enforcing the deal – before it could be approved.

President Joe Biden stands with his son Hunter Biden, left, and sister Valerie Biden Owens, right, as he looks at a plaque dedicated to his late son Beau Biden while visiting Mayo Roscommon Hospice in County Mayo, Ireland, Friday, April 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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President Biden with Hunter in Ireland in April 2023

She was also concerned that it included a non-prosecution clause for crimes outside of the gun charge.

“It seems to me like you are saying ‘just rubber stamp the agreement, Your Honour’,” she told lawyers.

“This seems to me to be form over substance.”

Judge Noreika also asked Biden to be more specific about his business relationships and questioned him on the last time he had used drugs or alcohol – and if he was undergoing addiction treatment.

He answered 1 June 2019, and said he was not actively having treatment but was part of a substance abuse support programme.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later said: “Hunter Biden is a private citizen, and this was a personal matter for him.

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“As we have said, the president, the first lady, they love their son, and they support him as he continues to rebuild his life.”

Republicans have called Biden’s agreement with prosecutors a “sweetheart” deal, accusing prosecutors of a double standard considering the charges they are pursuing against Donald Trump.

They have also long accused Hunter Biden of using his father’s power for personal profit in business dealings in Ukraine and China.

Although an investigation by US Attorney David Weiss has yet to find any evidence to back it up.

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Tyler Robinson charged with murder of Charlie Kirk – and prosecutors seek death penalty

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Tyler Robinson charged with murder of Charlie Kirk - and prosecutors seek death penalty

Tyler Robinson has been charged with the murder of right-wing US influencer Charlie Kirk.

The 22-year-old, from Washington, Utah, was charged with aggravated murder, weapon, and obstruction of justice offences ahead of a court appearance later on Tuesday.

Prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty and that Robinson’s DNA was found on the trigger of the alleged murder weapon.

A note was also found under his keyboard which said: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to a charging document from prosecutors.

It is also alleged that the suspect ordered his roommate to delete “incriminating texts” about the killing and to stay silent if questioned by police.

When his roommate texted to ask if he was the “one who did it”, Robinson replied: “I am, I’m sorry,” prosecutors allege.

Robinson is said to have written in another text: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

He also allegedly wrote he had been planning the shooting for just over a week.

Tyler Robinson. Pic: Utah Governor's Office
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Tyler Robinson. Pic: Utah Governor’s Office

Kirk, 31, was killed at one of his rallies at Utah Valley University last Wednesday.

The political activist, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, died after being shot in the neck with a bullet.

County attorney Jeff Gray said “aggravating factors” in the killing included that the “defendant is believed to have targeted Charlie Kirk based on his political expression and did so knowing children were present and would witness the homicide”.

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The obstruction of justice charges relate to allegations that Robinson disposed of the weapon used in the killing, along with clothing he is said to have worn at the time.

Robinson has been held without bail since his arrest.

Investigators have spoken to Robinson’s relatives and have carried out a search at his family home, 240 miles (385km) southwest of where the shooting took place.

Charlie Kirk moments before he was shot. Pic: Reuters/Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune
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Charlie Kirk moments before he was shot. Pic: Reuters/Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune

Mr Gray said Robinson had accused Kirk of “spreading hate” during a conversation with his father. He also allegedly described the university as a “stupid venue” for the influencer to hold an event.

After the shooting, the county attorney said the suspect confessed to his parents after they confronted him, telling them he shot Kirk because “there is too much evil in the guy”.

Robinson’s mother told police that her son had become more political and had “started to lean more to the left” in the past year or so, Mr Gray said.

He added that the 22-year-old had become more “pro-gay and trans-rights oriented”, according to his parents.

His mother said he had started to date his roommate, who was “transitioning genders”, prompting “discussions” with his father who had very different political views.

Robinson allegedly wrote in another message to his roommate that “since Trump got into office [my father] has been pretty diehard Maga”.

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FBI director Kash Patel shouts at Democrat senators over Charlie Kirk and Jeffrey Epstein during oversight hearing

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FBI director Kash Patel shouts at Democrat senators over Charlie Kirk and Jeffrey Epstein during oversight hearing

The FBI director has shouted at Democratic senators during a hearing, taking questions on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Jeffrey Epstein and the firing of agents.

Kash Patel was testifying before a Senate Judiciary Committee for the first oversight hearing of his tenure as director of the US federal law enforcement bureau.

During the hearing on Tuesday, Mr Patel defended the FBI’s handling of the investigation into the killing of Mr Kirk, as well as his social media post saying that a suspect had been arrested, before that person was ultimately released.

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“Could I have been more careful in my verbiage and included ‘a’ subject instead of ‘the’ subject? Sure,” he said of the post.

Democratic senator Cory Booker opened his questioning by accusing Patel of lying about firing FBI agents out of retribution for political investigations.

Five FBI agents and top-level executives were known to have been summarily fired last month, according to the Associated Press.

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Booker accused Patel of making the US 'weaker and less safe'. Pic: AP
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Booker accused Patel of making the US ‘weaker and less safe’. Pic: AP

Mr Booker said that the director “pushed out senior FBI agents with decades of knowledge and experience”, and added: “You’ve shifted the agency’s priorities primarily to pursuing Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.

“I believe you have made our country weaker and less safe.”

Mr Patel responded that “you don’t get to say that America is not safer under this leadership”, and said that Mr Booker’s “rant of false information does not bring this country together”, prompting the Democrat to raise his voice.

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The two then shouted at each other before committee chair and Republican senator Chuck Grassley banged his gavel to interrupt them.

“I’ve watched him talk over us, and you’ve never once criticised him for us,” Mr Booker said to the chair as he got up to leave the room. “He has been really disrespectful to senator after senator.”

Mr Patel also clashed with Adam Schiff over Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: AP
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Mr Patel also clashed with Adam Schiff over Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: AP

Mr Patel also clashed with Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who questioned the FBI and Trump administration’s handling of questions relating to the deceased paedophile financier Epstein.

The director accused him of “the biggest fraud to ever sit in the United States Senate” as they shouted at each other, and said “you are a political buffoon, at best”.

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Mr Patel, a former lawyer who has been accused of spreading conspiracy theories, was controversially nominated to be the FBI director by US President Donald Trump last year.

He was narrowly confirmed by the Senate in a 51-49 vote in February. Two Republicans voted against his nomination.

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In pictures: Memorable moments between the royals and US presidents

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In pictures: Memorable moments between the royals and US presidents

American presidents have travelled to Britain to meet the Royal Family for more than 100 years.

Donald Trump will meet King Charles for the second time when he arrives in Windsor on Wednesday, having been hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II on his previous state visit during his first term.

For the King, it will be the first time he welcomes a US president as monarch.

Some presidents’ visits have run more smoothly than others. Here, we look back at some of the most memorable.

Woodrow Wilson was the first US president to visit the Royal Family while in office, making the long journey on SS Washington in December 1918 – weeks after the First World War came to an end.

President Woodrow Wilson and King George V outside Buckingham Palace. Pic: PA
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President Woodrow Wilson and King George V outside Buckingham Palace. Pic: PA

Arriving in London on Boxing Day, thousands of people lined the route to Buckingham Palace, where he appeared on the balcony alongside King George V and Queen Mary after chants of “we want Wilson” from the crowd.

King George VI also made history when he met Franklin D Roosevelt, after becoming the first reigning British monarch to travel to the US in June 1939.

King George VI and Franklin Roosevelt in Washington DC. Pic: AP
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King George VI and Franklin Roosevelt in Washington DC. Pic: AP

King George VI with Sara D. Roosevelt and New York governor Herbert Lehman eating hot dogs in Hyde Park. Pic: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library
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King George VI with Sara D. Roosevelt and New York governor Herbert Lehman eating hot dogs in Hyde Park. Pic: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library

People flocked to greet him and the Queen Mother as they rode through the streets of Washington DC. After state dinner formalities at the White House, they travelled to New York, where they enjoyed a more relaxed hot dog picnic in Hyde Park.

Harry Truman was the first US president to meet Queen Elizabeth – while she was still a princess in 1951.

Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh are greeted by Harry Truman in Washington DC in 1951. Pic: PA
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Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh are greeted by Harry Truman in Washington DC in 1951. Pic: PA

Seven years after she took the throne, Dwight D Eisenhower met her at Balmoral, where a young Princess Anne and Prince Charles were pictured alongside him, wearing kilts.

Dwight Eisenhower with the Queen, Prince Philip, a young Prince Charles, and Princess Anne at Balmoral in August 1959. Pic: AP
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Dwight Eisenhower with the Queen, Prince Philip, a young Prince Charles, and Princess Anne at Balmoral in August 1959. Pic: AP

John F Kennedy met the then-35-year-old Queen Elizabeth in June 1961, just six months into his presidency.

The Queen poses with John and Jackie Kennedy in June 1961. Pic: AP
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The Queen poses with John and Jackie Kennedy in June 1961. Pic: AP

A state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace, with the glamorous visit dramatised in the Netflix series The Crown.

Just two years later, on 22 November 1963, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.

Gerald Ford didn’t visit the UK during his two-and-a-half years in office, but the Queen met him on a visit to the US in July 1976.

Gerald Ford dancing with the Queen in Washington. Pic: Rex
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Gerald Ford dancing with the Queen in Washington. Pic: Rex

The pair danced together at a White House state dinner, but with unfortunate timing, the band played The Lady Is A Tramp just as the Queen took to the floor – a now infamous faux pas.

Jimmy Carter met the late Queen at Buckingham Palace in May 1977.

Jimmy Carter and the Queen in London in May 1977. Pic: AP
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Jimmy Carter and the Queen in London in May 1977. Pic: AP

His more memorable interaction was with the Queen Mother, however, when he abandoned protocol and greeted her with a kiss on the lips.

According to biographer William Shawcross, she later wrote: “I took a sharp step backwards – not quite far enough.”

Among the most memorable meetings of a British monarch and a US president was that of Ronald Reagan and the late Queen.

When he came to Windsor Castle in 1982, the pair were famously pictured riding horses together in the grounds.

He met her a further three times in London throughout the 1980s and she gave him an honorary knighthood when he left the White House in 1989.

George HW Bush, wasted no time in making the Queen’s acquaintance, travelling to the UK in May 1989, just five months after he was sworn in.

The Queen and Prince Philip with George HW Bush and his wife Barbara in May 1991. Pic: AP
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The Queen and Prince Philip with George HW Bush and his wife Barbara in May 1991. Pic: AP

There were a few red faces when Her Majesty travelled to the US to visit him a year later.

As she stood up to give a speech on the White House lawn, she was partially obscured behind a cluster of microphones that had been arranged for the much taller Mr Bush. He later reassured reporters that the Queen laughed off the incident.

George W Bush‘s state visit in November 2003 was met with huge protests over the Iraq War. Tens of thousands of people crowded into Trafalgar Square, where an effigy of the president was toppled by demonstrators.

The Queen and George W Bush at the White House in May 2007. Pic: AP
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The Queen and George W Bush at the White House in May 2007. Pic: AP

The protests did not appear to affect the ‘special relationship’, however, with the Queen visiting the US to meet Mr Bush in 2007, and him returning to the UK to see her a year later.

Barack Obama first met the Queen on a visit to the UK in 2009 when his wife, First Lady Michelle, made headlines for breaking royal protocol and giving Her Majesty a hug.

The Queen and Prince Philip alongside the Obamas at a state banquet in London in May 2011. Pic: AP
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The Queen and Prince Philip alongside the Obamas at a state banquet in London in May 2011. Pic: AP

The Queen greets Barack Obama during his final UK visit in November 2016. Pic: AP
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The Queen greets Barack Obama during his final UK visit in November 2016. Pic: AP

The Obamas received the full pomp of an official state visit in May 2011.

They visited a final time during the president’s second term in April 2016, when Marine One landed in the grounds of Windsor Castle and the royal couple walked to greet them.

Donald Trump first met the King while he was still Prince of Wales in December 2019, when his mother hosted a state visit to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

Donald Trump and the Queen in July 2018. Pic: AP
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Donald Trump and the Queen in July 2018. Pic: AP

Donald Trump and the Queen during 75th D-Day anniversary commemorations in June 2019. Pic: AP
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Donald Trump and the Queen during 75th D-Day anniversary commemorations in June 2019. Pic: AP

His trip was met with huge protests in London, which memorably featured a giant ‘blimp’ that depicted him as a baby.

Despite being accused of breaching royal protocol on several occasions, he described the Queen as an “incredible woman” in one of his speeches.

When Joe Biden visited Windsor Castle in June 2021 it was the first time the Queen had met a head of state alone – following the death of her husband Prince Philip.

The Queen with Joe and Dr Jill Biden at Windsor Castle in 2021. Pic: PA
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The Queen with Joe and Dr Jill Biden at Windsor Castle in 2021. Pic: PA

It was also the first state visit of any foreign leader after the coronavirus pandemic saw Her Majesty halt royal duties and quarantine at Windsor as part of ‘HMS Bubble’.

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