District attorney must step aside or remove prosecutor for Trump Georgia case to continue
A court case against Donald Trump in Georgia cannot go ahead unless the district attorney steps aside or removes a special prosecutor she had a relationship with, the judge has ruled.
Trump is accused, along with 18 others, of attempting to overturn the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election in Georgia.
District Attorney Fani Willis, who is leading the case, was in a relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, which she argued began in early 2022 – months after she appointed Mr Wade to the prosecution in November 2021.
On Friday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee found the “appearance of impropriety” brought about by Ms Willis’s romantic relationship with Mr Wade must result in either Ms Willis and her office leaving the case – or just Mr Wade.
NBC News said if Ms Willis were to remove herself, the case would come to a halt, but having Mr Wade leave the case will ensure it continues without further delay.
Fani Willis. File pic: Reuters
Nathan Wade testifying in court. Pic: AP
The pair both previously testified that they had engaged in a romantic relationship, which is said to have come to an end last summer, but rejected the idea that Ms Willis improperly benefited from it.
Mr Wade said the pair went on trips to California, Belize and Aruba together, which he booked while being paid a $650,000 (£510,000) salary, and was later reimbursed by the district attorney.
The defence had argued that these financial arrangements “created an incentive” for the prosecution to prolong the court case.
Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee. Pic: Reuters
‘Less drastic’ options available
Giving his ruling, Mr McAfee said an outsider to the case could “reasonably think” that Ms Willis is “not exercising her independent professional judgment totally free of any compromising influences”, which he said will always be the case as long as Mr Wade remains on her team.
But more crucially, he said he did not find any evidence that the rights of defendants had been violated, or that the issues involved prejudiced them in any way.
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He said the disqualification of a constitutional officer, like a district attorney, is not necessary “when a less drastic and sufficiently remedial option is available”.
Responding to the ruling on Friday, Trump’s lead lawyer in the case, Steve Sadow, said the defence still believes there is a conflict of interest and that his team will use “all legal options available”.
Donald Trump during a campaign rally earlier this month. Pic: Reuters/Alyssa Pointer
The Georgia case is one of four criminal prosecutions that Trump is facing as he secured the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the November election.
The former president has long presented the Georgia prosecution, and others he faces, as politically motivated attempts to prevent him from returning to power.
He has highlighted the claims against Ms Willis as evidence of perceived misconduct by those pursuing him.
Trump also faces federal charges for his efforts to undo his election defeat and is due to stand trial in New York later this month on charges related to hush money paid to a porn star.
Former US president Joe Biden has prostate cancer, his office has said.
The statement said Mr Biden, who left the White House in January, is reviewing options for treatment with his physicians.
It read: “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.
“On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.
“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
File pic: Reuters
According to Cancer Research UK, a Gleason score of 9 means the cancerous cells “look very abnormal” and the disease is “likely to grow quickly”.
A source familiar with Mr Biden and his family’s thinking has told Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, that the former president is considering “multiple treatment options” – including hormone treatment for the cancer.
They added he is at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and that as of now, it is unclear where the former president will be treated.
Mr Biden, 82, was the oldest person to ever serve as president, with concerns about his health raised regularly during his campaign for re-election last year.
After a poor debate against Donald Trump in June, he withdrew from the 2024 election and endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris.
In February 2023, he had a skin lesion removed from his chest that was a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.
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A Mexican navy ship has hit the Brooklyn Bridge during a promotional tour in New York City.
The New York Fire Department said authorities were responding to injuries but had no details about how many people might have been hurt or whether they were on the vessel or on the bridge.
Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports that at least three people were seriously injured in the incident.
The Mexican navy said in a post on X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in the accident, which has prevented it from continuing its voyage.
Eyewitness video of the collision posted online showed the mast of the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag, scraping the underneath of the bridge.
Pic: AP
The vessel then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.
The Mexican navy said the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.
The Cuauhtemoc is about 297ft long and 40ft wide, according to the Mexican navy. It sailed for the first time in 1982.
Pic: AP
Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.
It left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on 6 April with 277 people onboard, the navy said at the time.
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One person has died in a bomb explosion near a reproductive health clinic in California, authorities have said.
The incident took place in Palm Springs, a city two hours east of Los Angeles, and is being investigated as a possible car explosion.
The city’s mayor Ron DeHarte said one person died in the blast, adding that the bomb was “either in or near” a vehicle. The deceased’s identity is not known, Palm Springs police said.
Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers clinic, told the Associated Press his facility was damaged but all staff were safe and accounted for.
The explosion damaged the office space where the practice conducts patient consultations, but the IVF lab and stored embryos were unharmed, he added.
“I really have no clue what happened,” he said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”
Debris covers the ground after the explosion. Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
In a statement posted on Facebook the clinic said it was “heartbroken” to learn someone died in the explosion and added: “Our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected.”
It continued: “Our mission has always been to help build families, and in times like these, we are reminded of just how fragile and precious life is.
“In the face of this tragedy, we remain committed to creating hope – because we believe that healing begins with community, compassion, and care.
The clinic will be fully operational on Monday, it added.
“This moment has shaken us – but it has not stopped us. We will continue to serve with strength, love, and the hope that brings new life into the world,” the statement concluded.
Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
The Palm Springs city government said in a post on Facebook that the explosion happened on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive, before 11am local time (6pm GMT).
A burned-out car can be seen in a parking lot behind the building in aerial footage.
The blast caved in the clinic’s roof and blew debris across four lanes of the road.
Another person said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.
Nima Tabrizi said: “The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke.”
Investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are travelling to the scene to help assess what happened.
California governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the explosion, his press office said.
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