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A father who called the police after he found out his 11-year-old daughter had been sending images of herself to a man online was told his child could be face charges of making indecent images of children

Police in Columbus, Ohio say they are investigating a report that their officers told the worried parent their daughter could be the one in the dock after he said she had been the victim of an “online predator”.

A video posted on TikTok shows the unidentified man talking to officers who came to his door in answer to his complaint of a man having manipulated his daughter into sending the pictures.

After opening the door, the man says: “She’s in bed now.”

Female officer: “It still happened, though, right?”

Man: “Yeah, yeah, yeah, the whole point, I just wanted you guys to come over and talk to her.

“I just want her to realise what this was. I mean, reality is not much I probably can do about it, is there?”

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Female officer: “I mean, she can probably get charged with child porn.”

Man: “Who, she can? “She’s 11 years old.”

Female officer: “She’s creating it, right?”

Man: “She’s 11 years old.”

Female officer: “Doesn’t matter. She’s still making porn.”

Man: “No, she’s not. She’s being manipulated by a grown (explitive) adult on the internet.”

Female officer: “Is she taking pictures, though?”

Man: “You guys have a nice evening.” He heads into the house. “Thank you for coming.”

He turns to say something else. “Are you serious? Have a nice evening.”

It’s unclear when the interaction took place, but the social media post, which had around 700,000 views by Monday afternoon, said the officers turned up six hours after the man’s call to police.

Columbus police said on Monday that the city’s Department of the Inspector General, “which investigates complaints of misconduct and/or excessive use of force by sworn personnel, has opened an inquiry into this incident”.

The department said it is investigating the video posted on social media “involving two officers responding to a call for service”.

Police said they regard all sexual misconduct allegations” with the utmost seriousness” and “incidents involving minors are handled with the highest degree of concern”.

They said detectives with the sexual assault unit were immediately notified and have since initiated an investigation.

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Arizona man charged with threatening to kill Donald Trump

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Arizona man charged with threatening to kill Donald Trump

A man has been charged with threatening to kill Donald Trump.

Authorities arrested Manuel Tamayo-Torres on Monday in southern California.

He is accused of posting videos on social media threatening to kill the president-elect, according to court documents.

In one video, posted on 13 November, Tamayo-Torres threatened to shoot the 78-year-old while holding what authorities said appeared to be an AR-15 style rifle.

Among the other videos he posted, one was from an area in Glendale, Arizona, on 23 August, the same day Mr Trump held a rally there, court papers said.

The videos, posted on a “near-daily basis”, accuse Mr Trump and his family of kidnapping and sex-trafficking, Sky News’ US partner NBC News reports.

In a video posted on 21 November, Tamayo-Torres said Mr Trump’s “whole family is going to die”, the outlet said.

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It added that he’d said: “You’re Caucasian nothing. You’ll earn nothing. Aryan money, that’s all you have.

“You’re a low-life scum. I’ll spit in your f****** face motherf*****, and if they give me a chance, I’m going to f****** bury you myself.”

He was charged with one count of making threats against the president-elect and four counts of making false statements during the purchase of a firearm, NBC News said.

It comes as “several” members of Mr Trump’s incoming cabinet were targeted with bomb threats, the transition team said.

The threats were made on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning and they ranged from bomb threats to “swatting” – which is when a false crime is reported to bring an armed police response to someone’s home.

Spokesperson for Mr Trump, Karoline Leavitt said: “Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s cabinet nominees and administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them.”

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The FBI said it was aware of “numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents” targeting Mr Trump’s cabinet and administration nominees and was working with its law enforcement partners.

The threats come months after Mr Trump’s ear was grazed by gunfire during an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in July, which killed a spectator and left two others seriously injured.

In September a man was charged with attempted assassination after allegedly positioning himself with a rifle outside one of Mr Trump’s golf courses in Florida as he played a round.

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‘Several’ Trump cabinet picks targeted with ‘bomb and swatting threats’, transition team says

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'Several' Trump cabinet picks targeted with 'bomb and swatting threats', transition team says

Several people nominated to roles in Donald Trump’s incoming cabinet and administration have been targeted by bomb threats and “swatting,” a spokesperson for the US president-elect has said.

The threats were made on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning and law enforcement acted quickly to ensure the safety of those targeted, Karoline Leavitt said.

In a statement, she said the incidents “ranged from bomb threats to ‘swatting'”, which is when a false crime is reported to bring an armed police response to someone’s home.

The statement said: “Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s cabinet nominees and administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them.”

Ms Leavitt added: “With President Trump as our example, dangerous acts of intimidation and violence will not deter us.”

Elise Stefanik, who represents New York in the House and has been picked by Mr Trump to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations, said her family home had been the target of a bomb threat.

In a statement she said she, her husband and their three-year-old son were driving from Washington DC to Saratoga County in New York for Thanksgiving when they were informed of the threat, with police responding “immediately with the highest levels of professionalism”.

Elise Stefanik, Mr Trump's pick to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations,  says her family home had been the target of a bomb threat. Pic: AP
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Elise Stefanik, Mr Trump’s pick to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations. Pic: AP

Three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the swatting incident told Sky’s US partner network NBC News the threats were “not credible” and no devices or physical threats were found.

They did not involve VIPs protected by the US Secret Service such as Mr Trump or his vice president-elect JD Vance.

The FBI said it was aware of “numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents” targeting Mr Trump’s cabinet and administration nominees and was working with its law enforcement partners.

In a statement it said: “We take all potential threats seriously and, as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.”

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Threats follow assassination attempt

Mr Trump has been announcing his picks for his cabinet and other high-ranking positions in his administration since his election victory on 5 November.

The threats come months after Mr Trump suffered a wound to his ear during an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in July, which killed a spectator and left two others seriously injured.

In September a man was charged with attempted assassination after allegedly positioning himself with a rifle outside one of Mr Trump’s golf courses in Florida as Mr Trump played golf.

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China warns Donald Trump over tariffs threat

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China warns Donald Trump over tariffs threat

China has warned Donald Trump a new trade war “will leave no party unscathed” as the incoming US president’s new tariff threats provoke an angry reaction.

The response by the world’s second-largest economy to Mr Trump’s promise of additional 10% tariffs on all goods from China into the US, came via state media.

“There are no winners in tariff wars. If the US continues to politicise economic and trade issues by weaponising tariffs, it will leave no party unscathed,” the China Daily said in an editorial.

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Mr Trump announced late on Monday that he would also target neighbours Mexico and Canada.

He pledged 25% tariffs on goods coming from both nations due to excessive migration.

Mexico and China, however, are also in his sights for another reason.

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Mr Trump has said both are responsible for “attacking” the US with fentanyl – a drug widely blamed for the opioid crisis in the country that has seen more than 100,000 people die from overdoses alone in recent years.

China, his camp has argued, is the dominant source of chemical precursors used by Mexican cartels to produce the deadly drug.

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Trump’s tariff plan explained

The China Daily editorial continued: “The excuse the president-elect has given to justify his threat of additional tariffs on imports from China is farfetched.

“The world sees clearly that the root cause of the fentanyl crisis in the US lies with the US itself.”

Mr Trump wants both Mexico and China to clamp down on the drugs.

Mexico has long been in his sights over migration, with the volume of illegal border crossings prompting a crackdown during his first term in office.

That did, however, fall short of his 2016 threat of a “big, beautiful” border wall though the existing barrier was extended and bolstered in places.

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This is a big deal for both Canada and Mexico especially.

More than 83% of exports from Mexico went to the US in 2023 and 75% of Canadian exports go to the country.

Mexico has pledged to react to any US tariffs by responding in kind.

Canada’s government has spoken of working together but provincial leaders have voiced anger and shock.

Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford, expected retaliation against its closest trading partner.

He said of Mr Trump’s threat: “I found his comments unfair. I found them insulting. It’s like a family member stabbing you right in the heart.”

If tariffs were to be implemented, as Mr Trump has threatened, the aim would be to hurt exports in each of the countries’ targeted in a bid to shrink the US trade deficit.

The country imports far more than it sends abroad.

However, by raising the cost of imported goods, Mr Trump would risk raising US inflation; the pace of price increases in his own domestic economy as the cost is passed on down supply chains to consumers.

Analysis by Goldman Sachs estimated they would raise consumer prices inflation by 1%, if carried through.

They would also hurt profit margins for US companies, while raising the threat of retaliatory tariffs by other countries, the US bank projected.

The prospect of a trade war has not spooked financial markets, with European and Asian equities seeing only limited losses while the broad S&P 500 on Wall Street is at record levels.

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However, the spectre of a wider Trump-led crackdown on imports has been felt elsewhere, with shares of carmakers coming under pressure on Tuesday.

AJ Bell head of financial analysis, Danni Hewson, wrote: “Proving his love of tariffs wasn’t just a campaign stunt, Trump has pledged he will immediately target Mexico, Canada and China before the last bit of confetti has fallen on his inauguration.”

“For European car makers already struggling to make the shift to EVs profitable, it will have sounded an alarm and shares in Stellantis and Volkswagen both took a hit as did US automakers which import a large number of vehicles from both Canada and Mexico.”

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