List of All Articles with Tag 'ame'

Ecuadorian lawmakers who were ousted when President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly denounced the move Thursday and argued it wasn't legal because the country wasn't facing any urgent crisis. The conservative president, who had sparred with the left-leaning assembly over his pro-business agenda since taking office in 2021, disbanded the chamber Wednesday just as it tried to oust him on mismanagement allegations in an impeachment trial. Lasso was making first use of a 2008 constitutional provision that allows the president to dissolve the assembly during times of political crisis, with the requirement that new elections be held for both lawmakers and the president. However, a lawsuit filed Thursday by the assembly’s former head, Virgilio Saquicela, argues that Lasso’s move violated the constitution because the country was not experiencing any social upheaval. Instead, Lasso’s detractors have argued, the president chose to disband the chamber merely to avoid his own ouster. Saquicela’s lawsuit — and two other challenges filed Wednesday — are before the country’s Constitutional Court, which is known to act slowly. Lawmakers have been urging the panel to act quickly this time. “We require, we demand an immediate pronouncement from the Constitutional Court,” Virgilio Saquicela said in an interview with The Associated Press. Meanwhile, the National Electoral Council is moving forward with setting a date for elections. Council President Diana Atamaint told the Teleamazonas television network that the electoral body has until Wednesday to decide. The tentative date is Aug. 20. If needed, a runoff would take place Oct. 15. The constitution allows the president to dissolve the assembly when it oversteps its mandate under the constitution or during times of “serious political crisis and internal commotion.” Minister of Government Henry Cucalón defended Lasso’s decision during a news conference Thursday, arguing that the constitution makes it clear that the dismissal is up to the president's “judgment, criteria, discretion and reason," and that it does not require approval of any other entity. The president appears to have the support of the armed forces, but faces pushback from critics including a powerful confederation of indigenous group that previously has nearly paralyzed the country with protests. Lasso can now govern for up to six months by means of decrees on economic and administrative issues under the oversight of Ecuador’s Constitutional Court. The National Electoral Council is required to set a date for presidential and legislative elections within seven days from Lasso’s decision. Lawmakers want the court to issue a ruling before the council makes a decision, because after the election date is set “no authority may interfere in the carrying out of the process,” lawyer and electoral analyst Medardo Oleas said. He added that if the Constitutional Court interfered, its members “could be dismissed.” Those elected would finish the terms of Lasso and the lawmakers he ousted, which had been set to end in May 2025. Lasso, a former banker, can choose to run in the election. Lawmakers had accused Lasso of not having intervened to end a contract between the state-owned oil transport company and a private tanker company. They argued Lasso knew the contract was full of irregularities and would cost the state millions in losses. During impeachment proceedings Tuesday, Lasso noted that the contract predated his administration. He also said that the state-owned company experienced losses of $6 million a year before he took office, and that it has seen $180 million in profits under his watch. Lasso had clashed from the start of his four-year term with the opposition-led National Assembly. He accused them Wednesday of focusing “on destabilizing the government.” Saquicela, in an interview with AP, accused Lasso’s government of being “incapable of solving the real problems of Ecuadorians” including health, transportation and security issues. He rejected any shared responsibility for the turmoil affecting the country arguing that the assembly had complied with its constitutional obligation to legislate. “I do not want to justify whether the assembly has been good or bad, what I defend is the constitutional framework,” he said. “However, we believe that as a political class, we fell short in our legislating and oversight duties.” Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Group plans to put legalization of medical marijuana on Nebraska ballot Explainer: Why Supreme Court tiptoeing past Section 230 helps Big Tech fueled by social media Trial delayed for driver held since 2015 in deadly Las Vegas Strip pedestrian crash

Kenny Pigman clocked by Bryson DeChambeau.

Sam Brinton, the former Department of Energy official who was accused of stealing a Tanzanian fashion designer’s dresses from her airport luggage, has been arrested as a “fugitive from justice” by Maryland police. Brinton was reportedly taken into custody in Rockville, Maryland by police on Wednesday, according to police records. The specific reason for Brinton’s arrest was not immediately available. They previously oversaw nuclear waste policy at the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, but more recently has been battling charges related to luggage theft in both Nevada and Minnesota. Brinton was charged in October for allegedly stealing a traveler’s bags worth a total of $2,325 from the Minneapolis-St Paul Airport on 16 September. They were charged again in early December by Las Vegas prosecutors with grand larceny of an item with a value between $1,200 and $5,000.

By David Lawder and Rodrigo Campos WASHINGTON Suriname on Thursday cleared a hurdle on its way to restructure

President Joe Biden will formally announce his 2024 reelection campaign as soon as next week, three people briefed on the discussions said Thursday. The people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said they were not aware that a final decision on timing had been made, but that Biden had been eyeing Tuesday, April 25, four years to the day since the Democrat entered the 2020 race. The upcoming announcement is expected to be in the form of a video released to supporters. Biden has repeatedly said he intends to run for a second term but advisers say he has felt little need to jump into campaigning because he faces no significant opposition to his party's nomination. Biden has summoned top Democratic donors to Washington next week for what was expected to be a dinner with him and a strategy session with his chief political advisers. The Washington Post first reported on the expected timing of the announcement. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

Take-Two Interactive just released its yearly earnings report, while also giving us a big hint

A 21-year-old accused of leaking classified files ignored warnings from his superiors, prosecutors say.

A California doctor, accused of driving his family off a cliff, has blamed his Tesla car for malfunctioning even though his wife claimed his move was deliberate, according to an affidavit. Warrant affidavit documents unsealed on Wednesday showed Dharmesh Patel, 41, told investigators he pulled off the road to check on a possible flat tyre after the sensor on his Model Y electric car indicated low tyre pressure. Mr Patel, a radiologist from Pasadena, was driving his white 2021 Tesla Model Y along the Pacific Coast Highway south of San Francisco when the car plunged several hundred feet off the cliff at the Devil’s Slide. Firefighters had to cut the family out of the wreckage. Despite the crash, Mr Patel, his wife Neha, their nine-year-old son and four-year-old daughter “miraculously” survived and were pulled off a craggy outcrop. However, Mr Patel’s claims were refuted by his wife, who told a California Highway Patrol officer that her husband was "depressed". "He’s a doctor. He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposely drove off," Ms Patel said, according to documents obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle. California Highway Patrol officer Aaron Sapien wrote that Ms Patel, while being rescued from the car, said “something to the effect that the driver, her husband Dharmesh Patel, did it on purpose". "She then told him that her husband needs a psych evaluation." The warrant affidavit included an interview with Mr Patel while he was recovering from major lower body injuries. He said his wife was irritated shortly before the plunge off the cliff because she didn't want to stop at his brother's house in San Mateo County before making their drive home to Los Angeles. He said he was not really depressed but that he “felt down because times were bad in the world”, the Chronicle reported. "Asked if he felt suicidal, he said, 'You know, not like a plan, not usually,'" the affidavit said. Mr Patel has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder and is in custody without bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 12 June, at which time a judge will decide if there's enough evidence to move ahead with a trial. Read More A tragic family Tesla crash off a California cliff shocked rescuers. Then the doctor dad was arrested for attempted murder Wife of man accused of driving family off cliff in Tesla ‘doesn’t want him to be charged’ Father charged with deliberately crashing family Tesla off cliff is seen in new video as nine police visits revealed

Naysa Woomer, the communications director of embattled representative George Santos, resigned and accused him of failing to take even “one point of professional advice". “With respect for my colleagues, the people of New York, and most importantly, myself, I am honoured to tender my resignation,” Ms Woomer said in her resignation email, according to Scripps News. "Unfortunately, you never took one point of professional advice given." Ms Woomer's resignation came after she was caught on tape bashing Mr Santos as "not a good person". "I actually hope he does [get kicked out of Congress],” she was recorded saying by the O’Keefe Media Group. “He’s not a good person, sorry,” she continued. Ms Woomer had previously worked for GOP Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker and representatives Ryan Costello, Thomas Massie, and Tim Huelskamp. Her departure comes amid a string of negative developments for Mr Santos, who was indicted on 13 counts, including fraud and money laundering, last week by the Department of Justice. Mr Santos on Wednesday narrowly survived Democrats’ move to expel him from Congress, with the Republicans voting largely along party lines, 221-204, to the ethics panel. The freshman member of Congress has been charged with embezzling money from his campaign, falsely receiving unemployment funds, and lying about his finances. He has denied the charges and has pleaded not guilty. The Long Island representative has also been facing multiple calls for his resignation after admitting to a plethora of lies on his resume, starting from his high school to college and employment. Representative Robert Garcia introduced a resolution in February to expel Mr Santos, something the House has only done twice in recent decades. He sought to force a vote on that resolution under a process that left three options for Republicans: a vote on the resolution, a move to table, or a referral to committee. House speaker Kevin McCarthy chose the third option, much to the chagrin of Democrats who described it as a “complete copout”. Mr Santos on Wednesday compared Congress to the film Mean Girls and compared himself to Cady Heron, the protagonist portrayed by Lindsay Lohan. Mr Santos spoke on the Macrodosing podcast and was asked what Congress was like. “Have you ever watched ‘Mean Girls’?” Mr Santos asked the interviewer. “That’s Congress in a nutshell. There is a mean girl there.” “I don’t come from a political background,” Mr Santos said, despite the fact he ran for Congress in 2020 and lost before he mounted his successful campaign in the Long Island district in 2022. Read More AOC heckles George Santos after Congress votes on his future: ‘Resign! Resign bro!’ George Santos says Congress is like ‘Mean Girls’: ‘I’m Cady’ George Santos expulsion coming before House as Democrats force vote Effort to expel Santos falters as Republicans vote to send measure to Ethics Committee George Santos bizarrely compares himself to a Mean Girls character AOC heckles George Santos after Congress votes on his future: ‘Resign! Resign bro!’

A lawyer for former president Donald Trump announced on Wednesday he would be leaving the legal team representing Mr Trump in an investigation by the Justice Department into classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. The lawyer, Timothy Paraltore, told the Associated Press his departure had nothing to do with Trump nor was a reflection of the investigation which he has long called misguided and overly aggressive. Over the last several months, Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith has been looking into the hundreds of classified documents found at the former president’s Florida home and possible efforts to obstruct the probe. Mr Paraltore’s announcement comes just as Mr Trump has taken credit for the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade. Mr Trump claimed in multiple interviews, as well as on Truth Social, that without his three Supreme Court Justice nominations, abortion bans would not be possible. As he boasted about the landmark Supreme Court case, the former president also implied that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ six-week abortion ban may be ‘too harsh’ as he is losing popularity among female voters. Read More Trump lawyer exits legal team as Mar-a-Lago classified documents probe heats up CNN’s Kaitlan Collins named as new primetime host after Trump town hall debacle Don’t look now, but Ron DeSantis just suffered some big losses Oral sex on Trump calls and pardons for sale: The most disturbing allegations from the Giuliani lawsuit

A Republican lawmaker in the North Carolina statehouse has apologised after questioning whether one of his Black Democratic colleagues in the legislature was only admitted to Harvard due to his race. It was an appalling moment that occurred during official proceedings and led to the white Republican who made the remarks, Jeff McNeely, walking them back only a few hours later. The remarks in question were directed at state Rep Abraham Jones, a Democrat who has represented Wake County, North Carolina, since 2021. Mr Jones is a graduate of both Harvard’s undergraduate program as well as the university’s law school. "Would you have not been able to achieve these if you were not an athlete or a minority?" Mr McNeely asked Mr Jones on Wednesday. Mr Jones responded by noting his student rank at Harvard, the second-highest out of five, before commenting calmly in response: “I earned my place, and I did well.” Mr McNeely was reportedly suspended from speaking further during the proceedings at hand and later issued an apology. “I respect Representative Jones. I think he’s a great legislator. I think he’s a great man. What I tried to ask or say did not come out right. That happens a lot, and I apologize,” said Mr McNeely, according to statehouse reporter Bryan Anderson. North Carolina’s legislature is home to a supermajority of Republican lawmakers, thanks to a recent surprise defection of a Democratic lawmaker who blamed the mistreatment supposedly coming from her colleagues for her shift in ideology. But the state also is presided over by a Democratic governor and is often a purple state in presidential elections. Mr McNeely’s statements were condemned by Democrats in the state legislature, including Mr Jones himself who described the “thinly-veiled racial aspect” of the encounter in his statement. He added separately: “I worked hard to get where I am today. It is disappointing that another member of our chamber would imply that I have been successful simply because of the color of my skin, or because I am an athlete. I appreciate the member apologizing for his remarks.” Read More EPA rule would force clean-up of toxic waste from coal-fired power plants Minnesota prosecutors drop state sex charges against R&B singer R. Kelly, citing federal convictions North Carolina’s 12-week abortion ban joins sweeping restrictions across US South Key abortion debates this week in US courts and statehouses AP News Digest 3:30 am 'Mississippi miracle': Kids' reading scores have soared in Deep South states

Lauren Boebert has denied a claim that her husband flew into a rage and set his dogs on a man after he was served with divorce papers. The Republican from Colorado called the claim by a process server in the state who handed the divorce papers to Jayson Boebert a “complete lie.” The allegations were made in an affidavit, which stated that Mr Boebert was drinking a beer “out of a glass” and was cleaning a gun when he was served at his home in Silt, Colorado, last month, reported The Daily Beast. Now Boebert has bashed the claims in a text message to the outlet. “Jayson doesn’t sit around cleaning guns and he certainly doesn’t drink beer out of a glass, just as much as he doesn’t drink Bud Light,” she said, referencing the recent right-wing controversy. She added that the dogs were already out in the yard when the papers were served. “Our divorce is a private matter, but the misrepresentations must be addressed,” Ms Boebert added. “Jayson deserves his privacy, not slanderous stories.” Ms Boebert announced on Tuesday that she was ending her marriage. “It is with a heavy weight on my heart that I have filed for divorce from my husband,” the Colorado congresswoman said in a statement. “I am grateful for our years of marriage together and for our beautiful children, all of whom deserve privacy and love as we work through this process. I’ve always been faithful in my marriage, and I believe strongly in marriage, which makes this announcement that much more difficult. “This is truly about irreconcilable differences. I do not intend to discuss this matter any further in public out of respect for our children and will continue to work hard to represent the people of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.” Ms Boebert and her husband, Jayson, have been married for more than a decade and a half. They live in Silt, Colorado with their four sons and operated a restaurant in nearby Rifle until last summer, when the business’s lease was not renewed. A staunch conservative and outspoken Christian, Ms Boebert announced in March that her 17-year-old son and his girlfriend were expecting a baby, making her a grandmother at 36. The MAGA supporter re-won her seat in November after the race between the mother-of-four and Aspen Democrat Adam Frisch became so close that it forced a recount. Mr Frisch has launched a second campaign to unseat her. Ms Boebert, along with Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, is one of the most caustic and controversial stars of the GOP, following along the vein of the 45th president’s brand of politics. Mr Frisch targeted her national presence, arguing that she seemed far less concerned about matters within her district. He ran on a moderate platform; in the end, the congresswoman kept her seat by just 546 votes. Mr Frisch continued: ”Ranchers and farmers in western and southern Colorado are pragmatic, and they don’t see a representative that’s doing the job that they want to see happen,” Mr Frisch told The Independent one day after announcing his new campaign earlier this year. He said the campaign chose to announce early on 14 February because “the momentum that we had from the last campaign was still there” and because he believes any possible Boebert “course correction ... it’s pretty solidified that it’s not happening.” He outlined “three hurdles that we had last time: We had a short period of time, we had very low name recognition, and even though we raised more money than she did — during July through the end of the campaign — she had more money saved up than we did. “And and I think if we had another quarter million dollars or another two weeks of the race, we probably would have won,” Mr Frisch told The Independent. “And I think if the race would have been run a week later, we would have won.” Read More Trump goes after AOC’s ‘bad looking boyfriend’ in wild rant Marjorie Taylor Greene faces wave of mockery after saying she ‘stands with Tucker Carlson’ Donald Trump mourns ‘very good man’ Tucker Carlson after shock departure of Fox’s MAGA mouthpiece Mississippi sends National Guard to US-Mexico border, GOP governor says Republican-appointed federal judges grill FDA in mifepristone hearing More Trump indictments would give Biden and Democrats huge 2024 boost, poll finds