List of All Articles with Tag 'erica'

The mother of Rachel Morin has broken her silence with a plea for compassion as the family takes time to grieve the “sudden and tragic” loss of the 37-year-old whose body was found after she vanished while going for a jog on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air. “We are grieving. We need the time and space to grieve as a family. We have not forgotten our community,” the post read. “We just need time. . . I need time. It has only been 4 days since we received the horrific news. I ask that as mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters, that you would please have compassion on us and allow us this.” Morin was last seen heading to the Ma & Pa Trail at around 6pm Saturday. Her boyfriend Richard Tobin reported her missing that night after she failed to return home. Morin’s body was found the following day, and her death is being investigated as a homicide. The heartfelt letter, which was shared on Thursday in a post on the Facebook page of Rachel Morin’s sister Rebekah, thanked the community for its support and announced that a Celebration of Life service and a 5K run would be held in Morin’s honour thanks to the money raised. “Because of the tremendous outpouring of prayers, love and concern, our family is in the process of making arrangements for a Celebration of Life service to which friends and the community will be invited (more details to come),” the family wrote. “And because Rachel was an avid runner, we are in the early stages of planning a 5K walk/run in her honor with the hope of having a trail of flowers.” The GoFundMe goal amount was raised to $65,000 to help pay for the arrangements and it has raised $41,612 as of Thursday. “If you have experienced the loss of a dear loved one, then you know how hard it can be to express the pain that you feel in your heart. When it’s sudden and tragic, your mind looks for ways to cope,” the letter continued. “As a mom, I appreciate the outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and the worldwide community that grieves with me for my young daughter. Thank you for caring. Truly.” Morin’s family shared the letter with the update just a day after the Hartford County Sheriff Jeffery Gahler vowed to bring the “heinous coward” who killed Morin to justice. He also confirmed police had yet to identify a “solid suspect” but said detectives have been working around the clock and that some of the “more than 100 tips” that have been submitted by the public “have been promising”. Read More Man who described grisly state of Rachel Morin’s body never actually saw it, sheriff says Rachel Morin’s chilling Facebook post before mother-of-five found dead on Maryland hiking trail Maryland sheriff calls out ‘heinous coward’ who killed mother-of-five Rachel Morin

The 2024 election looks set to be a rematch between President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump. Despite his mounting legal problems, Mr Trump is by far the most popular candidate in the Republican field. Only Florida governor Ron DeSantis has reached double digits but he remains miles behind Mr Trump. Author Marianne Williamson and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr are challenging Mr Biden for the Democratic nomination but they are not considered real threats to the president. Mr Trump was indicted for the third time on 1 August for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. As Democrats coalesce behind Mr Biden, Mr Trump’s mounting legal woes appear to only strengthen his support with his base. The Republican primary is scheduled to begin with the Iowa caucuses on 15 January and the New Hampshire primary on 23 January. The primary season may go all the way into June, but who the nominee is expected to become clear well before that point. Read More Who are the 2024 presidential election candidates? Meet the Republicans and Democrats campaigning Trump says he won't sign Republican loyalty pledge, flouting debate requirement Harassment of mother and daughter poll workers could form part of Trump’s Georgia indictment, report says

Former prosecutor Renato Mariotti has claimed Jack Smith is using insights he gained from his role at the Hague to bring Donald Trump to justice for his role in the 2020 efforts to overturn the election. Mr Mariotti cited Mr Smith’s stint in the Hague, where he played a role in prosecuting authoritarian leaders prior to becoming the special counsel in the cases against Mr Trump. “I think he understands the way an authoritarian can use these soft methods of increasing their power and staying in power,” Mr Mariotti said on Thursday on MSNBC to anchor Ari Melber. “I think his experience prosecuting a sitting head of state, as you highlighted a moment ago, really prepared him for a moment like this. It shows when someone is desperate to stay in power, it’s important, ultimately, to find the way to bring him to account quickly, and I think that’s what he’s trying to do here.” “Autocrats use propaganda,” Melber earlier said. “That’s been true even as the nature of distribution has changed in many different eras. And propaganda is dangerous, precisely because you don’t have to physically oppress people. You don’t need weaponry if you trick enough of them into this or that position, whether that’s hating authoritarianism or groups. “I want to play that other piece of footage where he [Jack Smith] makes a point – again, who could see how things echo. “People have a choice of what they want to repost on Facebook or whatever platform they use. And I thought this was so striking that in a related context of both authoritarianism and ethnic hate, he talked about the ethical people who chose not to perpetuate things. Take a listen,” he said. Melber then played the video clip. “The accused, in committing their crimes, tried to amplify the damage they caused by exhorting the media in Kosovo to publish. The ethical journalists refused to publish the documents they provided them,” Mr Smith be heard saying in the clip. “This question is as much societal as it is legal. I’m not talking about a repost or publisher’s liability. I’m asking you the deeper question about why you’re a prosecutor, why you care about justice, which is, what do you think of his appeal of how we all exercise our choices in the face of propaganda matters and how that relates at home right now?” Melber continued. “It’s pretty profound,” Mr Mariotti replied. “I have to say, I’m struck by the way in which he has an understanding of some of the softer ways in which people can exercise power. “It’s such an interesting, different approach to Robert Mueller. Robert Mueller was very old school. He saw things, I think, in the way that – in a very black-and-white way that the Justice Department traditionally has. “Jack Smith... he’s from a different generation. I think he understands the way an authoritarian can use these soft methods of increasing their power and staying in power.” Read More Jack Smith uses Trump lawyer’s media statements against him in latest 2020 election case filing Trump reacts with fury to proposed 2 January trial date in special counsel’s 2020 election case Trump and one co-defendant plead not guilty in superseding Mar-a-Lago indictment Trump furious at proposed 2 January trial date in special counsel 2020 election case Special Counsel requests January 2024 trial in Jan 6 case - latest Judge Chutkan to hear arguments in protective order fight in Trump's 2020 election conspiracy case

It is the latest signal of the major issues faced by the world's second largest economy.

Donald Trump said he would refuse to sign a Republican National Committee loyalty pledge required by any candidate wishing to participate in the party's first primary debate. He made the comments to Eric Bolling during an appearance on the Maga-friendly television network Newsmax, which had to end the interview with an awkward disclaimer reminding viewers that it accepts the results of the 2020 election. “I wouldn’t sign the pledge. Why would I sign a pledge if there are people on there that I wouldn’t have. I wouldn’t have certain people as somebody that I would endorse,” Mr Trump said, refusing to specify which of the candidates he would not endorse. The pledge requires signatories to agree to support whichever candidate becomes the Republican party nominee in 2024, according to The Hill. Mr Trump has said on several occasions that he may skip the first debate, which is scheduled for 23 August in Milwaukee. He has questioned why he should bother with the debate since he is the clear frontrunner, suggesting it would simply open opportunities for the other candidates to attack him an an attempt to boost their own polling. He told Newsmax that he would announce next week if he will participate. "I've already decided, and I'll be announcing something next week," Mr Trump said. "I haven't totally ruled it out." Mr Trump similarly refused to commit to backing the eventual Republican candidate during his campaign in 2015. During a primary debate that year, the candidates were asked to raise their hands if they would back the nominee. Mr Trump was the only candidate to not raise his hand. The former president eventually relented and signed a loyalty pledge later that year. Mr Trump is not the first one to balk at the requirement; his opponent, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, told CNN last month that he would take the pledge "just as seriously as Donald Trump took it in 2016." At the end of the segment Newsmax was forced to issue a disclaimer reminding viewers that they were not contesting the results of the 2020 elections. "Alright folks," Mr Bolling said. "Now, just as a note: Newsmax has accepted the election results as legal and final." Newsmax began shying away from commenters who pushed 2020 election conspiracy theories after the company was sued by Dominion Voting Systems for defamation. The network ultimately settled the lawsuit and began pulling the plug on interviews with election deniers like MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. Mr Trump still insists, without evidence, that the election was stolen. Read More Trump complains world has ‘never been nastier than it is now’ as cases against him proceed Trump and one co-defendant plead not guilty in superseding Mar-a-Lago indictment Trump and Biden tied in hypothetical 2024 rematch, poll finds Wisconsin judge allows civil case against fake Trump electors to proceed Iran transfers 5 Iranian-American prisoners to house arrest in step toward deal for ultimate release FEC moves toward potentially regulating AI deepfakes in campaign ads

The father of a missing Wisconsin 13-year-old said he believes his son was possibly coerced to leave his family home by another individual. James Yoblonski, 13, reportedly took his family's van and left his home in Reedsburg on 12 June, according to Sauk County deputies. The teen may have also taken his father's handgun with him. "It's not like him to do anything like this," William Yoblonski, the boy's father, told Fox News Digital. "I mean, he's never driven my vehicle on the streets or anything. He's moved my van around my shop a couple times. That was it." Security footage caught the teen leaving his home around midnight and walking across the street to where the family's van was parked, and sat inside for an hour before leaving, his father explained. Police eventually found the van by tracking his father's cellphone — which the teen also took — at the western edge of Devil's Lake State Park later that day. They found a makeshift campsite at the park they believed the boy built. Later probes into the teen's search history found he had looked up information about teens crossing state lines and boarding airplanes. Mr Yoblonski doubts that his son spent an evening at the makeshift campsite because police dogs did not pick up his scent in the area. He believes he left the area with another individual. "I think he left with somebody. I think he sat there and waited for a horn to honk and came out and got in the car with somebody," the father said. He theorises that his son met someone online or in person who may have coerced or influenced his son to leave home. James reportedly posted a video to Snapchat from his father's home shortly before his disappearance. "'I'm sorry. I don't think I'll be back for school. I don't want to hurt anybody, but I might,'" Mr Yoblonski said, paraphrasing his son's comments in the video. He believes someone else was holding the phone and recording his son in the video. Though Mr Williams has not been named as an official suspect in his son's disappearance, he knows that some members of the public are likely eyeing him as a possible culprit. He recently took and passed a polygraph test administered by the Sauk County sheriff's office, which he said he hoped would return the focus of the case to his missing son. Mr Williams has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to his son. "I just want my son back. That's why I put up a $10,000 reward. If I could afford to go more than that … but I just don't have that kind of money. Like I said, I'm a single father," he said. Mr Williams has expressed some frustration with the lack of answers coming from the sheriff's office. Since then, the FBI has joined the search for the missing teen. Read More Father of teen missing for nearly two months speaks out after polygraph test Body pulled from river after 10-day search for missing man as three arrested for ‘murder’ Maryland sheriff calls out ‘heinous coward’ who killed mother-of-five Rachel Morin

Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office has asked the District of Columbia judge overseeing the 2020 election subversion case against former president Donald Trump to schedule the twice-impeached, thrice-indicted ex-president’s trial for a four to six week period beginning on 2 January next year. In an eight-page filing authored by Senior Assistant Special Counsels Molly Gaston and Thomas Windom, the special counsel’s office said their proposed schedule would give Mr Trump and his defence team sufficient time to prepare a case and review the evidence which the government is prepared to turn over as part of the discovery process, as well as litigate any pre-trial matters such as the request for a change of venue Mr Trump has said he will call for. The prosecutors also said that a 2 January 2024 trial date would “most importantly ... vindicate the public’s strong interest in a speedy trial,” which they described as being “of particular significance” because Mr Trump is “charged with conspiring to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election, obstruct the certification of the election results, and discount citizens’ legitimate votes”. “A January 2, 2024, trial date represents an appropriately speedy trial in the public interest and in the interests of justice, while affording the defendant time to prepare his defense and raise pre-trial legal issues with the Court,” they said. At his arraignment one week ago, Mr Trump’s attorneys indicated that they would request significant delays and ask Judge Tanya Chutkan to stop the clock set under the Speedy Trial Act which sets out a 70-day period in which trials in criminal cases are required to begin. The ex-president’s legal strategy in both civil and criminal matters, dating back decades, is to cause as many delays as possible through any means possible. The three criminal cases against him have not proved an exception to this pattern, as Mr Trump is understood to believe his best chance at avoiding any negative consequences from the cases is to win next year’s presidential election. But the magistrate judge who presided over the arraignment, Moxila Upadhyaya, told Mr Trump’s counsel that Judge Chutkan intends to set a trial date after a status conference on 28 August, and gave the government a full week to propose a trial schedule. Mr Trump’s team will now have a week to respond to the department’s proposed schedule, though it’s unlikely that the ex-president’s counsel will agree with the government’s timeline. At the arraignment last week, Trump attorney John Lauro suggested that he and his co-counsel could not begin to consider any possible trial date until they’d received the evidence which the government must turn over as part of the pre-trial discovery process. “We need all that information, I think, in order to address the issue of when we would be ready, and also the extent to which we would have an idea of how long the trial would be,” he said. Mr Trump’s legal team has already prevented the discovery process from kicking off by objecting to the government’s proposed protective order on the grounds that it would violate the ex-president’s right to free speech by barring him from publicly revealing evidence while on the campaign trail. The prosecutors noted the disconnect between the arguments made at arraignment and the Trump defence team’s refusal to agree to a protective order that would allow them to begin reviewing discovery, calling the contradiction “perplexing”. They also slammed Mr Lauro’s claim that the defence is “starting with a blank slate” as “impossible” and “disingenuous,” citing Mr Trump’s awareness of and response to much of the evidence which was previously made public during the House January 6 select committee’s hearings last year and the panel’s final report. Continuing, prosecutors also pointed out that one of Mr Trump’s lawyers, Evan Corcoran, has long represented the ex-president in matters relating to his efforts to overturn his election loss. “The defendant has a greater and more detailed understanding of the evidence supporting the charges against him at the outset of this criminal case than most defendants, and is ably advised by multiple attorneys, including some who have represented him in this matter for the last year,” they said. “The Government’s proposed schedule and January 2 trial date afford the defendant many months to review the discovery in this matter, raise pre-trial legal issues, and prepare his defense. No additional time is necessary or warranted under the Speedy Trial Act and in light of the public’s strong interest in a prompt trial”. Read More Trump and one co-defendant plead not guilty in superseding Mar-a-Lago indictment Trump and Biden tied in hypothetical 2024 rematch, poll finds Trump complains world has ‘never been nastier than it is now’ as cases against him proceed Trump says Georgia DA ‘may change her mind’ about indicting him as he launches fresh attack Prosecutors seek Jan. 2 trial date for Donald Trump in his 2020 election conspiracy case Georgia DA Fani Willis tells staff to ignore Trump’s ‘derogatory and false’ attacks Trump says world has ‘never been nastier than it is now’ as cases against him proceed

Republican Rep Lauren Boebert, along with every Republican in Congress, voted against the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. But the Act led to the construction of the CS Wind plant – and in turn job creation – in her home state of Colorado. And Ms Boebert has not shied away from taking credit for initiatives she voted against as President Joe Biden was quick to remind her in a speech touting his administration’s clean energy initiatives in New Mexico. “Coincidentally, CS Wind is Congresswoman Lauren Boebert — y’know, the very quiet Republican lady? — it’s in her district,” he said to laughter from the audience. “Who, along with every other Republican, voted against this bill.” In his speech, Mr Biden was talking about how clean energy advances — like the construction of the CS Wind plant — has led to job creation. Ms Boebert, Mr Biden said, “along with every other Republican, voted against this bill, and it’s making all this possible. And she railed against its passage. But, that’s OK, she’s welcoming it now.” “That’s OK,” he continued. “When I ran for office, I promised to be president for all Americans. Whether you live in a blue state or a red state, I’m going to keep my promise.” This is not the first time Mr Biden has teased Republicans for taking credit for measures they voted against. In the same speech, he poked fun at Republican Sen Tommy Tuberville of Alabama who publicly celebrated federal spending on broadband internet access, even though he voted against it. “I thought, wait a minute, didn’t he rail against that for a long, long time?” Mr Biden said. “I was inclined to go down and help him celebrate, but I decided not to.” And earlier in the year, during a speech in South Carolina, Mr Biden reminded Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene that she voted against the expansion of a South Korean solar panel production company in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District -- her district. “Since I took office, we’ve seen over 60 domestic manufacturing announcements all across the solar supply chain. One of the biggest is in Dalton, Georgia. You may find it hard to believe, but that’s Marjorie Taylor Greene’s district,” Mr Biden said. “I’ll be there for the groundbreaking.” Read More Lauren Boebert blames her AirPods after she threw away photo of 10-year-old Uvalde victim GOP lawmakers predict imminent ‘fistfight’ between Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert Marjorie Taylor Greene ousted from House Freedom Caucus following fight with Lauren Boebert Biden pitching his economic policies as a key to manufacturing jobs revival Biden announces investments in conservation and climate during Arizona visit Prosecutors seek Jan. 2 trial date for Donald Trump in his 2020 election conspiracy case Utah governor pushes back at critics over welcoming Biden: ‘It’s insane’ Live: Biden delivers remarks to service members exposed to toxic substances

Four Americans who have been wrongfully detained in Iran have been released from prison and are now under house arrest, a lawyer for one of the prisoners told CNN on Thursday, a sign that they may soon be freed from years of imprisonment.

Donald Trump and his aide Walt Nauta pleaded not guilty in federal court on several charges claiming that the former president kept classified documents at his private Florida club Mar-a-Lago and attempted to hide some of them from government authorities with the help of his staffers. Mr Trump, who waived his right to appear at the Thursday arraignment in Fort Pierce, Florida, entered his plea via his lawyers. The ex-president was initially charged with 37 crimes in a June indictment, to which he pleaded not guilty. The following month, prosecutors added another three charges in a superseding indictment. Mr Trump pleaded not guilty to those charges on Thursday. Mr Nauta attended the hearing on Thursday, where he also pleaded not guilty after being charged with six charges in the initial indictment and another two counts in the superseding filing. More follows...

Two suspects who were involved in the Montgomery riverboat brawl have finally turned themselves in. Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, surrendered to the Montgomery Police Department, a spokesperson said late Wednesday, days after they were allegedly involved in a massive fight on a dock last weekend. Mr Todd and Mr Shipman are among three men facing one count of assault in the third degree, which is a misdemeanour, in connection with the incident. The fight began on Saturday when a deckhand on the Harriott II riverboat, Damian Pickett, confronted the owners of a pontoon boat so that the ship could dock. Viral video captured the owners, who are white, punching Mr Pickett, who is Black, before an all-out brawl ensued - largely along racial lines. On Tuesday, Police Chief Darryl Allen identified the three suspects, adding that one of them had already turned themselves in—that person appears to be Richard Roberts, 48. Police said they are seeking yet another man for further interviews: Reggie Gray. The police chief described him as “wielding that folding chair” in videos, as he picked up a chair and hit people over the head with it. A spokesperson for the Montgomery Police told The Independent on Thursday that Mr Gray has not yet been in contact with the police, but assured that the authorities will “certainly” find him. All three of the men are white, and all three were members of the pontoon boat, which was reportedly blocking the Harriott II—which was carrying 227 passengers—from docking. So the captain’s deckhand, Mr Pickett, was taken from the riverboat to the dock to try to reason with the members of the pontoon boat, asking them to move. They did not take it well. The next part went viral - as the owner of the pontoon boat started attacking Mr Pickett. On Wednesday, the captain of the Harriott II, Capt Jim Kittrell, said he believed the attack was driven by race. “The white guys that attacked my deckhand—and he was a senior deckhand first mate—I can’t think of any other reason they attacked him other than it being racially motivated,” he said. The brawl grew from there. However, he conceded that after the initial exchange, the fight did not appear to be “Black and white.” “It was just shipmates trying to help a shipmate,” the captain said. “They could’ve been little green men, for all they cared. When they attacked Damien, my crew was gonna jump out and do the best they could to help him out. It was my crew against the people who attacked their shipmate, that’s all it was.” Chief Albert explicitly said that the people aboard the pontoon boat were not local to Montgomery. “This is not indicative of who we are as a city. We are much better than that,” he said. Read More Alabama dockside brawl was racially motivated, riverboat captain says Riverfront brawl brings unwelcome attention to historic civil rights city in Alabama

Maryland detectives investigating the homicide of missing mother-of-five Rachel Morin have said they do not have a solid suspect yet in the case and warned members of the community to be vigilant. "Not knowing whether this was a targeted event specific to Rachel, we are going to say, ‘yes, be aware, be thinking there could be somebody out here and this is a random event’," Harford County Sheriff Jeffery Gahler told WBALTV. Morin, 37, was last seen heading to the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air at around 6pm on Saturday evening, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. After she failed to return home that night, her boyfriend reported her missing. Then on Sunday afternoon, a Maryland father discovered a woman’s body in a tunnel off the trail which was later confirmed to be Morin. Mr Gahler announced that Morin’s case is now a homicide investigation at a press conference that evening. Rebekah Morin, the deceased’s sister, started a GoFundMe to pay for funeral expenses. As of Thursday morning, it has raised almost $41,000. Read More Rachel Morin was found dead on a popular Maryland hiking trail. Her sister says she ‘did not go willingly’ Rachel Morin’s boyfriend says he ‘would never do anything to her’ as homicide probe launched Rachel Morin’s chilling Facebook post before mother-of-five found dead on Maryland hiking trail