Legal

A group of MPs has launched a legal bid to block Boris Johnson from shutting down Parliament to ram through no deal Brexit . The cross-party group of politicians, including Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, SNP MP Joanna Cherry and independent MP Heidi Allen, lodged legal papers in Edinburgh today. The case could be heard within the next month. It's thought the bid was launched in Scotland because the Court of Session continues to sit through the summer. It comes after reports Boris Johnson was planning to suspend the House of Commons until after the Brexit deadline, so MPs wouldn't have a chance to block it in Parliament. Hard Brexiteers believe suspending Parliament - formally called “proroguing” could thwart attempts to scupper a no-deal exit. The UK is due to quit the EU by October 31 - and Boris Johnson has insisted we'll leave on Halloween "do or die". Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson ( Image: PA) One plan could be to table a Queen’s Speech, where the … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson’s no deal Brexit plan faces fresh legal challenge from MPs

A lawyer for Donald Trump has claimed the hush money investigation into him is "dead," one week from the day the former president claimed he would be arrested as part of the probe. Trump attorney Lindsey Halligan told Newsmax that the "weak" case against the former president is ending with no indictment for the Republican. Halligan's claim appeared to be more of a suggestion rather than an indication from authorities, adding that if Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg 's inquiry is not "dead" then "it should be." Trump made an uncorroborated claim that he would be arrested in New York on Tuesday, March 21 , as part of the investigation into whether the $130,000 he arranged to be paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep an alleged affair the pair had a secret before the 2016 election amounted to a campaign violation. Trump has denied any wrongdoing, and denies having an affair with Daniels in 2006. It is widely believed that a grand jury in New York who have … [Read more...] about Trump lawyer claims hush money probe is “dead” as investigation continues

Donald Trump has denied he incited violence to be carried out against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in one of his recent Truth Social posts, blaming the outrage on "fake news media." On March 23, Trump shared an article on Truth Social that used an image of the former president holding a baseball bat next to a photo of Bragg, the prosecutor leading the Stormy Daniels hush money investigation in which the Republican faces a potentially historic indictment and arrest over. Hours later, Trump warned on Truth Social of the potential for "death and destruction" should Bragg's investigation result in a criminal charge against the former president, leading to accusations that Trump is inciting his supporters to carry out attacks and violent disorder with his social media activity. In an interview with Sean Hannity on Monday, the Fox News host asked Trump why he would "open yourself up to criticism" with his Truth Social posts. Trump said that he was unaware that … [Read more...] about Donald Trump’s bizarre Alvin Bragg baseball bat “threat” explanation

LeBron James is at the center of another speeding drama with rumors swirling on social media that the Los Angeles Lakers have suspended their record-breaking star. The NBA legend, who holds the overall points record in pro basketball, is the subject of a video that has gone viral on social media. James has previous for speeding on the highway; he was convicted in 2008 of the offense. Now it has been claimed that he has fallen foul of the management at the Lakers due to a video of him speeding. The Claim A Twitter account for Buttcrack Sports has posted a video of James in a sports car on the highway, to its 60,000 followers, and the clip has gone viral with their post alone hitting more than 4.4 million views. Captioning the video, the sports account claimed: "BREAKING LeBron James has been suspended by the Lakers for the rest of the regular season. "He was seen speeding at 130mph in this viral video." James, who is wearing a black face mask in the clip, is seen … [Read more...] about Fact Check: Has LeBron James been suspended from the Lakers for speeding?

The Adnan Syed case, popularized by the podcast Serial , has been forever changed thanks to an appeal launched by the victim's brother. Syed was convicted of the murder of his then-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, who died in January 1999. He was found guilty of a number of charges in 2000 and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years, though he always maintained his innocence. In 2014, the murder of Min Lee and Syed's trial was the subject of the first season of the podcast Serial . Eventually, new evidence in the case was unearthed and by September 2022 all charges against Syed had been dropped . A court in Maryland recently reinstated the murder conviction of Syed, but the ruling suggests Syed will not remain convicted for long, as another hearing is needed to remove the reinstatement. The conviction was reinstated after the victim's brother, Young Lee, filed an appeal in December 2022, arguing that prosecutors violated a state law requiring them to give sufficient notice of … [Read more...] about How victim’s brother in Adnan Syed case turned trial upside down

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle should at some point "back off" from their persistent battles with the U.K. media because they are not doing themselves "any favors," a prominent royal biographer has told a new episode of Newsweek 's The Royal Report podcast. Author of the soon-to-be-released George VI and Elizabeth: The Marriage That Shaped the Monarchy and biographer of Princess Diana , Sally Bedell Smith, told chief royal correspondent Jack Royston that Harry and Meghan have been "entwined with their own media outlets," such as Netflix and Spotify, building and maintaining relationships in much the same way the royals have been accused of doing. Since 2019, both Harry and Meghan have launched a series of lawsuits against the U.K. tabloid media, including publishing giants Associated Newspapers Limited whose titles include the Daily Mail , Mail on Sunday and MailOnline. Harry is currently in London, where he has attended hearings connected with his ongoing … [Read more...] about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s media battles won’t do them any “favors”

A former Buckingham Palace press secretary who worked with Princess Diana has cast doubt on whether Prince Harry would have married Meghan Markle had his mother been alive. Speaking to GB News on Friday, Dickie Arbiter—press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II from 1988 to 2000—told the show hosts: "I'm going to stick my neck out here and I doubt Harry would have married Meghan because Harry wouldn't have been in the state he was in as a result of his mother's death. "He would have taken a completely different course and he would still be here working in support of the Queen." The former palace aide was prompted to make such a statement after discussing the prince's legal battle with the U.K. Home Office over security. A High Court judge ruled on Friday that the prince had an "arguable" case against the government and that a judicial review could take place. This was a win for the prince in his dispute which, he argues, l eft Britain an unsafe place for him to bring … [Read more...] about Harry Wouldn’t ‘Have Married Meghan’ if Diana Was Alive—Ex Royal Aide

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire’s highest court on Wednesday turned away the latest attempt to get a sentence reduction for Pamela Smart, who is serving life in prison for plotting with her teenage lover to have her husband killed in 1990. Smart, 55, was 22 and working as a high school media coordinator when she began an affair with a 15-year-old student who later shot and killed her husband, Gregory Smart. Though she denied knowledge of the plot, she was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes and sentenced to life without parole. Having exhausted her judicial appeal options, Smart asked a state council for a sentence reduction hearing last year. The five-member Executive Council, which approves state contracts and appointees to the courts and state agencies, rejected her request in less than three minutes, prompting the appeal to state Supreme Court. But the court dismissed the petition for lack of jurisdiction on Wednesday, saying that ordering the … [Read more...] about New Hampshire court dismisses latest Pamela Smart petition

A 5-year-old child fatally shot their 16-month-old brother on Tuesday at a northwestern Indiana apartment, authorities said. The shooting killed Isiah Johnson, Tippecanoe County Coroner Carrie Costello said. An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday to determine the boy’s cause and manner of death. "Detectives with the Lafayette Police Department determined that the child was shot by his five-year-old sibling, who was able to gain access to a weapon in the apartment," police said in a news release. The shooting at the Romney Meadows apartment complex in Lafayette was reported around 3 p.m., Lafayette Police Lt. Matt Gard said. A call of a child not breathing did not come from someone inside the apartment at the time the shot was fired, and no resuscitation was performed by first responders at the scene, Gard said. The child was found dead from the gunshot wound inside the apartment, according to the news release. “There was one adult and two children inside the … [Read more...] about 5-year-old fatally shoots 16-month-old brother at Indiana apartment

The mastermind behind The Roller Wave, a traveling roller disco pop-up, is trying to revive an activity that was once a cornerstone of leisure and kinship in Black communities across the U.S. Harry Martin, its 33-year-old founder, describes roller discos as “a party on wheels.” His latest project, The Roller Wave House BK, is a long-term installation set up in Brooklyn, New York, that pays homage to “old-school” roller-skating rinks with modern amenities like a live podcast space and art installations. But before Black Americans could explore their love of roller-skating, their mere presence in roller rinks was barred in those segregated spaces, even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed. In the 1960s, only one night a week was set aside for Black skaters in the rink, and it was typically dubbed “Soul Night” or “Martin Luther King Jr. Night,” Martin said. “This is Black culture, Latino, Latina culture going to these skating rinks,” Martin said. “We’re the ones that … [Read more...] about Roller-skating, an old-school refuge for Black Americans, is getting a revival