Page 32 - Us Government

Michael Cohen to face more grilling in Donlad Trump's hush money trial

Donald Trump's hush money trial is heading into the final stretch, with prosecutors' last and star witness back on the stand Monday for more grilling before the former president's lawyers get their chance to put on a case. The landmark trial will kick back off in Manhattan with more defence cross-examination of former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, whose pivotal testimony last week directly tied Trump to the alleged hush money scheme. He's the last prosecution witness and it's not yet clear whether Trump's attorneys will call any witnesses, let alone the presumptive Republican presidential nominee himself. Defence lawyers already have questioned Cohen for hours about his criminal history and past lies to paint him as a serial fabulist who is on a revenge campaign aimed at taking down Trump. After more than four weeks of testimony about sex, money, tabloid machinations and the details of Trump's company recordkeeping, jurors could begin deliberating as soon as this week to decide ...

Baltimore Bridge collapse: Ship behind mishap to be refloated and moved

The container ship that caused the deadly collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge is scheduled to be refloated on Monday and moved to a nearby marine terminal. The Dali has remained at the collapse site since it lost power and crashed into one of the bridge's supporting columns on March 26, killing six construction workers and snarling traffic into Baltimore Harbour. High tide Monday morning is expected to bring the best conditions for crews to start refloating and transit work on the ship, according to a statement from the Key Bridge Response Unified Command. Up to five tugboats will escort the Dali on its 2.5-mile (4-kilometre) path to the marine terminal. The work is expected to last at least 21 hours. Crews conducted a controlled demolition on May 13 to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed bridge. The Dali experienced four electrical blackouts within about 10 hours before leaving the Port of Baltimore for Sri Lanka and hitting the bridge, according t

China sanctions Boeing, 2 other US defence firms for Taiwan arms sales

Lai Ching-te, Taiwan's new president, has vowed to strengthen Taiwan's security through imports of advanced fighters and other technology and strengthening its domestic defence industry

BlackRock sans Fink? Shareholders fret about asset management firm's future

Today, it's a caretaker of $10.5 trillion of investor money and a provider of sophisticated trading technology, and Fink has been an informal financial adviser to many governments, including the US

News updates: 1 killed, a couple injured in Kashmir twin attacks ahead of polling

From Swati Maliwal's assault case to the raging heat wave in North India, catch all the latest updates from around the world here

Boeing whistleblower suicide: Police conclude investigation in case

A former Boeing manager who raised safety questions about the aircraft maker and was found dead after several days of depositions in South Carolina took his own life, police said on Friday after concluding their investigation. John Barnett, 62, of Louisiana, was found dead March 9, and police had said earlier that his injuries were self-inflicted. Barnett was a longtime Boeing employee and worked as a quality-control manager before he retired in 2017. In the years after that, he shared his concerns with journalists. Barnett said he saw discarded metal shavings near wiring for the flight controls that could have cut the wiring and caused a catastrophe. He also noted problems with up to a quarter of the oxygen systems on Boeing's 787 planes. Information and records reviewed during the investigation uncovered Mr Barnett's longstanding mental health challenges, which had intensified in connection with ongoing legal proceedings related to his whistleblower case, police said in a ...

Apple's 27% App Store fee an attempt to comply with law, senior exec says

Carson Oliver, senior director for business management for the App Store, testified that Apple hired economic consulting firm Analysis Group Inc. to help create a new commission rate for purchases

30 yrs in prison for man who attacked Nancy Pelosi's husband with hammer

The man who broke into the home of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seeking to hold her hostage and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison. But prosecutors later filed a motion saying the court failed to offer the defendant, David DePape, an opportunity to speak or present any information to mitigate the sentence" as required by federal rule. They asked the court to reopen the sentencing portion to allow him that option. The court did not immediately respond. A jury found DePape, 44, guilty in November of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official. Prosecutors had asked for a 40-year prison term. The attack on Paul Pelosi, who was 82 at the time, was captured on police body camera video just days before the 2022 midterm elections and sent shockwaves through the political world. He suffered two head wounds including a skull fracture that was mended with plates and screws he will

US ambassador to Japan visits southern islands at centre of China tension

The US ambassador to Japan stressed Friday the importance of increased deterrence and his country's commitment to its key ally as he visited two southwestern Japanese islands at the forefront of Tokyo's tension with Beijing. Rahm Emanuel visited Yonaguni, Japan's westernmost island just east of Taiwan, a self-governed island also claimed by China. He later visited another Japanese island, Ishigaki, home to Japan Coast Guard patrol boats defending the disputed East China Sea islands and Japanese fishermen from armed Chinese coast guard ships that routinely enter Japanese waters. Japan has been making a southwest shift of its defense posture, and is further accelerating its military buildup under a 2022 security strategy that focuses on counter-strike capability with long-range cruise missiles. Emanuel was the first US ambassador to visit Yonaguni. Escorted by Mayor Kenichi Itokazu, he looked toward Taiwan, only 110 kilometres (68 miles) away. He met with Japanese Self Defense Force .

Indian American lawmakers stress on conversation over human rights

: Reiterating that they would continue to raise the issue of human rights in India with its leadership, Indian American lawmakers on Thursday, however, said that lecturing New Delhi on this issue is unlikely to work and they favoured entering into a conversation with the Indian leadership on their concerns with them. India was colonized for over 100 years. So, when we're having a conversation about human rights, and you're having a conversation with (External Affairs Minister S) Jai Shankar or someone else, you have to understand that just coming in from a perspective of lecturing India. When they say that we've had colonial powers lecture us for hundreds of years is not going to be productive, Congressman Ro Khanna told members of the Indian American community during the Desi Decides Summit of Indian American Impact. Khanna, who is also co-chair of the Congressional India Caucus, was joined by three other Indian American lawmakers -- Shri Thanedar, Pramila Jayapal and Dr Ami Bera --

Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems to fire 450 after 737 production slows

A key Boeing supplier that makes the fuselages for its popular 737 Max airplanes is laying off about 450 workers because production has slowed down ever since a panel flew off one of those airplanes operated by Alaska Airlines in midair in January. A spokesman for Spirit AeroSystems confirmed the layoffs at its Wichita, Kansas, plant on Thursday that would trim its workforce of just over 13,000 people. Spirit is Boeing's most important supplier on the 737s because it makes fuselages and installs door plugs like the one that flew off the plane. But it's not clear whether Spirit or Boeing employees were the last ones to touch that panel. The recent slowdown in the delivery rate on commercial programs compels a reduction to our workforce in Wichita," Spirit spokesman Joe Buccino said. Boeing confirmed this spring that it is in talks to buy Spirit, which was once a part of the plane-maker before it was spun off. Buying Spirit back would reverse a longtime Boeing strategy of outsourcing

Fierce battle between Israel and Hamas-led militants in north, south Gaza

Gaza's Civil Emergency Service and health ministry said rescue teams have been unable to reach areas where the army was operating to respond to calls for help

Trouble mounts for MDH, Everest as New Zealand checks for contamination

Regulators in India have inspected MDH and Everest plants and sent samples for testing after the global scrutiny, though the results have not yet been made public

'Soft landing' hopes at stake as investors await key US inflation data

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has downplayed the potential for rate hikes this year and recent data showed cooling in the labor market

Benchmark bond yield declines to six-week low, in line with US peers

The benchmark 10-year yield is likely to move in the 7.09-7.14% range, following its previous close of 7.1067%

Israeli tanks push deeper into Rafah despite allies warning against it

A US official who declined to be identified told Reuters that Israel promised not to make a major move in Rafah without advising Washington

Tesla plans to fire 601 more employees in California amid falling sales

The electric carmaker said last month it would lay off 6,020 people in California and Texas, as part of the headcount cuts

Judge rejects Hunter Biden's bid to delay June trial on federal gun charges

Hunter Biden's federal gun case will go to trial next month, a judge said Tuesday, denying a bid by lawyers for the president's son to delay the prosecution. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected Hunter Biden's request to push the trial until September, which the defense said was necessary to give the defense time to line up witnesses and go through evidence handed over by prosecutors. President Joe Biden's son is accused of lying about his drug use in October 2018 on a form to buy a gun that he kept for about 11 days. Hunter Biden, who has pleaded not guilty, has acknowledged struggling with an addiction to crack cocaine during that period in 2018, but his lawyers have said he didn't break the law. His attorneys have argued that prosecutors bowed to pressure by Republicans, who claimed the Democratic president's son was initially given a sweetheart deal, and that he was indicted because of political pressure. But the judge overseeing the case last month rejected his clai

Blinken lands in Ukraine to express solidarity amid fierce Russian attacks

The previously undisclosed trip aims to show US solidarity with Ukraine as it struggles to fend off heavy Russian bombardment on its northeastern border

Investors 'most bullish' since Nov 2021 on rate cut expectations: Survey

The survey of global fund managers with $562 billion in asset under management found 82% expect the first rate cut by the Federal Reserve in the second half