Unveiling Scandalous Revelations: Shocking New Allegations Rock Trump’s Presidency!

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Donald Trump’s legal woes have worsened following new allegations that he attempted to have surveillance video footage at his Mar-a-Lago estate deleted ahead of an FBI search, adding further criminal counts to a case over his handling of confidential documents.

With the Justice Department expanding its indictment yesterday, federal prosecutors added a third defendant, Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira, along with Trump and his personal aide Waltine Nauta .

The case refers to sensitive government materials that Trump moved to his Mar-a-Lago residence after leaving the White House in 2021. When they searched the estate last year, FBI agents found boxes of documents kept throughout the property, including in a bathroom and shower.

According to the indictment, De Oliveira told an IT colleague ahead of last year’s FBI search that “the boss” wanted the server containing the surveillance camera footage deleted. Prosecutors said De Oliveira and Nauta contacted the IT employee after the DoJ told Trump’s legal team that a grand jury was looking for security camera footage.

The replacement indictment lists a new count of intentionally withholding national defense information against Trump, in connection with a document detailing a US military strike plan he allegedly showed guests in 2021, boasting, “You see as a president I could have declassify it. . . I can’t now, you know, but this is still a secret.

With predictable belligerence, the Trump campaign released a statement dismissing the new allegation as “nothing more than a continued desperate and agitated attempt” by the Biden administration and the DoJ to “harass President Trump and those who surround”.

This is not the only legal danger hanging over the former president. Earlier this year he was charged by the Manhattan District Attorney for payments to a porn actress with whom he was allegedly having an affair. The state of Georgia is also investigating alleged meddling in the 2020 election by Trump and others. If local prosecutors decide to press charges, they will likely materialize by the end of the summer.

Here’s what else I’m keeping an eye out for today:

• Results: NatWest today released its earnings, which beat analyst expectations. The British bank has come under close scrutiny following an inaccurate report that Farage’s account at NatWest’s Coutts brand was closed for purely business reasons. Other reports include Air France-KLM, AstraZeneca, IAG, owner of British Airways, Standard Chartered and energy companies Eni, Chevron and ExxonMobil.

• Economic data: French inflation slowed down at its lowest annual rate for 16 months. Falling energy prices drove consumer price growth to 5% last month from 5.3% the previous month. The lower numbers offer relief ahead of Monday’s release of price data for the whole of the eurozone.

Five more top stories

1. Russia increases the age of conscription by three years as a bill approved Thursday by a key safety committee in the upper house of parliament raises the upper age limit from 27 to 30. a long-term conflict. Read the full story.

2. Spain faces an EU investigation beyond its limits on ride-hailing services designed to protect the traditional taxi industry. The European Court of Justice ruled last month that Barcelona’s city restrictions were ‘contrary to European law’, in part because they are designed to insulating regular taxis from the new app-based competition.

3. Brussels plans crackdown on “foreign influence” on pressure groups. Brussels is trying to fight covert campaigns of influence with a plan to force lobbyists, non-governmental organizations and law firms in the EU to reveal details of large contracts with foreign governments or state entities. Groups that fail to comply with disclosure obligations can be sanctioned as part of the planned reforms. More than 200 groups protested the law in May.

4. Protests against the burning of the Koran prompted warnings from the Swedish prime minister as the demonstrations have sparked anger in the Muslim world and led to fears of an increased risk of terrorist attacks. Police in the Scandinavian country, which has strong free speech protections, are deciding whether to allow further burning of the Islamic holy book.

5. The Bank of Japan eased controls on its government bond market causing a surge in the country’s benchmark bond yields at the highest level in nine years. In an unexpected move, the BoJ said it would offer to buy 10-year Japanese government bonds at 1% in fixed-rate deals, effectively widening the trading range on long-term yields.

How well did you manage to keep up with the news this week? Take our quiz.

In-depth news

With Joe Biden gearing up for his re-election bid in 2024, questions are asked about her son, Hunterand whether his mounting professional, personal, and legal problems could hamper his father’s campaign.

Hunter Biden attended a Delaware court on Wednesday to fulfill a plea deal stemming from allegations that he failed to pay federal income tax and illegally possess a firearm. Instead of drawing a line under some of his legal risk, the plea bargain unraveled; the judge questioned the terms of the settlement, as well as an ongoing Justice Department investigation into whether Hunter Biden violated U.S. foreign lobbying laws.

We are also reading. . .

Chart of the day

“The era of global warming is over; the era of global boiling has arrived,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said yesterday, as scientific predictions showed that July should have been the hottest month on record.

Take a break from the news

Never wanting to be a pop star, Sinéad O’Connor was a warrior with a mesmerizing voice who aspired to be like Bob Dylan — “not just an entertainer, but an activist.” Ireland was stunned when news broke of the singer’s death on Wednesday. Read his full obituary Here.

Additional contributions by Benjamin Wilhelm, Leah Quinn and David Hindley