New York Attorney General Letitia James will make first court appearance in mortgage fraud case
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — New York Attorney General Letitia James is set to make her first court appearance in a mortgage fraud case. She will be the third adversary of President Donald Trump to face a judge on federal charges in recent weeks. James was indicted earlier this month on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution in connection with a 2020 home purchase in Norfolk, Virginia. James has denied any wrongdoing and decried the indictment as “nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.” The indictment stems from James’ purchase of a modest house in Norfolk, where she has family.
Trump-Kim meeting speculation flares ahead of US president’s visit to South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — As U.S. President Donald Trump makes his first trip to Asia since his return to office, speculation is rife that he may seek to meet Kim again during his stop in South Korea. If realized, it would mark the leaders’ first summit since their meeting at the Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019. Many experts say prospects for another impromptu meeting aren’t bright this time, but predict Trump and Kim could sit down for talks again in coming months.
NBA head coach and player charged in sprawling sports betting and Mafia-backed poker schemes
NEW YORK (AP) — The head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and a player for the Miami Heat have been arrested along with more than 30 other people in a takedown of two sprawling gambling operations that authorities said leaked inside information about NBA athletes and rigged poker games backed by Mafia families. Portland coach Chauncey Billups was charged Thursday with participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games tied to La Cosa Nostra organized crime families that cheated unsuspecting gamblers out of at least $7 million. Heat guard Terry Rozier was accused in a separate scheme of exploiting private information about players to win bets on NBA games.
How cheaters rigged high-stakes poker games with the mob and sports pros, according to authorities
Authorities say an indicted poker cheating ring involving pro sports figures and the mafia used a series of high-tech tactics in the scam. They included shuffling machines that could determine who held what cards and sent that information someone off-site who shared it with a player known as “the quarterback.” They could signal the other players at the table how to proceed. The organizers lured wealthy victims with the chance to play with pro athletes in posh New York spots. Authorities say other tactics used were an X-ray table that could determine who held what cards, and cameras hidden in the trays that held players’ chips.
Trump administration finalizes plan to open pristine Alaska wildlife refuge to oil and gas drilling
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Trump administration has finalized a plan to open the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, renewing long-simmering debate over whether to drill in one of the nation’s most sensitive wilderness areas. The plan fulfills a promise by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to open this portion of the refuge to possible development. The massive GOP bill of tax breaks and spending cuts that was passed during the summer called for at least four lease sales within the refuge over a 10-year period.
Trump backs off planned surge of federal agents into San Francisco after talking to the mayor
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s backing off a planned surge of federal agents into San Francisco after speaking to the mayor, as protesters gathered outside a U.S. Coast Guard base where they were located. Trump posted on social media Thursday that Mayor Daniel Lurie said the city was making progress in reducing crime. Trump said he agreed to let San Francisco keep trying on its own. Trump’s post came after Lurie said the two spoke Wednesday night and Trump said he planned to call off a federal deployment to the city.
US military flew supersonic B-1 bombers up to the coast of Venezuela
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military has flown a pair of supersonic, heavy bombers up to the coast of Venezuela. Thursday’s flights come a little over a week after another group of American bombers made a similar journey as part of a training exercise to simulate an attack. The U.S. military has built up an unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea, raising speculation that President Donald Trump could try to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. According to flight tracking data, a pair of B-1 Lancer bombers took off from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas on Thursday and flew up to the coast of Venezuela. A U.S. official confirmed that a training flight of B-1s took place in the Caribbean.
White House East Wing demolished as Trump moves forward with ballroom construction, AP photos show
WASHINGTON (AP) — Associated Press photos show the entire White House East Wing has been demolished as President Donald Trump moves ahead with building a ballroom. The two-story structure of drawing rooms and offices, including a walkway to the White House, has been turned into rubble. The wing was demolished as part of the Republican president’s plan to build a ballroom nearly twice the size of the White House itself that he now says will cost $300 million. Trump said Wednesday that keeping the East Wing would have “hurt a very, very expensive, beautiful building,” referring to the ballroom that he said presidents have wanted for years.
Trump says he’s ending trade talks with Canada over TV ads
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says on social media that he is ending “all trade negotiations” with Canada because of recent television ads protesting U.S. tariffs, which he calles “egregious behavior” aimed at influencing U.S. court decisions. The post late Thursday comes after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he aims to double his country’s exports to countries outside the U.S. because of the threat posed by Trump’s tariffs. Trump’s call for an abrupt end to negotiations could further inflame trade tensions that already have been building between the two neighboring countries for months.
Trump pardons Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, high-profile cryptocurrency figure
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who created the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Zhao served prison time after failing to stop criminals from using the platform to move money connected to child sex abuse, drug trafficking and terrorism. The pardon announced Thursday caps a monthslong effort by Zhao, a billionaire commonly known as CZ in the crypto world. He and Binance have been key supporters of some of the Trump family’s crypto enterprises. Zhao said in a social media post that he was “deeply grateful” to Trump. The president said he didn’t believe he’d ever met Zhao, but that “a lot of people say that he wasn’t guilty of anything.”