Month: August 2022

The public version of the affidavit, a document that includes the evidence gathered by prosecutors, could reveal new details about the inquiry.

The Department of Justice had opposed releasing an uncensored version amid its ongoing investigation.

The FBI search was part of a probe into the potential mishandling of documents.

According to the search warrant, the FBI wanted to see if Mr Trump committed a crime by improperly handling government records when he took them from the White House to Mar-a-Lago as his administration ended.

US presidents are required to transfer documents and emails to the National Archives when they leave office.

The former US president has denied wrongdoing and insists the classified files that investigators say were found in Florida had already been declassified by himself.

On Thursday, US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered the affidavit to be released with redactions by noon (16:00 GMT) on Friday.

He said prosecutors had demonstrated a “compelling reason” to black out parts of the document, which would reveal the identities of witnesses, law enforcement agents and uncharged parties, as well as “the investigation’s strategy, direction, scope, sources and methods”.

His ruling came shortly after the justice department confirmed that it had submitted to the judge a copy of the affidavit with proposed redactions.

Even in redacted form, the affidavit could provide clues as to why Mr Trump allegedly took classified documents with him in the chaotic final days of his presidency and what he did with them while they were stored in Palm Beach.

The rest may have to wait for when – or if – any criminal charges are filed.

The warrant itself was released on 12 August alongside an inventory of recovered items that showed 11 sets of classified files were removed from the estate.

Several news organisations have applied for the affidavit to be unsealed, citing public interest given the historic nature of the search of a former president’s home.

The Department of Justice, however, had resisted the move, arguing that its release could cause “irreparable damage” to its ongoing investigation. It also said the necessary redactions would render the document “meaningless”.

Mr Trump and his lawyers – who have characterised the Mar-a-Lago search as politically motivated and unlawful – have called for the unredacted affidavit to be released.

A spokesman for Mr Trump, Taylor Budowich, said that efforts to “hide” its contents were “cynical” and could be used to “hide government corruption”.

Earlier this week, Mr Trump’s legal team asked that the investigation be frozen and that an independent third-party attorney, known as a special master, be brought in to oversee the documents that the FBI took during the search.

A household in England, Wales and Scotland using a typical amount of gas and electricity currently pays about £2,000 a year.

That annual bill is predicted to soar to more than £3,500, leaving many struggling or unable to pay.

The announcement is expected from Ofgem at 07:00 BST on Friday.

Charities and suppliers have urged ministers to improve support measures, which currently include a £400 rebate for all households.

They say the “devastating effect” of bill rises, which come alongside the increasing cost of food and other essentials, will lead some to choose between heating and eating this winter.

A further increase in bills is predicted when the subsequent cap takes effect in January, with a typical bill forecast by analysts to peak at well over £5,000 later next year.

On Thursday, UK wholesale gas prices jumped by 82p to 580p per therm – their highest level in five months – amid uncertainty about European and Russian supplies.

The cap is a limit on how much domestic customers in England, Wales and Scotland pay for each unit of gas and electricity, and on how much they can be charged for being connected to the grid (the standing charge).

It is set by the regulator Ofgem based on how much energy firms are having to pay for gas and electricity and will next be changed in October. It applies only to providers’ standard and default tariffs, which most people are on. There is a separate cap for prepayment meter customers.

Up until now, a cap has been in place for six months, but from October it will be reviewed and changed every three months.

Ofgem sets out what people can expect to pay under the cap based on the annual bill for a household using a typical amount of energy.

At present that is £1,971 a year for about 19 million households on variable tariffs, and £2,017 for about 4.5 million prepayment meter customers. It is not a cap on the total bill, so any household that uses a lot of energy will pay more, or if it uses a little it will pay less.

In the six months from October last year, the price cap meant a typical household bill was £1,277 a year, or £1,309 for those on prepayment meters.

Prices have been rising consistently in Northern Ireland, where there is no cap owing to the limited number of suppliers. Businesses are also not covered by a cap and many face cost pressures that could be passed on to consumers in higher prices.

The expected rise in the cap in England, Wales and Scotland will put considerable strain on low-income households, according to charities.

Fuel poverty charity National Energy Action said it estimated that the number of households in fuel poverty would rise from 6.5 million to 8.5 million as a direct result of October’s increase. A household is considered to be in fuel poverty if it has to spend 10% or more of its income on energy.

Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: “Every day our advisers help people in desperate situations: people who can’t get to the end of the month without a food bank voucher, parents unable to afford nappies and patients with no credit to call their GP.

“Without more support, the soundtrack to winter will be the beeping of emergency prepayment meter credit running out and the click of lights and appliances being turned off.”

Among those already struggling with their finances is Marina Keohane, from Gainsborough in Ipswich, who said the thought of higher fuel bills this winter brings tears to her eyes.

“To actually fear every day how you’re meant to live, that’s just something else. I’m living on nothing,” she said.

“I don’t use anything, the only thing that’s on all the time is the fridge freezer. I have a TV on, I don’t have the light on – I sit in darkness.

“Eating wise, I’m scared to use my cooker. It’s electric and obviously if you put something in the oven it uses more [energy] so I try to stick to ready meals in the microwave or do salads.”

So far the government is giving a £15bn package of support for UK households. This includes two payments totalling £650 for eight million low-income households on benefits and a £400 rebate for all homes.

No 10 previously said there would be no new support offered before a new prime minister is appointed on 5 September.

The current favourite to replace Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, has promised tax cuts and recently hinted at direct financial help for hard-pressed households.

The foreign secretary, writing in the Daily Mail, said she would take “decisive action on entering No 10 to provide immediate support”.

Ms Truss said she would help people who are “feeling the squeeze” get through tough times, and repeated her pledge to hold an emergency budget.

However, she said it was not “right” to announce her full plans before the leadership race is over.

At a leadership hustings on Thursday, Ms Truss reiterated her promise to reduce taxes, reverse the national insurance increase and put a temporary moratorium on the green energy levy.

She said she would also look to increase energy supplies and become more “energy independent”.

Her rival, Rishi Sunak, has said he would introduce more targeted support for households, and has promised to reduce VAT on domestic energy bills from 5% to zero.

On Wednesday, he said he would prioritise “helping vulnerable people with the cost of living rather than giving tax cuts funded by borrowing to very large companies and relatively wealthy people”.

Labour wants the energy price cap to be frozen at its current level and paid for, in part, by a big increase in tax on oil and gas company profits.

Leading figures in the energy sector have called on the government to introduce an Energy Tariff Deficit Fund to spread out the cost for households over a decade, assuming prices eventually fall.

Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has insisted “nothing is off the table” when it comes to action on soaring energy bills, but he doesn’t favour freezing the cap.

On Thursday, a Treasury source said: “From day one the chancellor has been working flat out to develop options for further support. This will mean the incoming prime minister can hit the ground running and deliver support to those who need it most, as soon as possible.”

Energy prices have hit record highs this year, driven by pent up demand after the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Her remark came as she was asked if Mr Macron was a “friend or foe” of the UK at a Tory leadership hustings.

She added that if elected PM she would judge him on “deeds not words”.

But Labour’s David Lammy accused Ms Truss of “a woeful lack of judgement”, saying she had insulted one of “Britain’s closest allies”.

Ms Truss, widely seen as the clear frontrunner to the next Conservative leader and prime minister, made the remark at the penultimate leadership hustings in Norwich, to loud applause.

Her comment came at the end of the hustings during a series of “quickfire questions” posed by the host, TalkTV’s Julia Hartley-Brewer.

When asked the same question Mr Sunak said Mr Macron was a “friend”.

Former Conservative minister Gavin Barwell also questioned Ms Truss’s comment saying: “You would have thought the foreign secretary was aware we are in a military alliance with France.”

Another ex-Tory minister, David Gauke, said: “There’s playing to the gallery and then there’s letting the prejudices of the gallery go to your head, especially when now is one of the worst times to try to fragment the West.”

The UK and France have clashed over several issues in recent years, including migrant boat crossings in the Channel, a military pact between Britain, the US and Australia. and Brexit measures involving Northern Ireland. Mr Macron has sometimes publicly criticised the Conservative government’s approach.

During the two-hour long event, Ms Truss and her rival Rishi Sunak were also asked who would make a better prime minister – Boris Johnson or their leadership rival.

Mr Sunak chose Ms Truss, arguing it was important for the country to move forward. But Ms Truss picked Mr Johnson – a decision that earned her applause from the crowd of Conservative Party members.

The pair were also asked about the recent shooting of nine year old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool and how they would tackle crime.

Mr Sunak said the shooting was appalling and pledged to make sure there were more police officers on the street and that they “have tools they need to keep us safe”.

He expressed concern that “wokeish ideology” was holding back police from using stop-and-search powers.

Ms Truss agreed on the need for more police and said at the moment forces were spending too much time “policing Twitter” instead of “crimes that people care about”.

Both reiterated their previously-stated concerns about the level of restrictions during the Covid pandemic, with Ms Truss arguing it had been wrong to close schools.

“We were too draconian,” she added.

Among the predicted talk about tax cuts, price caps and the NHS, another issue that kept coming up in the East Anglian hustings: Government funding.

For years local politicians and business leaders have felt that the eastern region loses out and gets ignored. We’ve received the lowest amount of levelling up funding in the country. Spending on health, transport and education is below average.

Mr Sunak was cheered when he said that levelling up was not just for the North and big cities.

Ms Truss was applauded when she said how hard it was to get a decent mobile signal locally and lamented the time taking to dual the A47.

Both candidates have promised to reform the funding formulas. That’s gone down well with local Conservatives.

And in a region with a big farming community, pledges from Ms Truss that farms should produce food not solar panels and Mr Sunak’s promise to improve food security landed well.

More light-heartedly, the pair were also asked who they would rather be stuck in a lift with – Labour leader Keir Starmer or Nicola Sturgeon.

Ms Truss opted for Scotland’s first minister with the hope she could persuade Ms Sturgeon “to stop being a separatist by the time we got to the ground floor”.

She added that the idea of being stuck in a lift with Labour leader Sir Keir was “extremely boring”.

Mr Sunak said he would take the stairs.

This could be a controversial policy shift after the nation suspended many of its nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

But Mr Kishida said the Ukraine war and soaring energy costs highlighted the need for diversifying energy sources.

He added that nuclear power may be needed to meet Japan’s target of going carbon neutral by 2050.

Aside from considering building next-generation nuclear reactors, the government will also look to restart existing plants that are currently offline and extend their lifespans, Mr Kishida said at an energy policy meeting.

Japan had a nuclear emergency in 2011 when a powerful earthquake triggered a tsunami, flooding the reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant on the country’s east coast.

The resulting radiation leak forced more than 150,000 people to evacuate from the area.

The country had 50 operational power reactors, but suspended 46 of them after the disaster, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

As of April 2021, nine reactors had returned to operation while 14 others were under review.

Opposition parties have filed a case arguing that Mr Prayuth – in charge since 2014 – has overstayed his tenure.

Thailand’s constitution limits prime ministers to eight years in office.

The ex-army chief first seized power in the 2014 military coup and then retained office in 2019 under a heavily restricted election.

However, in recent years he has been facing growing opposition, and backlash within his own coalition.

So far this year, he has survived multiple no-confidence votes against him.

Opponents and activists have argued Mr Prayuth’s term began when he was junta leader. As military leader, he seized power in the May 2014 coup and then appointed himself prime minister of the new military government in August 2014.

That means his term should end this week, his critics say.

However his supporters say his term only began in 2017 – when a new constitution came into force – or even after a general election in 2019 that saw him retain power.

Under those terms, he could technically continue serving until 2027 – if he wins an upcoming general election.

On Wednesday, Thailand’s Constitutional Court agreed to hear the case from the political opposition. The bench of judges ruled five to four in support of his immediate suspension.

It’s unclear when the court will deliver its ruling on Mr Prayath’s case.

Protesters had earlier gathered outside parliament buildings in the capital, Bangkok, demanding his resignation.

The move means Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, 77, will become the interim prime minister, according to the cabinet line of succession.

Thailand is due to hold a vote before May next year, although the deputy PM had previously flagged it could be as early as November.

The constitutional court is a much-criticised body in Thailand, accused of ruling consistently against opposition parties and in favour of the military-dominated government of Prayuth Chan-ocha.

So there is some surprise that the judges have now decided to suspend him from his job while they consider what to do.

Whether they now go further and rule that he must give up the post completely depends on when they view his term as starting – eight years ago, when he was formally appointed prime minister following his coup, five years ago when the new charter was enacted, or even three years ago, after the first post-coup election saw him reinstated.

The legal arguments for each of these is finely balanced, which raises the possibility that political considerations will decide the matter.

Most Thais expect the court to leave him in his job, and avoid shaking up Thai politics only months before the next election is due to be held.

But General Prayuth has lost a lot of popularity, due to his irascible leadership style and ineffective stewardship of the Thai economy.

He has faced serious challenges from factions inside his own party. Never a natural campaigner, he may no longer be seen as an asset when the election is called.

As always in Thailand, there is also speculation about what the palace wants. King Vajiralongkorn is officially above politics, but many Thais believe his preferences also influence these big decisions.