International

Justice gives a pause to the trial of Trump for the assault on the Capitol

Judge Tanya Chutkan agreed this Friday to give a pause to the trial facing Donald Trump in Washington for the assault on the Capitol to give time to the special prosecutor, Jack Smith, to evaluate how to proceed after the Republican’s victory in Tuesday’s elections.

The magistrate authorized the suspension of the pending deadlines and the Government to present by December 2 its deliberations on the way forward in this criminal case, as requested by Smith.

His petition states that he needs the remaining deadlines to be annulled to determine “the appropriate path” in line with the policies of the Department of Justice, which prevent investigating presidents while they are in office.

The accusation

Trump, who beat Kamala Harris on Tuesday, and will be invested on January 20, is accused in the District of Columbia for his attempts to reverse the results of the elections he lost in 2020 and having allegedly instigated the assault on the Capitol.

The request recalls that, as a result of those elections, it is expected that Trump’s victory will be certified on January 6 and that the investiture will take place on the 20th of that month.

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Smith stressed that the prosecutor’s office has consulted with the defense lawyers and pointed out that they have not opposed the pause.

The prosecutor will present a report on the Trump case for the assault on the Capitol

According to The New York Times, Smith had already started discussions with members of the Department of Justice on how to move forward after the elections in the two federal cases against Trump: the assault on the Capitol and the accusation in Florida for having taken classified documents from the White House when leaving power.

The Republican said during the election campaign that on his first day as president he would fire Prosecutor Smith and order the Department of Justice to close the cases against him that, he claims, are motivated by political persecution.

On November 21, Trump’s lawyers were scheduled to present their documentation to the judge on why he should not be tried in Washington after the Supreme Court ruled that former presidents enjoy broad judicial immunity.

Smith indicated in his note that by December 2 he can submit a report with the result of his deliberations.

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The special prosecutor has not yet requested a pause in the process in Florida. That case was dismissed on July 15, but Smith claimed on August 26 to a court of appeals that it be restored.

The messes of the future US president with the Justice

Trump faces four parallel criminal trials: those two federal and two others in local courts in New York and Georgia.

The only one where there is a conviction is the one he has in New York for falsification of commercial records to cover up a payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels, with whom he allegedly had an affair in the past, to prevent it from harming him in his 2016 campaign.

The goal of Trump’s team, according to NBC News this week, is to dismiss all cases against him. In New York, the possibility of postponing the hearing scheduled for the end of November indefinitely is also contemplated.

According to the US Constitution, a president cannot forgive himself in a state accusation, as happens in New York, and in the case of Georgia, where he is accused of electoral interference, the governor could not pardon him either.

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NBC News pointed out that the Department of Justice seems to have assumed that neither the process in Washington nor the Florida process can take place in the near future and now after the elections it sees no room to continue with them.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”