Welcome to Tuesday’s Early Edition from i.
“My beautiful home, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” Donald Trump said in a characteristically long statement. “Nothing like this has ever happened to a president of the United States before… They even broke into my safe!”
If you’ve just woken up – then yes it still is 2022, and don’t worry, Mr Trump is still the former US President. But late last night here, at 6pm local time in Florida, FBI agents executed a search warrant at his vast resort. What’s going on? We’ll take a look after the other headlines.
Today’s news, and why it matters
Liz Truss is facing growing tensions over her plans to bring down the cost of living through tax cuts rather than “handouts” as her backers demand more direct support to the most vulnerable. Former chancellor Sajid Javid warned that “more needs to be done” and called for a further uplift to benefits within weeks of the next prime minister taking office.
Downing Street will continue to assist with an investigation into whether Boris Johnson lied to MPs, despite his allies suggesting it was “rigged” against him. The Commons Privileges Committee of MPs was forced to defend its impartiality after it was attacked over its inquiry into whether the Prime Minister misled Parliament over lockdown parties in No10. A spokesperson for the committee said there had been no change in the rules or the terms of reference of the probe.
Households buckling under the pressure of soaring inflation and rocketing fuel prices are concerned with the here and now, supporters of the campaign Don’t Pay say. Mass non-payment is “not a new idea”, the campaign, which says it has 92,000 supporters says. “It happened in the UK in the late 80s and 90s, when more than 17 million people refused to pay the poll tax.”
Firefighters are being “stretched to the limit” and are running out of crew as the service braces for another UK heatwave. People are being urged to follow basic safety rules, as temperatures are forecast to hit 35°C, with a drought expected to be declared on Friday.
A child has died in a suspected gas explosion that almost destroyed an entire house in south London. Emergency services have confirmed the death, but the child has not yet been identified. The explosion was likened by a resident to a “bomb going off”.
Three key things to know about Trump and the FBI ‘raid’
- What do we know? People familiar with the investigation have told US media that the search happened on Monday. Donald Trump said agents had opened up a safe at his home and described their work as an “unannounced raid” that he likened to “prosecutorial misconduct.” He was not at Mar-a-Lago at the time, but in New York. The Justice Department and FBI have not yet publicly commented on the search. It has been suggested that any such search warrant would need to be signed off by Attorney General Merrick Garland, but this has also not been confirmed. Similarly, the reason for the search is still speculative. However, the Justice Department has been investigating the potential mishandling of classified information, after the National Archives and Records Administration said it had retrieved 15 boxes of records containing classified information from Mar-a-Lago in February this year. His son, Eric Trump, told Fox News the search happened because “the National Archives wanted to corroborate whether or not Donald Trump had any documents in his possession.” According to the New York Times, those boxes contained many pages of classified documents, and reportedly included correspondence from Kim Jong-Un, once described by Trump as “love letters”. Aides to US President Joe Biden said they learned of the developments via Twitter. An unnamed White House official said they had no advance knowledge of the search.
- How significant is it? There is no precedent for a former US president to face an FBI search, according to historians. “This is different and it is a sign of how unique the Trump period was,” Thomas Schwartz, a political expert and historian told the Associated Press. “How his behaviour was so unusual.” Another political pundit wrote that to obtain a search warrant, an independent federal judge would need to be convinced a crime was likely to have been committed. However, the search itself does not mean prosecutors have determined that Mr Trump committed any crime. “This is one of the most significant, sensitive, and politically explosive actions the US Justice Department and FBI has ever taken — one of a tiny handful of times it’s ever investigated a president,” journalist Garrett Graff wrote.
- What other legal headaches is Donald Trump facing? Aside from the missing archives, Mr Trump also faces a slew of other investigations. One of those is the congressional panel examining the 6 January 2021 assault on the Capitol by his supporters. Vice-chair Liz Cheney has said the committee could make multiple referrals to the Justice Department seeking criminal charges against Mr Trump, who accuses the panel of conducting a sham investigation. He also faces claims of wire fraud – in a June hearing of committee, Democrats alleged that Mr Trump raised $250m (£210m) from supporters to advance fraudulent claims in court that he had won the election, but steered much of the money elsewhere. On another front, Mr Trump faces claims he attempted to influence Georgia’s 2020 election results. And on top of those, Manhattan’s district attorney has been investigating whether Mr Trump’s family real estate company misrepresented the values of its properties to get favourable bank loans and lower tax bills. Mr Trump has denied wrongdoing and said the investigation is politically motivated.
Around the world
Stars from all over the world have paid tribute to Dame Olivia Newton-John, the British-Australian singer and actress who has died at the age of 73. Grease co-star John Travolta wrote: “Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again.”
Shelling attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex have inceased, with the UN calling for international inspectors to be given access, and appeals for the area to be a demilitarised zone. “Any attack (on) a nuclear plant is a suicidal thing,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
There could be hundreds of undiagnosed cases of polio in New York State, a health official has reportedly said. “This is a very serious issue for our global world – it’s not just about New York. We all need to make sure all our populations are properly vaccinated,” a health commissioner said.
Conservationists are attempting to rescue a beluga whale stranded thousands of miles from home in the River Seine. Over the weekend, it was given a “vitamin cocktail” in an attempt to keep its nutrition up. Experts are concerned about it spending too much time in the stagnant water of the Seine.
A German cockerel called Magda that crows up to 200 times a day to impress four hens in the garden has prompted a court case, after the neighbours decided they could not tolerate the noise any more. “We have tried everything,” said the plaintiff. “The neighbour won’t give up his cockerel and we have to live with it or we have to win in court.”
Watch out for…
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss locking horns once more, this time at a hustings session with party members in Darlington, a “Red Wall” area turned blue under Boris Johnson’s leadership in 2019.
Thoughts for the day
Rishi Sunak has gone from careful to careless and thrown away the keys to No 10, argues Mark Wallace. The former chancellor has chosen to contradict his own message in an effort to break out of his polling challenges.
MPs plotting to stop the Partygate probe by crying “witch-hunt” must be stopped, says Simon Kelner. History demands that we need to know the truth of what happened in service of the public.
An absent PM and a weak Labour Party: would the real political leaders please stand up? With record inflation rates and a looming recession, we need a strong and efficient government in place, writes Andrew Fisher.
Culture Break
Christina Aguilera may be a heritage act, but she’s still a born pop diva, writes Alim Kheraj. On stage in London, the 90s and 2000s the pop legend delivered chest-tightening vocals and a vibrant, fun live show.
The Big Read
The Bank of Mum and Dad is falling foul of a new Whatsapp scam – and it cost my parents £1,000. Keith Downie is normally the person his mum and dad turn to when they want advice on scams, but the latest fraud builds trust by making parents believe it is their children asking for help, he explains.
Sport
Can Nick Kyrgios win the US Open 2022? The Australian is enjoying one of his best years on court but questions remain over whether his body and mind can hold up under pressure.
Something to brighten your day
Ozzy Osbourne and his band Black Sabbath made a surprise appearance at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. The 73-year-old Prince of Darkness hadn’t performed for several years due to ill health. Some 30,000 people filled up Alexander Stadium in Birmingham for the star-studded line-up to see the Games out, with acts including Dexys Midnight Runners, Apache Indian, Musical Youth, UB40 and Panjabi MC.
