Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general Thursday, marking the first significant setback for the incoming administration’s cabinet selections amid growing concerns about the former congressman’s confirmability due to a federal sex trafficking investigation.
The Florida Republican’s decision came just one day after meeting with senators in an attempt to secure support for his nomination to lead the Department of Justice. The withdrawal represents a notable stumble in Trump’s efforts to install loyal allies in key administration positions.
“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Gaetz said in a statement. “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.”
The sudden withdrawal suggests potential resistance from within Republican ranks to Trump’s cabinet selections, marking the first indication that the president-elect could face challenges from his own party in staffing his administration.
The Illinois Supreme Court overturned actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction Thursday for staging a fake hate crime, ruling that prosecutors violated his due process rights by pursuing charges after a previous plea agreement, in a decision that referenced the Bill Cosby case as precedent.
“Today we resolve a question about the State’s responsibility to honor the agreements it makes with defendants,” the court stated in its ruling, determining that Smollett’s second prosecution violated constitutional principles after he had fulfilled terms of an initial 2019 agreement.
The reversal marks a stunning turn in a case that began January 29, 2019, when Smollett, 42, reported to Chicago police that two men had attacked him outside his apartment building, using racial and homophobic slurs while placing a noose around his neck and declaring “This is MAGA country.” Investigators later concluded he had paid brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo $3,500 to stage the assault to advance his career.
While initially charged with filing false police reports in February 2019, Smollett reached a deal with prosecutors to forfeit his $10,000 bond and complete 16 hours of community service. Questions about favoritism in that agreement prompted Cook County District Attorney Kim Foxx to appoint a special investigator, leading to new charges and Smollett’s eventual conviction on five felony counts in December 2021.
The state’s highest court drew parallels to Bill Cosby’s case in Pennsylvania, where that state’s supreme court overturned his sexual assault conviction based on an earlier non-prosecution agreement. “It cannot be gainsaid that society holds a strong interest in the prosecution of crimes,” the Illinois court wrote. “It is also true that no such interest, however important, ever can eclipse society’s interest in ensuring that the constitutional rights of the people are vindicated.”
Smollett, who starred in the television series “Empire,” served just six days of his 150-day jail sentence in 2022 before being released pending appeal. The original charges stemmed from a police investigation that determined he had fabricated the attack claim, allegedly to boost his public profile.
The Illinois Supreme Court overturned actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction Thursday for staging a fake hate crime, ruling that prosecutors violated his due process rights by pursuing charges after a previous plea agreement, in a decision that referenced the Bill Cosby case as precedent.
“Today we resolve a question about the State’s responsibility to honor the agreements it makes with defendants,” the court stated in its ruling, determining that Smollett’s second prosecution violated constitutional principles after he had fulfilled terms of an initial 2019 agreement.
The reversal marks a stunning turn in a case that began January 29, 2019, when Smollett, 42, reported to Chicago police that two men had attacked him outside his apartment building, using racial and homophobic slurs while placing a noose around his neck and declaring “This is MAGA country.” Investigators later concluded he had paid brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo $3,500 to stage the assault to advance his career.
While initially charged with filing false police reports in February 2019, Smollett reached a deal with prosecutors to forfeit his $10,000 bond and complete 16 hours of community service. Questions about favoritism in that agreement prompted Cook County District Attorney Kim Foxx to appoint a special investigator, leading to new charges and Smollett’s eventual conviction on five felony counts in December 2021.
The state’s highest court drew parallels to Bill Cosby’s case in Pennsylvania, where that state’s supreme court overturned his sexual assault conviction based on an earlier non-prosecution agreement. “It cannot be gainsaid that society holds a strong interest in the prosecution of crimes,” the Illinois court wrote. “It is also true that no such interest, however important, ever can eclipse society’s interest in ensuring that the constitutional rights of the people are vindicated.”
Smollett, who starred in the television series “Empire,” served just six days of his 150-day jail sentence in 2022 before being released pending appeal. The original charges stemmed from a police investigation that determined he had fabricated the attack claim, allegedly to boost his public profile.
The Islamic State’s Somali affiliate has more than doubled in size to approximately 700 fighters, bolstered by an influx of foreign militants from the Middle East and Africa, according to a new United Nations report that signals growing concerns about the terror group’s expanding influence in East Africa.
The U.N. Sanctions Monitoring Team for Somalia reported this week that fighters from Syria, Yemen, Ethiopia, Sudan, Morocco, and Tanzania have significantly enhanced IS-Somalia’s operational capabilities, particularly in Puntland’s Cal Miskaad mountains. Intelligence sources characterized the group’s territorial gains against al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab as a “drastic change” directly attributed to the foreign reinforcements.
“Foreign fighters arrive in Puntland using both maritime and overland routes,” the report stated, citing intelligence from U.N. member states. Captured militants have reported working with trainers from various Middle Eastern locations, highlighting the group’s international connections.
The expansion coincides with IS-Somalia’s growing global prominence within the Islamic State network. Since 2022, Somalia has hosted al-Karrar, one of nine regional Islamic State offices established to maintain the terror group’s worldwide operations. Despite leadership losses, the office has become more powerful and decentralized, complicating efforts to disrupt its activities.
Former IS-Somalia leader Abdulqadir Mumin, who survived a U.S. airstrike in June, now heads the Islamic State’s general directorate of provinces, overseeing all African affiliates. His former deputy, Abdirahman Fahiye Isse, has assumed leadership of IS-Somalia, with Abdiwali Waran-Walac managing finances.
“This reporting on an influx of foreign terrorist fighters in Africa is concerning,” said Austin Doctor, director of counterterrorism research initiatives at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center. He predicted the trend would continue, citing regional factors that appeal to extremist recruits.
While the number of foreign fighters entering Somalia remains far below the tens of thousands who joined ISIS in Syria and Iraq during its caliphate period, the U.N. report indicates the group maintains robust financial health. “Given the relatively small size of IS-Somalia, the group can sustain itself and generate additional revenue for other IS affiliates through the al-Karrar office,” the report concluded.
President-elect Donald Trump unveiled his latest branded merchandise Wednesday: a line of high-end guitars featuring patriotic imagery and his campaign slogans, with prices ranging from $1,250 to $10,000.
Trump announced the venture on Truth Social, showcasing a “Limited Edition ’45’ Guitar” adorned with an American flag, eagle motif, and his “Make America Great Again” slogan inlaid on the neck. The collection includes acoustic models at $1,250, electric versions at $1,500, and premium “Signature Edition” instruments featuring Trump’s autograph at $10,000.
The guitar launch follows a series of recent Trump-branded products introduced amid his 2024 presidential campaign and in the wake of a $489 million civil fraud judgment. These ventures include $100,000 luxury watches through CIC Ventures LLC, Trump’s company reported in his 2023 financial disclosure, $59.99 “God Bless the USA Bibles,” and designer sneakers unveiled at “Sneaker Con.”
Unlike other Trump merchandise websites that clearly state licensing arrangements, GetTrumpGuitars.com provides limited information about the business structure or Trump’s financial involvement. The site’s only identifying information is a suburban Nashville address linked to a couple who attended Trump’s recent Florida election-night event. Messages to the site’s listed branding agency, 16 Creative, and Trump’s transition team went unanswered.
Trump’s merchandising empire has recently expanded into digital assets, with the former president reporting earnings between $100,000 and $1 million from NFT trading cards depicting him in various fictional scenarios. His business model typically employs paid licensing agreements, a strategy that proved profitable before his political career with products ranging from vodka to steaks.
A newly released police report reveals detailed allegations that Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, sexually assaulted a woman in 2017 after blocking her exit from a California hotel room and taking her phone, contradicting his claims of a consensual encounter.
The 22-page investigative document, made public Wednesday, provides the first comprehensive account of allegations against the Fox News personality stemming from an October 2017 incident following his speech at a Republican women’s event in Monterey. The report includes interviews with the alleged victim, medical personnel, hotel staff, and Hegseth himself.
According to police records, investigators were first alerted by a nurse after a patient requested a sexual assault examination five days after the alleged incident. The woman reported memory gaps and suggested something may have been added to her drink before the assault occurred. Police collected her unwashed clothing from that night as evidence.
The alleged victim, whose name is being withheld by The Associated Press in accordance with its policy on sexual assault cases, told investigators she had confronted Hegseth earlier that evening about his “inappropriate” behavior, including what she observed as unwanted touching of multiple women’s thighs. Text messages cited in the report show she had described Hegseth as giving off a “creeper” vibe to a friend.
The woman recounted to police that after moving from an afterparty to the hotel bar, where her memory became “fuzzy,” she found herself in a hotel room with Hegseth, 44, who allegedly blocked the door and took her phone. She reported “saying ‘no’ a lot” and next remembered him shirtless above her, his military dog tags visible.
Hegseth, a former National Guard major, provided investigators a contrasting account, claiming the encounter was consensual and initiated by the woman. He acknowledged being “buzzed” but not intoxicated, saying he explicitly sought consent multiple times.
The nominee’s attorney revealed that Hegseth later made a confidential payment to the woman to prevent a potential lawsuit he feared could jeopardize his Fox News position. The amount remains undisclosed.
A Trump transition team spokeswoman claimed Thursday the report “corroborates what Mr. Hegseth’s attorneys have said all along: the incident was fully investigated and no charges were filed because police found the allegations to be false.” However, the report does not make this conclusion, instead noting that investigators recommended forwarding the case to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for review.
Court records indicate the incident occurred while Hegseth was divorcing his second wife following his affair with a Fox News producer, whom he later married. His first marriage also ended in 2009 amid infidelity allegations.
Seven members of Nigeria’s Security and Civil Defence Corps disappeared following a major ambush by Boko Haram militants in north-central Nigeria, marking another escalation in the group’s campaign to destabilize the country’s infrastructure.
The attack occurred Monday when approximately 200 Boko Haram fighters ambushed a convoy of 80 security operatives patrolling power infrastructure in Shiroro, Niger state. Agency spokesperson Babawale Afolabi reported Tuesday that security forces killed at least 50 insurgents in the engagement.
The incident follows a pattern of infrastructure attacks by the militant group, which recently caused a weeklong power outage across northern Nigeria after damaging critical equipment, according to the state-owned Transmission Company of Nigeria.
While Boko Haram traditionally operates in northeastern Nigeria, government officials confirm the group has established cells in the predominantly Muslim Niger state, where it has conducted multiple attacks against both military and civilian targets.
The militant organization, which launched its insurgency in 2009 to oppose Western education and enforce strict Islamic law, has evolved into Africa’s longest-running militant conflict. United Nations data shows the violence has claimed 35,000 civilian lives and displaced more than two million people in northeastern Nigeria alone.
The group gained international notoriety in 2014 with the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok village in Borno state. Violence continues unabated, with at least 100 villagers killed in September when suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked a market, worshippers, and homes in northeastern Nigeria.
The International Criminal Court sentenced Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud to 10 years in prison Wednesday for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed while leading the Islamic police in Mali’s historic city of Timbuktu, marking another milestone in prosecuting extremist violence in West Africa.
The 48-year-old former Ansar Dine leader, who stood expressionless in traditional white robes during sentencing, was convicted of torture, religious persecution, and other inhumane acts carried out during the al-Qaida-linked group’s 2012 occupation of the desert city.
“This regime and these acts had a traumatic impact on the population of Timbuktu,” declared presiding judge Kimberly Prost, though the three-judge panel acquitted Al Hassan of charges related to women’s abuse, including rape and sexual slavery, citing insufficient evidence linking him directly to these crimes.
The conviction focused on evidence of prisoner abuse, including confinement in cramped, unsanitary cells and systematic flogging. Al Hassan’s defense lawyer, Melinda Taylor, had argued during trial that his actions merely reflected his obligation to enforce Islamic tribunal decisions, comparing his role to standard police duties worldwide.
The case represents the court’s second conviction related to Ansar Dine’s occupation of Timbuktu, following Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi’s nine-year sentence in 2016 for destroying historic mausoleums and a mosque door. Both sides have appealed the current verdict.
The sentence, reduced by time served since March 2018, leaves approximately 3.5 years remaining in Al Hassan’s term. The prosecution emerged amid broader regional turmoil, as Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger continue battling insurgencies by groups aligned with al-Qaida and Islamic State.
Recent military coups in all three nations have led to the expulsion of French forces in favor of Russian mercenaries for security support. The shifting alliances highlight ongoing instability in a region where extremist groups have maintained a decade-long insurgency.
The sentencing coincides with growing tensions over Mali’s mining sector, illustrated by Tuesday’s announcement that an Australian company would pay $160 million to the military government to resolve a tax dispute following the detention of its CEO and employees, echoing September’s arrest of four Canadian mining company staff.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister, and Hamas officials, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in a landmark decision that threatens to further complicate efforts to end the 13-month Gaza conflict.
The three-judge panel unanimously ruled there were “reasonable grounds to believe” Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant “intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”
The court simultaneously issued a warrant for Mohammed Deif, Hamas’ military commander, citing crimes against humanity including “murder, extermination, torture, and rape” during the October 2023 attacks on Israel. Two other senior Hamas figures initially targeted by prosecutors – Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh – were killed during the conflict before warrants could be issued.
The unprecedented legal action faces significant enforcement challenges, as neither Israel nor its primary ally, the United States, recognizes the court’s jurisdiction. President Joe Biden condemned the prosecutor’s actions and reaffirmed support for Israel’s right to self-defense.
Israeli officials vehemently rejected the warrants. The Foreign Ministry argued in September legal briefs that the court lacked jurisdiction and failed to allow Israel to investigate allegations internally. “No other democracy with an independent and respected legal system like that which exists in Israel has been treated in this prejudicial manner by the Prosecutor,” spokesperson Oren Marmorstein posted on X.
Opposition leader Benny Gantz, a retired general and Netanyahu rival, called the decision “moral blindness” and “a shameful stain of historic proportion that will never be forgotten.” Fellow opposition figure Yair Lapid denounced it as a “prize for terror.”
Human rights organizations welcomed the court’s action. “The ICC arrest warrants against senior Israeli leaders and a Hamas official break through the perception that certain individuals are beyond the reach of the law,” said Balkees Jarrah, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch.
The warrants’ practical impact may be limited, as the ICC lacks its own police force and relies on member states for enforcement. However, the designation as internationally wanted suspects could restrict travel for Netanyahu and Gallant, though Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Mongolia demonstrated that ICC warrants don’t always prevent movement between friendly nations.
ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan had sought the warrants in May, alleging Israel “intentionally and systematically deprived the civilian population in all parts of Gaza of objects indispensable to human survival” through border closures and supply restrictions. He simultaneously accused Hamas leaders of crimes including murder, hostage-taking, and torture during the October 7 attacks that killed 1,200 Israelis and saw 250 taken captive.
Italy’s highest court has ordered the extradition of celebrated Malian singer Rokia Traore to Belgium, rejecting her final appeal in an international child custody case that has kept the renowned vocalist in an Italian prison since June.
Traore, 50, a United Nations refugee agency goodwill ambassador and one of Africa’s most prominent musical artists, will be transferred to Belgian authorities in the coming days, her lawyer Maddalena Del Re confirmed Wednesday.
“Rokia suffered an injustice. She was arrested without the Belgian criminal court hearing her voice. Now, the battle for Rokia’s rights moves to Brussels,” Del Re said in a statement to Reuters. The Court of Cassation’s decision followed a European Court of Justice ruling supporting the extradition.
The singer was arrested June 20 at Rome’s Fiumicino airport under a European arrest warrant while traveling to perform a concert near the Colosseum. She has since been detained in Civitavecchia prison outside Rome. The arrest stems from a Belgian court’s October 2023 decision sentencing her to two years in prison over a custody dispute involving her daughter.
Del Re argues the Belgian procedure violates Italian constitutional principles and international conventions, as Traore was convicted in absentia. The case has its roots in a 2020 arrest in France, where Traore was initially detained on a Belgian warrant after failing to transfer custody of her daughter to the child’s Belgian father, her former partner.
Following a conditional release from French custody, Traore defied travel restrictions by taking a private flight to Mali, where her daughter currently resides.
Kenyan officials launched an investigation Wednesday into the mysterious disappearance and transfer of prominent Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye from Nairobi to Uganda, as international criticism mounts over the country’s treatment of foreign dissidents.
Korir Sing’oei, principal secretary at Kenya’s foreign ministry, emphasized in a television interview that Besigye’s removal was “not the act of the Kenyan government,” characterizing it as an abduction. The interior ministry has begun probing how the longtime rival of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was “forcefully removed from premises in our country and taken to Uganda.”
Besigye, who vanished Saturday in Nairobi, resurfaced Wednesday before a Ugandan military court facing charges of illegal firearms possession. The court alleges he was found with a pistol and eight rounds of ammunition in Nairobi’s Riverside neighborhood while seeking support to “prejudice the security of Uganda’s military.”
His wife, Winnie Byanyima, who heads the United Nations HIV/AIDS agency UNAIDS, contested the charges, stating Besigye hasn’t owned a firearm in two decades. “As a civilian, Dr Besigye should be tried in a civilian court NOT a military court,” she posted on social media platform X.
While Uganda’s government spokesperson denied conducting abductions, insisting arrests abroad involve host country collaboration, the incident has intensified scrutiny of Kenya’s human rights record. In July, Kenyan authorities deported 36 members of Besigye’s political party to Uganda, where they faced terrorism charges. Last month, Kenya drew United Nations criticism for deporting four Turkish refugees to Ankara.
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member James Risch expressed concern on X that the abduction “raises serious questions about important U.S. partners violating international norms.”
