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Donald Trump is scheduled to venture out of his Mar-a-Lago resort and conduct a swing of presidential campaign events later this month, ramping up efforts to secure the Republican nomination after facing criticism around the slow start to his 2024 White House bid, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The former US president is expected to travel to a number of early voting states for the Republican nomination – the specific states have not been finalized – around the final weekend of January, the sources said, where he is slated to announce his state-level teams.
The move comes after a slow start to the campaign and an announcement speech at Mar-a-Lago that has been widely panned as “low energy” and inactive in terms of events, further knocking Trump’s political image after key Senate candidates he endorsed in November’s midterms faced embarrassing defeats.
That has apparently given enough confidence for a host of Republicans to prepare their own White House runs and though Trump says he believes a wide field will be beneficial, he seems set to face possible candidates including the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, and former cabinet officials such as Nikki Haley.
What else is happening? The US attorney general, Merrick Garland, appointed a special counsel on Thursday to investigate Joe Biden’s retention of classified documents from his time as vice-president. The move to name Robert Hur, a former Trump-appointed federal prosecutor and former top justice department official, was a rapid decision from Garland to insulate the department from possible accusations of political conflicts or interference.
How do the Trump and Biden cases regarding classified documents differ? While Trump appears to have wilfully obstructed efforts to recover them, leading to the FBI raid, Biden’s team said they cooperated fully and immediately returned the documents to the National Archives as soon as they were discovered. Read more here.
Lisa Marie Presley, singer and daughter of Elvis, dies aged 54
Lisa Marie Presley, the singer and the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, has died at the age of 54, after suddenly being hospitalised yesterday. Her 77-year-old mother confirmed Presley’s death last night.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” Priscilla Presley said in a statement. “She was the most passionate strong and loving woman I have ever known. We ask for privacy as we try to deal with this profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers. At this time there will be no further comment.”
Presley was taken to hospital from her home in Calabasas, California, after a reported cardiac arrest, TMZ first reported. Her mother asked fans to keep her daughter in their prayers in a statement issued when the news first broke.
The musician appeared with her mother at the Golden Globes awards ceremony in Los Angeles two days before she was hospitalised, as part of the cohort of talent supporting Baz Luhrmann’s acclaimed biopic Elvis. On the night, actor Austin Butler won best actor in a motion picture drama for his performance as the King.
What tributes have been paid to Presley? John Travolta said on Instagram: “Lisa baby girl, I’m so sorry. I’ll miss you but I know I’ll see you again.” Meanwhile, Bette Midler said: “I’m in shock. So beautiful and only 54 years old; I can’t actually comprehend it.”
Frantic search continues for boy, 5, swept away in California floods
The danger lurking along a country road in central California’s wine country was not clear to Lindsy Doan as she drove her five-year-old son to school on Monday morning.
The region, like much of the state, had been hit by a deadly series of storms that were, but the family had traveled through the area the previous day, her husband told the Guardian, and countless times before on their commutes. Nothing initially appeared wrong and unlike past occasions, there were no signs indicating the road was closed.
It only became clear the road was not safe as floodwaters began to carry the vehicle into a creek near the village of San Miguel. Kindergartner Kyle Doan was calm, telling his mother “Don’t worry mommy. It’s OK – everything will be alright,” according to his father, Brian Doan. As they exited the vehicle together, water rushing in, the fast-moving currents and debris pulled him from his mother’s arms and forced Lindsy under water. Nearby residents were able to rescue her with a rope, but the water carried Kyle away too quickly.
With assistance from the national guard, law enforcement search and rescue teams have spent days searching for the five-year-old. The search is one of several that has taken place across the state in recent weeks as a devastating series of storms battered the state. The rains and wind have toppled trees and power lines and flooded rivers and creeks, killing at least 18 people, including three in Sacramento county who were found dead in or near their cars.
How’s the search for Kyle going? The search has continued daily since Monday, although authorities suspended the search several times earlier in the week due to severe weather. His family hopes he will return home, but is prepared for the fact that may not happen.
In other news …
Hundreds of civilians remain trapped in Soledar, Ukraine has said, as bloody fighting continues over control of the largely destroyed town in eastern Ukraine. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk, told Ukrainian state TV that 559 civilians remained, including 15 children, and could not be evacuated.
Sultan Al Jaber, the government minister for United Arab Emirates who will preside over this year’s crucial UN climate talks, will retain his roles as head of the country’s oil company and sustainable energy businesses, UAE has confirmed.
“I didn’t steal funds, and I certainly didn’t stash billions away,” the disgraced cryptocurrency boss Sam Bankman-Fried claimed in his first detailed response to the criminal charges filed against him last month. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges that he defrauded investors.
A painting by Vincent van Gogh on display at the Detroit Institute of Art was stolen, a new lawsuit claims. It was filed by Brokerarte Capital Partners and its sole proprietor, Gustavo Soter, a Brazilian art collector. It claims the DIA borrowed the painting from an unnamed party that is not its legal owner.
Stat of the day: US government logs more than 500 UFO reports with hundreds unexplained
The US government is examining 510 UFO reports, more than triple the number in its 2021 file. The 2022 report (pdf) by the director of national intelligence (DNI) said that 247 “unidentified anomalous phenomena” or UAP reports have been filed with it since June 2021, when it revealed that it had records of 144 sightings of suspicious aerial objects under examination. Of those, close to 200 had “unremarkable” explanations: they were balloons, drones or so-called aerial clutter, which covers birds, weather events and airborne plastic bags. But others have not been explained according to the DNI document, an unclassified version of a report delivered to Congress.
Don’t miss this: Not just hot flushes – how menopause can destroy mental health
Midlife mood swings, rage and forgetfulness may be the stuff of jokey Instagram memes. But for many women in perimenopause (the transition stage leading up to periods stopping) and menopause (defined as having gone a year without a period), they are anything but funny. A survey of 2,000 women into menopause at work last year found 75% reported problems with memory or concentration and 69% reported feeling anxious or depressed – not necessarily to clinical levels, but often enough to reduce concentration and confidence at work. And in rarer cases, those mood swings can be extreme and some women experience suicidal thoughts. Why is more help not available?
Climate check: Private jet emissions quadrupled during Davos 2022
Private jet emissions quadrupled as 1,040 planes flew in and out of airports serving Davos during the 2022 World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting. Climate campaigners accused the rich and powerful of hypocrisy in flying in on private jets to a conference discussing climate breakdown. A environmental consultancy calculated that during the meeting last year, CO2 emissions from private jets were four times greater than in an average week. The number of private jet flights to and from airports serving the Swiss ski resort where the conference is held were twice as high during the 2022 meeting compared with a typical week, emitting as much CO2 as 350,000 average cars over that period.
Last Thing: The sheer joy of Jamie Lee Curtis cheering Michelle Yeoh sets a new bar for female best-friendship
Combining the razzle-dazzle of the red carpet with the raw emotionality of war photography, a photograph has gone viral that captures the moment when Michelle Yeoh wins best actress (comedy/musical) for Everything Everywhere All at Once, writes Zoe Williams. Yeoh is covering her face with her hands. Meanwhile, Jamie Lee Curtis, standing to the side, has never been more expressive in her 44-year film career. Both arms are punching the air like “early man wins World Cup final”. Her mouth is open in what can only be called a roar, and the constellation of feelings, while only she can truly know them, looks something like: “I am overjoyed for my best friend”; “If this hadn’t happened, I could have cheerfully killed someone over it”; “Come on, try me”.
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