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American Military News
an hour ago
- Politics
- American Military News
Have 34 felony counts against Trump been dropped after US presidential election?
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. Manhattan District Attorney's Office dropped the case against President-elect Donald Trump in which he was convicted of 34 felony counts involving falsifying business records, following his presidential election victory. But the claim is false. Documents released by the court on Nov. 19 show that the prosecution intends to proceed with post-trial sentencing and denies Trump's impending presidency is sufficient grounds to dismiss the case. The claim was shared on X on Nov. 22, 2024. 'Donald Trump's sentencing for 34 criminal charges in the state of New York abruptly adjourned by Judge Merchan without explanation. All charges have been dropped,' the claim reads. Former President Trump secured a second, non-consecutive term by defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5. In March 2023, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The indictment accused Trump of orchestrating hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to suppress information about a sexual encounter that she says they had aiming to influence the 2016 presidential election. Trump denies any sexual encounter with Daniels. The payments were purportedly disguised in business records as legal expenses to conceal their true purpose. The claim that the felony accounts against Trump were dropped following the election is incorrect. Charge vs account Chinese social media users appear to have confused the terms 'charges' and 'counts.' A 'charge' refers to a specific crime someone is accused of committing, while a 'count' indicates the number of times the person is accused of committing that crime. In Trump's case, he was accused of one crime – falsifying business records – but was charged with committing it 34 separate times. To be proceeded The Manhattan district attorney offices' charge against Trump has not been dropped. Documents released by the court on November 19 show that the prosecution intends to proceed with post-trial sentencing and denies Trump's impending presidency is sufficient grounds to dismiss the felony counts against him. However, the prosecution noted that it will consider a stay of proceedings, which would pause sentencing until after Trump leaves office after his second term ends in four years. It stated this would allow the court 'to balance competing constitutional interests.' Uncertainties On Nov. 22, the presiding judge Juan Merchan postponed sentencing to receive more arguments from both sides. Trump's lawyers were ordered to file their arguments for dismissal by Dec. 2, while the prosecutors were given until Dec. 9 to submit their arguments for proceeding with the conviction. Given the unique situation of a president-elect awaiting criminal sentencing, the exact outcome of the case is still unclear. While the prosecution has signaled its plans to continue forward with sentencing at some point in the future, Trump's lawyers are still attempting to have the case dismissed. U.S. constitutional law expert Robert Mcwhirter said in an interview with the American broadcaster CBS that any sentencing against Trump would likely be enforced after leaving his second term in office. However, Mcwhirter noted there is 'a slim chance' that he could impose a short prison sentence on Trump before his inauguration in January 2025 or probationary measures during his time in office. Other cases In addition to the Manhattan court case, one other state-level criminal case in Georgia and two federal criminal cases have been brought against Trump . Following Trump's election victory, the Department of Justice dismissed the two federal cases against him on Nov. 25. The case in Georgia is stalled in pretrial procedures and its progress is unclear. A Supreme Court decision from July 2024 ruled that Trump was ineligible to be prosecuted for acts that fall under the president's 'core constitutional powers.' The president's 'unofficial acts' share no such immunity.
American Military News
an hour ago
- American Military News
North Koreans fight over feces as annual ‘compost battle' begins
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. North Koreans are once again fighting each other over human feces as they desperately try to fulfill the government's impossibly high collection quotas to prepare fertilizer ahead of the spring planting season, residents in the country told Radio Free Asia. In order to avoid punishment, adults have until Jan. 20 to donate 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) of compost, which is a code word for feces. Elementary, middle, and high school students' quota is 200 kilograms (440 pounds). That's way more than the 142 kilograms (312 pounds) the average person poops in an entire year, so merchants can make a fortune buying and selling it on the black market, and people resort to stealing it from public bathrooms and each other's houses. But that's often when things turn violent, a a resident of the county in South Pyongan province, north of Pyongyang, told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for security reasons. 'Two men in Unsan county were fighting each other with axes and shovels and were seriously injured,' he said. 'A factory worker was trying to steal feces from an outhouse next to the other guy's home.' When he saw the factory worker trying to scoop out the contents of his latrine, the homeowner came out with a shovel and hit him, he said. 'The head of the neighborhood-watch unit brought the social security agent in charge of the neighborhood and the fight ended,' he said. 'But both men were taken to the hospital.' These are the latest known casualties in the annual 'compost battle' — the time each year where people are made to gather materials necessary to make fertilizer, but it's not intended to be violent. North Korea often assigns militaristic names to projects requiring participation from the public. For example, there's a 'construction battle' when it's time to build new homes, and a 'harvest battle' every fall. Though the 'combatants' in these battles are overworked, it's only during the 'compost battle' that places them in such cutthroat competition. One collected by the farm, dry grass, chaff, and other materials will be added to the poop and it will dry and decompose to become fertilizer. RFA was not able to confirm the extent of punishment for those who fail to meet their quota. In another incident, a high schooler was caught scooping up the poop in the public toilet, the resident said. He received a scolding from his community leader. 'The head of the neighborhood watch unit flipped the student's cart over and shouted at him,' he said. 'Then the kid's mother came out and argued with the watch unit leader, asking if the poop belonged to him. Things escalated and a full blown fight broke out.' The people have to take their donations to nearby farms and submit a completed compost certificate to their workplace or school, a resident in the northwestern province of North Pyongan told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely. After that, their company or school will add up all the donation certificates and report the amount to their superiors. Women, who typically do not have government-assigned jobs, have to submit their donations through the Socialist Women's Union of Korea, the country's largest organization for women,' the second resident said. But in North Korea, women are the primary breadwinners in most families. The salaries the men earn from their government-assigned jobs are nowhere near enough to live on, so while the men are at work, the women run family businesses, usually selling goods and services at the local market, to support the family. But as far as the government is concerned, these women are 'housewives,' she said. So their quotas are even higher, she said — sometimes as high as 1 metric ton (2,200 pounds). The woman worried about how she would be able to fill her quota this year, saying, 'The communal toilets in the neighborhood are locked and inaccessible, so where can I find enough feces to produce compost?' She said she can't buy her quota on the market because her business hasn't been good recently and there's no money to spare. 'We have to steal pig waste piled up next to private pig pens or human feces from private toilets, which lead to frequent fights,' she said. She also spoke of another incident where a woman stole pig waste from a farm, and another woman, the owner of the farm, grabbed her by the head and a fight broke out. 'The authorities can't provide us food but force us to provide compost,' she said. 'There's no other country in the world where people fight over human feces. The authorities are responsible for this.
American Military News
an hour ago
- Politics
- American Military News
US strikes on Iran may strengthen North Korea's nuclear resolve, experts warn
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. The U.S. air strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities will have reinforced North Korea's perception that possessing nuclear weapons is essential for its survival and may even prompt Pyongyang to accelerate the development of its nuclear capabilities, warned South Korean experts. U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that the U.S. had conducted 'massive precision strikes' on three Iranian nuclear sites – Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan – that has 'completely and totally obliterated' Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities. The attack on Iran's nuclear sites marks the first offensive action in Israel's war with Iran – a major escalation in tensions in the Middle East – which South Korean analysts warn will make North Korea increasingly resistant to any diplomatic efforts or talks aimed at convincing Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program. 'North Korea must have thought it was a good idea to have nuclear weapons after seeing the U.S. airstrike on Iran's nuclear facilities,' Jeong Seong-jang, deputy director of the Sejong Institute, told Radio Free Asia on Monday. In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for the North Korean Foreign Ministry criticized the U.S. airstrike on Iran's nuclear facilities, saying it 'violated the U.N. Charter and international law, which have as their basic principles respect for sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs,' North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported. Despite calls by the U.S. and its allies for denuclearization, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pushed for his country to bolster its nuclear capabilities to defend itself, warning earlier this year that 'confrontation with the most vicious hostile countries is inevitable.' While the 'hostile countries' were not named, North Korea regards the U.S. and its ally, South Korea, as its main enemies. In 2003, North Korea withdrew after acceding to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), shortly after the U.S. invaded Iraq. It cited concerns, at the time, that the U.S. was planning a preemptive strike against Pyongyang. 'North Korea is (likely to be) concerned that if it gives up its nuclear weapons, it will end up in a situation similar to Iran, and will not accept future proposals for denuclearization discussions.' He warned the strikes may even prompt North Korea – which conducted its first underground nuclear test in 2006 – to accelerate the development of nuclear submarines in an effort to secure so-called 'second-strike' capabilities – or the ability to launch retaliatory nuclear strikes after a preemptive one. Other South Korean experts echoed similar concerns. 'Kim Jong Un will probably order the relocation, hiding, and concealment of nuclear facilities, as well as the expansion of air defense systems,' Professor Nam Seong-wook of Sookmyung Women's University told RFA. In a social media post, Kim Dong-yeop, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, argued that the U.S. strikes would cause North Korea to further solidify its perception that 'only possession of nuclear weapons can lead to survival' and provide much-needed validation for Pyongyang to hold on to its nuclear arsenal. Since 2006, North Korea has tested nuclear devices six times and has developed missiles believed to be capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. During his first term, Trump held historic summits with Kim Jong Un, hoping to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief, but his high-level diplomacy ultimately failed to achieve a breakthrough. The North has continued to build its nuclear and missile programs. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates that North Korea has assembled around 50 warheads and possesses enough fissile material to produce up to 40 more warheads and is accelerating the production of further fissile material. Earlier this year, Pyongyang reiterated that it has no intention of giving up its nuclear program. North Korea would now view diplomatic engagement with the United States as 'foolish' and any future negotiations of denuclearization as futile, Kim Dong-yeop wrote in a social media post on Sunday. 'North Korea will use the Iran situation as an excuse to strengthen its criticism of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and South Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation,' he added.
American Military News
an hour ago
- Politics
- American Military News
North Korea may send more troops to Russia by August, South Korea says
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. North Korea may deploy more troops to Russia as early as July or August to aid in its war against Ukraine, with recruitment efforts already underway for another wave of military support to Moscow, South Korean intelligence told lawmakers Thursday. Last week, Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has decided to send 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers, or combat engineers, to support demining and reconstruction efforts in the Kursk border region, according to Russian state media Tass and RIA Novosti. Since last fall, North Korea has already deployed more than 12,000 troops to Russia to fight Ukrainian forces who occupied parts of the Kursk region in August, according to Ukraine, the United States, and South Korea. In April, Russia and North Korea confirmed their soldiers fought the Ukrainian forces together there but did not disclose how many. In a closed-door meeting on Thursday, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) told a parliamentary committee that North Korea recently began recruiting additional troops and will likely send them to Russia in July or August. The NIS noted that North Korea's deployment of military troops to Russia last year also came just a month after Shoigu's visit to the country where he signed an agreement with officials in Pyongyang, said South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun who attended the briefing. The NIS also said North Korea has been continuing to contribute significantly to Russia's war effort, including providing weapons. Moscow, in turn, provided Pyongyang with economic cooperation, air defense missiles, and radio jamming equipment, it said. Russia has also been providing technical advice to North Korea on satellite launches, drones, and missile guidance capabilities, Lee said, citing the NIS. 'The National Intelligence Service reported that it is working to minimize the impact on the security of the Korean Peninsula as the close relationship between North Korea and Russia may expand due to the additional dispatch of North Korean combat troops,' Lee said. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea for talks with Kim Jong Un and signed a mutual defense treaty. Since then, the two countries have aligned closely through military cooperation, including the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia. Reports of North Korean troop deployment to Russia first surfaced last October. While evidence of their presence grew – including when North Korean soldiers were taken captive by Ukrainian forces in Kursk and were interviewed – neither North Korea nor Russia acknowledged their presence until this year in April.
American Military News
a day ago
- Politics
- American Military News
North Korea mobilizes students to collect stones daily for flood prevention walls
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. North Korea is mobilizing students in the northern border province of Ryanggang to gather rocks daily to help build flood walls as the region braces for seasonal monsoon rains, following devastating floods last year, sources told Radio Free Asia. Last July, large areas along the Amnok, or Yalu, River near North Korea's border with China suffered extensive damage, prompting authorities to accelerate flood prevention measures this year ahead of monsoons that typically start in June and last until September. Last year, South Korean media outlets reported that over 1,000 people were killed or missing due to the floods, and that North Korea may have executed a number of officials who were held responsible. North Korea's state-run Korea Central News Agency said over 5,000 people who had been stranded were saved by on-site instructions relayed by leader Kim Jong Un, who was depicted leading flood relief efforts. Multiple sources in Ryanggang province, also known as Yanggang, told RFA that the construction of embankments were ongoing, and that young students – in elementary, middle and high school levels – have been mobilized to collect rocks daily for the past two weeks without any breaks, including Sundays. Mobilization orders by North Korean authorities are a common practice by local governments to make citizens donate labor to public projects. 'Each student must contribute five stones the size of a soccer ball to the construction site every day,' a source who works in the education sector of Ryanggang province said. He, like other sources RFA interviewed for this story, requested anonymity for safety reasons. Students from Yeondu-dong, Yeonpung-dong, and Songbong-dong areas in Wiyeon District of Hyesan City gather every day, from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m., after they finish their morning classes to 'collect rocks the size of soccer balls,' a second source in the province told RFA. The students are required to bring the rocks they collect to the construction site of an embankment in the upper reaches of the Geumsan River, which flows into the Amnok, the source said. Last year, the Geumsan River was also flooded and caused much damage, he said. The construction period for the Geumsan River embankment runs until the end of June, but delays are expected due to shortages of stones needed for the walls, sources said. To meet the shortfall, students from many neighborhoods including Seonghu-dong, Hyesan-dong, Hyemyong-dong, and Yeonbong-dong work afternoons collecting stones at the old quarry in Yeonbong-dong, while those from the outskirts of Hyesan city like Masan-dong, Chun-dong, and Hyetan-dong search through quarries at Hyesan Youth Mine. The rock gathering exercise has caused accidents and health problems for students, prompting protests by parents at schools, sources said. 'There are many accidents where people hurt their hands and feet while mining rocks, and there are also students who get nosebleeds while sleeping at night due to exhaustion,' said the first source who works in the education sector. Growing parental dissatisfaction has led to protests at school offices, with some families keeping their children home from school rather than allowing them to participate in the stone collection work, he added. On Saturday, North Korean state media reported heavy rainfall in the capital Pyongyang and several northern and central provinces, prompting weather authorities to issue alerts across multiple regions. Pyongyang recorded 140 millimetres of rain between 5 p.m. on Thursday and 8 p.m. local time on Friday, according to KCNA, Reuters reported.
