Trump aide scheduled for Miami court appearance in documents case

Waltine Nauta, the only co-defendant of Donald Trump in the federal government’s classified documents case against the former president, is scheduled to appear Tuesday before a magistrate in Miami. Nauta, 40, appeared in a Miami federal court June 13 with Trump, who pleaded not guilty to charges of improper handling of classified papers and obstruction of justice in a 37-count indictment. But Nauta did not enter a plea because he lacked a local lawyer. Through midday Monday, the court... Read More

Property insurance fraud investigations and arrests are up but they’re still a drop in bucket

If you want to know why insurance companies often take adversarial positions toward homeowner claims, look no further than the number of fraud cases investigated each year. From double dipping — filing claims for the same damage to two different companies — to buying homeowner insurance for properties operating as assisted living facilities, there’s no end to schemes some policyholders, public adjusters, contractors and agents will employ for financial advantage. Fraud is one of... Read More

Putin says the aborted rebellion played into the hands of Russia’s enemies

By The Associated Press Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday blasted organizers of a weekend revolt, the gravest threat yet to his power, as traitors who played into the hands of Ukraine’s government and its allies. Speaking in a stern tone and looking tired in a five-minute TV address near midnight, Putin sought to project stability. He tried to strike a balance between criticizing the uprising’s perpetrators to prevent another crisis, and not antagonizing the bulk of the... Read More

Chicago business executive and philanthropist Jim Crown killed in Colorado racetrack crash

WOODY CREEK, Colo. (AP) — Jim Crown, an executive and philanthropist who recently announced an effort to rally other business leaders to help fight violent crime in Chicago, died Sunday in a car crash on a racing track in Colorado. He was 70. Crown, a grandson of industrialist Henry Crown and the chief executive of Henry Crown & Co., was involved in a single-vehicle accident at the Aspen Motorsports Park in Woody Creek, the Pitkin County coroner’s office said in a news... Read More

Judge in Trump’s documents case rejects bid to shield list of 84 witnesses from public

The government can’t conceal from the public the names of 84 witnesses it intends to use in its classified documents case against former President Donald Trump, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon acted quickly after a coalition of national and local news media filed a motion earlier in the day asking the court to address the efforts of Special Counsel Jack Smith to seal a list of potential witnesses who would testify against Trump. He is accused in a 37-count... Read More

After the Titan implosion, the US Coast Guard wants to improve the safety of submersibles

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT, PATRICK WHITTLE and HOLLY RAMER (Associated Press) As an international group of agencies investigates why the Titan submersible imploded while carrying five people to the Titanic wreckage, U.S. maritime officials say they’ll issue a report aimed at improving the safety of submersibles worldwide. Investigators from the U.S., Canada, France and the United Kingdom are working closely together on the probe of the June 18 accident, which happened in an “unforgiving and... Read More

After 4 people infected with malaria, Florida warns of mosquito-borne illnesses

The Florida Department of Health has released a statewide mosquito-borne illness advisory due to four confirmed cases of malaria in Sarasota County. All individuals have been treated and have recovered, the health department said in a release. In Florida, infected Anopheles mosquitoes can transmit the disease. The department advised Floridians to avoid areas with lots of mosquitos, wear long pants and shirts, especially during sunrise and sunset when this species of mosquito is most active,... Read More

Coast Guard searching for diver who departed commercial boat, didn’t resurface

A third day of searching for a diver who went missing in the waters near Deerfield Beach is underway, U.S. Coast Guard Southeast officials said. Erick Gaunt, 32, was visiting from Georgia and got off of a commercial diving boat and into the water one nautical mile east of Lighthouse Point shortly before 9 a.m. Saturday, said Petty Officer Ryan Estrada, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard 7th District Southeast. Gaunt did not return when he was expected to at 11:30 a.m. The line that connected... Read More

No running water, 50-plus flies on clean plates and utensils: 3 South Florida restaurants temporarily shut

No running water (so no hand washing …) and live flies on clean napkins, plates and utensils were among the issues that forced state inspectors to temporarily close three South Florida restaurants last week. The South Florida Sun Sentinel typically highlights restaurant inspections conducted by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in Broward and Palm Beach counties. We cull through inspections that happen weekly and spotlight places ordered shut for... Read More

Hajj pilgrimage starts in Saudi Arabia, with 2 million expected after lifting of COVID measures

By RIAZAT BUTT (Associated Press) MINA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims in Mecca circled the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, and then converged on a vast tent camp in the nearby desert, officially opening the annual Hajj pilgrimage on Monday, returning to its full capacity for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic. So far, more than 1.8 million pilgrims from all over the world have already amassed in and around Mecca for Hajj, and the number was still growing as more pilgrims... Read More