| | | | | | | Hello. Today my colleagues in Washington DC are covering former US President Donald Trump’s legal troubles - a court ruled he did not have presidential immunity and could be prosecuted on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. In Kenya, Anne Soy reports on a cult leader who has just been charged with 191 murders, and hears from some of his former followers. At the bottom of your newsletter, you’ll find stories about mushroom couture and history-making teeth. |
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| | | | Get up to speed | | • | US authorities say the door that blew away from a Boeing 737 Max shortly after take-off may not have been properly secured. Here’s more on the initial findings from the US National Transportation Safety Board. | | • | A jury in Michigan has found Jennifer Crumbley guilty of involuntary manslaughter for failing to stop her son from carrying out a deadly school shooting - a first in the US. Watch the moment her guilty verdict is announced. | | • | King Charles has been pictured for the first time since his cancer diagnosis was announced. His younger son Prince Harry arrived earlier on Tuesday from California. |
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| | Questions Answered | | Why Trump’s defeat in court could play into his delay strategy | | | | Donald Trump called the decision a “nation-destroying ruling”. Credit: Reuters |
| | A US court has ruled Donald Trump does not have presidential immunity and can be prosecuted on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. It is a clear legal setback for the former president, who has for years cited presidential immunity while battling multiple cases. But the timing of the decision also plays into his delaying strategy. | | | | Anthony Zurcher and Matt Murphy, BBC News |
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| | What just happened? | | An appeals court ruled that Mr Trump is not immune from criminal prosecution for acts committed while he was president. The time it took to issue that decision, however, has indefinitely delayed Mr Trump's federal trial related to the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Its tentative 4 March start date in Washington DC has been removed from the federal court's calendar. | | What's next for Donald Trump after this decision? | | He could turn to the Supreme Court - it appears to be the likely route. The judges would have to decide whether to review the case or let the lower-court decision stand. They can also decide whether to put the 6 January trial on hold in the meantime. The Trump legal team has until 12 February to prepare its Supreme Court request. | | What could happen then? | | Given past court precedent and American legal tradition, the Supreme Court is unlikely to go along with the former president's legal arguments, said Professor David Super, a lecturer of constitutional law at Georgetown University. "Under Mr Trump's view, US presidents' legal status would differ little functionally from that of monarchs," he told the BBC. But with the resulting delay, a loss at the Supreme Court would mark another win for the former president - and if he wins at the ballot box in November, his legal concerns at the federal level could vanish with the stroke of a pen. | | | | • | The man who could bring down Donald Trump: Jack Smith is currently overseeing two separate criminal investigations into Mr Trump, but the veteran prosecutor is no stranger to bringing high-stakes cases, writes Sam Cabral. | | • | One of many cases: Mr Trump has been criminally indicted four times, and his run for a second term will be peppered with court appearances. Here’s a guide to his legal troubles. | | • | US Election Unspun: Subscribe here to Anthony Zurcher’s weekly newsletter that cuts through the noise in the race for the White House. |
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| AT THE SCENE | Malindi, Kenya | | Kenyan cult leader charged with 191 murders | | | | Paul Mackenzie, seen here in court last month, has pleaded not guilty to all the charges he faces. Credit: EPA | | Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie has been charged with murder after more than 400 bodies were found buried in shallow graves, in a remote forest in the east of the country. Prosecutors allege followers were starved and that some may have been strangled, suffocated or beaten to death. Mackenzie and 29 others pleaded not guilty to the charges. Some of the cult’s former members tell the BBC about their experience. | | | | Anne Soy, senior Africa correspondent |
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| Neema - not her real name - had been a follower of the Good News International Church in Malindi until it was closed down in 2019. When she heard that its leader had moved to Shakahola, the forest about 70km (43 miles) west of the town, together with other members of the church, she followed him there in 2022. Initially, the worshippers would travel there and return home. But from late 2022, the followers claim, they were not allowed to leave.
Neema was two months pregnant with her fourth child when she went to the forest for the last time. She said she was held against her will there and women were repeatedly raped by the guards. "The preaching stopped," she said. "They said we're now done with teachings we only wait to meet Jesus." At first, those in the forest would be given half a cup of tea and a slice of bread in the morning. That was it for the day. A BBC analysis of Mackenzie's sermons on video do not show him directly ordering people to fast, but there are many references to followers sacrificing what they hold dear, including their lives. |
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| | The big picture | | Pineapple Express wreaks havoc in LA | | | | Rain is still expected through Tuesday evening with the "slight risk of excessive rainfall" in some areas. Credit: Reuters |
| | The record rain pounding California since Sunday has begun to ease, but locals have been told to brace for more as mudslides and flooding remain a threat. But what is the Pineapple Express that has drenched the Los Angeles region? Here’s what you need to know from BBC Weather’s Chris Fawkes. | | | | |
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| | | For your downtime | | Fungi fashion | | A mushroom revolution is afoot in the couture world. | | |
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| | And finally... in the UK | | It’s not often you encounter history-making teeth. A UK collector snatched gold-mounted false teeth worn by Sir Winston Churchill at an auction on Tuesday. The upper dentures worn by the wartime leader during some of his most famous speeches went for a jaw-dropping £18,000 ($22,660). They were designed at the beginning of World War Two to preserve his natural lisp. Take a look. |
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| | | | | | | | US Election Unspun newsletter | | Cut through the noise in the race for the White House, every Wednesday to your inbox. | | |
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| | | | More newsletters from us | | • | Football Extra: Latest news, insights and gossip from the Premier League, weekdays. Subscribe. | | • | Royal Watch: The full story from royal correspondent Sean Coughlan, every Thursday. Subscribe. | | • | Tech Decoded: Timely, trusted tech news from global correspondents, twice-weekly. Subscribe. |
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– Jules |
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