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Judge unseals heavily redacted trove of evidence in Trump’s 2020 election interference case
By ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
WASHINGTON (AP) — The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case made public Friday a heavily redacted trove of documents that provide a small glimpse into the evidence prosecutors will present if the case ever goes to trial.
The nearly 1,900 pages of documents collected by special counsel Jack Smith’s team were initially filed under seal to help U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan decide what allegations can proceed to trial following the Supreme Court opinion in July that conferred broad immunity on former presidents for official acts they take in office.
The information that could be seen in the redacted version released Friday appeared to be material that for the most part had already been made public, including screenshots of Trump’s social media posts about the 2020 election and a transcript of the video statement he made on Jan. 6, 2021, in which he told the rioters attacking the Capitol to go home, but added: “we love you” and “you’re very special.”
The overwhelming majority of the pages released Friday were whited out. The redacted files are believed to include things like transcripts of grand jury testimony, which remain under wraps because of grand jury secrecy rules.
Other information visible to the public includes passages from former Vice President Mike Pence’s book, excerpts of testimony provided by several witnesses to the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 riot and a transcript of Trump’s phone call pressuring Georgia election officials to “find” enough votes to reverse his election loss in the state to Democrat Joe Biden.
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The filing was submitted as a series of appendices to a 165-page brief unsealed this month in which prosecutors disclosed new evidence against Trump to support their argument that the former president is not entitled to immunity from prosecution.
Trump’s lawyers objected to the unsealing of the filing so close to next month’s presidential election, but Chutkan on Thursday rejected their bid to postpone the material from becoming public until after the election. She said it would be inappropriate to take the political calendar into account.
Florida farmers, ranchers facing ‘unprecedented financial strain’ after Hurricane Milton
TALLAHASSEE — Damages to farmers and ranchers from Hurricane Milton may double the statewide agricultural destruction from three other storms that pummeled Florida since August 2023, according to state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
Simpson estimated Milton caused between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion, on top of more than $1.5 billion in damages already sustained from hurricanes Idalia, Debby and Helene.
Simpson included the assessment in a letter Thursday asking U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to make assistance available to Florida farmers through the Farm Service Agency and other federal programs.
“With four major hurricanes in just over a year, our agriculture communities have been hit repeatedly, causing unprecedented financial strain,” Simpson said in a release. “We need the USDA’s immediate support to help these family farms recover from yet another historic storm. The time to act is now.”
Milton made landfall in Sarasota County and barreled across the central portion of the state. The other three storms came ashore in Taylor County, causing destruction in rural parts of the Big Bend region and damage along the Gulf Coast.
‘It was a morgue here last night.’ Neighbors sift through rubble after tornadoes destroy their homes
Preliminary estimates from Simpson’s agency found Milton impacted 51 counties as it swept ashore Oct. 9 near Siesta Key in Sarasota County with 120 mph sustained winds.
“This major hurricane follows several years of above average rainfall, severe storms and winds, other tropical cyclones, hard freezes, and the significant economic disruption to all sectors of the economy caused by supply chain issues and mounting inflationary pressures, which may hinder access to necessary resources these farmers need,” Simpson wrote in Thursday’s letter to Vilsack.
The state agency’s report found major structural impacts to nurseries and cattle ranches, while power outages caused disruptions to cow-milking operations. Cotton, peanut and rice crops suffered “minor to catastrophic” damages. Vegetables, melons, blueberries, strawberries, and tropical fruits experienced “significant damages,” according to the report.
Everoak Farm volunteer Patrick Lang, front, and Andrew Smith harvest sugar cane that could be salvaged after heavy winds and water from Hurricane Milton wrecked and flooded crops on the Orlando farm. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)The citrus industry, already in the midst of a historically low production season before Milton’s arrival, is facing fruit drop and concerns of flooded fields from Milton that will result in tree mortality, the preliminary report said.
Alico Inc., a major citrus grower, reported Thursday it sustained “minimal” tree damage during Hurricane Milton but that fruit dropped from trees.
“Our approximately 48,000 acres of citrus groves, which are located in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands and Polk Counties, sustained hurricane or tropical storm force winds for varying durations of time,” the Fort Myers-based company said in a news release.
Preliminary findings by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, known as UF/IFAS, estimate that Debby, which hit Florida Aug. 5 with 80 mph sustained winds, caused $93.7 million to $263.2 million in agricultural losses.
Debby affected more than 2.2 million acres of agricultural land in the state, with two-thirds of the land used for livestock grazing.
‘It looks like a war zone’: Residents faced terrifying moments as tornadoes hit Palm Beach County
By comparison, Idalia, which made landfall in August 2023 with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, affected 3.5 million acres and caused production losses of $276 million. Beef cattle, dairy cattle, poultry, and aquaculture accounted for $157.6 million in estimated losses from Idalia.
The university-based institute has not yet released preliminary findings for Helene, which made landfall Sept. 26 with 140 mph winds, and recently began collecting data from farmers and ranchers to assess damage from Milton.
Milton slugged many areas that were still recovering from Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 storm in September 2022. Ian caused crop production and infrastructure losses of $1.18 billion to $1.89 billion.
Members of The Farmer’s Friend rescue a pig on Oct. 11, 2024, from floodwaters in Lithia caused by Hurricane Milton. (Chris O’Meara/AP)Adam Schiff, reviled by Trump and revered by Democrats, rallies support for Mucarsel-Powell
Looking to gin up turnout among Democratic voters, U.S. Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell turned to a party megastar Friday to energize activists, generate media attention and help raise campaign funds.
U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff of California didn’t disappoint some 90 Democratic activists who crammed into a Delray Beach campaign office at midday.
He offered fulsome praise for Mucarsel-Powell, criticism of U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. — and warned that democracy is threatened by the possible election of former President Donald Trump.
Schiff on TrumpSchiff focused mostly on the contest between Mucarsel-Powell, a former congresswoman, and Scott, the current senator and former governor.
But he has a unique perspective on Trump.
“I can’t remember a time when there was such a dramatic choice on the ballot,” Schiff said. “We are going to have to answer our kids and grandkids one day about what we did in this perilous moment when we are faced with such a choice,” he said.
“If you’re like me, you find it astonishing that it’s even close. How can this twice impeached, four times indicted, and 30 some-odd times convicted felon be competitive? I mean, this is a guy who was literally sitting in the Oval Office behind the (president’s) Resolute desk and signing hush-money payments to a porn star. She was apparently the only contractor who actually got paid,” Schiff said, alluding to Trump’s reputation of not paying the bills of people who worked for him.
The congressman became nationally known as someone who attempted to hold Trump accountable during his presidency. He was the lead impeachment manager in the first impeachment trial of Trump and was a member of the special committee that investigated and publicly detailed what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to block the certification of Joe Biden’s election as president.
Republicans so dislike Schiff that when they took over control of the House after the 2022 midterm elections they removed him from the Intelligence Committee, even though he’d previously been the committee chair.
Schiff’s actions made him a frequent target, and he still is. On Sunday when Trump said on Fox that he’d consider using the National Guard or other parts of the military to go after his critics if he returns to office, he cited Schiff as someone he had in mind. “But the thing that’s tougher to handle are these lunatics that we have inside, like Adam Schiff, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff … who’s a total sleazebag, is going to become a senator. But I call him the enemy from within,” Trump said.
Threatening to go after critics demonstrates Trump’s unfitness for the presidency, Schiff said.
“It just shows you how little commitment he has to democracy or institutions, how he’s willing to abuse the powers of office should he ever gain office again. It’s why we need such powerful champions of democracy, like Debbie in the U.S. Senate. But I’m really excited about her campaign. I think she’s going to win this race,” Schiff said.
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Is he concerned, and should the public be concerned about Trump’s talk of using the military to go after his enemies?
“When any would-be dictator tells you what they want to do, you need to take them seriously,” he said, before again pivoting to talk about Mucarsel-Powell. “I’m here because we need strong voices in the U.S. Senate that will protect our democracy and our institutions, but also who will make sure that seniors have the kind of dignified retirement that they should, that my parents did, and I want that for everyone. Debbie is going to fight for that and we need her voice in the U.S. Senate.”
Senate contestMucarsel-Powell was “a phenomenal champion” during the two years she served in Congress, Schiff said. “I got to see Debbie’s intellect, her passion for public service, her effectiveness.”
As for Scott, the crowd didn’t need any priming to express its disapproval.
When U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, brought up Scott — as “the other guy” and not by name — some in the crowd started chanting “snake.”
That’s a reference to a Mucarsel-Powell ad that debuted this week in which a large reptile with Scott’s head slithers around spreading unpopular policies.
Mucarsel-Powell later referred to Scott as “the biggest snake in Florida.”
“The man could care less about the fact that so many people here are struggling,” she said, criticizing his 2022 midterm election policy blueprint as “the preamble for Project 2025, where he proposes eliminating Medicare and Social Security, wants to raise taxes on middle-class families, and wants to eliminate Obamacare.”
At one point, someone in the audience yelled out, “Like your snake ad.”
“Well,” Mucarsel-Powell replied, “someone has to tell the truth.”
U.S. Senate candidate Adam Schiff waves to protesters in Delray Beach during the Florida Freedom Bus Tour on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Victory possible?The Democrats said victory is possible if their voters turn out.
“We’re just two and a half weeks out. At this point, there is very little persuasion going on. At this point, it is all about getting your voters to the polls,” Schiff said. “There’s a lot of hope that’s being placed on the state of Florida.” Schiff has some knowledge of the area. His parents lived in South Florida for decades, at Broken Sound in Boca Raton. His father died earlier this year at age 96.
The latest analysis from the nonpartisan Inside Elections newsletter, issued Friday, is less promising for Democrats.
“Democrats felt they were making headway in the Sunshine State before back-to-back hurricanes scrambled the political environment,” Inside Elections said. “Scott’s access to personal resources mean that he can spend as much as he wants in the final few weeks, but for the moment his allies are confident in his position.”
It rated the contest as “likely Republican.”
Campaign visitSchiff is all-but-guaranteed to win election to the Senate next month from California.
His election is enough of a sure thing that he’s been traveling the country helping other U.S. Senate candidates, something that could earn valuable political chits among his future colleagues.
Politico reported that he’s helping in “at least six out-of-state” U.S. Senate races, but he didn’t confirm that number on Friday.
“I don’t have the count. But I’m focusing on the House races within California as well as my own campaign. But where I have the bandwidth to help others I am, and I’m thrilled to be here helping Debbie in this tough race,” he said.
His visit to Florida was brief. He arrived Friday morning, did the event in Delray Beach, then headed to Miami. He was scheduled to leave Florida on Saturday morning.
Protesters stand outside as U.S. Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and U.S. Reps. Adam Schiff and Lois Frankel meet with a group of supporters in Delray Beach on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Republican perspectiveScott campaign spokesperson Will Hampson in a statement decried a “radical agenda” he said is espoused by Mucarsel-Powell and “Shifty Schiff,” the name Trump uses for him. “It’s no surprise Schiff is taking a vacation to come hang out in Florida and push for socialism here like he’s brought to California. Unfortunately, he’s going to find that Floridians want nothing to do with California Socialism.”
About 20 people supporting Republican candidates were at the venue, a Delray Beach office building that houses the Palm Beach County Democratic Party, well before the start of the event.
“I’m here to protest against the Democrats,” said Rocco Talarico, who said is retired from law enforcement, lives in the Town of Palm Beach, and is the South Florida vice president of Born to Ride for 45, a pro-Trump motorcycle club. He said he was “tired of what’s happening in this country: open borders, high prices on everything.”
Some others were less focused on issues.
Two men wearing Trump Make America Great Again caps held a banner that directed a two-word obscene phrase at Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee. In place of the letter “u” in the first four-letter word on the banner, it instead had the image of a middle finger. In smaller type at the bottom, it directed the same sentiment toward anyone who votes for her.
After the event, their numbers had dwindled to about a dozen, and they were closer to the Mucarsel-Powel campaign bus. Several began shouting comments such as “baby killers” and “Debbie’s a communist” as she and Schiff appeared.
Schiff waved at the protesters before boarding the bus.
Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com and can be found @browardpolitics on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook and Mastodon.
Top Dolphins-Colts prop bet predictions from Chris Perkins, David Furones
MIAMI GARDENS — The South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Miami Dolphins writers are picking out a pair of prop bets each week in the 2024 season.
Dolphins columnist Chris Perkins and Dolphins reporter David Furones, neither of whom condone gambling, will make predictions on player props they believe will occur for every Dolphins matchup.
Each writer will offer their “Best Bet,” a near 50-50 proposition they believe will occur, and a “Longshot,” which has to be given betting odds of at least +300, or 3-to-1 probability.
Odds are according to the Hard Rock Bet app. Also make sure to check out the Sun Sentinel’s game predictions for Sunday.
Here are their thoughts for Sunday’s game at Indianapolis:
Perk’s Best Bet: Dolphins +3 (-110)Yeah, I’ll take this one. I’m picking the Dolphins to win so this is a no-brainer. And especially with Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (ankle) out and quarterback Anthony Richardson (three touchdowns, six interceptions) starting, things are promising for the Dolphins. No, the Dolphins aren’t having a good season. However, they’re coming off a victory in which they rushed for 193 yards against New England, and the Colts have the league’s second-worst run defense. By the way, the first team to 17 points wins this game.
Furones’ Best Bet: Jonnu Smith over 17.5 receiving yards (-115)Give me this all day! The Dolphins unlocked Smith in this offense last time out at New England, and quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley proved he has quickly developed some chemistry with Miami’s best pass-catching tight end.
If Huntley keeps finding him in Indianapolis, Smith might even hit the over on this low of a number on his long reception of the afternoon. Shoot, he might even score the first Dolphins touchdown from a tight end since the playoff loss to cap the 2022 season.
Furones is 3-2 in his best bets while Perk has temporarily slipped to a regrettable 2-3 after the Dolphins’ game at New England.
Perk’s Longshot: Jonnu Smith first touchdown (+2,500)Let’s make some money. The Dolphins haven’t had a touchdown from a tight end last season or this season. One reason they got Smith was because of his red-zone possibilities. It’s time to put him to work in the red zone. To be clear, I’m not saying this touchdown comes on the Dolphins’ first possession or even in the first quarter. But I think the Dolphins’ first touchdown will be a red-zone touchdown, as opposed to a big-play touchdown. And I think Smith ends the Dolphins’ tight end touchdown drought.
Furones’ Longshot: Jalen Ramsey interception (+425)Ramsey doesn’t have one yet, and I think it comes in this one against Richardson, who although is a phenomenal athlete, may be prone to turn the ball over early in his career.
Ramsey has been lining up in so many different spots, and while Richardson may be wise to avoid him, he may simply lose track of where he is on a given play and toss him an easy one.
Ramsey has also been known to bait quarterbacks when they’re actively working away from him, and I could see it working against the second-year passer.
Both reporters are 0-5 on longshots.
Today in History: October 18, American shatters long jump world record by nearly two feet
Today is Friday, Oct. 18, the 292nd day of 2024. There are 74 days left in the year.
Today in history:On Oct. 18, 1968, American Bob Beamon shattered the previous long jump world record by nearly two feet, leaping 29 feet, 2 1/4 inches (8.90 meters) at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City.
Also on this date:In 1867, the United States took formal possession of Alaska from Russia.
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In 1931, inventor Thomas Alva Edison died at his home in West Orange, New Jersey, at the age of 84.
In 1954, Texas Instruments unveiled the Regency TR-1, the first commercially produced transistor radio.
In 1962, James D. Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins were honored with the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology for determining the double-helix molecular structure of DNA.
In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act, overriding President Richard Nixon’s veto.
In 1977, Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in Game 6 of the World Series to lead the New York Yankees to an 8-4 win and a 4-2 Series victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers; his success in the Fall Classic earned him the nickname “Mr. October.” Also in 1977, West German commandos stormed a hijacked Lufthansa jetliner on the ground in Mogadishu, Somalia, freeing all 87 hostages and four crew members and killing three of the four hijackers.
In 2018, President Donald Trump threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico if authorities could not stop a caravan of migrants making their way from Central America.
Today’s Birthdays:- Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka is 85.
- Composer Howard Shore is 78.
- Actor Joe Morton is 77.
- Author Terry McMillan is 73.
- Tennis Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova is 68.
- Boxing Hall of Famer Thomas Hearns is 66.
- Actor Jean-Claude Van Damme is 64.
- Jazz musician Wynton Marsalis is 63.
- Musician Ne-Yo is 45.
- Olympic gold medal skier Lindsey Vonn is 40.
- Jazz singer-musician Esperanza Spalding is 40.
- Actor Freida Pinto is 40.
- Actor Zac Efron is 37.
- WNBA center Brittney Griner is 34.
- Actor Tyler Posey is 33.
- Actor Barry Keoghan is 32.
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