GOODVIBES, an exciting two-day event organised by students of the Diploma in Business program at Laksamana College of Business (LCB), as part of their Managing an Event module, was an initiative that provided an invaluable opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience in event management, honing their organisational, planning, and leadership skills.
It was carried out last weekend across Level 2, Level 3, and The Rooftop of LCB’s campus.
Participating students have meticulously planned GOODVIBES to bring the community together and celebrate local businesses under the mentorship of LCB’s Lecturer in the Department of Hospitality Pengiran Mohd Aiman Safwan bin Pengiran Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Mohd Jefri.
The event saw over 54 local vendors showcasing diverse products and services, ranging from food and beverages to crafts and lifestyle goods and provides a platform for local businesses to gain exposure, build their customer base, and grow their brands.
(ABOVE & BELOW) Some of the coffee and food vendors during the event. PHOTOS: LCB / HAKIM HAYAT
GOODVIBES was initiated with the objectives to equip LCB students with practical experience in managing real-world events, enhancing their skills and readiness for the workforce, fostering a collaborative environment for local businesses and the community to interact and support each other and amplifying the visibility and impact of small and medium enterprises in Brunei.
Vendors at the rooftop of the LCB campus.
Pengiran Mohd Aiman Safwan noted that “GOODVIBES is more than an event but is a testament to their students’ creativity and commitment to experiential learning and this event not only strengthens their understanding of event management but also contributes to the mission of fostering connections within the local community. – LYNA MOHAMMAD
N. Deanesh, 53, (third, right) was brought before the Magistrate's Court today on charges of killing his mother whose body was found in a refrigerator on Nov 12.
Lelaki itu mengangguk faham selepas pertuduhan terhadapnya dibacakan di hadapan Majistret Atiqah Mohamed @ Mohamad Saim, namun tiada pengakuan direkodkan kerana kes itu di bawah bidang kuasa Mahkamah Tinggi.
Tiada ikat jamin diberikan dan mahkamah kemudian menetapkan 7 Feb tahun depan bagi sebutan laporan forensik, bedah siasat dan laporan kimia.
--fotoBERNAMA (2024) HAK CIPTA TERPELIHARA
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) – A man was charged at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday with murdering his mother, whose body was found in a freezer on Nov 12.
N. Deanesh, 53, nodded when the charge was read before Magistrate Atiqah Mohamed @ Mohamad Saim. However, no plea was recorded as the offence is under the High Court’s jurisdiction.
He is accused of causing the death of his mother, Catherine Daniel, 77, at their home in Taman OUG, Brickfields, between March 21 and 26, 2021.
N. Deanesh, 53, (third, right) brought before the Magistrate’s Court. PHOTO: BERNAMA
The charge, under Section 302 of the Penal Code, carries the death penalty or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years, along with not less than 12 strokes of the cane, upon conviction.
The court denied bail and scheduled case mention on Feb 7 for the submission of forensic, autopsy, and chemist reports.
Deputy public prosecutor Nurainizatul Farhana Zainal appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was unrepresented.
On Nov 12, Bernama reported the arrest of a man following the discovery of a woman’s body in a freezer at a house in Taman OUG.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa confirmed that police received the information about the body at 8.48 am on Nov 12, leading to the man’s arrest.
FILE - Drake poses at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 1, 2019. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
(AP) – Drake has begun legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify, alleging they conspired to falsely pump up the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” a song that viciously attacked Drake amid a bitter feud between the two hip-hop superstars.
The petition in a New York court on Monday by the rapper’s company Frozen Moments LLC demands the preservation and divulgence of information that might be evidence in a potential lawsuit against the streaming giant Spotify and UMG, which is the distributor for the record labels of both Drake and Lamar.
In allegations that UMG calls “offensive and untrue,” the filing says UMG “launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves with a song, ‘Not Like Us,’ in order to make that song go viral, including by using ‘bots’ and pay-to-play agreements.” It said the company and Spotify “have a long-standing, symbiotic business relationship” and alleges that UMG offered special licensing rates to Spotify for the song.
FILE – Drake poses at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 1, 2019. PHOTO: AP
The petition also says UMG has fired employees seen as loyal to Drake “in an apparent effort to conceal its schemes.”
Universal Music Group said in a statement in response that the “suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
“Not Like Us,” the wildly popular Lamar single released in May as part of a flurry of dueling tracks by the two artists, includes the lyrics, “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young, You better not ever go to cell block one.” It has gotten more than 900 million plays, according to figures listed on Spotify.
Spotify representatives declined immediate comment, but in a statement on a previous case the company said it “invests heavily in automated and manual reviews to prevent, detect, and mitigate the impact of artificial streaming on our platform,” and in broader public statements has said it has gone to great lengths to mitigate the effects of bad actors on streaming numbers and royalties.
The feud between Drake, a 38-year-old Canadian rapper and singer and five-time Grammy winner; and Lamar, a 37-year-old Pulitzer Prize winner who is set to headline the next Super Bowl halftime, is among the biggest in hip-hop in recent years, with two of the genre’s biggest stars at its center.
The two were occasional collaborators more than a decade ago, but Lamar began taking public jabs at Drake starting in 2013. The fight escalated steeply earlier this year. The move to court, while not yet a lawsuit, still represents a major escalation of the feud and involves some of the biggest business partners of both men.
MELBOURNE (AFP) – Australia’s proposal to ban under-16s from social media platforms is “rushed”, social media companies claimed Tuesday, expressing “serious concerns” about potential unintended consequences.
The landmark legislation would force social media firms to prevent young teens from accessing their platforms or face fines of up to AUD50 million (USD32.5 million).
Platforms such as X, Snapchat, TikTok, and Meta have criticised the 24-hour time frame given for stakeholder comments, claiming a lack of consultation and inadequate details about how the legislation would work.
X said in its submission that it had “serious concerns” the ban would have “a negative impact” on children, adding it breached their “rights to freedom of expression and access to information”.
The company added that the proposed law was “vague” and “highly problematic” and that there was “no evidence” that it would work.
Australia is among the vanguard of nations trying to clean up social media, and the proposed age limit would be among the world’s strictest measures aimed at children.
The proposed laws, which were presented to parliament last week, would also include robust privacy provisions that require tech platforms to delete any age-verification information collected.
The government is trying to approve the law this week, before parliament breaks for the rest of the year.
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said in its submission the ban would “fail” in its current form because there was not enough consultation with stakeholders.
“More time should be taken to get this bill right,” it said.
TikTok raised concerns over the privacy provisions — including that they overlapped and contradicted other legislation — and the limited time to consult stakeholders.
“Its rushed passage poses a serious risk of further unintended consequences,” the company’s submission said.
Key details about how social media companies are expected to enforce the ban remain unclear.
Some companies will be granted exemptions from the ban, such as YouTube, which teenagers may need to use for school work or other reasons.
Once celebrated as a means of staying connected and informed, social media platforms have been tarnished by cyberbullying, the spread of illegal content, and election-meddling claims.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese insisted Tuesday that “social media is causing social harm”.
“It can be a weapon for bullies, a platform for peer pressure, a driver of anxiety, a vehicle for scammers and, worst of all, a tool for online predators,” he wrote in an opinion piece.
“And because it is young Australians who are most engaged with this technology — it is young Australians who are most at risk.”
The laws would give families “peace of mind” that their children’s well-being and mental health were being prioritised, he said.
If the proposed law passes, tech platforms would be given a one-year grace period to figure out how to implement and enforce the ban.
The proposal comes just months before Australians go to the polls in a general election that must be held in the first half of 2025.
A staff walks past a digital broadcast at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in Mumbai on November 22, 2024. Shares in Indian billionaire Gautam Adani's conglomerate rallied November 22 to pare the previous day's frenzied sell-off sparked by US charges alleging the tycoon paid more than $250 million in bribes to secure lucrative government contracts. (Photo by Indranil MUKHERJEE / AFP)
HONG KONG (AFP) – Asian markets fell and the dollar rallied Tuesday after Donald Trump warned he would impose huge new tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada on his first day in office, dealing a blow to hopes of a more moderate approach to trade policy.
The former and next president said on his Truth Social account that he would hammer the United States’ largest trading partners in response to the illegal drug trade and immigration.
The news dampened optimism that his pick to lead the Treasury, Scott Bessent, could temper the tycoon’s assertiveness, with fears now of another trade war with China and warnings that the move — along with promised tax cuts — will reignite US inflation.
“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25 per cent tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders,” he wrote.
In another post, he added that he would hit China with a 10 per cent tariff “above any additional Tariffs” on all of its products entering the US, citing Beijing’s failure to tackle fentanyl smuggling.
A staff walks past a digital broadcast at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in Mumbai on November 22, 2024. PHOTO: AFP
The announcement fuelled a sell-off across most Asian markets, though Hong Kong and Shanghai advanced in early exchanges.
The dollar surged more than one percent against its Canadian equivalent and Mexico’s peso as well as the Chinese yuan. However, the yen strengthened thanks to its safe haven status.
“In a striking return to hardline policies, President-elect Trump has dramatically escalated tensions with a brash promise to impose a sweeping 25 per cent tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico the moment he reassumes office,” said SPI Asset Management’s Stephen Innes.
He said the declaration “shatters any lingering hopes that… Scott Bessent might usher in an era of moderation”.
“Initially hailed as a beacon of stability, Bessent’s influence now seems overshadowed by a resurgence of Trump’s uncompromising ‘America First’ doctrine, which starkly excludes even the closest of allies from its protective embrace.”
Asia’s struggles came after another up day on Wall Street, where the Dow ended at a second successive record, helped by the choice of Bessent, though US futures were down Tuesday.
Bitcoin struggled below USD95,000 after dropping to a six-day low of around USD92,600 Monday as the Trump-fuelled rally that had seen it surge around 50 per cent to within a whisker of USD100,000 ran out of steam.
Oil prices extended Monday’s losses of around three per cent that came after an official said Israel’s security cabinet was to decide Tuesday on whether to accept a ceasefire in its war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. The stronger dollar was also depressing the commodity.
The United States, European Union and United Nations have all pushed in recent days for a truce in the long-running hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which flared into all-out war in late September.
TOPSHOT - Real Madrid's French forward #09 Kylian Mbappe shoots during the Spanish league football match between Club Deportivo Leganes SAD and Real Madrid CF at the Estadio Municipal Butarque in Leganes on November 24, 2024. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)
MADRID (AFP) – With Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior injured for the Champions League clash at Liverpool on Wednesday, superstar summer signing Kylian Mbappe will become their key attacking weapon.
The France captain has endured a tough start to life in the Spanish capital, on and off the pitch, but found the net for the first time in five matches at Leganes on Sunday in La Liga.
Mbappe was started on the left wing in his favoured role by coach Carlo Ancelotti for the first time and rewarded the Italian by opening the scoring at Butarque.
However the chance was created by Vinicius and with the Brazilian out for over three weeks, Mbappe will be responsible for stepping up and providing Madrid’s attacking edge in the games ahead, starting at Anfield.
Real Madrid’s French forward #09 Kylian Mbappe shoots during the Spanish league football match between Club Deportivo Leganes SAD and Real Madrid CF at the Estadio Municipal Butarque in Leganes on November 24, 2024. PHOTO: AFP
Liverpool lead the Champions League group table with holders Madrid down in 18th after surprise defeats by Lille and AC Milan in their first four matches.
Vinicius hit four Champions League goals in those games while Mbappe has found the net just once in Europe.
While seven La Liga strikes in 12 appearances is not a bad record, Mbappe’s performances have left something to be desired given his superstar status.
The French forward, left out of his country’s squad in the last two international breaks, believes he is finding his footing slowly but surely.
“I think I put in a good performance, I’m starting to get up to speed with my team-mates,” Mbappe told Real Madrid TV after the win over Leganes that took the Spanish champions second in La Liga.
“I can play in every position and I’m ready to help the team and give my all…
“I play on the right, on the left, in the middle and with two up top. It doesn’t matter to me. I want to help the team and score goals.”
Tactical question
Madrid coach Ancelotti had been resistent to giving Mbappe time on the left ahead of Vinicius, who also prefers to play on the flank than through the middle.
However with Mbappe finding the net just once in seven matches as a central striker before the Leganes game, the coach decided to tinker his plan by swapping the duo, although he said the decision was based on a fitness issue.
“Playing on the outside is more tiring than through the middle, Vinicius returned from international duty on Thursday and Mbappe was fresher than Vinicius,” said Ancelotti.
“He scored a goal with a fantastic assist from Vini Junior — they’re both improving bit by bit.”
Ancelotti will need to rethink his set-up for the trip to Merseyside to face the Premier League leaders.
Mbappe may be used as part of a two-man strike force with Jude Bellingham an option to play alongside him, after operating in a more withdrawn role this season.
The England star was vital for Madrid in attack last season, stepping into the hole left by Karim Benzema’s departure, but with Mbappe’s arrival Ancelotti moved Bellingham deeper in a bid to find some balance.
Injuries to Vinicius, Rodrygo and Lucas Vazquez, along with long-term problems for Dani Carvajal, David Alaba and Eder Militao have left Madrid’s squad extremely thin.
Mbappe, linked to a rape investigation in Sweden, which he labelled “fake news”, and embroiled in a battle with former employers PSG over millions of euros in unpaid wages, is already under a lot of pressure.
Ancelotti said Saturday speculation over the striker’s mental health was “ugly” and insisted Mbappe’s form would turn.
A goal against minnows Leganes lightened the load on his shoulders, and Madrid are desperate for more of the same from him against Liverpool.
FILE - President-elect Donald Trump speaks at meeting of the House GOP conference, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President-elect Donald Trump said Monday he intends to impose a 25 per cent tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada, along with a 10 per cent tariff on imports from China in response to the illegal drug trade and immigration.
In a series of posts to his Truth Social social media account, Trump vowed to hit some of the United States’ largest trading partners with sweeping tariffs on all goods entering the country.
“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders,” he wrote.
In another post moments later, the past and future president said he would also be slapping China with a 10 per cent tariff, “above any additional Tariffs,” on all of its products entering the US in response to its failure to tackle fentanyl smuggling.
Tariffs are a key part of Trump’s economic agenda, with the Republican president-elect vowing wide-ranging duties on allies and adversaries alike while he was on the campaign trail ahead of his November 5 victory.
Many economists have warned that tariffs would hurt growth and push up inflation, since they are primarily paid by importers bringing the goods into the US, who often pass those costs on to consumers.
But those in Trump’s inner circle have insisted that the tariffs are a useful bargaining chip for the US to use to push its trading partners to agree to more favorable terms, and to bring back manufacturing jobs from overseas.
The British High Commission in Brunei Darussalam hosted the UK-Brunei Business Forum and Networking Lunch at the Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Tuesday, fostering bilateral trade and investment opportunities between the two nations.
The event brought together UK trade representatives, businesses, and key stakeholders from Brunei’s public and private sectors to explore potential collaborations across pivotal sectors, including education, clean energy, digital technology, and maritime logistics, which align closely with Brunei’s development priorities.
Deputy Trade Commissioner for Southeast Asia Rhiannon Harries, led the UK Trade Mission to Brunei, which included representatives from renowned organisations such as Cambridge University Press & Assessment, Scottish Development International, Pearson, Newcastle University, and uTalk. The forum opened with welcoming remarks by Deputy British High Commissioner to Brunei Catherine Pochkhanavala-Cleeve, followed by an address by Harries.
Key sessions included a presentation on Brunei’s investment opportunities by Acting CEO of the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) Daniel Leong, an outline of Brunei’s Digital Masterplan by representatives from the Ministry of Transport and Info-Comms (MTIC), a discussion on opportunities under the CPTPP by Richard Colley, Director of Trade at the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, and an introduction to Scottish Development International (SDI) by Senior Trade Specialist Sanson Selvanathar.
Panel speakers during the UK-Brunei Business Forum. PHOTO: FADLEY FAISAL
Participants engaged in panel discussions and presentations highlighting Brunei’s potential as a strategic gateway to the ASEAN region. The forum concluded with a networking lunch, providing an opportunity for participants to establish connections and lay the groundwork for future partnerships.
Reflecting on the event’s success, Pochkhanavala-Cleeve said that the UK-Brunei Business Forum reflects the shared commitment to deepening economic collaboration, adding that the strong interest from both nations demonstrates the untapped potential to advance trade and investment in key sectors critical to sustainable development. The forum reaffirmed the UK’s dedication to strengthening trade relationships in Southeast Asia and underscored the importance of collaborative efforts in achieving sustainable economic growth for both nations. – Fadley Faisal
K-pop sensation BTS appears on NBC's "America's Got Talent" in September 2020. PHOTO: ANN/THE KOREA HERALD SOURCE
PARIS (AFP) – From the second stint in the White House for Donald Trump to a turbo-charged football calendar, here are five things to watch in 2025:
Trump 2.0
In the days after his convincing win in the US presidential election, Donald Trump named several of his nominees to form his future cabinet at the White House, ahead of his inauguration on January 20.
Apparel of US President-elect Donald Trump is seen in the inside of a car near the Mar-a-Lago Club on November 25, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida. PHOTO: AFP
With a list including vaccine sceptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary and Elon Musk co-heading a department of government efficiency, there is concern at what a second Trump term could mean for the United States, and the world.
His swearing-in ceremony in front of the US Capitol in Washington will see Joe Biden, 82, passing the mantle to Trump, who at two years his junior would become the oldest US president in history by the end of his four-year term.
Climate
Could 2025 be the year when our greenhouse gas emissions stop their steady climb around the world?
Researchers are pointing to signs from the world’s biggest polluter China, responsible for 30 per cent of global emissions, where fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions are projected to tick up only marginally this year.
This file photo shows a pipe installed as part of the Petra Nova Carbon Capture Project carries carbon dioxide captured from the emissions of the NRG Energy Inc WA Parish generating station in Thompsons, Texas, US on February 16, 2017. PHOTO: AP
Glen Peters, of the Global Carbon Project, says overall CO2 emitted by burning coal, oil and gas across the world could peak in the next few years.
This carbon pollution is the main driver of increasingly dangerous climate change.
But even if there is a peak, Ignacio Arróniz Velasco, of the E3G think tank, said countries cannot afford to “relax”, and should then quickly decrease their emissions to aim for carbon neutrality.
Football frenzy
Can there be too much of a good thing? In 2025 the question of football overkill and player burnout will likely dominate amid a supercharged calendar.
There is the expanded 32-club Club World Cup awaiting players in the summer, when usually they would have had time to recover from national leagues.
And this coming after a particularly busy season that sees a much-anticipated extended Champions League — the leading European club competition — in a new format.
All this is part of a trend in football to ramp up the number of high-profile matches — the next World Cup in 2026 will welcome a whopping 16 more countries, resulting in 104 games rather than 64.
The spectre of Saudi Arabia will also loom large as the host of the 2034 World Cup pumps more money into the game, with potentially transformative consequences.
Other controversies likely to cause sparks include the continued use of VAR technology, currently locked in a love-hate relationship with players, fans and pundits.
Kumbh Mela
The largest gathering of humanity on the planet will take place from January 13 to late February with tens of millions showered in rose petals and holy ash at a spectacular Hindu festival on India’s sacred riverbanks.
Classified by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, the mega-festival known as the Kumbh Mela takes place every three years.
The venue alternates between four holy places, in the waters of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, considered among Hinduism’s most sacred.
In 2025 it will happen in the northern city of Prayagraj. The last time the festival took place there, in 2013, it drew 120 million people.
Oasis and BTS comebacks
On the one side, the grisly bad boys of Britpop, on the other the fresh-faced darlings of K-Pop.
Both Oasis and BTS are set to return in 2025, much to the delight of their fans, after stints off the stage for very different reasons.
Led by the Gallagher brothers Liam and Noel, Oasis will return after a high-profile bust-up in 2009 — one of many — led to a 15-year split.
K-pop sensation BTS appears on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” in September 2020. PHOTO: ANN/THE KOREA HERALD SOURCE
The band behind “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova”, songs that achieved anthem-like status in the 1990s, go on a world tour kicking off in Britain and Ireland then heading to North and South America.
In the initial scramble to buy tickets from official sites, many fans who missed out sought alternative sources — leading to a landslide of ticket scams.
File photo shows members from the British rock band Oasis during a photocall in Hong Kong on February 25, 2006. PHOTO: AFP
It will be a very different vibe in South Korea, where wildly popular K-Pop boy band BTS promises to reunite in June after its members finish their mandatory military service.
It is the comeback millions of fans and an entire multibillion dollar industry has been waiting for.
Experts say the megastars’ return to performance and public life could lift South Korea’s cultural exports juggernaut even higher.
(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on November 25, 2024 shows
former US President Donald Trump (left) on February 15, 2024 and special counsel Jack Smith (right) on August 1, 2023.. Donald Trump's team welcomed what it called a "major victory" Monday after Special Counsel Jack Smith moved to dismiss the case against the US president-elect for allegedly conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY and SAUL LOEB / AFP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith moved to abandon two criminal cases against Donald Trump on Monday, acknowledging that Trump’s return to the White House will preclude attempts to federally prosecute him for retaining classified documents or trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
The decision was inevitable, since longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Yet it was still a momentous finale to an unprecedented chapter in political and law enforcement history, as federal officials attempted to hold accountable a former president while he was simultaneously running for another term.
Trump emerges indisputably victorious, having successfully delayed the investigations through legal maneuvers and then winning reelection despite indictments that described his actions as a threat to the country’s constitutional foundations.
“I persevered, against all odds, and WON,” Trump exulted in a post on Truth Social, his social media website.
(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on November 25, 2024 shows former US President Donald Trump (left) on February 15, 2024 and special counsel Jack Smith (right) on August 1, 2023. PHOTO: AFP
He also said that “these cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought.”
The judge in the election case granted prosecutors’ dismissal request. A decision in the documents case was still pending on Monday evening.
The outcome makes it clear that, when it comes to a president and criminal accusations, nothing supersedes the voters’ own verdict. In court filings, Smith’s team emphasised that the move to end their prosecutions was not a reflection of the merit of the cases but a recognition of the legal shield that surrounds any commander in chief.
“That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” prosecutors said in one of their filings.
They wrote that Trump’s return to the White House “sets at odds two fundamental and compelling national interests: on the one hand, the Constitution’s requirement that the President must not be unduly encumbered in fulfilling his weighty responsibilities . . . and on the other hand, the Nation’s commitment to the rule of law.”
In this situation, “the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated,” they concluded.
Smith’s team said it was leaving intact charges against two co-defendants in the classified documents case — Trump valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira — because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.”
Steven Cheung, Trump’s incoming White House communications director, said Americans “want an immediate end to the political weaponisation of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country.”
Trump has long described the investigations as politically motivated, and he has vowed to fire Smith as soon as he takes office in January. Now he will start his second term free from criminal scrutiny by the government that he will lead.
The election case brought last year was once seen as one of the most serious legal threats facing Trump as he tried to reclaim the White House. He was indicted for plotting to overturn his defeat to Joe Biden in 2020, an effort that climaxed with his supporters’ violent attack on the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
But the case quickly stalled amid legal fighting over Trump’s sweeping claims of immunity from prosecution for acts he took while in the White House.
The US Supreme Court in July ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, and sent the case back to US District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine which allegations in the indictment, if any, could proceed to trial.
The case was just beginning to pick up steam again in the trial court in the weeks leading up to this year’s election. Smith’s team in October filed a lengthy brief laying out new evidence it planned to use against him at trial, accusing him of “resorting to crimes” in an increasingly desperate effort to overturn the will of voters after he lost to Biden.
In dismissing the case, Chutkan acknowledged prosecutors’ request to do so “without prejudice,” raising the possibility that they could try to bring charges against Trump when his term is over. She wrote that is “consistent with the Government’s understanding that the immunity afforded to a sitting President is temporary, expiring when they leave office.”
But such a move may be barred by the statute of limitations, and Trump may also try to pardon himself while in office.
The separate case involving classified documents had been widely seen as legally clear cut, especially because the conduct in question occurred after Trump left the White House and lost the powers of the presidency.
The indictment included dozens of felony counts accusing him of illegally hoarding classified records from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and obstructing federal efforts to get them back. He has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.
The case quickly became snarled by delays, with US District Judge Aileen Cannon slow to issue rulings — which favored Trump’s strategy of pushing off deadlines in all his criminal cases — while also entertaining defense motions and arguments that experts said other judges would have dispensed with without hearings.
In May, she indefinitely canceled the trial date amid a series of unresolved legal issues before dismissing the case outright two months later. Smith’s team appealed the decision, but now has given up that effort.
Trump faced two other state prosecutions while running for president. One of them, a New York case involving hush money payments, resulted in a conviction on felony charges of falsifying business records. It was the first time a former president had been found guilty of a crime.
The sentencing in that case is on hold as Trump’s lawyers try to have the conviction dismissed before he takes office, arguing that letting the verdict stand will interfere with his presidential transition and duties.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office is fighting the dismissal but has indicated that it would be open to delaying sentencing until Trump leaves office. Bragg, a Democrat, has said the solution needs to balance the obligations of the presidency with “the sanctity of the jury verdict.”
Trump was also indicted in Georgia along with 18 others accused of participating in a sprawling scheme to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election there.
Any trial appears unlikely there while Trump holds office. The prosecution already was on hold after an appeals court agreed to review whether to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case.
Four defendants have pleaded guilty after reaching deals with prosecutors. Trump and the others have pleaded not guilty.
