The jury at Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial on Tuesday watched drone footage that showed Rittenhouse shooting Joseph Rosenbaum at close range during a night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last August.
The video, zoomed in and slowed down by a forensic imaging specialist, was played as the prosecution finished presenting its case, after a week of testimony in which some witnesses seemed to bolster Rittenhouse’s claim of self-defense.
Rittenhouse is a former police youth cadet from Antioch, Illinois. On the night in question he went to Kenosha with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle and a medical kit, in response to a militia that called for protection for businesses against protesters supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
The 18-year-old is charged with two counts of homicide, one of attempted homicide and two of recklessly endangering safety, for firing his weapon near others. He is also charged with possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor, as he was 17 at the time. He has pleaded not guilty.
The drone footage shown in court on Tuesday showed Rosenbaum, 36, following Rittenhouse before Rittenhouse suddenly turned and fired his rifle. Rosenbaum was shown to fall as Rittenhouse ran around a car.
Dr Doug Kelley, a forensic pathologist with the Milwaukee county medical examiner’s office, said Rosenbaum was shot by someone within 4ft. Rosenbaum’s hand, he said, was “in close proximity or in contact with the end of that rifle”.
Kelley said Rosenbaum was shot four times: in the groin, hand and thigh as he faced Rittenhouse and then in the back. Prosecutor James Kraus called that the “kill shot”.
Moments later, Rittenhouse, then 17, killed Anthony Huber, 26, who was seen on bystander video hitting Rittenhouse with a skateboard. Rittenhouse also wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, a protester and volunteer medic who carried a gun of his own.
On Monday, Grosskreutz told jurors he was armed because he “believe[s] in the second amendment” but that he did not shoot Rittenhouse because “that’s not the kind of person that I am … and definitely not somebody I would want to become”.
A Kenosha detective, Ben Antaramian, testified that authorities learned someone had recorded drone video, which played on Fox News, but were not given a high-definition version until Friday.
Prosecutors also displayed autopsy photographs of Huber’s body on a gurney and closeup pictures of a gunshot wound to his chest. Rittenhouse turned his head and lowered his eyes, and sighed deeply.
In the highly contentious trial, prosecutors have portrayed Rittenhouse as the instigator of bloodshed.
“The evidence will show that hundreds of people were out on the street experiencing chaos and violence and the only person who killed anyone was the defendant, Kyle Rittenhouse,” Thomas Binger, Kenosha county assistant district attorney, said last week.
Rittenhouse’s lawyers have said he acted in self-defense, suggesting he feared his rifle would be used against him. Rittenhouse’s lead lawyer, Mark Richards, said: “Other individuals who didn’t see [the Rosenbaum shooting] attacked [Rittenhouse] in the street like an animal.”
MENDON, Ill. — Former President Donald Trump used a rural west-central Illinois fairgrounds rally Saturday night to endorse Darren Bailey for the Republican nomination for governor in Tuesday’s primary as he also restated his backing for U.S. Rep. Mary Miller and took a victory lap for the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
“Darren is a farmer and he’s a fighter and he has been an outstanding warrior in the Illinois State Senate where he’s totally, totally respected by all of them,” Trump told a crowd of thousands at the Adams County Fairgrounds near Quincy.
“He will crack down on the violent crime that is devouring our Democrat-run cities and restore the state of Illinois to greatness. Darren has my complete and total endorsement,” Trump said, labeling first-term, reelection seeking Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker “one of the worst governors in America.”
MENDON – Darren Bailey, Republican candidate for Illinois governor, and U.S. Representative Mary Miller have a word after receiving an endorsement from Donald Trump during a Save America Rally with former President Donald Trump at the Adams County Fairgrounds on June 25, 2022. (Michael B. Thomas / Getty Images)
Bailey, an ardent Trump supporter who has actively sought the former president’s endorsement as the capstone for success in a six-way GOP primary race, said he will work to have Illinois welcome a new White House bid by Trump in 2024.
“Here’s the deal. I will not lie to anyone and I will not let anything go unnoticed. And when I see it, I will name it,” Bailey said after Trump told the story of Bailey plucking a misplaced hair out of the former president’s head during pre-rally picture taking.
“We have our work cut out for us here in Illinois, friends,” Bailey said. “I’ve made a promise to President Trump that in 2024, Illinois will roll the red carpet out for him because Illinois will be ready for President Trump.”
Trump lost Illinois by 17% of the vote in his winning bid for the presidency in 2016 and his losing reelection run in 2020.
Trump, who has often delayed endorsements unless he was sure of a candidate’s victory, predicted Bailey would “win the primary very big and you’re going to go on and win the election.”
Bailey, a 2020 Trump presidential nominating delegate, comes from a downstate region of Illinois where voters have solidly supported the former president, and he has sought to cultivate their backing in his bid for governor as a base of support that has gradually grown across the state.
He’s also been the most demonstrably outspoken critic of Pritzker, starting with lawsuits — ultimately unsuccessful — that sought to block the Democratic governor’s pandemic mitigation orders while promoting an evangelical rural populist candidacy that decries the cultural policies of urban Chicago.
Bailey is in a field of candidates that includes Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, investor Jesse Sullivan of Petersburg, businessman Gary Rabine of Bull Valley, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo and Hazel Crest attorney Max Solomon.
Trump’s visit also was aimed at bolstering turnout for Miller, whose freshman term has been buffeted by controversy, in a contest against five-term Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis in the newly drawn 15th Congressional District. The match up between Miller and Davis, an offshoot of Democratic redistricting following the 2020 Census, is the only one between Republican congressional incumbents in the state’s primary election on Tuesday.
Trump endorsed Miller on Jan. 1 and held a subsequent fundraiser for her at his Mar-a-Lago estate. But Davis has support from much of the local GOP establishment, including 31 of the district’s 35 county GOP chairmen as well as neighboring GOP Congressmen Darin LaHood of Peoria and Mike Bost of Murphysboro.
“With Mary, you get to elect a fearless America First Patriot,” Trump said. “She’s an incredible woman, somebody I’ve gotten to know very well. She’s been with me from day one. No bad back statements, you know, saying bad things about me two years ago, three years ago, one year ago,” Trump said, adding she is “a warrior for our movement.”
Going on to attack the two Republicans on the House select committee investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, the former president told the crowd, “If you want to send a message to (Wyoming U.S. Rep.) Liz Cheney, (Illinois)U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger and (Democratic U.S. House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi and the fake news media, then this Tuesday you need to cast your vote for a truly wonderful person, Mary Miller.”
Miller said that “on behalf of the MAGA patriots in America,” she wanted to thank Trump “for the historic victory for white life in the Supreme Court” but did not elaborate on what she meant. A campaign spokesperson said after the rally that Miller meant to say “right to life” but misspoke.
The court’s decision, Miller said, “would never have been possible if the Never-Trump RINOs had gotten their way,” — using the term to label Davis a “Republican In Name Only.”
After Trump’s speech, Davis predicted he’d win on Tuesday even as he sought to stress his support of the former president’s policies while in the White House.
“I’ve always said I’m proud of my conservative record of working with Trump when he was in office. Together we protected the unborn, defended the Second Amendment, cut taxes, secured our border, supported our police and farmers, and so much more,” Davis said in a statement.
MENDON – Supporters wait to enter prior to the Save America Rally at the Adams County Fairgrounds on June 25, 2022 in Mendon. Former President Donald Trump campaigned for U.S. Rep. Mary Miller for Congress and also endorsed Darren Bailey for Illinois governor. (Michael B. Thomas / Getty Images)
Trump sought to take credit for the appointment of three conservative justices during his presidency and their role in the 6-3 decision Friday that overturned the court’s 1973 ruling that gave women the right to seek an abortion without undue government interference.
“The court handed down a victory for the Constitution, a victory for the rule of law and above all, a victory for life,” Trump said. Citing generations of the anti-abortion movement as well as constitutional conservatives, “your boundless love, sacrifice and devotion has finally been rewarded in full.”
The crowd chanted, “Thank you, Trump.”
Trump, as is usual at his post-White House rallies, continued to try to push his unproven claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election while also attacking the House select committee’s investigation into his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Thousands of Trump supporters gathered inside and on the periphery of the fairgrounds, not far from the Mississippi River bluffs across from Missouri. Many sported red “Make America Great Again” hats, while some others wore shirts proclaiming “Jesus is my savior. Trump is my president” and “God, Guns and Trump.”
Clad in a shirt declaring “Free America,” Andres Rios, who said he grew up in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood before moving to Florida several years ago, maintained his belief in Trump’s unproven claims that his reelection was stolen due to widespread vote fraud, saying his belief was based on a cynical attitude toward Chicago politics.
“I just got tired of that stuff, you know?” Rios said.
Symbolizing the sway Trump still holds over Republican voters, Rhonda Goodwin of nearby Quincy, admitted to not knowing much about Miller’s two years in Congress but said the former president’s endorsement was good enough for her.
“Anybody Trump endorses is probably going to be the winner,” Goodwin said. “I didn’t do a whole lot of my own research. I figured his people have vetted her way more than I ever could and if he’s endorsing her, that’s all I need.”
Miller, who was born and raised in suburban Naperville, has aligned herself with the far-right extremes of the national GOP, a factor in winning Trump’s endorsement, and the former president and their allies were prominently featured at the rally.
MENDON – U.S. Representative Mary Miller from Illinois cheers with U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado during a Save America Rally with former U.S. President Donald Trump at the Adams County Fairgrounds on June 25, 2022. Trump stumped Miller of downstate Oakland in an Illinois congressional primary versus fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty)
Freshman U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who voted against state Electoral College vote certification, and has criticized the Jan. 6 investigation, told the crowd, “My girlfriend, Mary Miller, is the bomb. Illinois, if you want a fighter, Mary is your girl.”
Boebert, like Miller an opponent to gun regulation, attempted to criticize Davis as a Republican in Name Only in calling herself a “professional political RINO-hunter,” but ended up instead delivering a criticism of her colleague, MiIller.
“Now if you really want someone who’s just going to go to Washington, D.C., and play these political games and eat fancy steak dinners — I heard the beef is better, in Illinois, is that right? It’s better here, than it is in D.C.? — you want Mary Miller,” Boebert told the crowd.
Pearson reported from Chicago and Gorner reported from Mendon.
MOSCOW (AP) — The East-West faceoff over Ukraine escalated dramatically Tuesday, with Russian lawmakers authorizing President Vladimir Putin to use military force outside his country and U.S. President Joe Biden and European leaders responding by slapping sanctions on Russian oligarchs and banks.
Both leaders signaled that an even bigger confrontation could lie ahead. Putin has yet to unleash the force of the 150,000 troops massed on three sides of Ukraine, while Biden held back on even tougher sanctions that could cause economic turmoil for Russia but said they would go ahead if there is further aggression.
Speaking at the White House, Biden said the Kremlin had flagrantly violated international law in what he called the “beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.” He warned of more sanctions if Putin went further.
“We are united in our support of Ukraine,” Biden said. “We are united in our opposition to Russian aggression.” When it comes to Russian claims of a justification or pretext for an invasion, Biden said, “None of us should be fooled. None of us will be fooled. There is no justification.”
Hopes for a diplomatic resolution to the threat of invasion, which U.S. officials have for weeks portrayed as all but inevitable, appeared to evaporate. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled plans for a Thursday meeting in Geneva with his Russian counterpart, saying it would not be productive and that Russia’s actions indicated Moscow was not serious about a peaceful path to resolving the crisis.
Western nations sought to present a united front, with more than two dozen European Union members unanimously agreeing to levy their own initial set of sanctions against Russian officials. Germany also said it was halting the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia — a lucrative deal long sought by Moscow but criticized by the U.S. for increasing Europe’s reliance on Russian energy.
The U.S., meanwhile, moved to cut off Russia’s government from Western finance, sanctioning two of its banks and blocking it from trading in its debt on American and European markets. The administration’s actions hit civilian leaders in Russia’s leadership hierarchy and two Russian banks considered especially close to the Kremlin and Russia’s military, with more than $80 billion in assets. That includes freezing all of those banks’ assets under U.S. jurisdictions.
Biden, though, did hold back some of the broadest and toughest of the financial penalties contemplated by the U.S., including sanctions that would reinforce the hold that Germany put on any startup of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline; an export ban that would deny Russia U.S. high tech for its industries and military; and sweeping bans that could cripple Russia’s ability to do business with the rest of the world.
Biden said he was moving additional U.S. troops to the Baltics, though he described the deployments as purely “defensive,” asserting, “We have no intention of fighting Russia.” The U.S. is sending about 800 infantry troops and 40 attack aircraft to NATO’s eastern flank from other locations within Europe, according to a senior defense official. In addition, a contingent of F-35 strike fighters and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters will also be relocated.
Earlier Tuesday, members of Russia’s upper house, the Federation Council, voted unanimously to allow Putin to use military force outside the country — effectively formalizing a Russian military deployment to the rebel regions, where an eight-year conflict has killed nearly 14,000 people.
Putin said the crisis could be resolved if Kyiv recognizes Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Moscow annexed after seizing it from Ukraine in 2014, renounces its bid to join NATO and partially demilitarizes. The West has decried the annexation of Crimea as a violation of international law and has previously flatly rejected permanently barring Ukraine from NATO.
Asked whether he has sent any Russian troops into Ukraine and how far they could go, Putin responded: “I haven’t said that the troops will go there right now.” He added that “it’s impossible to forecast a specific pattern of action — it will depend on a concrete situation as it takes shape on the ground.”
The EU announced initial sanctions aimed at the 351 Russian lawmakers who voted for recognizing the two separatist regions in Ukraine, as well as 27 other Russian officials and institutions from the defense and banking sectors. They also sought to limit Moscow’s access to EU capital and financial markets.
With tensions rising and a broader conflict looking more likely, the White House began referring to the Russian deployments in the region known as the Donbas as an “invasion” after initially hesitating to use the term — a red line that Biden had said would result in severe sanctions.
“We think this is, yes, the beginning of an invasion, Russia’s latest invasion into Ukraine,” Jon Finer, principal deputy national security adviser, said on CNN. “An invasion is an invasion, and that is what is underway.”
The White House announced limited sanctions targeting the rebel regions on Monday evening soon after Putin said he was sending in troops. A senior Biden administration official, who briefed reporters about those sanctions, noted “that Russia has occupied these regions since 2014” and that “Russian troops moving into Donbas would not itself be a new step.”
Western leaders have long warned Moscow would look for cover to invade — and just such a pretext appeared to come Monday, when Putin recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk separatist regions. The Kremlin then raised the stakes further by saying that recognition extends even to the large parts of those two regions now held by Ukrainian forces, including the major Azov Sea port of Mariupol. He added, however, that the rebels should eventually negotiate with Ukraine.
Condemnation from around the world was quick. In Washington, lawmakers from both parties in Congress vowed continued U.S. support for Ukraine, even as some pushed for swifter and even more severe sanctions on Russia. Senators had been considering a sanctions package but held off as the White House pursued its strategy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would consider breaking diplomatic ties with Russia, and Kyiv recalled its ambassador in Moscow.
If Putin pushes farther into Ukraine, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg insisted the West would move in lockstep. “If Russia decides once again to use force against Ukraine, there will be even stronger sanctions, even a higher price to pay,” he said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the U.K. would slap sanctions on five Russian banks and three wealthy individuals. He warned a full-scale offensive would bring “further powerful sanctions.”
Zelenskyy said he was calling up some of the country’s military reservists but added there was no need for a full military mobilization.
In an address to the nation, Zelenskyy said his decree applied only to those assigned to the so-called operational reserve, which is typically activated during ongoing hostilities, and covers “a special period of time,” without clarifying what that means.
“Today there is no need for a full mobilization. We need to quickly add additional staff to the Ukrainian army and other military formations,” he said. The head of the National Security and Defense Council, Oleksii Danilov, said earlier this year that Ukraine can call up up to 2.5 million people.
___
Karmanau reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Madhani and Tucker reported from Washington. Jill Lawless in London; Lorne Cook in Brussels; Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal; Dasha Litvinova in Moscow; Geir Moulson and Frank Jordans in Berlin; Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations; Ellen Knickmeyer, Robert Burns, Matthew Lee, Zeke Miller, Chris Megerian and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
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This story has been updated to correct that Mariupol is on the Azov Sea, not Black Sea.
KYIV, Ukraine—Moscow deepened its military offensive in southern Ukraine, penetrating the city of Kherson and pushing toward Zaporizhya, as Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agreed to establish “humanitarian corridors” to allow civilians to leave besieged cities.
Negotiators, however, failed to reach any agreement on an overall cease-fire, and Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled that he is determined to continue the war.
March 4 (Reuters) – The United States and its allies heavily criticized Russia on Friday at the United Nations over its shelling and seizure overnight in Ukraine of Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant, and some demanded that Moscow not let such an attack happen again.
Many of the Security Council’s 15 envoys expressed “grave concern” and shock, warning against the possibility of a repeat of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster – a nuclear accident in Ukraine when it was part of then Soviet Union considered to be the worst in history.
They said the attack was against international humanitarian law and urged Moscow to refrain from any military operations targeting the nuclear facilities and allow Ukrainian personnel to be allowed onto the plant to carry out their work.
“The world narrowly averted a nuclear catastrophe last night,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, told an emergency meeting of the Security Council, convened following the seizure of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine by Russian troops.
“Russia’s attack last night put Europe’s largest nuclear power plant at grave risk. It was incredibly reckless and dangerous. And it threatened the safety of civilians across Russia, Ukraine and Europe,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
As shells hit the area early on Friday, a blaze broke out in a training building – triggering a spasm of alarm around the world before the fire was extinguished and officials said the facility was safe. read more
Ukraine ambassador to the U.N. Sergiy Kyslytsya called for all Russian forces to be withdrawn from the plant and a no-fly zone over the country to protect the civilian population from air attacks.
A general view of the United Nations Security Council meeting after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, at the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
Officials remained worried about the precarious circumstances, with Ukrainian staff operating under Russian control in battlefield conditions beyond the reach of administrators.
“France strongly condemns this attack on the integrity of a nuclear structure, which we need to guarantee,” Nicolas de Riviere said in his speech. “The results of the aggression of Russia against Ukraine are possibly devastating for human health and the environment,” he added.
United Kingdom ambassador to the United Nations Barbara Woodward said: “It must not happen again. Even in the midst of an illegal invasion of Ukraine, Russia must keep fighting away from and protect the safety and security of nuclear sites.”
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Raphael Grossi described the situation as “normal operations, but in fact there is nothing normal about this.”
Thousands of people are believed to have been killed or wounded and more than 1 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russian began its invasion on Feb. 24. Western nations retaliated with sanctions that have plunged Russia into economic isolation.
Russia’s envoy to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia dismissed Western uproar over the nuclear power plant and called Friday’s Security Council meeting another attempt by Ukrainian authorities to create “artificial hysteria”.
“At present, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and adjacent territory are being guarded by Russian troops,” he said.
Separately, France and Mexico are working on a resolution to the U.N. Security Council next week that will address the humanitarian impact of Russia’s invasion, diplomats said.
For LGBTQ mental health support, call the Trevor Project’s 24/7 toll-free support line at 866-488-7386. You can also reach a trained crisis counselor through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 800-273-8255 or texting 741741.
A Texas appeals court sided with the parents of a transgender teenager in a ruling Wednesday, rejecting Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to allow a child abuse investigation to proceed.
The ruling will allow a lower court to hold a hearing, scheduled for Friday, where lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal will ask a judge to stop the state from launching child abuse investigations against parents who have obtained gender-affirming care for their transgender children.
“This crisis in Texas is continuing every day, with state leaders weaponizing the Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate families, invade their privacy, and trample on the rights of parents simply for providing the best possible health care for their kids under the guidance of doctors and medical best practices. This appeal was always groundless and DFPS and the courts need to stop this egregious government overreach,” said Brian Klosterboer, an attorney with ACLU of Texas.
The Attorney General’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a nonbinding legal opinion issued in mid-February, Paxton equated gender-affirming care with child abuse. Gov. Greg Abbott followed that with a letter directing Texas Child Protective Services to open investigations into families that provide this care to their children.
While most gender-affirming care focuses on “social transition” — allowing a child to express their gender how they’d like — some transgender children take puberty blockers, a completely reversible medical treatment that’s prescribed for a wide range of situations beyond transition. Paxton and Abbott also cited concerns over gender-affirming surgeries that are rarely, if ever, used on children.
The state has opened at least five child welfare investigations into parents of trans children since Abbott issued his directive on Feb. 22, though the real number may be much higher. The state has declined to provide the number of active investigations, citing the pending litigation.
The ACLU and Lambda Legal have sued on behalf of a state worker who has a trans child and alleges she was put on leave and investigated by CPS after asking questions about the directive.
Last week, state District Judge Amy Clark Meachum granted a temporary restraining order blocking the state from investigating the family. Paxton immediately appealed that ruling, and on Wednesday, the Texas 3rd Court of Appeals ruled that it did not have jurisdiction to proceed.
Meachum also scheduled a hearing for Friday to hear arguments on whether to grant a temporary injunction until trial, and whether it should extend to all parents of transgender children.
The Justice Department’s criminal probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election is investigating his actions as part of that effort. And in Georgia, prosecutors conducting a criminal probe into efforts to overturn the election have said former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has served as Trump’s lawyer, is a target of that inquiry, his attorney said Monday.
“It has been terrible, really terrifying living next door to the gunfire, the explosions. It was one of the most horrible things I have ever seen in Mogadishu,” Abdisalam Guled, a former deputy director of Somalia’s national intelligence agency, told the BBC.
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