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A man convicted of killing a gas station clerk is to be put to death by nitrogen gas in Alabama, one of two executions scheduled in the United States on Thursday.Geoffrey West, 50, is to be executed at 6:00 pm US Central Time (2300 GMT) for the 1997 murder of Margaret Berry, a 33-year-old mother of two, during a robbery in the town of Attalla.Blaine Milam, 35, is to be put to death by lethal injection at around the same time in Texas for the 2008 killing of Amora Carson, the 13-month-old daughter of his girlfriend, during an “exorcism.”According to court documents, the child was “beaten, strangled, sexually mutilated, and had twenty-four human bite marks covering her entire body in what the medical examiner called the worst case of brutality he had ever seen.”Milam’s lawyers have sought to halt his execution on the grounds he is intellectually disabled but the appeals have been rejected by the courts.Milam’s case was among those featured in a 2013 Werner Herzog documentary called “On Death Row.”There have been 31 executions in the United States this year, the most since 2014, when 35 inmates were put to death.Florida has carried out the most executions — 12 — followed by South Carolina and Texas with four each.Twenty-six of this year’s executions have been carried out by lethal injection, two by firing squad and three by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.The use of nitrogen gas as a method of capital punishment has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane.The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others — California, Oregon and Pennsylvania — have moratoriums in place.President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and on his first day in office called for an expansion of its use “for the vilest crimes.”Trump signed a presidential memorandum on Thursday directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in Washington, the nation’s capital, in appropriate cases.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan “knows about rigged elections better than anybody,” as he drew common ground with the leader often accused of autocratic behavior.Trump, who falsely claims election fraud thwarted his 2020 presidential bid, said he and Erdogan stayed friends while he was out of office — a period the American called “exile.”And Erdogan, in power since 2014, earned Trump’s praise Thursday despite a crackdown in Turkey on the opposition and the media. “This is a guy who’s highly opinionated. Usually, I don’t like opinionated people, but I always like this one, but he’s a tough one,” Trump said as he hosted Erdogan in Washington.It was Erdogan’s first bilateral visit to the White House since 2019 during Trump’s first term, with former president Joe Biden having a tense relationship with the Turkish leader he labeled an “autocrat.”Under Erdogan, authorities have targeted Turkey’s main opposition party with repeated arrests including of Istanbul’s powerful mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who has been detained since March on corruption allegations he denies. Trump has sought to sideline democratic checks and balances since he returned to office in January. He has also long shown admiration for autocratic leaders, often positively highlighting how long certain heads of state have managed to hold on to power. In August, Trump heaped praise on Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev — who has led the former Soviet republic for 22 years — when he visited Washington.”That’s a long time, and the only reason you can be in a country that long is when you’re very smart and very confident,” he said.Trump himself has repeatedly teased the prospect of seeking a third term — something barred by the US Constitution. 

The gunman who opened fire on an immigration facility in Dallas apparently acted alone and was seeking to “terrorize” federal agents, US officials said Thursday.Joshua Jahn, 29, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after spraying the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) center with gunfire on Wednesday.One ICE detainee was killed and two others were wounded but officials said Jahn’s intended target was ICE, the agency chiefly responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s pledge to expel millions of undocumented migrants.Nancy Larson, acting US attorney for the North District of Texas, told a press conference that a collection of notes found at Jahn’s residence laid out his motivations.”It’s clear from these notes that he was targeting ICE agents and ICE personnel,” Larson said. “He hoped his actions would terrorize ICE employees and interfere with their work, which he called human trafficking.”The tragic irony for his evil plot here is that it was a detainee who was killed and two other detainees that were injured,” she added.FBI special agent Joe Rothrock said Jahn apparently put months of planning into the attack and legally purchased the rifle that he used in August.Jahn opened fire on the ICE facility from the roof of a nearby building and the FBI director published a photo on X of five of his unspent bullets — one of which was marked with the words “ANTI-ICE.””His words were definitively anti-ICE,” Larson said. “That said, we did not find evidence of membership in any specific group or entity.”ICE’s prominent role in the Trump immigration crackdown has sparked widespread criticism over its use of armed, masked agents to conduct raids in public places against undocumented migrants.Trump blamed the Dallas attack on rhetoric directed at ICE by “Radical Left Democrats.”After ICE immigration raids in Los Angeles spurred unrest and protests earlier this year, Trump dispatched the National Guard and US Marines to the California city.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday urged Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stop buying Russian oil over the war in Ukraine, while hinting that he may drop a ban on Ankara buying US stealth fighter jets.Erdogan was making his first visit to the White House since 2019 — the same year Washington kicked Turkey out of the F-35 jet program over the NATO ally’s purchase of a Russian air defense system.Trump said they would talk “very seriously” about ending the rift over the high-tech planes, and said he was ready to lift sanctions against Ankara over the Russian S-400 missiles if the meeting went well.But he also pushed the key issue of Ukraine with Erdogan, whose country has refused to join international sanctions on Moscow and has even stepped up its purchases of Russian oil. “I’d like to have him stop buying any oil from Russia while Russia continues this rampage,” Trump told reporters at the start of the two-hour meeting in the Oval Office.Trump said Erdogan was “very respected” by both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and “could have a big influence if he wanted to. Right now he’s being very neutral.””The best thing he could do is not buy oil and gas from Russia,” Trump added.Turkey is Russia’s fourth-biggest trading partner, according to Europe’s Bruegel Institute, which tallied $52 billion worth of exchanges last year — largely fossil fuels and electronics.Trump, who said in a major shift earlier this week that he now believed Ukraine can win the war, insists Western allies must stop buying Russian oil and gas before he imposes any more sanctions on Moscow.- ‘Rigged elections’ -Known for his admiration for forceful foreign leaders, Trump has long shown a fondness for Erdogan and is embracing him despite a crackdown in Turkey on the opposition. “This is a guy who’s highly opinionated. Usually, I don’t like opinionated people, but I always like this one, but he’s a tough one,” Trump told reporters.”He knows about rigged elections better than anybody,” Trump added about his counterpart, after saying that they had stayed friends even while the Republican was out of office due to what he called a “rigged election.”But the F-35s have been a sticking point ever since Trump’s first term.Turkey was booted out of the flagship US fighter jet program six years ago out of concern that its purchase of the Russian system would give NATO’s main adversary a window into the F-35’s capabilities.The first Trump administration then imposed sanctions on Turkey’s defense sector.”He wants the F-35 and he’s wanted that, and we’re talking about that very seriously,” said Trump, who was wearing a badge of a gold fighter jet on the lapel of his suit jacket, adding that “you’ll know about that by the end of the day.” Turkey also wanted to buy more of the older F-16 jets, he said.Asked when US sanctions could be lifted, Trump replied: “If we have a good meeting, almost immediately.”Trump and Erdogan were also seeking to paper over differences on Gaza and Syria. Erdogan has been a fierce critic of key US ally Israel over the Gaza war.”President Trump has tremendous influence. I believe that we could, hand-in-hand, overcome all the bitterness and the problems in the region,” Erdogan told reporters through an interpreter.

US President Donald Trump’s administration dramatically raised the stakes Thursday in a clash over a possible government funding shutdown, telling federal agencies to prepare for new mass firings if it goes ahead.The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) warned in a memo that it would go beyond the usual practice of temporary furloughs during previous shutdowns, where Congress cannot agree on spending plans.Republican Trump is in a tense showdown with congressional Democrats over federal funding ahead of a fiscal deadline of midnight on September 30, which would trigger a fresh political crisis in Washington.Democrats have rejected Republican proposals, unless some of the spending cuts are reversed and existing health care subsidies are extended.Trump blamed Democrats for the looming shutdown when asked about the plans to lay off federal workers.”Well, this is all caused by the Democrats. They asked us to do something that’s totally unreasonable,” Trump told reporters as he hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office. Trump sought to wrestle the issue back to his core electoral message of a crackdown on migration, saying of the Democrats: “They want to give money away to illegals, people that entered our country illegally.”Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries earlier responded to threat of layoffs by telling the White House to “get lost.”Calling OMB chief Russ Vought a “malignant political hack,” Jeffries added on X: “We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings.”A shutdown would see non-essential operations grind to a halt and hundreds of thousands of civil servants temporarily left without pay.- ‘Insane demands’ -But the White House memo, obtained by AFP, also said that that layoffs are on the cards.It said “agencies are directed to use this opportunity to consider Reduction in Force (RIF) notices for all employees” in areas of government bearing the brunt of a shutdown.The term “reduction in force” is the same that the Trump administration used during its large-scale firings under tycoon Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) earlier this year.The White House also ordered agencies to submit their proposed staff reduction plans and inform employees.The memo blamed “insane demands” by Democrats and accused them of breaking what it called a 10-year trend of reaching bipartisan agreement to avoid shutdowns at the same time of year.Shutdown battles have become a regular feature of US politics under both Republican and Democratic administrations in an increasingly paralyzed and polarized Washington.Senate Democrats rejected a stopgap funding bill last week that was hurriedly passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives as it sought to avert a shutdown.Trump in turn cancelled a meeting on Tuesday with Democratic leaders in Congress, saying he would not meet with them until they “become realistic” with their demands.With both chambers on recess this week and senators not returning until Monday, the day before the deadline, time is running out to keep the US government funded after the end of the fiscal year.Republicans hold a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress but, due to Senate rules, have to get some opposition support.House Republicans warned on Friday that their members will not return before the funding deadline, forcing the Senate to vote again and accept their proposal or face a shutdown.The bill, if passed, would still only be a temporary fix funding federal agencies through November 21.Congress last faced a shutdown in March, when Republicans refused talks with Democrats over Trump’s massive budget cuts and the layoff of thousands of federal employees.

The United Nations told President Donald Trump it had launched a “thorough investigation” into what the US leader called “triple sabotage” during his visit to the organization’s headquarters.   The US sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday demanding answers about an escalator that failed, stranding Trump and first lady Melania Trump, as well as a malfunctioning teleprompter and a faulty public address system.”The Secretary-General informed the US Permanent Mission that he had already ordered a thorough investigation, and he conveyed that the UN is ready to cooperate in full transparency with relevant US authorities on this matter to determine what caused the incidents referred to by the United States,” Guterres’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said late Wednesday. In a long, angry social media post, Trump described the string of mishaps as “very sinister,” called for people to be arrested and said the US Secret Service was also conducting a probe.”This wasn’t a coincidence, this was triple sabotage at the UN. They ought to be ashamed of themselves,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.”I demand an immediate investigation,” he said.He was dogged by technical gremlins before and during his keynote speech to the organization and world leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly hall in New York.Footage showed the 79-year-old president and Melania Trump getting on the escalator at UN headquarters on Tuesday before it stopped with a lurch, forcing them to walk up.Then later, as he began his speech, he noted his teleprompter was not working.He spent much of the rest of the speech bashing the world body, accusing it of funding illegal migration that was turning the United States and European countries into “hell” and failing to support his peace efforts in Gaza and Ukraine.While Trump struck a mostly joking tone about the escalator, his mood hardened a day later.The UN has gently insisted that the teleprompter was operated by the White House.As for the escalator, Dujarric, the secretary-general’s spokesman, issued a note to reporters Wednesday saying that a videographer with the US delegation, who was filming on the escalator ahead of the first US couple, accidentally tripped a switch that caused the moving staircase to stop.  Trump also complained the public address system had been rigged so that his hour-long speech could not be heard.”The sound system was designed to allow people at their seats to hear speeches being translated into six different languages through earpieces,” said a UN official speaking on condition of anonymity.  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the Kremlin will become a target and Russian officials should check for bomb shelters if Moscow does not stop its invasion of his country, Axios reported Thursday.Russia has occupied about 20 percent of Ukraine and rained bombs and missiles on civilian and military sites since launching a full-scale invasion in 2022, with Moscow’s forces striking the government complex in Kyiv for the first time this month.Zelensky said that Ukrainian policy would also now put previously off-limits targets in the crosshairs, Axios reported.”They have to know where their bomb shelters are,” Zelensky told Axios in an interview. “They need it. If they will not stop the war, they will need it in any case.”Answering criticism from US President Donald Trump and his right-wing government over the indefinite suspension of elections in wartime Ukraine, Zelensky also told Axios that he would not seek to remain in power once peace comes.”My goal is to finish the war,” not to continue to run for office, he said.Zelensky said Ukraine would not target civilians in Russia because “we are not terrorists.”However, he indicated that Ukraine hopes to obtain a more powerful US weapon, which he did not name, to threaten strikes deep inside Russia.Axios quoted Zelensky as saying he had told Trump during a meeting in New York this week “what we need — one thing.”- Trump growing ‘impatient’ -“If we will have such long-distance weapons from the United States, we will use it,” he said in a clip of the interview released by Axios.US and European backing for Ukraine’s ability to strike deep inside Russia has often wavered, with Washington and European capitals nervous of provoking Moscow into an expanded conflict.However, Ukraine is now frequently hitting Russian energy industry installations and Zelensky said Trump had given him the green light to continue.He said Trump had told him that he “supports that we can answer on energy.”Trump said following his meeting with Zelensky earlier this week that Ukraine could win back all of its territory from Russia — an astonishing turnaround after months of saying Kyiv would likely have to cede land to its larger neighbor.The US leader also called for NATO countries to shoot down any Russian fighter jets violating their airspace, following a series of incidents that have rattled US allies in Eastern Europe.It marks a major shift on Ukraine for Trump, who told Zelensky during a televised Oval Office bust-up in February that “you don’t have the cards” to beat Russia.The change in views by the US president reflects his growing frustration with Putin since a summit in Alaska on August 15 failed to produce a breakthrough, and was instead followed by increased Russian attacks.Vice President JD Vance warned Wednesday that Trump was “growing incredibly impatient” with Moscow, saying the US leader “doesn’t feel like they’re putting enough on the table to end the war.””If the Russians refuse to negotiate in good faith, I think it’s going to be very, very bad for their country,” Vance added.

The White House raised the stakes in a clash over a possible US government shutdown Thursday, telling federal agencies to prepare for more mass firings by President Donald Trump’s administration.The memo by the White House Office of Management and Budget warned that the Republican administration would go beyond the usual practice of temporary furloughs during previous shutdowns.Trump is in a tense showdown with congressional Democrats over federal funding ahead of a fiscal deadline of midnight on September 30, which would trigger a fresh political crisis in Washington.The White House memo, obtained by AFP, said that “agencies are directed to use this opportunity to consider Reduction in Force (RIF) notices for all employees” in areas of government bearing the brunt of a shutdown.It ordered agencies to submit their proposed staff reduction plans and inform employees.The term “reduction in force” is the same that the Trump administration used during its large-scale firings under tycoon Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) earlier this year.The White House blamed a “series of insane demands” by Democrats and accused them of breaking a 10-year trend of reaching bipartisan agreement to avoid shutdowns at the same time of year.”We remain hopeful that Democrats in Congress will not trigger a shutdown and the steps outlined above will not be necessary,” the OMB memo added.- ‘Get lost’ -Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries responded by telling the White House to “get lost.””We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings” said Jeffries on X, going on to describe OMB chief Russ Vought as a “malignant political hack.”A shutdown would see non-essential operations grind to a halt and hundreds of thousands of civil servants temporarily left without pay.Shutdown battles have become a regular feature of US politics under both Republican and Democratic administrations, as Washington is increasingly paralyzed by polarization.Democrats in the Senate rejected a stopgap funding bill last week that was hurriedly passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives as it sought to avert a shutdown.Trump in turn cancelled a meeting on Tuesday with Democratic leaders in Congress, saying he would not meet with them until they “become realistic” with their demands.With both chambers on recess this week and senators returning on Monday, time is running out to keep the US government funded after the end of the fiscal year.Republicans hold a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress but, due to Senate rules, have to get some opposition support.House Republicans warned on Friday that their members will not return before the funding deadline, forcing the Senate to vote again and accept their proposal or face a shutdown.The bill, if passed, would still only be a temporary fix funding federal agencies through November 21.Congress last faced a shutdown in March, when Republicans refused talks with Democrats over Trump’s massive budget cuts and the layoff of thousands of federal employees.

The assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk hasn’t slowed his conservative youth movement — rather, it has energized it.”What happened ignited something in me. Like, he let down the flag, I’ve got to pick it up and carry it,” 16-year-old Kieran Owen told AFP.The Virginia high school student was among 2,500 people attending a Turning Point USA event on Wednesday evening at Virginia Tech University, four hours outside Washington.”We are Charlie,” the crowd chanted. Some attendees wore red caps with President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, others doffing white ones with “47” reflecting his current White House term.On each seat, organizers had placed a poster featuring a portrait of Kirk against the backdrop of the American flag.Staff at the “American Comeback Tour” event wore white T-shirts with the word “Freedom,” same as the one Kirk was wearing when he was killed.The 31-year-old was fatally shot in the neck two weeks ago while speaking at a Utah university as part of his popular public debate series.Owen recalled discovering Kirk on social media around the time of last year’s presidential election.”He did a live stream… I watched his live stream until like 1 am,” the soft-spoken teen said. “He really persuaded people.”A Christian with anti-abortion beliefs, Owen had been considering attending the Virginia Tech event before Kirk was killed.”Very shocking to me. No place for that in America,” he said of the political violence.- ‘Can’t silence a majority’ -Kayleigh Finch, wearing a cross and a T-shirt that said simply “Jesus,” told AFP it was “a more important time than ever to attend these kinds of things.””Show up and be here to show that you can’t silence a majority like this,” she said.Levi Testerman, 18, was attending his first political rally.”I actually kind of looked up to Charlie Kirk,” he said.”I saw him the first time on TikTok. I really enjoyed his message. I like how he went to college campuses, to talk to younger people, the upcoming voters of America, and I thought it was a great movement.”What happened really affected me… kind of gave me more of a drive to want to come here today to keep the legacy going that I feel he created. And change more people’s opinions.”It wasn’t only younger people mobilizing following Kirk’s death.Melissa Lucas Gardner, a 66-year-old retiree, said she had never heard of Kirk until he was killed.”I never listened to him until this happened. But as they said, it has created a whole new following,” the former police officer and hospice nurse said.”I didn’t know him. I know him now, and I’m definitely a follower.”She continued: “I believe in the mission that he had and what he was trying to do, to bring young people first to faith, faith in something.”Virginia’s Republican governor Glenn Youngkin addressed that vision in his address to the gathering on Wednesday.”You’ll be the next Charlie,” he told the crowd, before leading them through a prayer.