January 6 hearings: Trump became 'detached from reality' after losing 2020 election


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President Donald Trump shared "crazy" voter fraud conspiracy theories with his aides after losing the 2020 US election, his senior law-enforcement official said in testimony aired on Monday.

Former attorney general William Barr, appearing in a recorded deposition at a congressional hearing into the 2021 assault on the US Capitol, said Mr Trump had no interest in "actual facts".

"I was demoralised because I thought, boy ... he's become detached from reality if he really believes this stuff," said Mr Barr in evidence to the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection by supporters of Mr Trump.

Mr Barr compared the job of addressing Mr Trump's allegations with playing the game "whack-a-mole".

"When I went into this and would tell him how crazy some of these allegations were, there was never an indication of interest in the actual facts," he said.

The panel is holding six hearings in June to outline its case that the riot at the seat of US democracy in Washington was the culmination of a seven-step conspiracy by Mr Trump and his circle to overturn his defeat by Democrat Joe Biden.

Former Attorney General William Barr speaks during a video deposition to the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. House Select Committee/AP
Former Attorney General William Barr speaks during a video deposition to the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. House Select Committee/AP

Mr Trump repeatedly ignored advice from aides against claiming the November 2020 election was stolen, according to testimony given to the panel.

"We will tell the story of how Donald Trump lost the election — and knew he lost the election — and as a result of his loss, decided to wage an attack on our democracy," the committee's Democratic chairman Bennie Thompson said in his opening remarks.

Mr Trump released his first extended reaction to the investigation on Monday evening, with a 12-page statement in which he called the panel a "mockery of justice" and a "Kangaroo Court hoping to distract the American people from the great pain they are experiencing".

The second of six hearings was shown recorded accounts from the former president's advisers, including Mr Barr and campaign manager Bill Stepien, saying they repeatedly advised him not to declare victory on election night because he had not won — but that Mr Trump did so anyway.

"He thought I was wrong, he told me so, and that they were going to go in a different direction," Mr Stepien said.

Trump's year out of office - in pictures

Mr Thompson's deputy on the panel, Republican Representative Liz Cheney, said Mr Trump chose to listen to the advice of "apparently inebriated" former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani "to just claim he won, and insist that the vote counting stop — to falsely claim everything was fraudulent".

Mr Trump started pushing what came to be known as his "Big Lie" around 2.30am on November 4, 2020, declaring victory on the night of an election he lost to Mr Biden by seven million votes.

Mr Barr said in his testimony that Mr Trump claimed major fraud "right out of the box on election night ... before there was actually any potential of looking at evidence."

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km

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Australia tour of Pakistan

March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi  

March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi 

March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore

March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi

March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi

April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi

April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi

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A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.

It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

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Five famous companies founded by teens

There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:

  1. Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate. 
  2. Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc. 
  3. Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway. 
  4. Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
  5. Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Company profile

Name: Thndr

Started: October 2020

Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: FinTech

Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000

Funding stage: series A; $20 million

Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC,  Rabacap and MSA Capital

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs

UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv

Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium

Profile

Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari

Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.

Number of employees: Over 50

Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised

Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital 

Sector of operation: Transport

Updated: June 14, 2022, 6:32 AM