Florida
Judge allows Trump defamation case against BBC to proceed but tosses 1 claim
President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation case against the BBC remains on track, for the moment.
A federal judge in Florida ruled on Tuesday that Trump’s defamation claim could go forward, though he did not rule on the merits. The publicly funded British broadcaster had sought to dismiss the case.
Judge Jeffrey Kuntz did dismiss part of the case, tossing out a Trump claim that the BBC’s actions violated a Florida law concerning unfair business practices.
Trump filed his lawsuit against the BBC in December. The Republican president accused the BBC of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices related to a documentary, “Trump: A Second Chance?”
The BBC acknowledged that filmmakers spliced together quotes from different sections of the speech Trump delivered to his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, before the storming of the U.S. Capitol, to make it seem that Trump was directly urging violence.
The broadcaster apologized over the editing, and that was something the judge made note of in his ruling Wednesday. The head of the BBC and its top news executive both resigned. The BBC has denied Trump’s claims that it defamed him.
In October, a different judge in Florida ordered Trump to sit for a deposition in the case by Dec. 11. Lawyers for the BBC had complained that Trump was delaying his appearance in his own lawsuit. Charles Tobin, an attorney for the BBC, said that with two months left in the discovery period, “we still haven’t been able to depose the plaintiff.” The deposition deadline could yet be extended.
Trump called Kuntz’s latest ruling a major victory.
Tennessee
Former NFL coach Rex Ryan turns himself in after alleged hit-and-run
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Former NFL coach Rex Ryan turned himself in to Nashville police Wednesday on misdemeanor charges after he allegedly hit two pedestrians with his truck in a popular area downtown last week and then drove off after an argument, police said.
Ryan was driving a pickup truck when he allegedly ran over the feet of both individuals, who had the right of way crossing a main street in Nashville’s honky-tonk and music tourist district Thursday night, police said in a release Wednesday.
The pedestrians involved, who sustained minor injuries, waved Ryan down at another red light and said he stepped out to argue with them, according to police. They took a photo of the driver and the truck’s license plate, police said.
Ryan, an ESPN football analyst, was on the network Sunday for the NFL pregame show and Monday for a morning show, both of which are taped in New York.
Ryan showed up at Nashville’s Downtown Detention Center early Wednesday, according to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office. He was later released.
Online records did not identify an attorney for Ryan. A phone number believed to be Ryan’s had an automatic outgoing message, and a message could not be left.
Ryan was charged with two counts of leaving the scene of an accident, two counts of failure to give information or render aid and two counts of failure to obey a traffic control signal, according to court records. All are misdemeanors.
A judicial commissioner set Ryan’s bond at $6,000, but he qualified for pretrial release, which means he was released on non-financial conditions. He is scheduled to appear in court next month.
Ryan is a former head coach of the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, leading the Jets to the AFC championship game in consecutive years after the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
New York
Teen arrested in killing of Ghanaian student, 15, on his way to school
NEW YORK (AP) — A teenager was arrested Wednesday in the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old Ghanaian immigrant on his way to school, New York City police said as the victim’s family, Ghana’s government and civil rights advocates pressed for justice.
The 17-year-old male suspect was arrested on murder and other charges in the Oct. 29 death of Javits Frimpong, the New York Police Department said. The suspect’s name wasn’t released, and it wasn’t immediately clear whether he has an attorney who can respond to the allegations.
The killing has sparked protests in New York and prompted Mayor Zohran Mamdani to ask President Donald Trump to arrange a visa for Frimpong’s mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, to travel to the U.S.
“I need justice for my child,” she said at a news conference Wednesday, then broke down in tears.
Police didn’t say what motivated the gunfire on a Bronx street as Frimpong was walking to school. The teen’s family has said he was being bullied at school, and Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said last week that officers were looking into bullying or other possible motives, such as robbery. Kenny suggested there were “three perpetrators” involved.
News of the arrest came as Frimpong’s kin, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Ghana’s U.N. ambassador, Samuel Yao Kumah, gathered at Sharpton’s National Action Network headquarters for a previously planned news conference.
After leading a chant of “Justice for Javits!,” Crump noted the arrest, but added: “What we’re all wondering is: Why? Why did they kill this young man, this person with such a bright future?”
As Crump spoke, the teen’s mother wept on Sharpton’s shoulder.
Frimpong’s death has shocked Ghanaians, Kumah said, calling the arrest “a step in the right direction.”
Frimpong joined his father in the U.S. a year ago, seeking better educational opportunities, his relatives said. His father, Thomas Frimpong, said his son “was living the dream.”
The teen’s sister, Millicent Frimpong, said he aimed to become a physician and to follow in family footsteps by joining the military.
“He was so ready that he made me save my uniform for him,” she recalled.
She said he wrote in his journal that he was proud to be in the U.S. and that school was going well.
Thomas Frimpong has said that school bullies were bothering his son, a quiet teen who spent much of his time on his cellphone, but that Javits told him: “Dad, I’m OK.” Two students were suspended because of the bullying, the father said.
A message seeking information about the matter was sent Wednesday to the city Department of Education.
Judge allows Trump defamation case against BBC to proceed but tosses 1 claim
President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation case against the BBC remains on track, for the moment.
A federal judge in Florida ruled on Tuesday that Trump’s defamation claim could go forward, though he did not rule on the merits. The publicly funded British broadcaster had sought to dismiss the case.
Judge Jeffrey Kuntz did dismiss part of the case, tossing out a Trump claim that the BBC’s actions violated a Florida law concerning unfair business practices.
Trump filed his lawsuit against the BBC in December. The Republican president accused the BBC of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices related to a documentary, “Trump: A Second Chance?”
The BBC acknowledged that filmmakers spliced together quotes from different sections of the speech Trump delivered to his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, before the storming of the U.S. Capitol, to make it seem that Trump was directly urging violence.
The broadcaster apologized over the editing, and that was something the judge made note of in his ruling Wednesday. The head of the BBC and its top news executive both resigned. The BBC has denied Trump’s claims that it defamed him.
In October, a different judge in Florida ordered Trump to sit for a deposition in the case by Dec. 11. Lawyers for the BBC had complained that Trump was delaying his appearance in his own lawsuit. Charles Tobin, an attorney for the BBC, said that with two months left in the discovery period, “we still haven’t been able to depose the plaintiff.” The deposition deadline could yet be extended.
Trump called Kuntz’s latest ruling a major victory.
Tennessee
Former NFL coach Rex Ryan turns himself in after alleged hit-and-run
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Former NFL coach Rex Ryan turned himself in to Nashville police Wednesday on misdemeanor charges after he allegedly hit two pedestrians with his truck in a popular area downtown last week and then drove off after an argument, police said.
Ryan was driving a pickup truck when he allegedly ran over the feet of both individuals, who had the right of way crossing a main street in Nashville’s honky-tonk and music tourist district Thursday night, police said in a release Wednesday.
The pedestrians involved, who sustained minor injuries, waved Ryan down at another red light and said he stepped out to argue with them, according to police. They took a photo of the driver and the truck’s license plate, police said.
Ryan, an ESPN football analyst, was on the network Sunday for the NFL pregame show and Monday for a morning show, both of which are taped in New York.
Ryan showed up at Nashville’s Downtown Detention Center early Wednesday, according to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office. He was later released.
Online records did not identify an attorney for Ryan. A phone number believed to be Ryan’s had an automatic outgoing message, and a message could not be left.
Ryan was charged with two counts of leaving the scene of an accident, two counts of failure to give information or render aid and two counts of failure to obey a traffic control signal, according to court records. All are misdemeanors.
A judicial commissioner set Ryan’s bond at $6,000, but he qualified for pretrial release, which means he was released on non-financial conditions. He is scheduled to appear in court next month.
Ryan is a former head coach of the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, leading the Jets to the AFC championship game in consecutive years after the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
New York
Teen arrested in killing of Ghanaian student, 15, on his way to school
NEW YORK (AP) — A teenager was arrested Wednesday in the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old Ghanaian immigrant on his way to school, New York City police said as the victim’s family, Ghana’s government and civil rights advocates pressed for justice.
The 17-year-old male suspect was arrested on murder and other charges in the Oct. 29 death of Javits Frimpong, the New York Police Department said. The suspect’s name wasn’t released, and it wasn’t immediately clear whether he has an attorney who can respond to the allegations.
The killing has sparked protests in New York and prompted Mayor Zohran Mamdani to ask President Donald Trump to arrange a visa for Frimpong’s mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, to travel to the U.S.
“I need justice for my child,” she said at a news conference Wednesday, then broke down in tears.
Police didn’t say what motivated the gunfire on a Bronx street as Frimpong was walking to school. The teen’s family has said he was being bullied at school, and Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said last week that officers were looking into bullying or other possible motives, such as robbery. Kenny suggested there were “three perpetrators” involved.
News of the arrest came as Frimpong’s kin, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Ghana’s U.N. ambassador, Samuel Yao Kumah, gathered at Sharpton’s National Action Network headquarters for a previously planned news conference.
After leading a chant of “Justice for Javits!,” Crump noted the arrest, but added: “What we’re all wondering is: Why? Why did they kill this young man, this person with such a bright future?”
As Crump spoke, the teen’s mother wept on Sharpton’s shoulder.
Frimpong’s death has shocked Ghanaians, Kumah said, calling the arrest “a step in the right direction.”
Frimpong joined his father in the U.S. a year ago, seeking better educational opportunities, his relatives said. His father, Thomas Frimpong, said his son “was living the dream.”
The teen’s sister, Millicent Frimpong, said he aimed to become a physician and to follow in family footsteps by joining the military.
“He was so ready that he made me save my uniform for him,” she recalled.
She said he wrote in his journal that he was proud to be in the U.S. and that school was going well.
Thomas Frimpong has said that school bullies were bothering his son, a quiet teen who spent much of his time on his cellphone, but that Javits told him: “Dad, I’m OK.” Two students were suspended because of the bullying, the father said.
A message seeking information about the matter was sent Wednesday to the city Department of Education.
