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NATO and Ukraine to hold emergency talks after Russia’s attack with new hypersonic missileSome prominent critics of President-elect Donald Trump - including three officials in his first administration - are instructing their accountants to safeguard against the possibility of Trump ordering investigations into their tax records after he returns to the White House, according to interviews with Reuters. Several American administrations in the 20th century misused the Internal Revenue Service, the US tax collection agency, to target opponents by ordering audits of their tax filings, historians say. Six Trump critics, including two national security officials and one CIA officer in his first administration, told Reuters they fear a malicious IRS audit. Five are taking protective measures in response to the former president’s vows to seek retribution against perceived enemies. “We are going through our finances with a fine-tooth comb,” one of the former national security officials told Reuters. On the campaign trail Trump repeatedly called for the prosecution of perceived enemies, including Democratic President Joe Biden and his family, prosecutors who brought criminal cases against him while he was out of power, and former intelligence officials who investigated alleged ties between his 2016 election campaign and Russia. This week Trump filed a lawsuit against the Des Moines Register newspaper and its former top pollster, alleging interference in the November 5 election. While Trump has not spoken publicly about using the IRS as an instrument of revenge, Mark Zaid, a whistleblower attorney representing two of the Trump critics who spoke to Reuters, said many such clients fear that they could be targeted by the IRS with groundless audits. Even if no issue is found with their taxes, he said, an audit would force them to spend money on legal and accounting fees and stress them emotionally. A Trump spokesman referred Reuters to an interview that aired on NBC’s Meet the Press on December 8. ‘They went after me’ Asked if he wants to see investigations of his political enemies, Trump told the interviewer: “No, I don’t think so.” He then added: “If they were crooked, if they did something wrong, if they have broken the law, probably. They went after me. You know, they went after me and I did nothing wrong.” Since he won the election, Trump has been less vocal about going after his enemies. He has not named any of the individuals who spoke to Reuters. The critics Reuters interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity. They fear that talking publicly will make them more likely to be targeted. Another of the former national security officials told Reuters they have directed their accountant that there can be no “gray areas” in their tax returns and they must be audit-proof. A Republican strategist said he and his accountant are in negotiations with the IRS over more than $100,000 in back taxes. “We are hoping to settle with the IRS before Trump takes office,” the strategist told Reuters. Fifteen other prominent Trump critics did not respond to interview requests or declined to be interviewed. They include two senior officials in Democratic president Barack Obama’s administration, former CIA director John Brennan and former director of national intelligence James Clapper, and former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney. Brennan headed the CIA during an intelligence community investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election that concluded in a January 2017 report that the effort was aimed at swaying the vote to Trump. A 2018 bipartisan Senate intelligence committee report and Special Counsel Robert Mueller in 2019 reached similar conclusions and found contacts between Trump campaign aides and Russian officials. Both probes, however, found that the campaign did not conspire in Moscow’s interference operations. Last year, Trump reposted on his Truth Social platform a fabricated image of Brennan, Clapper and others behind bars with a caption suggesting they be tried for treason. Cheney was vice-chair of the congressional committee that investigated the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters and voted to impeach the former president. During the election, she campaigned for his opponent, Vice-President Kamala Harris. In a post on his Truth Social site last Wednesday, Trump said the FBI should investigate Cheney for her role in the January 6 investigation. “Liz Cheney could be in a lot of trouble.” A spokesperson for Cheney did not respond to requests for comment. ComplexThe US has one of the most complex tax systems in the world. But, in general, tax audits are rare. For all returns filed for tax years 2013 through 2021, the most recent long-term data available, the IRS audited just 0.44% of individual returns. An audit typically requires a taxpayer to produce receipts, bank statements or other documents and can involve costly accountants’ fees. A major audit can last months and even years with the possibility of a fine. In extremely rare cases - less than 400 in 2023 - people can be jailed for wilful criminal tax evasion. The IRS said in a statement to Reuters that they operated without political bias. “Audits and collections are handled by career, non-partisan civil servants, and the IRS has safeguards in place to protect the exam and collection process,” the IRS said. Three of those who told Reuters they were worried about the prospect of heightened IRS scrutiny of their finances cited the cases of former FBI director James Comey and his deputy Andrew McCabe, who were selected for the most intrusive type of examination, called a National Research Program audit. “Would I be surprised if I got an IRS audit? No.” said the former CIA official. The FBI leaders infuriated Trump during his first term over their handling of the Russia investigation. In his first term Trump repeatedly called both men corrupt and said they should be investigated. In June 2024, Trump reposted a warning by his former White House advisor Steve Bannon that McCabe should be worried about being targeted if Trump wins re-election. Comey was subjected to an IRS audit in 2019, when Trump was still in office. McCabe was audited in 2021, after Trump left office, but when the IRS was still under the leadership of Trump’s choice to head the agency, according to The New York Times. The audits concluded that the IRS owed Comey and his wife $347, according to The New York Times. McCabe and his wife owed a small amount, which they paid, The Times reported. A 2022 IRS inspector general’s report cleared the IRS of wrongdoing in the Comey and McCabe audits. The IRS is barred by law from discussing individual audits. Nixon and the IRS Several previous US administrations have used the IRS to seek retribution against political enemies, according to the 1989 book *A Law Unto Itself: Power, Politics, and the IRS, by former New York Times investigative journalist David Burnham, who died in October. Those presidents include Calvin Coolidge, a Republican, and Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat. Richard Nixon, a Republican, also ordered the agency to audit people on his enemies’ list - but the IRS commissioner at the time refused, said Timothy Naftali, a historian and former director of the Nixon Presidential Library in California. “There’s certainly a lot of people in the Nixon era who were quite convinced that Nixon had audited them,” Naftali said. Brian Davis, an accountant in Virginia who has handled audits for clients, said under US laws put in place after Nixon left office a president cannot directly order an audit. However, “the fact that Comey and McCabe got those audits, it certainly raised some questions,” he added. Comey and McCabe declined requests for interviews. Jamie Raskin, a senior House Democrat who was a lead prosecutor in Trump’s second impeachment, said many members of Congress are keeping a close eye on who Trump will target, and how. “Everybody is clearly following the various threats being levelled against private citizens and public officials,” Raskin said.
US President Joe Biden on Sunday said deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad should be "held accountable" but called the nation's political upheaval a "historic opportunity" for Syrians to rebuild their country. In the first full US reaction to Assad's overthrow by an Islamist-led coalition of rebel factions, Biden also warned that Washington will "remain vigilant" against the emergence of terrorist groups, announcing that US forces had just conducted fresh strikes against militants from the Islamic State organization. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.ABC has made the holiday season a little brighter thanks to The Great Christmas Light Fight . Season 12 is currently underway with more elaborate and unique displays. Even though Carter Oosterhouse has been judging for more than a decade, the longtime judge continues to be impressed. The construction expert and interior designer Taniya Nayak has the difficult task of deciding who out of the four families they visit in each episode takes home $50,000 and the coveted trophy. Here Oosterhouse talks about the show’s longevity and what his residence looks like during the holidays with his wife, actress Amy Smart . It’s amazing how this show has become such an annual holiday tradition for families to watch together. Carter Oosterhouse: The Great Christmas Light Fight is the gift that keeps on giving. The more we are on, the more people come up to me at the airport and reflect on how it’s a tradition for them. They tell me, “We know it’s Christmas time when we see this show come on air.” The family programming this embodies is so sweet and perfect for the holiday season. You have the holiday movies on, which are nostalgic and fun. This is a little bit different, yet gives the same moment for families to gather and have a nice little night at home. How would you say your judging eye has evolved? That’s a good question. I think sometimes as a judge you don’t even realize how these displays continue to get better. And it’s not just bigger. It’s more than more lights. I always say I can pick the winner right when the lights go on, but that’s not always true because now what I’ve seen is the creativity level has skyrocketed. People are more and more creative than ever before. It’s not just about putting lights on a tree or making sure the balance is correct or the color profile is engaging and interesting. It’s really about creativity. What that means is people are starting to tell stories with their lights. That’s fascinating. In scripted or nonscripted TV, it’s all about telling a story. When you watch something, that is why you keep going back to it. Now these families with these light displays are telling stories. As the viewer, it’s so much more dynamic and interesting to the point you have to scratch your head and say, “I’m blown away. I’m shocked. Just when you think you’ve seen them all, you haven’t.” Technology has also advanced within these displays through computer programming and drones. The technology is there and every year it gets better. Sometimes we do have people who are extremely good with computers and putting light and synchronized lights together, but that’s not always the winner. I don’t want to say it’s usually not the winner, but it seems to me what I have learned is over time I go back to the creative ones. Those are going to be the winners. If they can throw tech in there, even better because it makes it faster, more efficient maybe, and more interesting to some degree. As far as technology goes, every year we’re seeing something different. The light fighters who have been doing it for decades and are at the forefront of this technology, really geek out over that. I do too. I love learning more about it. Then some people who are doing it for the first time knock your socks off because they have no frame of reference. They just want to do something they want to do and in their mind is really cool. I’m always amazed at the dedication of these participants. The light fighters work extremely hard. They are very diligent with what they are doing. The families are in the grind. When September comes around, they are starting to put their lights up and it’s all hands on deck. It’s a lot of work. As a judge too, I want to make sure I applaud them and give them the credit they deserve. It is impressive to see the lengths they go. These guys are beyond the next level. They know the drill. They take the kids to school, go to work, and then come home to start working on their display at all hours of the night. Then they get up the next day and do the same thing. The cool thing is I’d say 99 percent of the people are happy to do this for their community. That’s the best part. On your travels, have there been places you never thought about going but are glad you went? For Trading Spaces , we traveled all over the United States. I think that was the indoctrination of a really crazy travel schedule. I’d say the good thing is I can go back to some of these areas. To your point, I do get to see areas that have lit up these lights or sometimes they are theme parks because we do heavyweights as well. We get into bigger areas that have the capability of dressing it up. Those are eye-opening. I’m in this last round of shooting right now where there are plenty of places I’ve said, “I want to bring my daughter back here.” That’s a sign they’ve done a really good job. You and Taniya are solo judging in these episodes, but do you talk much? We touch base a couple of times during the season and before. It’s funny because it is all very similar for us. There is a progression of what these light fighters are doing. I always feel like I can figure it out if they are going to be a top tier when the lights go on. Lately, I feel as you’ve gotten into it, this is not what I expected at all and even better. That’s fun. Taniya and I have been on the same page with all that. Does this being known for this show put pressure on you at home to deliver a good display? Does Amy get you to work? Good question. It used to be my wife saying, “So what are we doing? Why aren’t we having any lights?” I say, “I am the judge of The Great Christmas Light Fight . I feel like I would not do a service and carry out the oath of being a judge and fail miserably putting lights up.” Usually, when I get home it’s a lot closer to Christmas. So, we do the inside. I’ve been trying to bring back things people make as a builder and duplicate them. There are a lot of makers out there. You see this guy who has been working in his workshop, who has this crazy Santa Claus walking up a ladder built on a timing system. I think that’s really cool that I want to go home and do that. So I have dabbled in those. You mentioned you’re filming right now for next year. Do you go back and watch the episodes airing as a family at home? We try to, absolutely, when I’m not shooting for next year. We critique. If my daughter is into it, I feel like I’m doing my job. There are tons of shows she can watch, especially during the holidays. I feel if she is into it, I’m doing alright. What’s your go-to Christmas movies to watch? Do you watch Amy’s movie Just Friends ? I feel sometimes people forget that is a Christmas movie. Just Friends , we do watch that. That is definitely a Christmas movie. We go back to all the nostalgic movies. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation , we run back through all that. Now there are all these shows, too. Like these Christmas baking shows. I feel like those are of interest to us too. I guess we’re finding shows I never thought I would watch and falling into. Also, being on a show this long, we’re so thankful it has been on the air this long and having such a successful run. You go through a rollercoaster of emotions. Right now, we’re doing great. It’s fun. It’s a new interest not just on the show but on Christmas too. It’s all about being loved ones. This experience has really helped me dive deeper into the whole Christmas world and look at it from other angles compared to when I first started on the show. Anything you can tease about the episodes to come? There is one episode that is coming up, and what was really of interest was the coordination. Not just of the lights but things that these blow molds were doing within the light display. We see a lot of coordination from the tech world, but when you can take traditional elements and mix those into a newer feel, that was really impressive. There was this choir of blow molds in the show, and that was so dynamic because you think, “Wait? Are those blow molds singing to me now?” There was a ton of them. Not only was it visually interesting but to hear it was amazing. What do you want to see from the show moving forward? I do like the heavyweights. Those are really fun to shoot because they are on such a different level. It’s also the community is helping out as well. You just have more people involved. I’d like to see more of those to tell you the truth because there seems to be a lot more people, which creates a bigger energy. That’s not to say the homes don’t do that. We only do one of these types of episodes a year, but I’d love to see more of them. The Great Christmas Light Fight , Thursdays, 8/7c, ABC More Headlines:
Former Manchester United winger Nani has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 38. The Portuguese forward , who won the European Championships with his country, joined United in 2007 for a fee of £21m from Sporting. His arrival coincided with the arrival of his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford . He would eventually leave Manchester in 2015 but not before making 230 appearances for the club, scoring 41 goals and grabbing 70 assists. While at United, he also won four Premier League titles, the Champions League , the Club World Cup, two Carabao Cups and four Community Shields. READ MORE: Nani fires warning to United players READ MORE: Nani has told United to give Amorim two things After United, he moved to Fenerbahce and his career would take him all over the world, playing in the likes of Spain with Valencia, Italy with Lazio, USA with Orlando City before eventually returning to Portugal in the summer with Estrella Amadora. After featuring ten times for them and scoring one goal, Nani took to social media to announce his retirement and hinted at his future plans. In his statement, he said: "As everyone knows, everything comes to an end. And, at this moment, I’ve taken the time to make a very important decision. "Perhaps the most important decision of my professional life, which is the decision to stop playing as a professional player. I’m going to, as they say, hang up the boots. Nani celebrates scoring for Manchester United "But I do so with a sense of duty fulfilled, mission accomplished - as an athlete, as a teammate, and as a professional. I believe it was a beautiful career, a career filled with many achievements. "And for that reason, the time has come when it’s important to make this decision. The opportunties that have come my way now indicate that I’m ready to move forward in these new paths. "For instance, the academy I’m building here for young people, where I’ll be able to work alongside them and enjoy these wonderful moments. The difficult moments I’ve recently experienced - like losing my father not long ago - made me realise that I want to spend more time with my family. "I want to make the most of my time with my children, my wife, my mother, my siblings, cousins, uncles and aunts. They also need me, and I need to be with them because it’s very important. "I couldn’t leave without sharing this message with you and thanking everyone who helped me achieve all my goals, all those titles, all those battles and overcome every obstacle that appeared in my path. Football has given me so much, it has brought me so many opportunities, and I believe that, at this moment, my duty is to give back everything football has given me. "I now have a great opportunity to do so. So, a big hug to everyone. Thank you, and see you soon."‘Christmas Light Fight’ Host Carter Oosterhouse on Holiday Traditions, Marriage to Amy Smart & More
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