The Department of Justice has refused to supply signed declarations from Trump administration officials pledging not to to create the nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” that critics have a labelled a “slush fund” that would reward January 6 rioters and other Trump allies.

In a court filing, a top Justice Department lawyer said Judge Leonie Brinkema’s demand for the sworn documents as a condition for dismissing a lawsuit over the controversial fund proposal amounted to judicial “overreach.”

“Such declarations are unnecessary and the compelled testimony of senior officials from the Executive Branch implicates serious separation of powers concerns,” wrote Andrew Block, senior counsel to Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr.

In his Friday filing, Block cited acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s recent congressional testimony that the fund was “not going forward, period.”

He also said that he has twice signed briefs “reaffirming” that position, and that the Justice Department “has twice said substantially the same thing in open court.”

“All these statements were made against the backdrop of serious penalties for falsity,” he wrote.

Earlier this month, the judge issued a preliminary injunction that blocks the government from establishing the compensation fund.

During a court hearing on June 12, Brinkema stressed that Blanche’s congressional testimony wasn’t enough to satisfy her.

She gave him, Woodward and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent until Friday to file the declarations if they wanted her to declare a lawsuit over the fund as moot.

Brinkema also warned that if the declarations weren’t filed by her deadline, she would issue a scheduling order and require the defendants to file a response by July 17.

Block now says that “such declarations are unnecessary.”

The lead plaintiff in the case is Andrew Floyd, a former federal prosecutor who alleged that he was fired for prosecuting Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 to try to prevent Congress from certifying his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Blanche and other administration officials have insisted that they are following the court’s order and abandoning plans for the fund, but officials have also suggested that they are still looking for pathways to issue payouts.

The Justice Department said the fund was being created as part of an alleged settlement agreement between Trump and his own administration. Trump agreed to dismiss a lawsuit against the IRS, which he sued for $10 billion over the leak of his tax returns by an agency contractor.

The deal also includes a provision that bars the Justice Department and IRS from taking legal action against Trump, his sons Don Jr. and Eric, and the Trump Organization for any other past alleged wrongdoing.

The president has claimed he wasn’t involved in discussions about creating the fund, which would ostensibly compensate people who Blanche said were the “victims of lawfare” by the Biden administration.

But the president has also said he “loves” the idea. He recently told NBC’s Meet the Press that “it was up to me, I’d pay them the kind of money that they deserve.”

“People have been destroyed. Lives have been destroyed,” Trump said during a June 12 interview that aired two days later.

The sitdown in Wisconsin ended abruptly when Trump got angry and stormed off after host Kristen Welker pressed him for evidence to support his unfounded claims that the 2020 election and the recent California gubernatorial primary were “rigged.”

“You’re either crooked or you’re stupid,” he said. “You play right into their hands with this crap.”

Tees Folk will make its comeback, returning to the Stockton Globe on Saturday, September 19, , after a year-long pause in 2025.

The third edition of the event promises a fresh line-up of contemporary and traditional talent, headlined by Mercury Music Prize nominees The Unthanks.

John Smith (Image: Supplied)

Rachel and Becky Unthank, performing for the first time at the Stockton Globe, will lead their full 10-piece band in what will be the last chance to see The Unthanks in 2026 performing with their full 10-piece band.

Described as “one of the UK’s most acclaimed folk acts,” The Unthanks are known for blending time-honoured traditions with contemporary influences, creating what organisers call a “powerful, moving and captivating” live experience.

Returning to the stage is Middlesbrough’s Amelia Coburn, who performed at the inaugural Tees Folk in 2023.

Since then, she has completed a sold-out solo UK tour and supported major acts including Paul Weller, Suzanne Vega and The Proclaimers.

The festival will also welcome acclaimed singer-songwriter John Smith, who has spent two decades at the forefront of British folk guitar music.

Poster (Image: Supplied)

With more than 125 million Spotify streams, the Essex-born artist is known for his “deeply romantic songwriting” and “innovative guitar work.”

John Smith has performed around the world and built a loyal following.

Completing the line-up is East Cleveland’s Dale Husband, who performs as Glad Town Ghost.

Mr Husband’s sound blends vivid, post-industrial storytelling with American folk influences, for fans of Jackson C Frank and Cormac McCarthy.

His solo concept album, The Endless Heavy Sleep, came in 2020.

Organisers promise that Tees Folk will once again transform the Stockton Globe with its unique atmosphere and eclectic mix of carefully curated traditional and contemporary sounds. “There will be no shortage of emotive storytelling and harmonious melodies.”

Tickets are available now through the Stockton Globe website.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit stocktonglobe.co.uk.

A reader gives his view on which was the best year ever for video games but do his opinions stand up to scrutiny or is it all just nostalgia talking?

The debate about the best year in video game history never ceases. There are so many years in video games that were spectacular or otherwise extremely important for the industry, so narrowing one year down can be a very tough task.

You could say that 1998 was an amazing breakout year, seeing as we were treasured with groundbreaking titles like The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, the original Metal Gear Solid, Half-Life, Resident Evil 2, and Banjo-Kazooie. Or you might suggest 2007 was greater due to the likes of Bioshock, Super Mario Galaxy, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed, and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

However, for me personally, I see the years 2011 and 2013 as remarkable years in gaming. Both of these years poured it on with top quality releases throughout the year, from January through to December, like you wouldn’t believe, managing to combine quality and quantity like no other year has ever achieved. So let’s dive into the games and consoles that made both of these years remarkable beyond any other.

When I think about 2011, I think of 18/19-year-old me in college and walking down to the local supermarket to buy the latest hot release during break times, giddy with child-like excitement when I arrived home to play them. The sheer assault of releases in 2011 should make any other year blush and curl up into a foetal position.

January blasted things off by gifting us LittleBigPlanet 2, the PlayStation 3 version of Mass Effect 2 and Dead Space 2. Then throughout the year we were bombarded with amazing top tier releases like Bulletstorm, Portal 2, the Mortal Kombat reboot, L.A. Noire, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Dark Souls, Minecraft, Saints Row: The Third, Skyrim, Batman: Arkham City, Rayman Origins, and The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

I would be remiss not to mention the portable juggernaut that was the 3DS and the wealth of great games utilising its gyroscopic 3D capabilities like The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D, Star Fox 64 3D, Super Mario 3D Land, and Mario Kart 7.

2013 was arguably way larger and far more epic, seeing as it was both an industry-shifting year, and it served as the last bastion of amazing seventh generation titles. The start of the year saw Ninja Theory’s audacious take on Devil May Cry with DmC: Devil May Cry, and featured one of my favourite games in the history of ever in Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch.

Moving along, we were treated to captivating titles throughout the year including Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Luigi’s Mansion 2, the Tomb Raider reboot, Bioshock Infinite, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Far Cry: Blood Dragon, The Last Of Us, Pikmin 3, Saints Row 4, GTA 5, Puppeteer, The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, The Stanley Parable, Rayman Legends, Tearaway, Killzone: Mercenary, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, and Super Mario 3D World.

Then in November the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One arrived, and they changed the games industry in a way that’s still very present to this day. Launch titles for PlayStation 4 consisted of Resogun, Knack, and Killzone: Shadow Fall. And the Xbox One gave us Ryse: Son Of Rome, Forza Motorsport 5, and Dead Rising 3. Suffice to say, 2013 exploded with a crescendo of excellent games that didn’t stop coming. Simply put, the enormity of 2013 isn’t spoken about often, but it really should be enshrined in video game lore forever.

So, as you can see, 2011 and 2013 were extraordinary years in video games, and they overloaded us with games unlike any other. Their industry-shifting qualities shouldn’t be understated either, as they are both hugely significant to the history and modern state of video games today.

By reader James Davie

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

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In The Mixer’s World Cup special

Everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day.

The boy, 3, remains in critical condition two days after he was attacked by “at least one” crocodile at Johnson’s of Old Hurst in Huntingdon.

According to reports, the boy had been on an elevated walkway when he was lifted over a 4ft safety fence and thrown 15ft down onto a concrete surface near the reptiles.

The opening of the new reptiles house at Johnson’s of Old Hurst. (Image: Newquest)

The boy suffered serious injuries and is currently at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

A 30-year-old man from Norfolk was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder shortly after the incident.

Cambridgeshire Police have now confirmed the man arrested was white British.

A photo of when the reptiles house at Johnson’s of Old Hurst was opened. (Image: Newsquest)

He has since been bailed until September 18 after police deemed him unfit for interview.

It is understood that the man in question has learning disabilities and had been visiting the zoo with carers.

Police say that the male and the child were not known to each other.

As another retailer eyes up the shopping centre on the outskirts of York – jewellery specialist Pandora is looking to open in the old Accessories unit – we look back at the place that wasn’t just somewhere you shopped but a ‘destination’.

Monks Cross Shopping Centre under construction in 1998.

Remember the fanfare opening in 1998, when TV presenter Jeff Banks turned up to do the honours? And who made a beeline for Hollyoaks heartthrob Will Mellor when he was invited to open HMV?

Will Mellor, right, then a Hollyoaks heartthrob, cuts the ribbon and opens the HMV store at the new Monks Cross shopping park. He is pictured with then store manager Andy Syson and HMV’s mascot, Nipper the dog. (Image: The Press)

In the late 1990s and early 2000s a trip to Monks Cross involved a drive out on the ring road and the smug satisfaction of finding a free parking space.

Monks Cross Shopping Centre under construction in 1998

You could step out of the car and straight into a strip of big‑name stores without having to battle your way down Coney Street – to the dismay of many city-centre traders whose jingling tills were slightly more subdued. It’s fair to say the whole city-centre versus out-of-town shopping debate filled many column inches of this very newspaper.

Before Primark and B&M: memories of Monks Cross Shopping Centre York.

But for many shoppers, it was a time when a trip to Monks Cross felt like the height of sophistication – even though you were really just walking around a big car park with a WHSmith bag and ketchup on your sleeve.

For many, those early days will also be forever tied to a handful of now‑vanished shopfronts.

For more nostalgia:

Rare ‘bucket list’ steam train trips from York for landmark railway anniversary

The York pub where something extraordinary is hidden beneath your pint

The tiny North Yorkshire village where visitors trip over the name

7 old photos – how many of these York bars and nightclubs do you remember?

HMV with its wall of chart CDs; PC World stacked with chunky monitors and boxed software; Woolworths with its endless pick’n’mix and slightly chaotic aisles. Add a Burger King stop to the circuit and you had the perfect Saturday.

Monks Cross was also a rite of passage where teenagers got their first Saturday jobs, learned how to fold jumpers properly and sprinted across the car park on a ten‑minute break. It was also where newly‑qualified drivers practised parking in slightly wonky bays.

A Monks Cross “date” meant sharing a burger, loitering in HMV pretending to have very serious opinions about albums, and wandering past windows full of things you couldn’t yet afford.

Close your eyes and you can still see the logos that have faded from the fascias: the familiar sweep of the Debenhams sign and BHS Homestore promising new towels and matching lamps.

Many will remember the sweeping sign of Debenhams at Monks Cross Shopping Centre.

Bu it wasn’t all plain sailing. Woolies shut up shop in 2005. Pick ‘n’ mix was never to be the same again. Fast forward to 2018 and retail giant Arcadia also pulled out, spelling the closure of Evans, TopMan, TopShop, Miss Selfridge and Outfit.

Stores earmarked for closure at Monks Cross Shopping Centre in 2018.

The stores had shared the same south-facing row of the shopping park where the vacant former BHS store had stood empty since August 2016.

Today, the old names have been replaced by Primark, Decathlon, Smyths, Sports Direct, B&M and a parade of value fashion, sportswear and homeware. Instead of queueing for the Christmas single, you queue with an armful of holiday tops you never knew you needed. Instead of a new stereo, you come away with bulk‑buy cleaning products and storage boxes. Shoppers can now also bag the latest best-seller since Waterstones moved in.

But for all the latest branding, Monks Cross still feels familiar to the ‘good old days’ – you still tell yourself you’re “just popping to one shop” and end up doing the full lap.

What are your Monks Cross memories? What stores would you like to see make a comeback?

She found fame in the early noughties, and now she’s winning an army of new fans in Take That’s spectacular Circus Live tour which is going live on Amazon tonight

Among the fantastic acrobats, trapeze artists and tight-rope walkers on Take That’s spectacular Circus Live tour, there’s also a famous singer joining Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald on stage. The Circus is back in Manchester this weekend, and on Saturday night is being streamed live across the world on Amazon Music too.

The Take That show is back on the road and wowing fans with an even more spectacular reboot than the 2009 original. And among the many surprises and updates this time around includes the star guest who appears in the opening and also at the finale of the show.

The show all starts with the Greatest Day as Take That‘s trio appear on stage beneath a giant balloon. But keep your eyes peeled as the glamorous Ringmaster is also a very familiar face.

Click here for the latest on Manchester’s food & drink scene, gigs and more in our CityLife newsletter

For it’s none other than former Pop Idol star and West End favourite Zoe Birkett. Zoe first found fame as she chased her dream of pop stardom on the short lived ITV reality talent show and went on to make the finals.

In more recent times she has become an acclaimed West End star, winning plaudits for her portrayal of Tina Turner in the musical about the icon in 2024.

Zoe is seen at the start of the Take That show, and then you cannot fail to miss her at the spectacular finale. A giant spooky Circus Ringmaster puppet emerges onto stage, laughing as bursts of flames emerge.

The ‘Ringmaster’ booms out a message to fans saying: “Ladies and Gentleman, for your entertainment the circus is filled with thrills and death-defying feats… The greatest show on earth some would say.”

The voice deepens as it talks of another side to the Circus, the “dark side” and letting the “fire burn within you”. The puppet then begins to sing out: “Keep the fire burning” as the familiar strains of Relight My Fire ring out and the full cast of performers head out onto the stage.

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And believe it or not, the face and voice of that spectacular puppet is Zoe. She has been joining the band on stage each night of the tour to sing the famous “Lulu bit” of Relight My Fire.

But many fans may not have realised until now that she was behind the booming voice and spooky face that comes alive on the puppet.

Zoe, confirmed the news to delighted fans earlier this month by sharing a video of her voicing the giant puppet on social media. She wrote on Facebook: “I don’t just sing it….. Face and voice of the biggest puppet this summer.”

Fans say they’ve been “blown away” by Zoe’s starring moment in the show. Zoe, 40, is originally from County Durham, and has been appearing at all the Take That shows on the ongoing UK tour.

Linda Cook wrote: “Relight my fire blew me away!! It’s AWESOME!! You are epic Zoe.”

Rachel Bell said: “You were awesome! We thought it was you and you blew us away. Loved you since Get Happy!”

Susan Kemp added: “Best part of the show for me! Zoe Birkett you were amazing!”

Take That play the Etihad Stadium onSaturday June 20 and Sunday June 21, before returning again on the final night of the UK dates on Wednesday, July 1.

The cosy pub is located in a Cambridgeshire village but the food transported me thousands of miles to Thailand

Thai cuisine is often a crowd pleaser for its powerful flavours and hearty portions. After a few months travelling last year, I experienced a real case of travel blues since returning from Thailand. While the setting may not quite rival the immaculate views of south-east Asia, an authentic meal in a pub in Harston has brought back a little of the magic.

The CamBites series sees our reporters going around Cambridgeshire in search of the best food that isn’t too expensive. The Queens Head, on Royston Road, offers “expertly prepared” Thai food cooked by their “exceptional authentic chefs”, according to their website.

From curries to stir fries, the menu had plenty to offer. I’m a sucker for Thai food, and I love a Pad Thai, so I was intrigued by each of the options.

Feeling a bit adventurous, I chose to try the Thai fried rice with beef costing £15.95. For a drink, I chose a classic, crisp Diet Coke.

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While I waited for my food, I admired the charming décor with pretty lights hanging from the ceiling. After only a few minutes, my food arrived. Seated at the back of the restaurant, I sensed its arrival before I saw it – the aroma had already found me.

I tucked into my dish expecting it to have a slight kick to it, but was pleasantly surprised to find it was mild but yet packed with flavours. Combined with a mix of vegetables including peppers, snap peas, and tomatoes, it all added to the texture and gave the Thai fried rice a nice crunch.

Although snap peas are not my favourite of foods, it did complement the dish well. The beef was so soft and tender and worked well with the rice. However, the meal could have done with a bit more beef added to it to really round it off.

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Saying that, I didn’t quite scrape the plate down to the last bite as I found myself pretty full by the end. The total cost of my meal and drink came to £18.95.

If you find yourself in or near Harston, The Queens Head is definitely worth a try, especially with some friends.

All of our food reviews are paid for by the writer. The establishments do not know we will be reviewing their food, allowing us to make fair judgements on each place.

When the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered a strike on the Lebanese capital of Beirut on June 14, Donald Trump was not amused. Fearing that the attack threatened an agreement with Iran on ending the war between the two countries, the US president lashed out. Netanyahu, he said, has “no fucking judgment”.

He was not the first US president to be moved to curse words by the Israeli leader.

When Bill Clinton first met Netanyahu in the summer of 1996, Netanyahu lectured him about the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Clinton emerged from the meeting exasperated. “Who the fuck does he think he is?” Clinton asked his aides. “Who’s the fucking superpower here?”

And then there were his relations with Barack Obama, which were bad from the beginning – and got worse when Obama tried to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran. During a hot mic incident in 2011, before the deal was even an issue, French leader Nicholas Sarkozy told Obama that Netanyahu was “a liar”. Obama replied: “You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day.”

The journalist Jeffrey Goldberg kept a running list of the insults that he had heard Obama staffers direct at Netanyahu in private. One of them was “chickenshit”.

Why has Netanyahu exasperated so many US presidents and their aides? One reason is that he has been extremely singleminded in advancing what he sees as the interests of his country.

But the same goes for a lot of other global leaders, too. As a result, it can be tempting to explain the tension by looking at Netanyahu’s personality – and there may be some validity to these explanations.

But more broadly, it is the unique nature of US-Israeli relations – and the place that the country has in American domestic politics – which explains why Netanyahu has stressed so many presidents out.

One of the reasons the Israeli leader so frustrates American presidents is that they cannot just ignore him or cut his country off from US support. There are a number of large pro-Israel constituencies in the United States – and modern presidents have always felt pressure to please them.

Furthermore, Netanyahu has been more than happy to mobilise domestic US pro-Israel groups against American presidents when he has felt the need.

When Netanyahu visited Washington, DC in 1998 to face pressure from Clinton to relinquish territory in the West Bank, he spent the night before giving a speech to a thousand members of the pro-Israeli Christian right, a group vocally opposed to Clinton. He also met with prominent Republicans. “I know where you were last night,” Clinton reportedly remarked wryly the next day.

Netanyahu was also particularly active in rallying opposition to the Obama administration, especially its nuclear deal with Iran.

Whenever Obama tried to pressure the Israeli leader to take a step like building fewer settlements in the West Bank, opposition would erupt at home – stoked by Netanyahu. Figuring that the political pain wasn’t worth it – especially given Netanyahu seemed intractable anyway – Obama eventually decided to back off.

More recently, as casualties mounted in Gaza during Israel’s assault on the territory following the Hamas attacks of October 7 2023, Joe Biden is reported to have called Netanyahu a “fucking liar” over his conduct of the conflict.

It’s no coincidence that many of Netanyahu’s clashes have been with Democratic presidents. This is not only because they have tended to be more willing to question Israel, but also because he himself seems to have decided to make a strategic choice to align himself with the conservative right in recent years.

Critics of Netanyahu’s strategy have warned that by turning support for Israel into an increasingly partisan political issue in the US, Netanyahu was risking the eventual loss of support for Israel among the American left.

At a minimum, his alignment with the Republican Party has made him reliant on the continued goodwill of that party and its presidents. But it is now a Republican president, Donald Trump, telling him he has “no fucking judgment”. So what went wrong, and what does this mean?

À lire aussi :
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have different war aims – can the Iran peace deal survive?

Unwinnable war

Over the past year, Netanyahu pushed too hard for too much. He has long dreamed of persuading an American president to join him in attacking Iran. But he doesn’t seem to have considered how a failed or inconclusive war would affect American views of Israel – including on the right.

From Trump’s perspective, it now looks like Netanyahu manoeuvred him into a costly and unwinnable war. Even worse, Netanyahu doesn’t seem to accept what seems to Trump to be self-evident – that the most important thing is to end the war as soon as possible and get the global economy humming again.

In other words, Netanyahu now finds himself in a similar dynamic with Trump as with Democratic presidents in the past. Their interests diverge, Netanyahu won’t stop playing games – and the president is really annoyed about it.

But the context is different this time around, and so the consequences are more serious. Support for Israel has collapsed in the US. Netanyahu has persuaded the Trump administration to join a war which was done great harm to the American economy and its global standing. The support of both the right and the left seems to be in doubt, leaving Israel with potentially nowhere to turn.

When future Israeli leaders consider what is left of the bilateral relationship, they may well agree with Trump about their former leader’s judgment – and reach for a few curse words of their own.

Firefighters were called to the Antalya Shawarma shop on Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough after a blaze broke at 10.45am on Saturday (June 20).

Seven fire crews attended to extinguish the blaze while police closed the road closed and urged people to avoid the area.

Two people were taken by ambulance to James Cook University Hospital for treatment.

(Image: PROVIDED)

The cause of the fire is not yet known, and the road remains closed with a cordon in place until the building housing the takeaway can be made safe.

Plumes of smoke could be seen across the town as the fire spread, with the fire service previously saying adjacent shops may also be affected.

An eyewitness at the scene said: “It looks so bad, we saw the smoke so thought we’d come have a look. The shop is completely gone.”

Another said: “The smell is horrendous, I just hope everyone is okay. It’s always horrible when someone loses a business they’ve worked hard for.”

(Image: OLIVIA HOWLETT)

A Cleveland Fire Brigade spokesperson said previously: “We are is currently attending an incident at 276 Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough.

“Eight fire appliances, an aerial platform and three duty officers are currently in attendance.

“Members of the public are asked to avoid the area where possible to ensure emergency-service vehicles have clear and unrestricted access.

“Further information will be provided when available.”

The North East Ambulance Service confirmed it sent an ambulance crew, one clinical team leader, one duty officer and two HART resources to the scene and took two people to hospital. Their injuries are yet to be confirmed.