Indictment claims ex-FBI director’s social media post last year of shells arranged into ‘86 47’ was threat against Trump

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James Comey made a brief appearance in court on Wednesday after the justice department indicted him over a social media post in a renewed bid to prosecute one of Donald Trump’s longtime political adversaries.

The former FBI director was indicted in North Carolina on Tuesday over a photograph he posted last year of seashells arranged in the numbers “86 47” – a message the justice department says amounts to a threat against Trump, the 47th US president.

Housing secretary and housing minister latest to criticise idea, which has also been ruled out by No 10

Senior ministers have poured scorn on the idea of freezing private sector rents for a year, less than 48 hours after the Guardian revealed Rachel Reeves was considering it.

Steve Reed, the housing secretary, and Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, became the latest government figures to criticise the idea, which has since been ruled out by No 10.

Blockade threat in vital strait and Trump’s stance lift crude, pushing pump prices to highest level since 2022

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Average US gas prices have hit a new high at $4.23 a gallon, their highest since 2022 and a record since the start of the war with Iran, according to the motor club AAA.

The price of Brent crude, the benchmark that influences the price of gasoline in the US, now stands at $114.60 a barrel, up nearly 25% from the recent low since mid-April. US gas prices a year ago averaged $3.16 a gallon.

Matthew Pennycook says ending system must be done slowly to avoid hitting housing supply and legal pitfalls

A ban on new leasehold properties in England and Wales is unlikely to come into force until after the next election, the housing minister has said, as he defended the government’s piecemeal attempts to dismantle the system.

The long-promised end would take years to “switch on”, Matthew Pennycook said, even though the ban of leaseholds on new houses was passed in 2024 and the government intends to pass one on new flats soon.

Medellín, Colombia – Chihuahua state Attorney General César Jáuregui, resigned on Monday following the death of two CIA agents in a car crash in Mexico on April 19.

In a press conference announcing his resignation on Monday, Jáuregui admitted that there had been “omissions” in relation to the presence of the American agents in the country.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum earlier ordered an investigation into why the U.S. agents – who were apparently working with local authorities – were in the country.

The two spies were returning from a drug raid in the El Pinal area of Chihuahua alongside Mexican security forces when the fatal crash occurred. 

Following the crash, Sheinbaum said, “neither had formal accreditation to participate in operational activities” and one had entered the country as a tourist.

Attorney General Jáuregui had initially claimed that the U.S. operatives had been giving drone lessons in the mountains of Chihuahua, and had coincidentally got a ride with the police convoy..

U.S. President Donald Trump has long advocated for Washington’s involvement in Mexican anti-drug operations, but Sheinbaum has been opposed to U.S. forces or agents participating in domestic security operations, though she welcomes intelligence sharing. 

Trump has threatened that the U.S. could “go it alone” in the case that Washington deems Mexico’s anti-cartel efforts insufficient.

Jáuregui is not the only Mexican official facing scrutiny for his involvement in covering up the unregulated presence of the CIA agents. The Governor of the state of Chihuahua, Maru Campos, was supposed to meet with the Senate of the Republic on Tuesday to clear up unknown details regarding the presence of the CIA agents in Mexico. 

She was expected to explain the level of their participation in the operations, whether there were formal or informal agreements with U.S. agencies, the extent of the knowledge of the Mexican federal government, and if there was a potential exchange of sensitive information.

However, on Tuesday, Campos announced that she would not be attending the meeting, in order to “ensure the proper development of the ongoing proceedings, avoiding at all times the compromising of information of a confidential or classified nature.” She also reiterated that her conduct has “always been under the principles of legality and transparency.”

The deaths of the two agents and the circumstances surrounding it have raised tensions between Mexico and Washington, but Sheinbaum highlighted on Tuesday in her daily press conference that she does not desire “conflict” between the two nations.

Featured image description: Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua

Features image credits: On^ste82 via Wikimedia Commons

The post Chihuahua state attorney general resigns after CIA agents die in Mexico appeared first on Latin America Reports.