FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP (Shutterstock).

Former president Donald Trump was indicted Thursday by the Justice Department, which accuses him of improper possåession of classified documents after he left office and then obstructing  efforts by the government to get the documents back.

According to The New York Times, the charges against him include violating the Espionage Act by keeping the classified documents, making false statements and engaging in a conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Trump is expected to turn himself into federal authorities on Tuesday, June 13. Some polls suggest that Trumps’ legal troubles will not adversely affect his changes for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

Court rules against Alabama map

U.S. SUPREME COURT building in Washington, D.C.

A Congressional district map in Alabama was found to be in violation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act by the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday.

The court voted 5-4 – Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Brett Kavanugh  joining the three liberals on the court – in rejecting the map created only one Black majority district in a state were about about one quarter of residents are African American, according to the Associated Press.

Observers say that this ruling could have a major impact in the 2024 elections. Now, Republicans have a small edge in the House of Representatives. New maps in Alabama and Louisiana  could give Democrats enough seats to further tighten or overcome that edge.

Also in the news … TV evangelist Pat Robertson, who played a big role in aligning conservative Christians with Republican Party politics, has died at the age of 93. Some of his statements accused gays and feminists of being anti-Christian. He ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 1988.

Dodgers, Angels post wins

With Clayton Kershaw pitching seven shutout innings, the Los Angeles Dodgers snapped a four-game losing streak on Thursday in beating the Cincinnati Reds 6-0 in Ohio.

Kershaw gave up five hits and struck out nine batters. At the plate, Chris Taylor hit his 10th homer of the season, and David Peralta went 4-for-5 and drove in two runs. Freddie Freedom was 2-for-2 and drove in two runs.

With the win, the Blue Crew is 37-25 and remains in second place in the National League West, 1.5 games back of the first place Arizona Diamondbacks.

In Anaheim, the Los Angeles Angels beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 for their fourth win in a row. Reid Detmers (1-5) got his first win of 2023, pitching 5.2 innings and giving up five hits and one run. He struck out eight batters and walked two.

In his return to the Halo lineup, Jo Adell homered in the second inning. Now 34-30, the Angels remain in third place in the American League West, 7.5 games out of first and 2.5 games out of a wild card spot.

Weather: More June Gloom

As we head toward the weekend, our West Orange County area is getting cooler with a chance of rain over the weekend. The forecast for Friday is for morning clouds and afternoon sun. The daytime high should be 71 with a low of 61. Saturday will be cloudy with a high of 68 (61) and a 13 percent chance of rain. Sunday will be cooler still with a high of 65 (60) under cloudy skies with a  24 percent chance of rain.