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Firm linked to criminal probe donated to first minister

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Reuters Vaughan GethingReuters

The start of Vaughan Gething’s time as first minister of Wales has been marred by a row over money donated to his campaign

A company that bankrolled Vaughan Gething’s successful bid to become Wales’ first minister was linked to a criminal investigation at the time, the BBC can reveal.

Mr Gething’s leadership campaign accepted £200,000 from a firm controlled by millionaire businessman David Neal.

A criminal investigation into suspected environmental offences by one of Mr Neal’s firms, Resources Management Limited (RML), is being carried out by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

A spokesman for Welsh Labour said the issues had “previously been addressed by Vaughan Gething and are a matter of public record”.

Vaughan Gething avoids criminal probe donation question at the Urdd

The BBC can also reveal that a senior Welsh Labour figure offered to lend Mr Gething money so he could pay back the donation in full, but he declined to take up the offer.

Mr Gething, who narrowly won the Welsh Labour leader contest earlier this year, previously said he had done nothing wrong and has not broken the ministerial code.

The continuing row in Wales is an unwelcome distraction to Sir Keir Starmer during the general election campaign – although the Labour leader has publicly backed Mr Gething.

RML runs the Withyhedge landfill site near Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, which people have complained since October 2023 is a “stink bomb on steroids”.

RML said it would “continue to fully cooperate with any pending investigations by Natural Resources Wales”.

But it is not the first time a waste management company controlled by Mr Neal has been investigated.

He was twice convicted for environmental crimes relating to two companies in 2013 and 2017, and one of those also pleaded guilty in March this year to another offence.

One woman said she moved back to her childhood home in the nearby village of Crundale with her partner and two young children for a “better quality of life”, but it has been marred by the Withyhedge site.

“I went out of the house to go to work and was hit with a horrible stench of rotten eggs, I held my breath until I got to the car. It was horrible,” Jenny Clubbe told Wales Investigates.

Colin Barnett Withyhedge landfillColin Barnett

The operators of Withyhedge landfill say their main focus is to stop the odour at the site

Jenny Clubbe with her partner Rupert and kids Emelyne and Sebastian

The Clubbe family says their life has been ruined by the smell from the landfill

“When I got to the car, my lips started tingling and I started getting headaches soon after.

“We’ve been shutting the windows because we don’t want to wake up to my house smelling of rotten eggs, which is worse than my son’s nappy.”

RML said it would no longer be accepting “a number of waste streams” they say contributed to the smell, and are planning engineering work to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Sue Lewis Protestors stood on the road with signs saying 'stop the stink'Sue Lewis

More than 2,000 people have joined the ‘stop the stink’ campaign relating to Withyhedge landfill

Retired council worker Colin Barrett, who also lives near the landfill, has organised community protests over the smell and has been complaining to NRW for seven months.

“We started a Facebook campaign based on the fact that the local Facebook for Spittal village got overwhelmed by questions about the tip.

“When the drone footage [of the site] that I took went public, they started investigating it more, and it’s only since then there’s been more pressure from us that they’ve had to keep going back.”

David Neal controls companies linked to both NRW's criminal investigation and to Mr Gething's political donations

David Neal controls companies linked to both NRW’s criminal investigation and to Mr Gething’s political donations

The group Mr Barrett started now has more than 2,000 members and he said it was a “massive campaign now”.

“They’re probably very surprised they’ve had such fierce resistance from a rural area that they thought was quite small, but the problem is, they’ve affected so many of those villages.

He added that very early on in a public meeting Mr Neal stood up and said he wanted to be a good neighbour.

“Well, if this is being a good neighbour, forget it. Just go away.”

NRW says it has identified the smell as hydrogen sulphide.

Huwel Manley, head of operations for the South West, said the regulator was working with the local authority, local health board and Public Health Wales to fix the issues.

“We identified issues of concern late last year,” he added.

“The company is under investigation at the moment”.

Who knew about the investigation?

NRW is overseen by the Welsh government and it had been briefing ministers about the Withyhedge site controlled by Mr Neal since before Mr Gething became first minister in mid-March.

Health secretary Eluned Morgan and then-climate change minister Julie James both had meetings with the regulator about problems at Withyhedge in February.

It was revealed in March that Mr Gething has also previously spoken to NRW on behalf of Mr Neal back in 2016, asking them to ease restrictions on one of his businesses, Atlantic Recycling Ltd.

The second chunk of money Mr Neal gave Mr Gething in January 2024 was donated the day before another of Mr Neal’s company’s outlined plans for a new solar farm on the Gwent levels, in an area of Special Scientific Interest.

In a statement Mr Neal said: “All donations made have come from a separate account to those used for the development of our business; we have never requested or expected anything in return.”

The leader of Plaid Cymru said the party would back a no confidence vote against the first minister

Plaid Cymru leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth said the party would back a no confidence vote against the first minister

But Plaid Cymru leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth said there was now a perception the company had bought favours from the first minister.

“One would have thought that somebody paying that much money would want something, and it’s that that causes the questions here,” he said.

“Why is it that a first minister would be so happy to leave himself wide open to such obvious accusations of some kind of improper relationship?

“It just adds up to very poor judgement.”

Some Labour members have also questioned the judgement of the first minister, with the BBC learning that one senior figure within Welsh Labour offered to loan Mr Gething the money to allow him to pay back the donation – which was turned down.

But other senior party figures have also publicly backed the first minister, including party leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow Welsh secretary Jo Stevens.

Speaking on the election campaign trail, she said: “Vaughan didn’t break any rules in that leadership campaign and we are just looking forward to getting on with the general election. There’s positive reaction for him on the doorsteps.”

Senedd Cymru Andrew RT DaviesSenedd Cymru

Andrew RT Davies says people have “serious questions” about the donations

Politicians in the Senedd will vote on Wednesday on whether they have confidence in Mr Gething’s leadership.

If he were to lose the vote, he would not be forced to resign, but it would put him in a difficult position.

It was proposed by the Welsh Conservatives leader in the Senedd, Andrew RT Davies, who said the debate will give people the chance to have their say on Mr Gething’s “judgement, transparency and truthfulness”.



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For sale: A piece of California’s country music history

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The famed Buck Owens Crystal Palace, where music legends including Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Garth Brooks and a young Taylor Swift have played, is up for sale, with the foundation that runs the Bakersfield venue planning to list it for $7 million on Monday.

The nightclub, museum and steakhouse was owned by its namesake Buck Owens, the country music trailblazer who bucked the slick commercial melodies of Nashville for a distinctly West Coast twang. Owens opened the Crystal Palace in 1996, watching it become a premier venue for the biggest names in country music, including himself. Buck and the Buckaroos played there every Friday and Saturday night until his death in 2006.

Jim Shaw, a member of the Buckaroos and a director of the Buck Owens Private Foundation, said that after 28 years of running the famed venue, the Owens family plans to step back and find new owners amid a challenging business climate. The foundation said in a statement that “since Buck’s passing in 2006, we’ve tried to maintain the excellence that he expected, even as it became more and more difficult during these challenging times of increasing food and labor costs.”

The venue is not closing and scheduled events will continue as planned, Shaw said.

“It’s business as usual for now,” Shaw said. “Ideally, someone who wants to keep it exactly as it is will come forward.”

Owens’ youngest son, Johnny Owens, wrote on Facebook that the family’s hope “is that a buyer steps forward with a vision for the future and a reverence” for his father and the Bakersfield Sound.

The Crystal Palace, located on Buck Owens Boulevard, is a major tourism staple for Bakersfield. The 18,000-square-foot venue is next to the city’s downtown entrance.

“It’s the No. 1 tourist attraction in Bakersfield,” Shaw said. “There are people stepping forward and we are waiting to see what happens. I am getting a lot of phone calls. I’m anxious to see what happens.”



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2nd local radio host says they were given questions ahead of Biden interview

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A second local radio host on Saturday told ABC News that he was provided a list of questions in advance of his interview with President Joe Biden this week.

“Yes, I was given some questions for Biden,” Earl Ingram of CivicMedia told ABC News. Ingram, a prominent host of a Wisconsin radio station, interviewed Biden this week in the wake of his debate performance.

Ingram said he was given five questions and ended up asking four of them.

“I didn’t get a chance to ask him all the things I wanted to ask,” he said.

Ingram is the second interviewer who now says they were provided questions by Biden aides to ask the president this week. Earlier today, another local radio host who interviewed Biden this week told CNN she was given questions to ask Biden before the interview.

PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School, on July 5, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School, on July 5, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School, on July 5, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“We do not condition interviews on acceptance of these questions, and hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners,” the Biden campaign told ABC News on Saturday.

Ingram told ABC he didn’t see anything necessarily wrong with the practice. “To think that I was gonna get an opportunity to ask any question to the President of the United States, I think, is a bit more than anybody should expect,” he said.

He continued that he was grateful for the opportunity to interview Biden at all.

“Certainly the fact that they gave me this opportunity … meant a lot to me,” Ingram said.

MORE: Wealthy Democratic donors sound alarm over Biden staying in race

On CNN earlier today, Andrea Lawful-Sanders, the host of WURD’s “The Source,” said Biden officials provided her with a list of eight questions ahead of their interview with Biden.

“The questions were sent to me for approval; I approved of them,” she said.

“I got several questions — eight of them,” she continued. “And the four that were chosen were the ones that I approved.”

Responding to Lawful-Sanders, Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said in a statement that it’s not “uncommon” for interviewees to share topics they would prefer. She noted that Lawful-Sanders was “free” to ask any questions she saw fit. She also noted that it was the campaign who sent over the questions and not the White House as other reports claim.

Lawful-Sanders did note in her interview with CNN that she ultimately “approved” the questions provided.

“It’s not at all an uncommon practice for interviewees to share topics they would prefer. These questions were relevant to news of the day – the president was asked about this debate performance as well as what he’d delivered for black Americans,” the statement said.

“We do not condition interviews on acceptance of these questions, and hosts are always free to ask the questions they think will best inform their listeners. In addition to these interviews, the President also participated in a press gaggle yesterday as well as an interview with ABC. Americans have had several opportunities to see him unscripted since the debate.”

A source familiar with the Biden booking operation told ABC News that moving forward they will “refrain” from offering suggested questions to interviewers.

“While interview hosts have always been free to ask whatever questions they please, moving forward we will refrain from offering suggested questions.”

2nd local radio host says they were given questions ahead of Biden interview originally appeared on abcnews.go.com



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President George W. Bush turns 78 years old

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George W. Bush, born on July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut, was the 43rd President of the United States.

Bush was born to parents Barbara Bush and former President George H. W. Bush. He has five siblings; Jeb Bush, Marvin Bush, Neil Bush, Dorothy Bush Koch and Pauline Robinson Bush. Pauline was diagnosed with leukemia and passed away at age three.

He was formerly the Republican Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000.

WHY FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH IS WINNING … THE POST-PRESIDENCY

Bush was first elected to the White House in November 2000, and officially began his first term as president in January 2001, after he defeated Democrat Al Gore during the presidential election. Bush was reelected to his second term as the incumbent in November 2004, when he prevailed over Democrat John Kerry, and led the United States until January 2009 before handing over his torch to former President Barack Obama.

Bush married Laura Bush on November 5, 1977, the day after her 31st birthday, in her hometown of Midland, Texas. The couple were engaged in September 1977, and married less than two months later in a Methodist church. Bush and Laura met at a barbecue, and he took her to play mini-golf on their first date. 

The Bush’s share twin daughters, Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Bush Hager, born on November 25, 1981. Today, the couple also share four grandchildren; Mila, Poppy, Hal and Cora.

GEORGE BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY ISSUE STATEMENT ON AFGHANISTAN WITH MESSAGE TO US TROOPS, VETERANS

During his presidency, Bush cared for his English springer spaniel, Spot Fetcher, who accompanied him to meetings in the Oval Office and on adventures throughout the White House. The dog was born to his parent’s dog, Millie.

On September 11, 2001, less than one year into Bush’s presidency, the Twin Towers in New York City were attacked by terrorists when airplanes hit both buildings, causing a collapse and thousands of lives lost. At the time, Bush was reading to elementary-aged children at a school in Sarasota, Florida. He was calmly and quietly advised of the attacks and quickly returned to Washington, where he was briefed alongside Vice President Dick Cheney.

Bush was regarded highly for his poise while learning of the attacks and for his demonstration of patriotism and leadership in the uncertain days and weeks following the hijackings of multiple planes on the day that shook America to her core.

SADDAM CAPTURED ‘LIKE A RAT’ IN RAID

On December 30, 2003, during Bush’s first term as POTUS, Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi leader and executor of the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., was captured by the American military

In the early morning of December 30, 2006, during Bush’s presidency, Hussein was hanged and executed for his crimes against humanity. Americans across the nation celebrated the death of Hussein and applauded Bush for promising the country he would take him out and following through.

While Bush was regarded for his dealings with the terrorist attacks, the signing of No Child Left Behind Act and the Patriot Act and the creation of the United States Department of Homeland Security, many Americans were unhappy with the sanctions of interrogation techniques, the war in Iraq and taxes while he was president.

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