- Ukraine blocks ex-president from leaving country amid alleged plan to meet pro-Putin Hungary’s Orban FRANCE 24 English
- Ex-president barred from leaving Ukraine amid alleged plan to meet with Hungary’s Viktor Orban The Associated Press
- Ukraine’s Security Service Cancels Former President’s Trip To Meet With Orban Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
- Ukraine’s former president planned to meet with Hungary’s PM, Russia sought to use it against Ukraine Yahoo News
- Breaking News Live December 3: Ukraine border guards block ex-leader from meeting Hungary PM Orban Times of India
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: expresident
Philippine court acquits top critic of ex-president Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ – Reuters
- Philippine court acquits top critic of ex-president Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ Reuters
- Duterte critic Leila De Lima acquitted of drug charge in the Philippines South China Morning Post
- Philippine court dismisses drug charge against fierce critic of ex-president’s ‘war on drugs’ CNN
- Philippine court acquits former justice secretary of drug charges after key witnesses said they lied The Associated Press
- Philippine court acquits top critic of ex-president Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ South China Morning Post
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Melania seen for the first time since Trump’s arrest at Mar-a-Lago Easter brunch with ex-president – New York Post
- Melania seen for the first time since Trump’s arrest at Mar-a-Lago Easter brunch with ex-president New York Post
- Melania Trump breaks social media silence with Easter Sunday post The Independent
- Donald Trump delivers blistering Easter message while Melania breaks silence after arrest New York Post
- Melania Trump Seen With Donald for First Time Since His Arraignment at Mar-a-Largo Easter Brunch Yahoo News
- Trump news – live: Bill Barr says ‘good chance’ Trump will be indicted over Mar-a-Lago documents The Independent
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Peru’s ex-president Castillo to be jailed for 18 months as protesters declare ‘insurgency’
CNN
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Peru’s ousted former president Pedro Castillo will remain in pretrial detention for 18 months, the country’s Supreme Court ordered on Thursday, as crowds of his supporters protested outside the courthouse and around the country.
Castillo, a former teacher and union leader from rural Peru, was impeached and removed from office last week after he attempted to dissolve Congress and install an emergency government – a tactic that lawmakers slammed as an attempted coup.
He has since been accused of rebellion and conspiracy, which he denies.
The lengthy detention reflects the complexity of the case and possible flight risk, Supreme Court Judge Juan Carlos Checkley said, after prosecutors warned that the ex-president might seek asylum outside the country and said 18 months would cover the duration of their investigation. Castillo’s lawyers say that the former leader is not a flight risk.
Castillo himself did not speak in court. But in another hearing earlier this week, he defended his actions, saying “I have never committed the crime of conspiracy or rebellion” and adding that he still considered himself president.
“I will never resign and abandon this popular cause,” he said at the time.
In the days since his removal from office, Castillo’s supporters have taken to the streets in cities across the Andean nation, in what some protesters described as a “national insurgency.”
“Peru has declared ourselves in a state of insurgency, a national insurgency, because we do not owe obedience to a usurping government,” one protester in Lima said Thursday, referring to Castillo’s successor and former vice president Dina Boluarte, who was swiftly sworn into the presidency by Congress hours after her former boss’s impeachment.
Another protester described Peru’s judicial system as “corrupt” and Castillo’s detention as a kidnapping.
“(Castillo) is kidnapped, we are outraged, it’s the national insurgency in Peru,” she told news agency Reuters.
At least 11 people have died amid the demonstrations. On Thursday, four were killed and at least 39 injured after protesters clashed with police near an airport in Peru’s southern region of Ayacucho, according to the local health department.
Peru’s current government has responded to protesters with both stick and carrot. President Boluarte has offered the possibility of holding early elections, while her Defense Minister Luis Alberto Otárola this week declared a state of emergency and deployed troops to the street.
But efforts so far to dampen the protests appear to have failed to address protesters’ central complaints, which see the country’s political landscape as corrupt and disorganized, and accuse Peru’s elite of unjustly overturning their elected leader.
“If the people of Congress consider themselves so democratic, then respect the people’s voice, respect that we voted for (Castillo),” protester Sonia Castaneda told Reuters.
Demonstrators have also called for a general election, the dissolution of Congress, and the creation of a new constituent assembly.
Their anger has been amplified by some leftist leaders in the region. In a joint statement on Monday, the governments of Colombia, Mexico, Argentina and Bolivia expressed concern over Castillo’s fate, claiming he had been a victim of “undemocratic harassment” since his election last year and urging Peru to honor the results of last year’s presidential vote.
Peru responded on Thursday by summoning ambassadors for a consultation over “interference” in Peru’s “internal affairs,” Foreign Minister Ana Cecilia Gervasi said on social media.
Castillo – who prior to becoming president had never previously held public office – campaigned on a promise to redistribute wealth and uplift the country’s poorest.
But his government was mired in chaos, with dozens of ministers appointed, replaced, fired or quitting their posts in little over a year. Castillo himself faced multiple corruption investigations and two failed impeachment attempts before he was ousted last week.
Brazil election: ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wins vote but not outright victory | Brazil
Brazil’s acrimonious presidential race will go to a second round after the former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva failed to secure the overall majority he needed to avoid a run-off with the far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.
With 98.1% of votes counted the leftist veteran had secured 48.04% of the vote, not enough to avoid the 30 October show down with his right-wing rival. Bolsonaro, who significantly out-performed pollsters’s predictions and will be buoyed by the result, received 43.54%.
Speaking on the eve of the election Lula said he was hopeful of a first round win but would redouble his efforts to reclaim power if a second round was needed.
“I feel great hope that this election will be decided tomorrow, but if it isn’t we’ll have to behave like a football team when a match goes to extra time. We’ll rest for 15 minutes and then we’ll get back out onto the pitch to score the goals we didn’t score in normal time,” he told reporters.
Gleisi Hoffmann, the president of Lula’s Workers’ party, told reporters the campaign was neither “sad or downcast” at the result and pointed to Lula’s more than 56 million votes.
“Congratulations president Lula for your victory,” she declared.
But the election result was a major blow to progresssive Brazilians who had been rooting for an emphatic victory over Bolsonaro, a former army captain who has repeatedly attacked the country’s democratic institutions and vandalized Brazil’s international reputation.
Bolsonaro is also accused of wreaking havoc on the environment and catastrophically mishandling a Covid epidemic that killed nearly 700,000 Brazilians, by undermining vaccination and containment efforts and peddling quack cures.
As she cast her vote for Lula on Sunday morning in São Paulo, restaurant host Gabriela Leoncio said of Bolsonaro’s administration: “It’s been a joke-slash-tragedy.”
Despite that, Bolsonaro confounded the forecasts of pollsters in several key states, including Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
Prominent Bolsonaristas were elected to Brazil’s congress and as state governors, including Bolsonaro’s former health minister, Eduardo Pazzuelo, who became a congressman for Rio, and his former environment minister Ricardo Salles.
Rio’s Bolsonaro-supporting governor Cláudio Castro was re-elected while one of Bolsonaro’s most controversial former ministers, the evangelical preacher Damares Alves, claimed a place in the senate.
Tarcísio de Freitas, Bolsonaro’s candidate for the governorship of São Paulo, also performed better than pollsters predicted and will face Lula ally Fernando Haddad in a second round.
“The far-right will be thrilled,” said the political scientist Christian Lynch.
Thiago Amparo, an academic and columnist for the Folha de São Paulo newspaper, said the right’s stronger-than-forecast showing showed Bolsonaro and Bolsonarismo were “alive and kicking”.
“There was a feeling among the left that Lula had a chance to win in the first round … the results show that it was wishful thinking to imagine the election would serve as a way to punish Bolsonaro for his disastrous policies during the pandemic.”
“I feel exhausted,” Amparo added. “But the results show we do not have the time to rest now. It is time to go out onto the streets… otherwise we are going to have a very dark future again.”
“I think Bolsonaro has the momentum,” said Thomas Traumann, a Rio de Janeiro-based political observer, although he believed Lula was still the favourite. “It’s a very disappointing night for the left.”
There was defiance from Lula and his allies as the right-wing successes and the need for a second round became clear.
Liz Cheney state primaries result: Defeated lawmaker blasts Trump’s ‘lies’ as ex-president gloats over her loss
Liz Cheney concedes in her primary race
Congresswoman Liz Cheney lost to Republican nominee and primary challenger Harriet Hagemen on Tuesday, in fresh signs of Donald Trump’s enduring sway over the Republican Party, as primary elections were held in Alaska and Wyoming, two of the reddest states in the country.
Ms Hageman was leading the Republican field with at least 62.4 per cent of the total votes polled, with Ms Cheney trailing with 33.5 per cent of the votes. A total of 58 per cent of the expected ballots had been counted, Edison Research said.
As her congressional career suffered an unexpected halt, Ms Cheney vowed that she would do whatever it takes to stop Mr Trump from reaching the White House again.
A staunch critic from within the Republican camp, Ms Cheney has condemned the former president’s administration by serving a very public role of ant-Trump resistance and steered the congressional probe into the January 6 Capitol riots.
She was facing an effort by Mr Trump to punish her for disloyalty in the form of Harriet Hageman, her former staffer and current top rival.
Fetterman opens up shocking lead in new PA Senate poll
Pennsylvania Lieutenant Gov John Fetterman is dominating the state US Senate race with a lead of nearly 20 points, according to a new survey out Tuesday from Public Opinion Strategies, which has an A- rating from pollster aggregator FiveThirtyEIght.
If Mr Fetterman’s level of support is anywhere close to as high as it is in the poll, he’s heading for a clean victory in November in what analysts have thought for months was going to be an easy year for Republicans like his opponent, TV’s Dr Mehmet Oz.
John Bowden17 August 2022 06:30
Donald Trump Jr takes a dig at Liz Cheney: ‘You won’t have to pretend…’
Donald Trump Jr took a swipe at congresswoman Liz Cheney after she lost the Republican primaries on Tuesday and said that the anti-Trump GOP leader will not have to pretend to be from Wyoming, the state from where she contested the key race.
He shared a 35-seconds long video of his father Donald Trump grooving and dancing and wrote: “Bye bye @Liz_Cheney. On the bright side at least you won’t have to pretend to be from Wyoming anymore.”
The former president’s son did not share a tweet on congratulating the candidate backed by Mr Trump, Harriet Hageman, but instead issued multiple tweets mocking Ms Cheney.
In another tweet, he slammed the congresswoman’s mention of 16th US president Abraham Lincoln and said: “Liz Cheney really compared herself to Lincoln… LMFAO. That CNN & MSDNC fluffing really got to her carpetbagger/warmonger head.”
Arpan Rai17 August 2022 06:10
Fetterman raises half a million from Dr Oz’s grocery gaffe
John Fetterman’s US Senate campaign in Pennsylvania says it has raised more than half a million dollars in the wake of a video posted by his opponent, Dr Mehmet Oz, in which the Republican candidate attempts the art of shopping for groceries.
The bizarre video posted by Dr Oz this week was widely mocked on Twitter as the bewildered Dr Oz misread price labels and depicted himself as a stranger to the Wegman’s produce section.
John Bowden17 August 2022 05:30
Five times Liz Cheney was Donald Trump’s biggest thorn on Capitol Hill
Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming headed into a primary election on Tuesday where her betrayal of Donald Trump in the wake of the January 6 attack eventually cost her a seat in the House; just a few years ago she was a powerful member of the chamber’s Republican leadership.
Ms Cheney has embraced the role of the stoic resistance leader, more than any other member of the House or Senate who broke with Mr Trump after the 2020 election or January 6, and never missed an opportunity to point out his role in the horrifying attack.
Here’s a look at the most important moments in Liz Cheney’s career as the de facto leader of the anti-Trump GOP:
Five times Liz Cheney was Donald Trump’s biggest thorn on Capitol Hill
As the Jan 6 committee has shown, an anti-Trump voice in the GOP can be damaging
Arpan Rai17 August 2022 05:00
Liz Cheney: What’s next for firebrand anti-Trump Republican
The speculation over what’s next for the never-Trump Republican is already growing after the primary loss of representative Liz Cheney on Tuesday night.
Rep Cheney was defeated by Trump-backed Harriet Hageman, who, by the latest poll estimates from the Casper Star-Tribune, was leading the three-term congresswoman from Wyoming by more than 20 points.
From a widely speculated launch for presidential run in 2024 to sounding an alarm over Trumpism, there are several possible next moves for the 56-year-old congresswoman could make.
Here’s where we might see Ms Cheney land, reports Johanna Chisholm:
Liz Cheney: What’s next for the firebrand anti-Trump Republican?
The three-term congresswoman has lost her at-large US House primary race in Wyoming against a Trump-backed opponent. What’s next for the GOP lawmaker?
Arpan Rai17 August 2022 04:34
Cheney invokes Abraham Lincoln in fiery concession speech
In a speech delivered on a picturesque private ranch in Wyoming on Tuesday as her congressional career came to a halt, Liz Cheney invoked one of the nation’s most famous presidents who held the US together in time of civil war.
And she vowed that she would do whatever it takes to stop Donald Trump from reaching the White House again.
“Abraham Lincoln was defeated in elections for the Senate and House before he ultimately won,” she told her hopeful supporters.
Read more from The Independent’s Eric Garcia:
Liz Cheney blasts Trump in concession speech: ‘Poisonous lies destroy free nations’
Harriet Hageman beats rival Republican after the congresswoman’s continued criticism of the GOP and Donald Trump
John Bowden17 August 2022 04:30
Trump slams Cheney as ‘spiteful and sanctimonious’ as he gloats over her primary defeat
Former President Donald Trump wasted no time before gloating about Liz Cheney’s defeat Tuesday night.
“Congratulations to Harriet Hageman on her great and very decisive WIN in Wyoming. This is a wonderful result for America, and a complete rebuke of the Unselect Committee of political Hacks and Thugs. Liz Cheney should be ashamed of herself, the way she acted, and her spiteful, sanctimonious words and actions towards others. Now she can finally disappear into the depths of political oblivion where, I am sure, she will be much happier than she is right now. Thank you WYOMING!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Read more from John Bowden in The Independent:
Trump slams Cheney as ‘spiteful and sanctimonious’ as he gloats over her defeat
Trump lays in to Cheney minutes after race is called and he takes revenge for her Jan 6 committee performance
John Bowden17 August 2022 03:49
Trump nemesis Liz Cheney loses primary in Wyoming to Republican backed by former president
Liz Cheney has been defeated in the Republican primary for Wyoming’s at-large congressional seat.
At just under 90 minutes after polls closed, the incumbent congresswoman was trailing her Trump-backed rival Harriet Hageman by more than 30 points.
Read more from The Independent’s Eric Garcia:
Trump nemesis Liz Cheney loses primary to Republican backed by former president
Harriet Hageman beats Cheney after the congresswoman’s continued criticism of the Republican Party and Donald Trump
John Bowden17 August 2022 03:21
Liz Cheney hints at future ambitions in remarks before polls close
Wyoming Rep Liz Cheney spoke to reporters as voters headed to the polls across the state to consider her bid for reelection on Tuesday and hinted that the primary election today was just “the beginning of a battle” for the soul of the GOP.
“ I have no regrets,” she said according to CBS News. “I feel very proud about all the work that I’ve done together with people of Wyoming over the last six years and really understand and recognize there’s nothing more important than the defense of our Constitution. And so I’m going to continue to work and ensure that we’re doing that in a way that is nonpartisan.”
Read more from Eric Garcia at The Independent:
Cheney says she has ‘no regrets’ as she faces her impending primary loss
Cheney is set to lose to a Trump-endorsed primary challenger in the Republican primary for Wyoming’s at-large congressional district.
John Bowden17 August 2022 02:05
Polls close in Wyoming
Polls are now closed in Wyoming. Republican voters in the state are set to determine the fate of Rep Liz Cheney, vice chair of the House select committee investigating January 6.
Watch live results from the state from The Associated Press here at The New York Times:
John Bowden17 August 2022 02:00
Trump statement today: Ex-president pleads fifth amendment 440 times as Trumpworld hunts Mar-a-Lago raid informant
Eric Trump blames Biden administration after FBI raid on Mar-A-Lago
As the fallout from the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago continues with rumours of a Trumpworld informant tipping off authorities, Mr Trump yesterday pleaded the fifth amendment 440 times in his sworn deposition to the long-running New York State probe into his real estate dealings.
Mr Trump has repeatedly condemned the investigation as a politically motivated “witch hunt”. His children Ivanka and Donald Jr both recently gave depositions in the civil investigation after months fighting subpoenas for their testimony.
Meanwhile, reports have revealed that the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago may have been spurred by an informant at the resort tipping the bureau off that Mr Trump and his team had not handed over all the relevant documents stored at the ex-president’s Florida residence. It is not yet clear who the informant might be, but the Monday raid saw agents searching private areas including a bedroom.
The former president and some members of his legal team have claimed without providing proof that agents may have planted evidence at his home.
Swalwell: Blame Trump for FBI raid firestorm
Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell, who for assorted reasons has become a focal point for right-wing outrage (including graphic death threats targeting him and his family), has been speaking out loudly against Donald Trump ever since the Mar-a-Lago raid came to light. And in the face of hysteria on the right about the FBI’s supposed attempt to smear Mr Trump, he has this corrective:
Andrew Naughtie11 August 2022 16:10
Trump retains celebrity lawyer for Georgia investigation
Facing a grand jury probe in Fulton County, Georgia, where authorities are investigating his efforts to pressure state officials into overturning Joe Biden’s victory, Donald Trump is lawyering up – and true to a pattern set over his decades moving in glitzy circles, his choice of lawyer comes from the world of celebrity rather than the world of politics.
Andrew Naughtie11 August 2022 15:50
“Who went rogue?” Fox Host pushes back on GOP talking points
Multiple Fox News hosts have this week helped spread both unsubstantiated claims about the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago raid and furious rhetoric directed at the agency itself, as well as at the Department of Justice and Attorney General Merrick Garland specifically.
However, not all hosts are on board – and when offered the chance to quiz House Minority Whip Steve Scalise this morning, Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy demanded to know why he was jumping to conclusions without evidence.
Andrew Naughtie11 August 2022 15:30
DoJ must respond to request to unseal warrant – judge
The judge who signed the warrant granting the FBI permission to search Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence has instructed the Department of Justice to respond to a request to unseal it.
Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered on Wednesday that “on or before 5:00pm Eastern time on August 15, 2022, the Government shall file a Response to the Motion to Unseal. The response may be filed ex parte and under seal as necessary to avoid disclosing matters already under seal. In that event, the Government shall file a redacted Response in the public record.”
The decision does not guarantee that the warrant will be unsealed in its entirety, but does at least raise the possibility that it may be made public within a week despite Mr Trump’s reticence to share it.
Judge who signed FBI Mar-a-Lago warrant tells DoJ to respond to request to unseal it
Bruce Reinhart has been targeted with violent and anti-semitic threats after authorising FBI raid on Trump residence
Andrew Naughtie11 August 2022 15:10
ICYMI: Trump accused of using QAnon song in video
Donald Trump’s recent campaign-style video that he posted to his social media platform Truth Social appears to feature a song titled after the slogan of the QAnon conspiracy theory.
The former president on 9 August posted the nearly four-minute-long video on Truth Social. According to an analysis from media watchdog Media Matters, the music used in Mr Trump’s video “is a song titled Wwg1wga, produced in 2020 by an artist using the name ‘Richard Feelgood’ on Spotify”.
The acronym “wwg1wga” is shorthand in the QAnon community for the slogan “Where we go one, we go all”.
Maroosha Muzaffar has more:
Trump accused of using QAnon theme song in campaign video: ‘That’s not an accident’
QAnon community members appear to celebrate inclusion of ‘Richard Feelgood’ song in Trump video
Andrew Naughtie11 August 2022 14:50
Ex-Trump chief of staff says ex-president should release Mar-a-Lago warrant
Mick Mulvaney, who served as acting White House chief of staff in the later phase of the Trump administration, has told CNN that he thinks Donald Trump “probably should” go ahead and unseal the warrant for the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago on Monday.
Mr Mulvaney argued that the secrecy around major grand jury investigations is “real, it’s valid, it’s there for a reason” – but also diagnosed recent events as “beyond the ordinary course of business” and suggested that “everybody” involved in the case, involved Mr Trump, to be as transparent as possible.
Andrew Naughtie11 August 2022 14:30
NYT sues to unseal Trump warrant
It is entirely within Donald Trump’s power to release the FBI’s warrant for its raid on Mar-a-Lago on Monday, but he has so far declined to do so for unspecified reasons. That leaves his critics, members of Congress and journalists to demand its release – or, in the case of the New York Times, to take legal action to secure access to it.
Andrew Naughtie11 August 2022 14:10
Trump offers new narrative of FBI raid
In lieu of releasing the warrant that gave the FBI permission to raid Mar-a-Lago – as it is within his power to do – Donald Trump has been periodically issuing various claims about how the raid came about and what the agents who carried it out actually did.
Here’s his latest narrative of what happened, delivered last night on Truth Social.
(Truth Social)
The complaint that agents acted “without notification or warning” misses the point of a warrant to look for allegedly concealed material, a search that by definition requires law enforcement to act without notifying those suspected of concealing it. (Of course, Mr Trump might very well understand this.)
Andrew Naughtie11 August 2022 13:50
Shouting match on Fox News over FBI raid
Fox News’s radicalisation has reached a new peak in the wake of Monday’s events at Mar-a-Lago, with hosts and guests propagating false and questionable narratives about the raid and calling for investigations of the federal law enforcement architecture simply because Mr Trump’s home was searched.
One of the network’s contributors, Jessica Tarlov, dared to go out on a limb on The Five last night – but when she called on her fellow commentators to stop projecting “mistruths and assumptions” that are also being shared by Mr Trump, she found herself in a shouting match with co-host Jeanine Pirro:
Sravasti Dasgupta reports.
Fox guest shouted down as she suggests Trump may actually have done something wrong
‘Our heads are spinning over the number of mistruths and assumptions projected all over TV’
Andrew Naughtie11 August 2022 13:30
NY probe: Trump took the fifth more than 440 times
Former president Donald Trump on Wednesday declined to answer over 440 questions during a deposition with investigators working for New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office, instead choosing to invoke his fifth amendment right against self-incrimination each time.
According to multiple reports citing sources familiar with what happened during the Wednesday session, Mr Trump only answered one question — he provided his name when asked after he was sworn in as a witness.
Trump took the fifth more than 440 times in deposition with New York AG’s office
Trump posted about his intention on Truth Social before his appearance
Andrew Naughtie11 August 2022 13:10
Trump news today: Ex-president, Don Jr and Ivanka set to testify in New York fraud probe
Jamie Raskin doesn’t say whether the Jan 6 Committee will get Mike Pence to testify
Former president Donald Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr and daughter, Ivanka Trump are scheduled to testify in New York’s civil probe into alleged fraud at their family business from 15 July.
Court documents revealed on Wednesday that New York state attorney general Letitia James and her team of investigators will have to conclude their questioning “by the following week.”
Meanwhile, a former GOP insider tells The Independent that former president Donald Trump will “lose his mind” when he watches the January 6 committee hearings on the Capitol riot on Thursday evening and realises no one is there to interject on his behalf. The January 6 committee hearings will get underway starting at 8 pm ET Thursday.
Kurt Bardella also called House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy’s decision to withdraw Republican committee picks a “massive strategic error”.
Trump allies meanwhile are have called the prime time special “disgustingly out of touch”, saying that Americans care more about inflation and gas prices, and no one will watch.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has laid into Fox News for its decision not to broadcast the hearings live on its main channel when every other network will.
Who are the members of the January 6 select committee?
The select committee impanelled to investigate the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol will soon begin what it hopes will be a high-impact, attention-grabbing series of televised hearings meant to spell out its findings for the benefit of the American public.
The spectacle is naturally going to elevate the panel’s members to a higher level of public notoriety – so in advance of the incendiary sessions, here’s a rundown of who they are.
Read the profiles by Andrew Naughtie here:
Maroosha Muzaffar9 June 2022 09:00
Joe Biden talks gun control with Jimmy Kimmel: ‘Don’t want to emulate Trump’s abuse of the Constitution’
The 46th President blamed the lack of any progress on gun safety on intimidation by the gun lobby, as he called on voters to make it a deciding issue come November during his first in-person appearance on a late-night talk show.
Read the full story by Peony Hirwani here:
Maroosha Muzaffar9 June 2022 08:30
Jan. 6 panel’s 1,000 witnesses: From Trump aides to rioters
The House Select Committee investigating January 6 riots has interviewed more than 1,000 people who were directly or indirectly involved in the US Capitol insurrection as it’s probed the violent attack and former president Donald Trump’s unprecedented efforts to overturn his election defeat.
Read the full piece by Associated Press here:
Jan. 6 panel’s 1,000 witnesses: From Trump aides to rioters
The House Jan. 6 panel has interviewed more than 1,000 people who were directly or indirectly involved in the U.S. Capitol insurrection as it’s probed the violent attack and former President Donald Trump’s unprecedented efforts to overturn his election defeat
Maroosha Muzaffar9 June 2022 08:00
The 6 Jan hearings vow to ‘change history’. Here’s what to expect
The panel’s first hearing in prime time will feature a filmmaker who captured footage of a meeting between Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes, Eric Garcia and Andrew Feinberg report.
Read the full story here:
Maroosha Muzaffar9 June 2022 07:30
When are the January 6 hearings?
The House select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection on 6 January 2021 will hold six public hearings, according to a draft schedule.
The committee is set to hold two hearings in primetime at 8pm on Thursday 9 June and on 23 June. In between the primetime hearings, additional public sessions will be conducted at 10am on 13 June, 15 June, 16 June, and 21 June.
Read the full story by Gustaf Kilander here:
Maroosha Muzaffar9 June 2022 07:00
What Donald Trump has said about the January 6 riot
Ex-president continues to gloat over size of the crowd at ‘Stop the Steal’ rally, portray jailed participants as innocent victims and shrug off responsibility ahead of televised congressional hearings.
Read the full piece by Joe Sommerlad here:
What Donald Trump has said about the January 6 riot
Ex-president continues to gloat over size of the crowd at ‘Stop the Steal’ rally, portray jailed participants as innocent victims and shrug off responsibility ahead of televised congressional hearings
Maroosha Muzaffar9 June 2022 06:30
Donald Trump set to testify in New York fraud probe in July
Former president Donald Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr and daughter, Ivanka Trump are scheduled to testify in New York’s civil probe into alleged fraud at their family business from 15 July.
Court documents revealed on Wednesday that New York state attorney general Letitia James and her team of investigators will have to conclude their questioning “by the following week.”
Mr Trump, his son and daughter have until 13 June to appeal to New York state’s highest court for a stay, according to the document filed by a lower court.
Maroosha Muzaffar9 June 2022 06:00
What has Donald Trump said about the January 6 riot?
Joe Sommerlad reviews everything former President Donald Trump has said about the events of 6 January 2021.
What Donald Trump has said about the January 6 riot
Ex-president continues to gloat over size of the crowd at ‘Stop the Steal’ rally, portray jailed participants as innocent victims and shrug off responsibility ahead of televised congressional hearings
Oliver O’Connell9 June 2022 05:30
Jared Kushner reportedly planned move to Miami before Trump had even lost election
Senior White House adviser and son-in-law of Donald Trump reportedly began etching his plans to flee the coop before the former president had officially even lost his bid for reelection in 2020, according to The New York Times.
“We’re moving to Miami,” Mr Kushner reportedly told his wife Ivanka Trump, also a senior adviser in her father’s administration, just a little more than 24 hours after the last polls had closed in Alaska at midnight on 4 November.
Johanna Chisholm reports:
Oliver O’Connell9 June 2022 05:01
What has Mike Pence said about the January 6 Capitol riot?
Joe Sommerlad reviews what former Vice President Mike Pence, caught up in the centre of the events of 6 January 2021, has said about the Capitol riot since that day.
Oliver O’Connell9 June 2022 04:30
Trump rally news: Ex-president backs Cawthorn as DeSantis bans protests outside private homes
Donald Trump is supposedly writing a book on how presidency was stolen from him
Donald Trump is facing a complex night of Republican primaries, as two of his most conspicuous endorsees, Madison Cawthorn and Mehmet Oz, await potentially career-changing results in North Carolina and Pennsylvania respectively. Where Mr Cawthorn has become a paraiah in much of the GOP because of various recent scandals, Dr Oz is disliked and even despised by much of Mr Trump’s base because of his long record of liberal positions.
Meanwhile, Florida Governor and popular Republican leader Ron DeSantis has signed a bill making it illegal to protest outside a private home in his state. The issue has become a top GOP talking point since the leak of the Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v Wade, a seismic story that saw pro-abortion demonstrators setting up outside the homes of right-wing justices and senators.
The Republican Party and right-wing media have sought to shift their audience’s focus away from the implications of throwing out Roe and instead towards the circumstances of the leak from the court and the tone of the protests that have ensued.
Report: Jan 6 committee preparing for hearings
As the 6 January select committee gears up for what promises to be a dramatic set of hearings over the summer, one question is central to its members’ discussions: the extent to which they need to focus on former president Donald Trump as they piece together the chain of events that led to the worst attack on the Capitol in more than 200 years.
The Washington Post has released an excellent deep-dive report that includes this account of a discussion between two of the panel’s members last month:
Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy (Fla.), insisted the committee should focus less on former president Donald Trump and do more to examine the security and intelligence failures that led to the breach of the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob. She also urged the committee to look harder at what can be done to prevent another attack, according to people familiar with the matter.
The other member, Republican Vice Chair Liz Cheney (Wyo.), argued that the committee should keep an intense focus on the former president.
“Rep. Cheney’s view is that security at the Capitol is a critical part of the investigation, but the Capitol didn’t attack itself,” said Jeremy Adler, a spokesman for Cheney.
The tense discussion — which played out in a conference room tucked inside the world’s largest library, where members posed for pictures with historic texts such as the Gettysburg Address — reflected just one among numerous weighty questions the committee must resolve before nationally televised hearings kick off next month.
Andrew Naughtie17 May 2022 14:25
Trump agrees to limit his Twitter engagement
Many Trump fans are eager to see their leader back on Twitter, and Elon Musk has said that he thinks the former president’s account should never have been blocked. But according to financial filings from the company that will oversee the IPO of his own platform, Truth Social, the ex-president has agreed to limit what he can post on Twitter and when if he returns.
Under the agreement, Mr Trump must post anything unrelated to politics first on Truth Social, and can only post on another social media site six hours later, the federal securities filing shows.
But if Mr Trump wants to post on a personal social media account anything “related to political messaging, political fundraising or get-out-the-vote efforts” he can do so at any time.
Graeme Massie has the story.
Andrew Naughtie17 May 2022 13:51
Ron DeSantis outlaws protest outside private homes
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a bill sent to him by state legislators that bans protests outside private homes, drilling down on the right-wing insistence that the law should not tolerate demonstrators who gathered outside the homes of conservative justices and senators to protest the imminent end of Roe v Wade.
Among those whose homes were visited by anti-abortion protesters was Maine Senator Susan Collins, who phoned the police over a message chalked on the sidewalk outside her house.
Andrew Naughtie17 May 2022 13:00
Trump phones in to Oz event in Pennsylvania
Donald Trump is selective with his in-person appearances on the campaign trail these days, restricting himself mainly to rallies in carefully chosen states with candidates he has heartily endorsed. He held such an event for Dr Mehmet Oz not long ago, but since it became clear the TV medic is in danger of losing his primary, Mr Trump has not appeared in Pennsylvania again.
However, an Oz campaign event last night – billed as a “telerally” – saw the president dial in on speakerphone to address a roomful of supporters, reassuring them that the candidate was in fact pro-life and pro-gun. Dr Oz’s long record of relatively liberal positions on both issues is the main strike against him for many conservatives, who have been resistant to his entreaties despite Mr Trump’s backing.
Andrew Naughtie17 May 2022 12:30
Joe Biden reverses Trump’s withdrawal of US troops in Somalia
Reversing a decision taken by former President Donald Trump, Joe Biden has approved the redeployment of US troops in Somalia.
BBC reported that the deployment was requested by the Pentagon to support the fight against militant group al-Shabab.
In 2020, Mr Trump withdrew about 700 US troops from Somalia.
Andrew Naughtie17 May 2022 11:45
ICYMI: Pelosi calls Trump a ‘creature’ as she dubs Supreme Court ‘dangerous to US freedoms’
House speaker Nancy Pelosi has claimed that former president Donald Trump’s Supreme Court appointees have made the bench “dangerous to the freedoms” of the country.
She criticised the judges as the court prepares to issue a ruling that could end decades of constitutional protections for abortion care and trigger a wave of laws making abortion illegal in roughly half the US.
Read the full story here:
Maroosha Muzaffar17 May 2022 11:00
With echoes of Trump, GOP splinters over $40B for Ukraine
Signs of Republican resistance are mounting over a $40 billion aid package to Ukraine, a reemergence of the Trump-led isolationist wing of the GOP that’s coming at a crucial moment as the war against the Russian invasion deepens.
Read the full story here:
Maroosha Muzaffar17 May 2022 10:00
Ted Budd looks poised to coast to victory with Trump’s support
North Carolina Congressman Ted Budd is poised to claim victory on Tuesday over the state’s former governor in the race to be the GOP nominee for the seat held by retiring Sen Richard Burr.
His ascendancy is being buoyed by Donald Trump’s endorsement as well as that of the affluent Club for Growth, which has poured millions behind Mr Budd after breaking with the former president and being burned by Josh Mandel’s defeat in Ohio.
Mr Budd’s success despite running against an opponent who started with far greater name recognition is a sign of the clear power that Donald Trump still wields.
Read more in this profile of the race from the Associated Press:
North Carolina Senate race tests Trump’s endorsement power
When Ted Budd won a surprise endorsement from former President Donald Trump last year, he was a little-known congressman running for a Senate seat in North Carolina against some of the state’s most recognizable Republicans, including a former governor
John Bowden17 May 2022 09:00
‘Cancel culture’ reason PGA moved from Trump-owned course, says Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus said that PGA Tour pulled its championship out of New Jersey in favour of Tulsa, Oklahoma because of Donald Trump.
He said that the PGA Tour pulled out because Mr Trump owns the course in New Jersey.
He said: “But this move is cancel culture. Donald Trump may be a lot of things, but he loves golf, and he loves this country. He’s a student of the game and a formidable figure in the game. What he does in the future in golf will depend on what the cancel culture will allow him to do.”
Mr Nicklaus has won 18 majors — the most in history. He also endorsed Mr Trump ahead of the 2020 election.
Maroosha Muzaffar17 May 2022 08:15
Can Madison Cawthorn survive Thom Tillis?
Freshman Congressman Madison Cawthorn has no shortage of political foes but one of his most dangerous in his home state is Thom Tillis, the state’s junior Republican senator who will become the senior senator in January following the retirement of Richard Burr.
Mr Tillis is pouring his own super PAC’s money behind the effort to oust the Trump-endorsed Mr Cawthorn, who is beset by a myriad of scandals.
Read more from The Independent’s Eric Garcia:
John Bowden17 May 2022 08:00
Trump news today latest: Ex-president says Musk won’t buy Twitter at ‘ridiculous price’ as Pence backs Gov Kemp
Biden mocks Trump as ‘the great MAGA King’ in speech on economy
As Donald Trump’s chosen candidate David Perdue struggles to gain momentum in Georgia’s gubernatorial primary, Mike Pence has announced he will visit the state to get out the vote for incumbent Brian Kemp – a Republican who refused to bow to Mr Trump’s insistence that the state was stolen from Joe Biden in 2020.
Meanwhile, the select committee investigating the 6 January attack on the US Capitol has issued subpoenas to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and four other GOP lawmakers who are close allies of Donald Trump: Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Andy Biggs of Arizona, and Mo Brooks of Alabama. Each was given the opportunity to voluntarily give evidence.
And the Department of Justice is now investigating whether former President Trump or any of his aides violated federal law by mishandling classified documents that ended up at Mar-a-Lago instead of at the national archives at the end of his term.
On Friday, the former president shared some thoughts on Elon Musk’s plan to buy Twitter, saying the billionaire would not pay a ‘ridiculous price’ for the platform as it is mostly “BOTS or spam accounts”.
Biden wants more funding for local police
President Joe Biden has asked state and local leaders to use money from his Covid-19 relief legislation to increasing spending for police forces across the country.
In a fact sheet released by the White House, the Biden administration announced that $10bn from the American Rescue Plan that passed last year were committed to public safety, with $6.5bn committed by more than half the states and more than 300 communities.
Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.
Oliver O’Connell14 May 2022 04:00
Pence backs Trump foe Brian Kemp in Georgia governor race
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp may have fallen out of Donald Trump’s good graces by certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win in the Peach State, but he still has the support of the number-two man in the Trump administration: Former Vice President Mike Pence.
Andrew Feinberg has the story:
Oliver O’Connell14 May 2022 03:00
Lindsey Graham: ‘I was wrong’ for praising Biden after Capitol riot
Senator Lindsey Graham walked back his comments during the 6 January insurrection that President Joe Biden would be the best person to unify the country.
Oliver O’Connell14 May 2022 02:00
With shortage dragging on, Democrats ramp up response to baby formula crisis
House Democrats will increase their response to the baby formula shortage in the United States, according to a letter from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The Democratic Speaker wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter to her caucus that Congress would take action to respond to the shortage that has been caused by supply chain disruptions and a factory recall from the nation’s largest formula manufacturer.
Oliver O’Connell14 May 2022 01:30
Biden administration to release $45bn for nationwide internet
The Biden administration is taking the first steps to release $45 billion to ensure that every U.S. resident has access to high-speed internet by roughly 2028, inviting governors and other leaders on Friday to start the application process.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is overseeing the distribution and said that universal access to broadband internet would be akin to the electrification of rural America during the 1930s, a recognition that the internet is a utility needed for U.S. residents to function in today’s economy.
Oliver O’Connell14 May 2022 01:00
Louisiana bill to classify abortion as homicide is blocked for now
Louisiana legislators have gutted a bill that would put abortion patients in jail and criminalise fertility treatments, miscarriages and certain forms of birth control if signed into law.
The bill faced widespread condemnation, including from anti-abortion groups and the state’s anti-abortion Democratic governor John Bel Edwards, after it passed through a committee within 48 hours of the publication of a leaked draft opinion from the US Supreme Court that signalled the end of Roe v Wade and constitutional protections for abortion care.
On 12 May, the state’s House of Representatives voted to amend House Bill 813 to strip out language that would classify abortion as homicide.
Oliver O’Connell14 May 2022 00:30
‘End of an era’: Peter Doocy posts selfie with Jen Psaki following their repeated clashes
Fox News reporter Peter Doocy posted a selfie with outgoing White House press secretary Jen Psaki and called her depature from the Biden administration the “end of an era.”
Ms Psaki has been involved in a string of head-to-head confrontations in the briefing room with Mr Doocy during her time as the lead spokesperson for the president.
“End of an era in the Brady briefing room! Good luck, (Jen Psaki)” tweeted Doocy on Friday.
Oliver O’Connell14 May 2022 00:00
‘If he wins, they’ll implement a Christian version of sharia law’
The Independent’s Andrew Buncombe reports on another Supreme Court ruling with potentially huge implications.
Oliver O’Connell13 May 2022 23:30
Madison Cawthorn tries to survive primary as slip-ups mount
US Representative Madison Cawthorn‘s prominent role as the youngest pro-Donald Trump agitator in Congress can rub people on the right and the left the wrong way in his North Carolina district.
That’s made the 26-year-old culture warrior a social media political celebrity and successful fundraiser. He’s near the top of the list of the former president’s most vocal allies on Capitol Hill.
But a series of unforced political and personal errors have brought both the force of big-name state Republicans and traditional enemies to bear against Cawthorn’s reelection bid.
Oliver O’Connell13 May 2022 23:00
Biden talks action on baby formula shortage
I know families across the country are worried about the availability of infant formula. That’s why yesterday, I brought together manufacturers to discuss how we can increase supply as soon as possible.
Oliver O’Connell13 May 2022 22:30