List of All Articles with Tag 'us politics'

Former president Donald Trump spoke at two Republican state conventions on Saturday in Georgia and North Carolina, just one day after he was indicted for keeping highly-classified information at his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago. The 49-page, 38-count indictment was unsealed on Friday after Mr Trump released a series of social media posts revealing that he has been indicted by a grand jury under the supervision of Special Counsel Jack Smith. The indictment details the charges against Mr Trump and Walt Nauta, a former US Navy noncommissioned officer who left government service to work for Mr Trump after his term ended in January 2021. The former president has fumed online about the charges and lashed out at Mr Smith calling him a “deranged lunatic”. The special counsel for his part gave a brief explanation of the sweeping indictment and reiterated that in America, the law applies to everyone. Mr Trump repeated his attacks on Mr Smith onstage in Georgia before flying up to his second event. On the flight, he told Politico he would not quit the 2024 primary race even if convicted. Read More What is an indictment? Here’s what Donald Trump is facing Trump indicted in classified documents case in a historic first for a former president Conspiracy, false statements and retaining national defence documents: The federal charges against Donald Trump Trump has been caught on tape. Congratulations, Donald – you played yourself Trump lashes out at ‘deranged lunatic’ and ‘psycho’ Jack Smith as startling secret papers charges revealed

The evidence in the indictment against Donald Trump for his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office can seem "jaw-dropping". So just how will this new indictment play on the campaign trail? Let's just say we should be, at least initially, skeptical that Trump will be penalized in the polls.

When Chief Justice John Roberts began reading his decision in a voting rights dispute from the Supreme Court bench on Thursday, few would have expected the significant turn he was about to take favoring Black voters in Alabama.

The North Carolina Republican Party voted to formally censure Sen. Thom Tillis at the party's annual convention in Greensboro on Saturday, with at least one delegate citing Tillis' support for LGBTQ+ rights and immigration reform for the decision.

Former president Donald Trump delivered a defiant speech in North Carolina on Saturday night despite being indicted just days before, taking swipes at the Justice Department, the investigation that led to the indictment and even his Republican opponents. Mr Trump took the stage at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro for the North Carolina GOP Convention, where he received an overwhelming reception despite his increasing legal woes. The Independent first reported that the Justice Department was ready to seek an indictment agianst Mr Trump, who now faces 37 charges related to his improper handling of classified materials. A federal grand jury under the supervision of special c ounsel Jack Smith indicted Mr Trump on on a slew of charges, including showing highly classified information to unauthorised people on two separate occasions. Mr Trump proclaimed his innocence onstage in North Carolina, calling the indictment a plot by “the radical left Democrats” and their “lawless partisan prosecutors.” “They say, well, we want to run against Trump, in the meantime, we got 5,000 prosecutors after us because they don’t want to run against us,” he said. “We beat them the first time, we did much better the second time.” The speech was Mr Trump’s second in the day at a state party convention. Earlier in the day, he spoke at Georgia’s state party convention, where he excoriated Mr Smith and the probe that led to the former president’s second criminal indictment. Mr Trump called the indictment a “witch hunt,” like the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election as well as his first and second impeachment. “It’s called election interference,” he said. “Remember, it’s not me they’re going to go after when you think of it.” Mr Trump then used his indictment to make the case that he is the best-qualified Republican because he’s able to absorb the blows and scrutiny, arguing that other GOP hopefuls would not be able to stand the onslaught. “That person will not be able to withstand the fire,” he said. “And they come to me, ‘How do you stand this?’ And I usually look at them and say, ‘In a sick way I sort of enjoy it.” The former president criticised the media for not focusing on supposed corruption from President Joe Biden and his administration or the fact that President Joe Biden president found classified documents at the Biden Centre at the University of Pennsylvania and his private residence in Delaware. The difference between the incumbent president and his predecessor is that Mr Biden and his legal team quickly alerted the US government of the records and expedited their return. Mr Trump, according to prosecutors, went to great lengths to prevent the handover of classified material in his possession. As the 2024 GOP races comes into focus, Mr Trump also used the speech to attack his main rival for the Republican nomination, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, whom he has taken to calling “Ron DeSanctimonious” or DeSantus for short. “We are leading Desanctimonious by massive numbers,” he said. “He’s heading south quickly. No personality. You gotta have a personality to win. He’s got no personality.” The former president credited himself with getting Mr DeSantis elected governor in 2018 as he endorsed the then-congressman in the Republican gubernatorial primary that year. Mr Trump’s words came despite the fact that Mr DeSantis decried the indictment of the former president, arguing that it showed a two-tiered system of justice. Earlier in the day, former president Mike Pence addressed a much smaller ballroom here, accusing Mr Trump of backing down from the fight against abortion despite the fact he nominated the justices who overturned Roe v Wade. But Mr Trump took credit for the victory of the conservative and anti-abortion movement. “What I did by killing Roe v Wade, which everyone said was impossible,” he said. “Number one, we got it sent back to the states. And number two, and very importantly, I gave you power to negotiate. You had no power before.” The former president repeated some of his more popular lines such as banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth and railing against vaccine mandates in schools. Mr Trump ended his speech with a defiant tone ahead of his court date in Miami next week. “These radical left lunatics want to interfere with our elections using law enforcement,” he said. “It’s totally corrupt and we can’t let it happen. This is the final battle.” Read More Trump news – latest: Trump rages at ‘joke’ indictment and says DeSantis can’t win 2024 with ‘no personality’ Trump attacks special counsel Jack Smith in post-indictment speech with bizarre claim Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

China has been operating military and intelligence facilities in Cuba since at least 2019 and is continuing to expand its intelligence gathering capabilities around the world, a Biden administration official and two other sources told CNN Saturday.

Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis earned his first gubernatorial endorsement Saturday from Oklahoma GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt.

The production company of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck has asked the Trump campaign to stop using their work in the fundraising videos. Former President Donald Trump posted a video on Saturday on his Truth Social platform that included a monologue from the Amazon movie Air in which Mr Damon plays the Nike marketing and sales representative Sonny Vaccaro, a film directed by Mr Affleck. The film depicts the story of Nike’s rise as a brand. “Money can buy you almost anything,” Mr Damon can be heard saying in the video as footage of Mr Trump is shown. “It can’t buy you immortality – that you have to earn.” The caption states “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” and also has a link where supporters can donate to the campaign. The video was posted after an indictment of Mr Trump was unsealed on Friday afternoon, revealing that the ex-president has been charged on 37 counts in relation to his handling of classified national defence information after he left the White House in January 2021. A spokesperson for Mr Damon’s and Mr Affleck’s production company Artists Equity told Axios that “We had no foreknowledge of, did not consent to and do not endorse or approve any footage or audio from Air being repurposed by the Trump campaign as a political advertisement or for any other use”. “Specifically in terms of any and all rights available to us under US copyright law, we hereby, expressly give notice that in the case of any use of material from Air by the Trump campaign where approval or consent is required, we do not grant such consent,” the spokesperson added. “No matter how viciously they attack me, I will NEVER, EVER SURRENDER,” Mr Trump said in a statement alongside the video. “With your support, we will once again surge even higher and prove that our America First movement truly is UNSTOPPABLE.” Mr Damon supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, later calling Mr Trump’s response to the riots in Charlotteville, Virginia, which included white nationalists, “absolutely abhorrent” in scathing comments to The Hollywood Reporter. “A lot of people, myself included, are really waking up to the extent of the existing racism, and it’s so much worse than I naively thought. I just feel naive at this point. It was shocking to see those kids — they looked 20 and 30 years old — in button-down shirts, with Tiki torches, walking down the street,” he said at the time in 2017. “I thought, ‘Those people are a lot younger than me. Who raised them?’ Again, I naively thought that, behind our generation, [another one] was coming with more awareness and inclusiveness, and that everything was getting better with each generation. And to see these young, aggrieved, white boys walking with their torches and screaming ‘Jews will not replace us!’ It was just shocking. Then the night that the president [made his] ‘many sides’ comment was absolutely abhorrent,” Mr Damon said about Mr Trump, who had claimed there were good people on “both sides”. In the monologue in Air used by the Trump team, Mr Damon says: “People are going to build you up ... Because you’re great. And new. We love you. Man, we’ll build you into something that doesn’t even exist ... But you know what? Once they’ve built you as high as they possibly can, they’re going to tear you back down.” Read More Trump attacks special counsel Jack Smith in post-indictment speech with bizarre claim Kari Lake issues incendiary threat to Biden admin over Trump indictment Trump news – latest: Trump rages at ‘joke’ indictment and ‘deranged’ Jack Smith in first public remarks Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

During his first public remarks since the unsealing of the 49-page, 37-charge indictment against him, Donald Trump again lashed out at special counsel Jack Smith the lead prosecutor in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents probe. Speaking at the state Republican Party convention in Columbus, Georgia, the former president and current presidential candidate gave a meandering stump speech weaving in his apparent incredulity regarding the charges levied against him. As with all of his foes, political or judicial, Mr Trump has already veered into personal attacks against the individuals concerned on his social media platform Truth Social but relished his first opportunity to talk to a large, enraptured crowd of followers. After calling the indictment a “political hit job” and claiming “Republicans are treated far differently at the Justice Department than Democrats”, Mr Trump pondered whether Mr Smith had changed his name. “You know I’m talking about Jack Smith. What do you think his name used to be? I don’t know … Sounds so innocent. He’s deranged.” The former president didn’t stop there. He continued: “Deranged Jack Smith and I watched him yesterday go up and talk. He talked for about two and a half minutes. He was shaking. He was so scared. He didn’t want to be there. Because ultimately, these are cowards. They’re cowards.” He added: “And he’s a big Trump hater, openly he’s a Trump hater. And his wife is even more of a Trump hater. I wish her a lot of luck. But he’s a bad Trump hater and she’s a Trump hater.” Mr Trump returned to the topic of his indictments a couple of times during the speech which went on for much longer than expected as he revelled in the applause from the crowd, who booed and jeered at the mention of his political opponents. The federal indictment against the former president outlines 37 counts related to retaining classified information, willfully retaining national defence information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and more. The indictment was unsealed on Friday afternoon (9 June), revealing the Department of Justice’s findings after a nearly year-long investigation into Mr Trump retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Last August, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized boxes of documents from Mr Trump’s home, some of which included top-secret records detailing a foreign nation’s nuclear capabilities. As the former president raged against the indictment online on Friday, Mr Smith gave a televised speech from the Justice Department — as referenced by Mr Trump in Saturday’s remarks. Mr Smith stressed that laws intended to “protect national defence information are critical to the safety and security of the United States. And they must be enforced.” “Violations of those laws put our country at risk. Adherence to the rule of law is a bedrock principle of the Department of Justice and our nation’s commitment to the rule of law sets an example for the world,” he added. “We have one set of laws in this country and they apply to everyone.” Read More Trump kept classified documents from seven agencies including CIA, DoD, and NSA Trump lashes out at ‘deranged lunatic’ and ‘psycho’ Jack Smith as startling secret papers charges revealed Pence won’t say whether he’s read Trump indictment after calling for its release Trump indictment: Ex-president kept nuclear and military papers and showed some to unauthorised people A timeline of events leading to Donald Trump's indictment in the classified documents case Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcomed LGBTQ Americans to the White House on Saturday for a picnic and concert to commemorate Pride Month.

Kari Lake, the GOP nominee and election denier who lost the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election, has issued an incendiary warning to the Biden administration over the indictment of Donald Trump. The former president has been indicted on 37 counts in relation to his allegedly illegal retention of classified national security information that he’s reported to have taken with him to his Palm Beach, Florida club Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House in January 2021. The consensus among legal experts appears to be that Mr Trump is in serious legal jeopardy that may end in a decades-long prison sentence. That hasn’t stopped many Republicans, including Ms Lake, to come to his defence as they attempt to portray the legal action taken by Special Counsel Jack Smith as politically motivated. Ms Lake said on Friday that those wishing to go after Mr Trump would have to go through her and all those who supported Mr Trump in the 2020 election – 75 million people. She then went on to falsely say that “most of us are card-carrying members” of the National Rifle Association (NRA). The organisation reportedly has around 4.3 million members. She specifically called out Mr Smith, President Joe Biden, and Attorney General Merrick Garland. “I have a message tonight for Merrick Garland, and Jack Smith, and Joe Biden,” Ms Lake said as she was speaking at the Georgia Republican Party convention. “And the guys back there in the fake news media, you should listen up as well, this one’s for you.” “If you wanna get to President Trump, you’re gonna have to go through me, and you’re gonna have to go through 75 million Americans just like me,” she claimed. “And I’m gonna tell you, most of us are card-carrying members of the NRA,” she added to cheers from the crowd. “That’s not a threat, that’s a public service announcement.” Washington Post reporter Isaac Arnsdorf quoted Ms Lake on Twitter and noted that she received a standing ovation. Responding to Mr Arnsdorf, Ms Lake wrote: “I meant what I said.” Ms Lake was replacing former vice president and GOP presidential candidate Mike Pence after he dropped out of his planned speech at the Georgia convention, according to Mediaite. Ms Lake has been an aggressive supporter of Mr Trump and in January it was reported that she was one of the candidates the ex-president was considering as a possible running mate in 2024. Reed Galen of the Lincoln Project said Ms Lake’s kind of rhetoric had sparked violence in the past, listing a number of mass shootings. “This will escalate. We’ve seen the results of these words: El Paso, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Allen, N. Charleston, Christchurch,” he tweeted. “How does this not warrant at least a visit by Secret Service?” Nicky Frank asked. “Congrats to all the wise consultants out there who decided that Trumpism would fade away. Take a f***ing bow folks, you negotiated with the terrorists and it worked out great,” one Twitter user added. “This is shocking. Kari Lake should issue a retraction and apology. This is not even a veiled threat of a violent war in America. It is a call to arms,” Jon Hinck said. Read More Some in Georgia GOP seek purity test as Trump appears at convention in aftermath of indictment Republican Karrin Taylor Robson says she won't run for Sinema's Senate seat in Arizona Kari Lake suffers final defeat in bid to overturn Arizona governor’s race that she lost Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

Former vice president Mike Pence refused to answer a question from The Independent about whether he had read the indictment against former president Donald Trump as he left the North Carolina Republican Party’s convention on Saturday. Mr Pence was exiting the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro after he spoke to the convention for its First in Freedom Lunch and was taking a selfie with a supporter. His staff said “no gaggle” when asked whether the former vice president had read the indictment. This came despite the fact that during his speech, he criticised Mr Trump’s indictment by a grand jury as politicised, calling it a “sad day for America.” “I had hoped the Department of Justice would see its way clear to resolve the issues involving the former president without an indictment and I'm deeply troubled to see this indictment move forward,” he said. Mr Pence said he had been one of the first people to call on US Attorney General Merrick Garland to unseal the indictment. “Today, I'm calling on the Attorney General to stand before the American people and explain why this was necessary in his words,” Mr Pence said. “Attorney General Merrick Garland, stop hiding behind the special counsel and stand before the American people and explain why this indictment went forward.” A grand jury under the supervision of Special Counsel Jack Smith chose to indict Mr Trump. The unsealed 49-page indictment showed that Mr Trump faced 37 counts. Mr Trump was charged with “with felony violations of our national security laws as well as participating in a conspiracy to obstruct justice” by a grand jury in the Southern District of Florida. The indictment accuses Mr Trump of showing classified documents to unauthorised people at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club on two occasions, once with a writer and a publisher working on a book by his former chief of staff Mark Meadows and another time when he showed a classified map of an unnamed country that involved staff working for Mr Trump’s political action committee. Still, the former vice president sought to draw a distinction between himself and the former president on issues ranging from abortion to January 6. “It gives me no pleasure to say, but on that fateful day, the American people deserve to know that President Trump demanded that I choose between him and the Constitution,” he told attendees in the reception room. “Under the Constitution, states conduct our elections, certify those elections, court challenges can be had, objections can be heard in the Congress,” he said. Mr Pence warned that if Republicans went the path that Mr Trump prescribed, then Democrats would nationalise elections. “I'm glad he said it just to stand his ground and to completely distance himself,” Burt Johnson, who attended the dinner, said. “I don't think it was needed. But he drew a clear line. He was unequivocal. And I think that's important.” But not everyone was pleased with Mr Pence and many still resent the fact that he refused to overturn the 2020 presidential election results on January 6, which led to the mob yelling “hang Mike Pence.” Patricia Koluch of Pender County had a simple reason for why she did not attend Mr Pence’s speech. “Well, January 6,” she told The Independent. “And a lot of behind-the-scenes information about who he really is and what he stands for.” Mr Pence announced his candidacy this week. He also criticised Mr Trump for his admonishing states for passing legislation restricting abortion and for not supporting reforming entitlements like Social Security and Medicare. Read More Trump indictment: Ex-president kept nuclear and military papers and showed some to unauthorised people Mitt Romney’s blistering response to Trump’s damning indictment Trump news – latest: Trump rages ‘Democrat Communists want to jail their opponents’ after indictment unsealed Trump's GOP defenders in Congress leap into action on charges after months of preparation Fox host Mark Levin screams at camera in rant over Trump’s indictment Trump indicted: What to know about the documents case and what's next