Trump demands MSNBC owner be investigated for ‘treason’ – live

Donald Trump has demanded that the parent company of MSNBC and NBC be investigated for “treason” over what he described as “one-side and vicious coverage”.

In a Truth Social rant on Sunday, the former president threatened to launch a probe into Comcast if he wins the 2024 race.

“They are a true threat to Democracy and are, in fact, THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE! The Fake News Media should pay a big price for what they have done to our once great Country!” he wrote.

Mr Trump spent much of the weekend ranting on his social media platform.

In another post on Sunday, he demanded that “all” Senate Democrats resign over the charges facing Senator Bob Menendez – at a time when Mr Trump is refusing to step aside from the 2024 race while facing four criminal cases.

Earlier, he appeared to threaten Mark Milley, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with “death” and praised the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for rolling back on climate target policies.

This comes as Mr Trump is preparing to skip the second Republican presidential debate on Wednesday – to instead give a primetime speech to union members in Detroit.

Key Points

• Democrats split over calls for Bob Menendez to resign after bribery charges

• Trump aide claims Mark Meadows was burning so many documents his wife complained of ‘bonfire’ smell

• RNC's livestreaming partner for the GOP debate is a haven for disinformation and extremism

• Past high-profile trials suggest stress and potential pitfalls for Georgia judge handling Trump case

• This week in Trumpworld: Highlights

When is the next Republican presidential primary debate?

16:00 , Faiza Saqib

The second Republican presidential primary debate is set to take place in Simi Valley, California, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute on 27 September.

After the rumble in Milwaukee on 23 August the Republican party is set to face off on the debate stage once more, under the direction of moderators Stuart Varney and Dana Perino of Fox News, and Univision’s Ilia Calderón.

There were plenty of fireworks going off centre stage as eight GOP candidates began to exchange harsh words as they battled it out for the nomination for president.

In the first debate, there were three winners that made it to the top, including Mike Pence, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley with some neutrality with Tim Scott, Asa Hutchinson and Doug Burgum.

Here’s everything you need to know about the second debate, including where to watch and how qualifications have changed.

Donald Trump makes all-caps demand for autoworkers union to endorse him

15:30 , Gustaf Kilander

On Monday morning, Mr Trump demanded that the United Auto Workers Union endorse him.

The former president took to Truth Social to slam his successor, President Joe Biden.

“Crooked Joe Biden, who is killing the United Autoworkers with his WEAK stance on China and his ridiculous insistence on All Electric Cars, every one of which will be made in China, saw that I was going to Michigan this week (Wednesday!), so the Fascists in the White House just announced he would go there tomorrow,” Mr Trump said in an increasingly unhinged rant.

“That was the only way to get him out of the basement and off his lazy a..!” he added.

“He has been a complete disaster for all Autoworkers in the U.S., so much do that with his warped plan & mind, their won’t be any Autoworkers left in 3 years. He is destroying our Country, and likewise, destroying the United Autoworkers,” Mr Trump claimed. “When he slowly walks to pretend he is a ‘picket’.”

“REMEMBER, HE WANTS TO TAKE YOUR JOBS AWAY AND GIVE THEM TO CHINA AND OTHER FOREIGN COUNTRIES,” Mr Trump added.

“TURN YOUR BACK ON THIS CORRUPT AND HIGHLY INCOMPETENT PRESIDENT, BY FAR THE WORST IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, AND SHOUT OUT TO YOUR UNION LEADERSHIP TO ENDORSE DONALD J. TRUMP. I WILL KEEP YOUR JOBS AND MAKE YOU RICH!!!” he demanded.

But the leadership of the UAW has said that a second term for Mr Trump would be a “disaster” for workers.

The UAW regional director for Ohio and Indiana, Dave Green, told the AP: “Just look who Trump put in the courts. Look at his record with the labour relations board. He did nothing to support organized labour except lip service.”

Democrats split over calls for Bob Menendez to resign after bribery charges

15:00 , John Bowden

The Democratic Party is divided on the issue of New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez’s resignation as he faces federal bribery charges.

The senator is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash and gold from three New Jersey businessmen with ties to Egypt.

In exchange the senator, formerly chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, provided sensitive information “to benefit the government of Egypt”. He is also accused of interfering in a criminal investigation of the businessmen’s allies.

Mr Menendez has denied the allegations and while he has stepped down from his committee post, he is digging in on his Congressional seat.

His party’s leadership in the Senate has, so far, backed his decision to remain in office. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Friday that the senator had a right to have the allegations play out in court, a tacit refusal to call for his resignation.

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Trump aide claims Mark Meadows was burning so many documents his wife complained of ‘bonfire’ smell

14:30 , John Bowden

White House chief-of-staff Mark Meadows was burning so many documents at the end of the Trump presidency that his wife complained about the dry-cleaning bill caused by the “bonfire” smell from his clothes, according to a former aide.

Cassidy Hutchinson, whose memoir on her time in the Trump administration comes out this week, told The New York Times, that staff were using so-called “burn bags” to dispose of unneeded documents and other “litter” that had accumulated as part of White House business.

But according to Ms Hutchinson, Mr Meadows feared that burn bags could be intercepted by his enemies before they were destroyed so opted to toss documents into a fireplace.

The Independent has attempted to reach Mr Meadows for comment.

Ms Hutchinson was a key witness during last year’s House Select Committee investigation into the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters.

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RNC's livestreaming partner for the GOP debate is a haven for disinformation and extremism

14:10 , Ali Swenson

The second Republican presidential debate will be broadcast Wednesday on Fox Business Network and Univision, but the exclusive online livestream will take place on Rumble, an alternative video-sharing platform that has been criticized for allowing— and at times promoting — far-right extremism, bigotry, election disinformation and conspiracy theories.

By bringing viewers to Rumble to watch the GOP debate, as it did with the first one last month, the Republican National Committee is driving potential voters to a site crawling with content that flouts the rules of more mainstream ones such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Earlier this year, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said using Rumble instead of YouTube as its livestreaming partner was a decision aimed toward “ getting away from Big Tech.”

Asked about the criticism against the platform, the RNC said in an emailed statement that “hate, bigotry and violence is unfortunately prevalent on every social media platform, and the RNC condemns it entirely, but the RNC does not manage content or pages outside of our own.”

Rumble, founded in 2013, prides itself on being “immune to cancel culture.” Its website says “everyone benefits when we have access to more ideas, diverse opinions, and dialogue.”

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Past high-profile trials suggest stress and potential pitfalls for Georgia judge handling Trump case

13:50 , Sudhin Thanawala

Judge Peter Cahill hardly slept during the six weeks he presided over the murder trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for killing George Floyd.

Cameras in the courtroom broadcast the veteran Minnesota judge’s every word to a global audience. Outside, the nation waited nervously for the outcome of a slaying that galvanized the movement for racial justice.

“When you’re in a high-profile trial, you feel the stress, you feel the pressure even if you’re not reading the papers,” he told an audience of judges last year at The National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada.

Cahill’s experience provides a glimpse of the additional scrutiny and strain that await the four judges overseeing the criminal cases against former President Donald Trump.

But the challenge facing Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee in Georgia is unlike any of the others. For one, he is the only judge so far to allow television cameras in the courtroom to broadcast hearings and any trials. He is presiding over a sprawling indictment with 19 defendants, among them other prominent figures including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. And the trials will play out in a battleground state that Trump narrowly lost in 2020.

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This week in Trumpworld: Highlights

13:10 , Rachel Sharp

– On Monday evening, former Mark Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson will appear for an interview with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.

Ms Cassidy has just released a new book about her time in the Trump administration.

– On Wednesday, Republican presidential candidates will head to California to take part in the second debate that night.

However, Mr Trump is planning to skip the debate – again – to instead give a primetime speech to union members in Detroit.

Trump suggests Mark Milley should be executed in possible breach of pre-trial release conditions

12:48 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump made a series of aggressive comments on social media about outgoing head of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley, suggesting the top military leader’s conduct was worthy of execution.

“Mark Milley, who led perhaps the most embarrassing moment in American history with his grossly incompetent implementation of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, costing many lives, leaving behind hundreds of American citizens, and handing over BILLIONS of dollars of the finest military equipment ever made, will be leaving the military next week,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday.

“This will be a time for all citizens of the USA to celebrate!” he continued. “This guy turned out to be a Woke train wreck who, if the Fake News reporting is correct, was actually dealing with China to give them a heads up on the thinking of the President of the United States. This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!”

The Independent has contacted the Joint Chiefs of Staff for comment.

The former president’s comments could potentially run afoul of his release conditions ahead of his trials related to the special counsel investigations against him in the Mar-a-Lago documents and 2020 election conspiracy cases. He has been warned to avoid publicly attacking court officers and potential witnesses on social media.

Read on...

Trump suggests Milley should be executed in possible breach of release conditions

Trump demands all Senate Democrats resign over Bob Menendez scandal – despite his own slew of criminal cases

12:00 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump has demanded that “all” SenateDemocrats resign over the bribery scandal facing Senator Bob Menendez – despite pushing ahead with his own 2024 ambitions while facing the prospect of the rest of his life behind bars.

In a Truth Social rant on Sunday, the indicted former president weighed in on the federal criminal case against the New Jersey lawmaker and called on the entire Democratic party to stand down from the Senate over the scandal.

“Senate Democrats should all resign based on Senator Bob Menendez! They all knew what was going on, and the way he lived,” he ranted.

Mr Trump also went on to falsely suggest that he had been treated unfairly compared to Mr Menendez, questioning why the FBI didn’t raid the senator’s home “like they illegally raided Mar-a-Lago”.

Mr Trump appears to be unaware that the FBI executes a search warrant at the home Mr Menendez shares with his wife Nadine Menendez in June 2022 – a search which uncovered bars of gold, over $480,000 in cash and a luxury convertible now used as evidence in the case against him.

Read the full story:

Trump demands all Senate Democrats resign over Bob Menendez scandal

Political analyst slams ‘embarrassing’ poll which pitted Trump 10 points ahead of Biden

11:40 , Rachel Sharp

A top political analyst has slammed an “embarrassing” poll which pitted Donald Trump 10 points ahead of Preisdent Joe Biden.

The Washington Post-ABC poll, released last week, has been branded an outlier by expert pollsters.

Political pollster Larry Sabato took to X to brand it “ridiculous” that the poll would be even published.

“Ignore the Washington Post - ABC poll. It’s a ridiculous outlier (Trump up 10 over Biden—laughable). My question: How could you even publish a poll so absurd on its face? Will be a lingering embarrassment for you,” he wrote.

Trump praises Rishi Sunak for climate target rollbacks as British PM’s popularity plummets

11:20 , Rachel Sharp

Rishi Sunak has earned the approval of former US president Donald Trump after the British Prime Minister announced the rollback of net zero targets this week.

Mr Trump, a climate denier, praised Mr Sunak on his social media site, Truth Social, on Saturday.

“I always knew Sunak was smart, that he wasn’t going to destroy and bankrupt his nation for fake climate alarmists that don’t have a clue,” Mr Trump wrote.

“Congratulations to Prime Minister Sunak for recognizing this SCAM before it was too late!” he added.

On Wednesday, Mr Suank announced he would be delaying the UK’s 2030 ban on gas and diesel cars until 2035. He also rejected a series of environmental proposals including one that would require landlords to make properties more energy efficient.

Read the full story here:

Trump praises Rishi Sunak for climate rollbacks as British PM’s popularity plummets

Marjorie Taylor Greene marks Yom Kippur – with a Hanukkah post

11:00 , Rachel Sharp

Trump demands ‘all’ Senate Democrats resign over Bob Menendez scandal

10:40 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump has demanded that “all” Senate Democrats resign over the charges facing Senator Bob Menendez – despite the fact he is continuing with his own ambitions to take the White House in 2024 while facing four criminal cases.

In a Truth Social rant on Sunday, the indicted former president wrote: “Senate Democrats should all resign based on Senator Bob Menendez! They all knew what was going on, and the way he lived.”

He also falsely suggested that he had been treated unfairly compared to Mr Menendez, questioning why the FBI didn’t raid the senator’s home “like they illegally raided Mar-a-Lago”.

Mr Trump appeared to be unaware that the FBI did execute a search warrant at the home Mr Menendez shares with his wife Nadine Menendez in June 2022 – a search which uncovered bars of gold, over $480,000 in cash and a luxury convertible now deemed to be evidence in the case against him.

“Why doesn’t the FBI raid Senate Democrat’s homes like they illegally raided Mar-a-Lago, where nothing was done wrong based on the Presidential Records Act,” Mr Trump fumed.

“Menendez is a “piker” compared to some of those Election Stealing THUGS. Can you imagine how much Crooked Joe Biden has stolen, and what’s in some of his many homes? The FBI and “Justice” notified him that they would be going in to look, “in a few weeks.” In other words, get rid of the cash, gold, & documents, ASAP, before we get there.

“They didn’t give me any warning, they just showed up. Hunter lived with Crooked Joe in Delaware. It would be a “Treasure Hunt!” Crooked’s coffers must be loaded up with cash. I wonder how much they got paid for Rigging the Election?”

He rounded off his unhinged rant – in which he peddled his ongoing false claims of election fraud and unfounded accusations against his successor – with an all-caps demand for all Democrats to stand down from the Senate.

“Menendez is one of many, a small timer at that. EVERY DEMOCRAT SHOULD RESIGN FROM THE SENATE! Our Border’s are Broken, our Election’s are Rigged. MAGA!” he wrote.

GOP congressman says Americans ‘sick and tired’ of government shutdowns as his party threatens one

10:20 , Rachel Sharp

A Republican congressman, vowing to vote against a resolution to keep the government open, admitted on Sunday that Americans are “sick and tired” of Congress’s constant fights over the federal budget.

The US government will run out of funding for many nonessential services, including pay for thousands of Americans who work at various agencies, if Congress does not pass a short-term funding bill, called a continuing resolution, before 1 October.

House Republicans, who control the lower chamber by a single-digit margin, have yet to agree on a package that would attract enough Republican and/or Democratic support to pass a vote.

Tim Burchett, a member of the Freedom Caucus, was asked by CNN on Sunday why he didn’t support an effort to keep the government open for another month.

“I have not voted for [continuing resolutions], I didn’t vote for one under President Trump and I haven’t voted for any any in the past,” he said.

Read on...

Republican says Americans ‘sick and tired’ of shutdowns as GOP threatens one

Trump demands MSNBC parent company be investigated for ‘treason'

09:56 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump has demanded that the parent company of MSNBC and NBC be investigated for “treason” over what he described as “one-side and vicious coverage”.

In a Truth Social rant on Sunday, the former president threatened to launch a probe into Comcast if he wins the 2024 race.

“They are almost all dishonest and corrupt, but Comcast, with its one-side and vicious coverage by NBC NEWS, and in particular MSNBC, often and correctly referred to as MSDNC (Democrat National Committee!), should be investigated for its “Country Threatening Treason.” Their endless coverage of the now fully debunked SCAM known as Russia, Russia, Russia, and much else, is one big Campaign Contribution to the Radical Left Democrat Party,” he wrote.

“I say up front, openly, and proudly, that when I WIN the Presidency of the United States, they and others of the LameStream Media will be thoroughly scrutinized for their knowingly dishonest and corrupt coverage of people, things, and events.

“Why should NBC, or any other of the corrupt & dishonest media companies, be entitled to use the very valuable Airwaves of the USA, FREE? They are a true threat to Democracy and are, in fact, THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE! The Fake News Media should pay a big price for what they have done to our once great Country!”

Trump praises Rishi Sunak for climate target rollbacks

09:00 , Ariana Baio

Rishi Sunak has earned the approval of former US president Donald Trump after the British Prime Minister announced the rollback of net zero targets this week.

“I always knew Sunak was smart, that he wasn’t going to destroy and bankrupt his nation for fake climate alarmists that don’t have a clue,” Mr Trump wrote.

Ariana Baio reports:

Trump praises Rishi Sunak for climate rollbacks as British PM’s popularity plummets

Trump takes credit for Roe v Wade while warning Republicans about six week bans

06:00 , Ariana Baio

Trump will address 500 union members on Wednesday

02:00 , Ariana Baio

Rather than participate in the next GOP debate, Donald Trump will address 500 former or current union members on Wednesday 27 September.

Mr Trump is expected to begin addressing the United Auto Workers beginning at 8pm at Drak Enterprises in Clinton Township, Michigan.

Republican 2024 candidates are walking the abortion line. One question is throwing them off balance

Sunday 24 September 2023 23:00 , Ariana Baio

For decades an anti-abortion stance was the standard for GOP presidential nominees but since the fall of Roe v Wade, candidates have had to balance remaining loyal to the party without isolating a majority of voters. How will their stance affect their campaigns?

Ariana Baio reports:

Republican candidates walking the abortion line can’t dodge this one question

Nevada Republicans have set rules for their presidential caucus seen as helping Donald Trump

Sunday 24 September 2023 20:00 , Associated Press

The Nevada Republican Party approved rules Saturday for their presidential caucus that many campaigns suspect are meant to help former President Donald Trump win the state’s GOP delegates.

The provisions would bar any candidate from the Feb. 8 caucus if they participate in the state-run primary two days earlier. They would also restrict super PACs, like the one Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is relying on, from trying to bolster support for candidates in a caucus.

The party approved the new rules at a closed-door meeting of its central committee. Two people familiar with the matter confirmed the result to The Associated Press. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the vote publicly.

The state-run primary will occur on Feb. 6, two days before the caucus. But those results will likely be symbolic since the state party refuses to use them to determine delegates. The national Republican Party generally allows state parties to decide how they will award delegates.

The caucuses also call for voter ID, paper ballots and only same-day voting. Nevada’s election laws, used in the state-run primary, require universal mail-in ballots, early voting, same-day registration, and require an ID to register to vote, but not at the polls.

The result could mean widespread confusion for Republican voters if two presidential nominating processes happen within the span of three days.

Trump calls UK Prime Minister ‘smart’ for climate rollbacks

Sunday 24 September 2023 16:30 , Ariana Baio

Donald Trump praised Rishi Sunak, the UK Prime Minister, for rolling back on “ridiculous” climate policies, saying it was the smart decision.

“I always knew Sunak was smart, that he wasn’t going to destroy and bankrupt his nation for fake climate alarmists that don’t have a clue,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Trump, who rolled back on more than 100 environmental policies while president, suggested the US should follow the same decisions.

“Congratulations to Prime Minister Sunak for recognizing this SCAM before it was too late! The Green New Hoax will take down the U.S.”

Did Trump just call for Mark Milley to be executed?

Saturday 23 September 2023 23:46 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Friday to rail against his old ally Mark Milley, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In lengthy rant, Mr Trump hit out at Mr Milley for being a “Woke train wreck” and suggested the general’s communications with China seeking to diffuse tensions in early 2021 were worthy of execution.

Here’s the former president’s full post.

If Chairman Milley ends up on the witness list in one of the many ongoing prosecutions of Donald Trump, these social media threats could come back to haunt him.

Cassidy Hutchinson calls Trump ‘dangerous’ and ‘un-American’ and describes fleeing DC after testimony

Saturday 23 September 2023 18:14 , Josh Marcus

Cassidy Hutchsinson, former Trump administration aide turned key whistleblower in the January 6 investigation, had to flee Washington after her testimony against the former president and his allies, she claimed.

Ms Hutchinson, author of a forthcoming memoir about her time in the Trump administration, told CBS News in an interview that will air on Sunday that her lawyers advised her to get out of the US capital.

“I could not go back to my apartment,” Ms Hutchinson told CBS News. “I ended up moving down to Atlanta for several months.”

Ms Hutchinson, a former advisor to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, said that she remains a Republican but will no longer be supporting Mr Trump.

“I would … like to make clear. I would not back the former president of the United States,” she said. “He is dangerous for the country. He is willing and has showed, time and time again, willingness to proliferate lies to vulnerable American people so he could stay in power. … To me, that is the most un-American thing that you can do.”

More details in our full story.

Cassidy Hutchinson calls Trump ‘dangerous’ and describes fleeing DC

Cassidy Hutchinson had to flee Washington after January 6 testimony

Saturday 23 September 2023 17:30 , Josh Marcus

Cassidy Hutchsinson, a former Trump administration aide who became a key whistleblower during the January 6 investigation, had to flee Washington after her high-profile testimony about the former president and his allies’ conduct in the run-up to the US Capitol insurrection.

Ms Hutchinson, author of a forthcoming memoir about her time in the Trump administration, told CBS News in an interview that will air Sunday that her lawyers advised her to get out of Washington.

“I could not go back to my apartment,” Ms Hutchinson told CBS News. “I ended up moving down to Atlanta for several months.”

Ms Hutchinson’s book also details how she was allegedly sexually assaulted by Rudy Giuliani, which he denies, and how Donald Trump allegedly refused to wear a Covid mask for aesthetic reasons.

Here’s our reporting on Ms Hutchinson’s post-Trump legacy.

Cassidy Hutchinson claims Rudy Giuliani sexually assaulted her on Jan 6 in new book

Trump refused to wear Covid mask because it smudged his bronzer, former aide claims

Trump ordered armed supporters to Capitol, lunged for steering wheel

Karine Jean-Pierre loses patience with Fox News’ Peter Doocy: ‘We’re moving on’

Saturday 23 September 2023 14:00 , Kelly Rissman

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shut down an attempted question from Fox News’ White House correspondent during a briefing after he asked about the influx of migrants at the southern border.

Peter Doocy asked, “So what do you call it here at the White House when 10,000 people illegally cross the border in a single day?”

“What do you call it, Peter, when GOP puts forth…” Ms Jean-Pierre started saying when Doocy interrupted, with his arm extended toward her, as if asking her to stop.

“No, no, no, you can’t,” she said before looking away from him and saying, “OK, we’re gonna move on! We’re moving on!”

“Karine, please” Doocy pleaded. “You said you were stopping the flow at the border–”

The press secretary kept saying “no” and explained her decision: “Peter, I tried to answer the question. You stopped me! Let’s go!”

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Giuliani still hasn’t paid tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees owed to Georgia election workers

Saturday 23 September 2023 13:30 , Alex Woodward

Rudy Giuliani has failed to pay tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees to the two Georgia election workers who sued him for defamation, according to a court filing from attorneys for both women.

Lawyers for Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who sued Donald Trump’s former attorney over baseless claims that fuelled threats of violence against them, have filed a notice in federal court that he has yet to pay more than $132,000 in sanctions after he failed to respond to parts of their lawsuit.

A four-page filing in US District Court on 21 September notes that Mr Giuliani was ordered to produce evidence and pay attorneys’ fees no later than 20 September. “Plaintiffs are considering what further relief may be appropriate,” according to the filing.

Last month, US District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington DC determined that Mr Giuliani is liable for defamation for his baseless, inflammatory statements about the women, which are also central to two sprawling criminal indictments surrounding Mr Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Mr Giuliani was ordered to pay $89,172 in attorneys’ fees after he failed to respond to requests for evidence, as well as another $43,684 in fees after he ignored requests for business records, under the judge’s orders.

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UAW hits Tim Scott with labour complaint after he suggests striking auto workers should be fired

Saturday 23 September 2023 13:00 , Alex Woodward

The union representing thousands of American auto workers has filed a complaint against Republican US Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina after he suggested that he would solve the ongoing strike against the nation’s “Big Three” automakers by firing them.

When asked about his approach to labour talks in the United Auto Workers strike during a campaign stop in Iowa this week, Mr Scott, who is seeking the 2024 Republican nomination for president, told voters that “Ronald Reagan gave us a great example when federal employees decided they were going to strike.”

The former Republican president fired thousands of striking air traffic controllers in 1981.

“He said, ‘You strike, you’re fired.’ Simple concept to me. To the extent that we can use that once again, absolutely,” Mr Scott said.

A complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board on 21 September alleges that his statements have unlawfully interfered with workers’ rights to engage in union activity.

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Biden has told Zelensky US will give Ukraine coveted ATACMS long-range missiles, report says

Saturday 23 September 2023 12:00 , Andrew Feinberg

President Joe Biden has reportedly promised Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky that the US will provide his country with a long-range missile system that his armed forces could use to attack targets in Russian-occupied territory or potentially in Russia itself.

According to NBC News, Mr Biden told Mr Zelensky that he will approve transfer of at least one MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to the Armed Forces of Ukraine at some point in the future.

The US-built missile system, which is manufactured by Lockheed Martin, can be fired from the M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers which have been in use by Ukrainian forces for some time. But unlike other missiles, the ATACMS can be used to strike targets as far away as 180 miles, which would allow Ukrainian defence forces to strike command and control and supply locations well behind Russia’s front lines.

Citing four sources, NBC reported that Mr Biden told Mr Zelensky that the US would transfer “a small number” of the longer-range missiles, even though the US does not have a large stockpile of them on hand.

Mr Zelensky and his government have been pressing American officials for the ATACMS system for months, citing the inability of the weapons in their possession to strike targets deep inside Russian-held territory within Ukraine’s borders.

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Judge overseeing case to remove Trump from ballot agrees to order banning threats and intimidation

Saturday 23 September 2023 11:00 , Nicholas Riccardi

The Colorado judge overseeing the first significant lawsuit to bar former President Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 presidential ballot on Friday issued a protective order prohibiting threats and intimidation in the case, saying the safety of those involved — including herself and her staff — was necessary as the groundbreaking litigation moves forward.

“I 100% understand everybody’s concerns for the parties, the lawyers, and frankly myself and my staff based on what we’ve seen in other cases,” District Judge Sarah B. Wallace said as she agreed to the protective order.

The order prohibits parties in the case from making threatening or intimidating statements. Scott Gessler, a former Colorado secretary of state representing Trump in the case, opposed it. He said a protective order was unnecessary because threats and intimidation already are prohibited by law.

It was sought by lawyers for the liberal group Citizens For Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which is seeking to disqualify Trump from the ballot under a rarely used Civil War-era clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Gessler said heated rhetoric in this case has come partly from the left.

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Who is Bob Menendez, the New Jersey senator indicted for corruption?

Saturday 23 September 2023 10:00 , Gustaf Kilander

New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, one of the most influential congressional Democrats on foreign policy, is no stranger to landing himself in hot water.

On 22 September, the 69-year-old was indicted on corruption charges for the second time in a decade.

Manhattan prosecutors are alleging that the senator and his wife, Nadine Menendez, had a “corrupt relationship” with New Jersey associates Fred Daibes, Wael Hana and Jose Uribe.

The authorities claim that the couple accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes for a number of schemes, such as handing sensitive government information to Egypt as well as influencing criminal investigations.

Born in 1954 to Cuban immigrants in New York City who had left the island nation just a few months earlier, the future senator was quick to join the political fray. At the age of 20, he was elected to the board of education in Union City, New Jersey.

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Biden says new White House gun violence office will ‘centralise, accelerate and intensify’ efforts to end mass shootings

Saturday 23 September 2023 09:00 , Andrew Feinberg, Alex Woodward

President Joe Biden on Friday said the establishment of a White House office dedicated to the prevention of gun violence is a tribute to the survivors and activists who have fought for years to bring change in the face of fierce opposition, and predicted that it would kick his administration’s anti-violence efforts into a higher gear.

Speaking at an event to unveil the new project in the White House Rose Garden on 22 September, the president said he was “determined to send a clear message about how important this issue is to me and to the country” by signing an executive order to establish the new office – which will overseen by Vice President Kamala Harris – to coordinate efforts among administration officials and state and local governments, absent congressional action.

“We’re going to centralise, accelerate, and intensify our work to save more lives more quickly. That’s what this new White House office of gun violence prevention is designed to do,” he said.

He added that the more than 500 mass shootings the US has seen this year is “unacceptable” and “not who we are,” and said that if Congress doesn’t act to stop it, Americans “will need to elect new members of Congress”.

White House staff secretary Stefanie Feldman will serve as the office director, with Greg Jackson, the executive director of the Community Justice Action Fund, and Everytown for Gun Safety’s Rob Wilcox joining as deputy directors.

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CNN host gives scathing obituary of Rupert Murdoch’s career and the ‘mess left behind’

Saturday 23 September 2023 08:00 , Martha McHardy

CNN host Abby Phillip has given a scathing obituary of Rupert Murdoch’s career and “the mess left behind”, after the 92-year-old media mogul announced on Thursday that he is stepping down as chairman of Fox Corporation and News Corp.

In a segment on the liberal network, Ms Phillip slammed Mr Murdoch’s legacy at Fox News, accusing him of enabling the creation of “outrage porn” and “partisan red meat” and of “stoking relentless culture wars.”

“American democracy is in perilous condition,” she said in the segment, which she also posted on X.

“The nation’s politics are poison, truth has become optional, instead of desired or even required.”

She continued: “So much of the current state of our democracy can be traced back to the beast of his creation.”

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Biden and Lauren Boebert call out McCarthy for taking a long weekend as government shutdown looms

Saturday 23 September 2023 07:00 , Gustaf Kilander

House Republicans have grown so dysfunctional that far-right members of the party appear to be on the same side as President Joe Biden.

On Thursday, both Mr Biden and Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert slammed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California for allowing the House to end its business for the week and lawmakers to set off on long weekends – even as a government shutdown looks increasingly inevitable.

“Last time there was a government shutdown, 800,000 Americans were furloughed or worked without pay. But enjoy your weekend,” Mr Biden wrote on X on Thursday.

In a rare moment of agreement with the president, Ms Boebert also took to X to make a similar comment.

“Congress should not be sent home this week without passing any individual appropriations bills that slash spending and show the American people we are making progress and can govern,” she wrote.

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Drag queen at bar owned by Lauren Boebert’s Beetlejuice date casts fresh doubts on congresswoman’s claims

Saturday 23 September 2023 06:00 , Martha McHardy

A drag queen who has performed at a gay-friendly bar owned by Lauren Boebert’s Beetlejuice beau has spoken out, casting fresh doubt on the congresswoman’s claims about the scandal.

Ms Boebert previously suggested that the Beetlejuice show – where she and Quinn Gallagher, 46, were removed for allegedly vaping, singing, taking pictures and engaging in heavy petting – was the pair’s first date.

In fact, as she was forced to apologise for her behaviour as footage of the encounter leaked, the Republican congresswoman claimed she had split up with the bar owner after learning that he is a Democrat.

“All future date nights have been cancelled,” she said.

“And I learned to check party affiliations before you go on a date.”

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Republican 2024 candidates are walking the abortion line. One question is throwing them off balance

Saturday 23 September 2023 05:00 , Ariana Baio

The 2024 Republican candidates for president have an abortion problem.

At every campaign stop, town hall, debate and interview the elephant in the room manages to creep its way into the dialogue – how should a potential president approach the legality of abortion at the federal level, if at all?

For decades, the ideal GOP candidate would state their pro-life stance and disagree with the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v Wade to earn a gold star and potential endorsements.

But since the fall of Roe last year, the issue of abortion has become increasingly complicated and voters have made it clear they’re looking for a candidate who can take a nuanced approach to the subject.

Across the board, polling shows that most Americans believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases in the first trimester, regardless of party lines. Simultaneously, the same majority of voters also believe abortions should be illegal in the third trimester.

Yet, when candidates are confronted with the issue, many display an obvious struggle to remain loyal to the Republican party’s long-held belief while extending a compromising hand to the rest of the country.

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White House trolls ‘worst person you know’ Matt Gaetz

Saturday 23 September 2023 04:00 , Josh Marcus

When the White House is trolling Congress using Onion headlines and Republicans are voting against funding the military, you know something very strange is happening in Washington.

On Wednesday, the Biden administration trolled both Florida congressman Matt Gaetz as “The Worst Person You Know” and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over his leadership using a headline from the satirical newspaper – after Mr Gaetz accused the GOP leadership of causing Congress to careen towards a looming 30 September shutdown deadline without a plan to fund the government.

The White House account on X, formerly Twitter, shared an oft-quoted Onion story featuring a picture of a sullen man with the headline: “Heartbreaking: The Worst Person You Know Just Made A Great Point.”

The post came in response to a quote from Mr Gaetz, the far-right congressman who has consistently been a critic of Speaker McCarthy.

In an interview with Fox News reporter Liz Elkind, the Florida Republican had called the looming shutdown “Speaker McCarthy’s fault”.

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Trump says he ‘doesn’t believe’ he forced Rupert Murdoch into retirement

Saturday 23 September 2023 03:15 , Rachel Sharp, Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump has said that he does “not believe” that he “forced Rupert Murdoch into retirement”.

The chairman of Fox Corp and News Corp announced in a memo to staff on Thursday that he was retiring from his position at the helm of his right-wing empire and handing over the reins to his son Lachlan.

“Many people are saying that, ‘You forced Rupert Murdoch into retirement!’ I do not believe this is so, but while we’re at it, how about getting rid of ‘Democrat’ Mitch McConnell, who gives the Radical Left Lunatics, together with his small band of automatic ‘yes’ votes, EVERYTHING they want. There is ZERO Republican Leadership in the United States Senate. MAGA!!!” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday morning.

Mr Trump and Mr Murdoch have endured something of a notorious love-hate relationship for years.

They were close allies during the 2016 presidential election campaign, with the media mogul welcoming him on Fox News and helping to propel his career from businessman to politician.

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North Carolina legislature gives final OK to election board changes, with governor's veto to follow

Saturday 23 September 2023 02:30 , Gary D. Robertson, Hannah Schoenbaum

The North Carolina General Assembly gave final approval on Friday to Republican-backed legislation that would shift control of the State Board of Elections away from the governor and give it to lawmakers as the 2024 elections get underway.

With the Senate recording a party-line vote to accept a consensus GOP measure after the House completed a similar vote late Thursday night, the bill now heads to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

Cooper already has promised to veto it, saying it’s a GOP power play that would result in stalemates on the proposed new board, potentially limiting access to early in-person voting and giving more opportunity to the General Assembly and courts to settle contested elections.

Republicans say the new structure will result in more consensus building on election matters, building voter confidence. But it also could result in the current state elections executive director being ousted from her job weeks before key primary elections are held in March in the nation’s ninth-largest state.

Republicans hold narrow veto-proof majorities in the House and Senate, so a successful override is likely next month. GOP lawmakers have tried since 2016 to erode the governor’s power over elections, but those efforts have been struck down by courts or rejected by voters. More litigation could be ahead if it gets enacted. Unlike recent years, the state Supreme Court now has a majority of Republican justices.

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White House preparing for government shutdown as House Republicans lack a viable endgame for funding

Saturday 23 September 2023 01:45 , Josh Boak, Stephen Groves, Lisa Mascaro

The White House is preparing Friday to direct federal agencies to get ready for a shutdown after House Republicans left town for the weekend with no viable plan to keep the government funded and avert politically and economically costly disruption of federal services.

A federal shutdown after Sept. 30 seems all but certain unless Speaker Kevin McCarthy can convince his rebellious hard-right flank of Republicans to allow Congress to approve a temporary funding measure to prevent closures while they work on the annual federal spending plan. But the House is not expected back until Tuesday, leaving just five days to resolve his standoff.

“We got members working, and hopefully we’ll be able to move forward on Tuesday to pass these bills,” McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters at the Capitol.

McCarthy signaled his preference for avoiding a closure, but a hard-right flank of his House majority has effectively seized control. “I still believe if you shut down you’re in a weaker position,” he said.

The standoff with House Republicans over government funding puts at risk a range of activities — including pay for the military and law enforcement personnel, food safety and food aid programs, air travel and passport processing — and could wreck havoc with the U.S. economy.

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VOICES: Why progressives won’t pressure Biden on strikes – while Matt Gaetz runs the GOP

Saturday 23 September 2023 01:00 , Eric Garcia

Business in Congress ended on Thursday with Republicans in the House of Representatives getting no closer to an agreement. By the time your dispatcher left the Capitol, Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL), the far right firebrand who took Kevin McCarthy to 15 rounds to make him speaker, was meeting with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer in his office.

Gaetz waltzed into the office after the House failed to pass a rule to begin the process of passing the annual defence spending bill for the second time this week. Keep in mind that this version of the bill has absolutely zero chance of passing the US Senate.

This is purely an effort by Mr McCarthy to let his most right-wing members act like they did something before he ultimately does what he did with the debt limit: rely on Democrats to help pass the rule and then the final legislation to avert disaster.

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Clarence Thomas ‘secretly attended two Koch donor summits’, report says

Saturday 23 September 2023 00:15 , Graeme Massie

Justice Clarence Thomas secretly took part in events for the right-wing Koch donor network despite the group supporting cases brought before the Supreme Court, according to a report.

Justice Thomas flew on a private jet in 2018 to speak to the conservative network’s annual winter donor summit in Palm Springs, California, according to ProPublica.

While at the event, he was a guest at a private dinner for donors, the outlet reported on Friday. It was at least the second event attended by Justice Thomas and he did not publicly declare it.

Justice Thomas has been criticised over a string of expensive vacations and gifts that he has received from billionaire and Republican donor Harlan Crow, which he also failed to disclose.

These include a trip on a luxury yacht, the renovation of his mother’s home, and private school tuition for his nephew. In his 2022 financial disclosure, Justice Thomas revealed that Mr Crow had paid for his travel expenses and meals three times last year.

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Clarence Thomas ‘secretly attended two Koch donor summits’, report says

Donald Trump Jr makes return to Twitter after hack – to blame Hunter Biden

Friday 22 September 2023 23:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump Jr returned to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, after his account was hacked, only to blame Hunter Biden for the incident.

“I’M BACK... Hunter Biden must have hacked my account!!!” Mr Trump Jr tweeted on Friday morning.

This comes after his account appeared to have been taken over on Wednesday morning as it falsely announced the death of former President Donald Trump and said Mr Trump Jr would be running for president in 2024 instead.

“I’m sad to announce, my father Donald Trump has passed away. I will be running for president in 2024,” the account posted to immediate assumptions from other users that the ex-president’s oldest son had had his account hacked.

The account of Mr Trump Jr also wrote: “Some interesting messages with Jeffrey Epstein...”

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Chris Christie mocks Trump for ‘hiding’ behind his ‘failed social media site’

Friday 22 September 2023 22:45 , Martha McHardy

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has accused Donald Trump of hiding behind his “failed social media site” Truth Social.

Mr Christie branded the former president a “coward” after he shared notorious images of Mr Christie that prompted the so-called “beachgate” scandal.

In the infamous photos, the then-governor was seen sunbathing on a New Jersey beach in 2017 – at a time when beaches were closed to the public due to a state government shutdown.

Mr Trump called Mr Christie, who is running against him in the 2024 presidential election, a “grifter” and attacked his record as governor of New Jersey as he reshared the images to his Truth Social followers earlier this week.

In an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Mr Christie responded to the attack, blaming the former president’s late-night Truth Social rants on “bad Chinese food” and challenging him to face him in a debate.

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Biden to make rare presidential visit to striking workers days before Trump event in Michigan

Friday 22 September 2023 22:02 , Eric Garcia

President Joe Biden will head to Michigan to support striking autoworkers on Tuesday.

Mr Biden the made a statement on X as the United Auto Workers expands its strike across multiple plants.

“Tuesday, I’ll go to Michigan to join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women of UAW as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create,” he said. “It’s time for a win-win agreement that keeps American auto manufacturing thriving with well-paid UAW jobs.”

Leaders for the United Auto Workers had previously invited the president to join the picket line.

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Federal contractor faces death penalty on charges for spying and sending US government secrets to Ethiopia

Friday 22 September 2023 22:00 , Martha McHardy

A federal contractor is facing the death penalty after he was charged with spying and sending US government secrets to Ethiopia.

Abraham Teklu Lemma, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was charged with gathering or delivering national defense information to aid a foreign government, conspiracy to gather or deliver national defense information to aid a foreign government, and having unauthorized possession of national defense information and willfully retaining it, the Department of Justice said.

The 50-year-old, originally from Ethiopia, was arrested last month and could face the death penalty if convicted of espionage.

Mr Lemma worked as an IT administrator for the Department of State, and as a management analyst for the Department of Justice.

In these positions, Mr Lemma was granted high level security clearance and granted access to classified documents.

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Biden and Lauren Boebert call out McCarthy for taking a long weekend as government shutdown looms

Friday 22 September 2023 21:30 , Gustaf Kilander

House Republicans have grown so dysfunctional that far-right members of the party appear to be on the same side as President Joe Biden.

On Thursday, both Mr Biden and Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert slammed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California for allowing the House to end its business for the week and lawmakers to set off on long weekends – even as a government shutdown looks increasingly inevitable.

“Last time there was a government shutdown, 800,000 Americans were furloughed or worked without pay. But enjoy your weekend,” Mr Biden wrote on X on Thursday.

In a rare moment of agreement with the president, Ms Boebert also took to X to make a similar comment.

“Congress should not be sent home this week without passing any individual appropriations bills that slash spending and show the American people we are making progress and can govern,” she wrote.

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Ex-Trump aide backs Cassidy Hutchinson’s sexual assault claims about ‘liability’ Rudy Giuliani

Friday 22 September 2023 21:00 , Bevan Hurley

Former White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin has said that Rudy Giuliani was known to be a “liability” within the Trump administration – after he was accused of sexually assaulting a White House aide on January 6 2021.

Ms Griffin told CNN that it was an open secret that Mr Giuliani was a “wild card” who would often show up drunk to the White House and that women were warned to stay away from him.

Her comments came after Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Mr Trump’s former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and a star witness before the January 6 committee, accused Mr Giuliani of sexually assaulting her on the day of the insurrection.

In an excerpt from her upcoming book Enough obtained by The Guardian, Ms Hutchinson, 27, wrote that Mr Giuliani, 79, put his hand “under my blazer, then my skirt” backstage at a rally before a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol.

“I feel his frozen fingers trail up my thigh. He tilts his chin up. The whites of his eyes look jaundiced,” Ms Hutchinson wrote.

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Democratic lawmaker calls for Menendez to resign: ‘I’m appalled'

Friday 22 September 2023 20:35 , Gustaf Kilander

Representative Dean Phillips became the first congressional Democrat to call for the resignation of New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez on Friday, following the filing of corruption charges against the Foreign Relations Committee chair.

“I’m appalled,” Mr Phillips told CNN, adding that Democratic leadership should “absolutely” force Mr Menendez from his office.

Gen Mark Milley claims Trump made shocking comment about disabled veteran: ‘No one wants to see that’

Friday 22 September 2023 20:30 , Amelia Neath

General Mark Milley, the soon-to-retire chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has made a claim exposing Donald Trump for making “disturbing” comments about a wounded US Army veteran as well as other eye-popping statements.

Mr Milley is the 20th chairman, a role which he started when Mr Trump gave it to him in 2019. Before this, he was the 39th chief of staff of the Army and served in multiple commands throughout his career

In a tell-all interview with The Atlantic to commemorate the end of his 43-year career in the armed services, he recounted the times the former president made astonishing comments about former Army Captain Luis Avila, who was seriously wounded after five combat tours and appeared in a ceremony with Trump and Milley.

“Why do you bring people like that here? No one wants to see that, the wounded.” Mr Trump allegedly told Mr Milley, asking him to never let the soldier make a public appearance again.

Mr Avila, who had “lost his leg in an IED attack in Afghanistan and had suffered two heart attacks, two strokes, and brain damage as a result of his injuries,” was invited by Mr Milley to sing at an Armed Forces Welcome Ceremony in September 2019.

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Journalist’s adult child arrested for spitting on Utah mayor who complained about mother’s reporting

Friday 22 September 2023 20:00 , Amelia Neath

A local journalist’s adult child has been arrested for spitting on a Utah mayor after he went on a disparaging rant about their mother’s reporting on him.

Linnea Pugmire, who uses they/them pronouns, was caught on video allegedly assaulting Orem Mayor David Young during an argument about a council meeting.

Pugmire’s mother Genelle Pugmire is a journalist for The Utah Daily Herald who often writes articles about Mr Young.

In a council meeting on Tuesday, Mr Young went on a 20-minute rant about the journalist’s articles, claiming that they were deceptive and made a lot of false claims about the council and himself.

Following the meeting, Pugmire confronted Mr Young outside the city council chambers, according to Fox 13.

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Senator Robert Menendez charged for federal corruption and bribery after $580k of cash and gold found at home

Friday 22 September 2023 19:30 , Alex Woodward

A federal grand jury indictment has charged US Senator Robert Menendez with bribery and corruption charges connecting the Democratic leader of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee and his wife to an alleged scheme with New Jersey businessmen.

The indictment unsealed in US District Court in Manhattan on 22 September also names the senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, New Jersey real estate developer Fred Daibes, and associates Wael Hana and Jose Uribe.

Prosecutors allege the couple enjoyed a “corrupt relationship” with their New Jersey associates to accept hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from at least 2018 up until about 2022.

Authorities have seized $100,000 worth of gold bars and more than $480,000 in cash, mostly stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe at their home and bank, according to the indictment.

During the same court-authorized search of their home, federal agents also discovered home furnishings allegedly provided by Mr Hana and Mr Daibes and a “luxury vehicle” paid for by Mr Uribe parked in the garage, according to the indictment.

The indictment alleges that Ms Menendez and Mr Hana sought to introduce Egyptian intelligence and military officials to the senator for the purpose of “establishing and solidifying a corrupt agreement” with help from Mr Daibes and Mr Uribe using thousands of dollars in bribes, in exchange for Mr Menendez’s breaches of duty to benefit the government of Egypt – including financial support for its military.

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Biden trounces Trump in new poll of New Hampshire voters

Friday 22 September 2023 19:00 , Andrew Feinberg

A new poll of voters in New Hampshire shows that President Joe Biden would easily win the state’s electoral votes if the next presidential election were held today.

According to the survey of 2,107 Granite State voters by CNN and the University of New Hampshire Survey Centre, Mr Biden tops former president Donald Trump among voters there by a margin of 52 per cent to 40 per cent.

Mr Biden also holds a commanding lead among primary voters there despite not being permitted to campaign there by Democratic Party rules which make next year’s South Carolina primary the party’s first official presidential contest.

Among New Hampshire Democrats, Mr Biden has support from 78 per cent of them, while his two declared Democratic primary opponents — author Marianne Williamson and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr — each poll in single digits.

The president’s lead among primary voters in the Granite State stands in stark contrast to national poll, many of which show him tied with Mr Trump or trailing by single-digit margins.

But other state-by-state polls show that Mr Biden also leads Mr Trump by similar margins to his victory over the ex-president, who is trying to reclaim his former position as he battles nearly 100 separate felony charges in multiple jurisdictions.

A Susquehanna University poll of Michigan voters taken earlier this month showed the president with a three-point lead over his predecessor.

Trump’s GOP rivals leap at the chance to attack his ‘both sides’ abortion promise

Friday 22 September 2023 18:30 , John Bowden

Will abortion bans be the wedge issue of the 2024 Republican primary?

It’s certainly starting to look that way. After a debate-stage call from several candidates for national restrictions, the widely-recognised frontrunner for the nomination, Donald Trump, offered his take on the issue and offered a bold promise.

“I think they’re all going to like me,” he told NBC’s Kristin Welker, speaking of both sides of the abortion debate. “I think both sides are going to like me.”

It’s a promise that seems impossible just by definition, but one that hinted at Mr Trump’s actual lane in the primary: A moderate on the issue of abortion bans, or at least a moderate by GOP standards. The former president in the same interview trashed Florida’s six-week abortion ban — signed into law by his primary rival, Ron DeSantis — as a mistake. He also seemed to reject the idea of signing any abortion ban into federal law, at least without coming to consensus with the pro-abortion left.

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Adam Schiff accuses Republicans of setting stage for Trump dictatorship at tense hearing

Friday 22 September 2023 18:00 , Gustaf Kilander

California Democrat Adam Schiff has accused the Republicans of setting the stage for former President Donald Trump to make the US into a dictatorship.

Mr Schiff, who’s running for Senate, made his comments at a hearing of the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, which featured testimony from Attorney General Merrick Garland.

“Today at a momentous time in our history, the country is about to go through a great trial. By this, I do not mean any of the several trials of the former president, but rather a trial of the proposition that we are a nation of laws committed to the rule of law and that no one is above the law,” Mr Schiff said. “It is a proposition well known around the world because it is the one essential ingredient in all democracies. We have all professed our belief in this principle, but it has never been truly tested. Not like it is today.”

The representative went on to say that the judiciary panel is “engaged in a portion of that trial”.

He went on to accuse Chairman Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, of intending to “abuse the power of this committee by trying to interfere in the prosecutions of Donald Trump by trying to use the committee’s power of subpoena to compel criminal discovery”.

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Rupert Murdoch spent 70 years building the world’s most powerful media empire. Now, it enters a new chapter

Friday 22 September 2023 17:30 , Bevan Hurley

Rupert Murdoch is stepping down as chairman of both Fox News’ parent company and News Corporation, ending a seven-decade reign in which he became arguably the most powerful media mogul in history.

From humble beginnings in his native Australia, the 92-year-old expanded his empire into television, films, and publishing across 50 countries as he amassed an estimated net wealth of $7.6bn.

He acquired hundreds of newspapers and news websites, and became a Hollywood film studio executive through the purchase of 20th Century Fox in 1985, before moving into his most influential sphere of cable news with the founding of his crown jewel Fox News in 1996.

Mr Murdoch had the ear of prime ministers and presidents, and his publications boasted of having the power to tilt elections in favour of right-wing candidates that were friendly to his business interests.

The popularity of Fox News and tabloid publications such as The Sun in the UK and the New York Post gave Mr Murdoch unparalleled sway over public opinion and right-wing politics.

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Lachlan Murdoch: The heir apparent to father Rupert’s media empire who was groomed for top job from childhood

Friday 22 September 2023 17:00 , Bevan Hurley

In 2015, Rupert Murdoch was seeking to secure his legacy along with the multi-billion dollar media empire that he had built up from a single regional newspaper in his native Australia.

That year, the then 84-year-old patriarch appointed his eldest son Lachlan and middle son James as co-chairmen of the family’s Hollywood production company 21st Century Fox, a hint of the succession drama that had been brewing ever since the brothers used to cheat at Monopoly as children.

According to journalist Paddy Manning’s 2022 biography The Successor, Lachlan was “a laid-back Australian and all-round smooth operator: spectacularly rich, impeccably mannered, handsome, open minded, adventurous, savvy, fun”.

This contrasted with James’ tendency to be more aloof, and with a growing distaste for the rightwing politics that his family was synonymous with.

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