Trump news - live: Backed by ex-president, JD Vance wins Ohio Senate primary
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Donald Trump’s preferred candidate JD Vance will be the next Republican nominee for the US Senate from Ohio as he registered a victory in the primary election there.
Mr Vance captured close to 32 per cent of the vote with 67 per cent of the results counted by 9.30pm ET on Tuesday, when the Associated Press called the race.
Mr Vance’s victory represents a show of the power the former president’s endorsement still holds within the GOP.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump has settled a long-running lawsuit brought by the DC attorney general over the financing of his 2017 inauguration, specifically focused on the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue.
In a statement, Mr Trump claimed to be settling the case “with absolutely no admission of liability or guilt” and couched the news in the context of violent crime, essentially saying he was giving the capital’s law enforcement agencies a break. The settlement reportedly totals some $750,000.
Key points
JD Vance wins GOP Senate primary in Ohio
Trump forgets JD Vance’s name at Ohio rally
Trump defends Nebraska gubernatorial candidate who has been accused of sexual misconduct
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US Capitol riots panel to hold public hearings in June, says chairman
JD Vance wins GOP Senate primary in Ohio
06:07 , Stuti Mishra
Donald Trump's preferred candidate JD Vance will be the next Republican nominee for the US Senate from Ohio as he registered a victory in the primary election there.
Mr Vance captured close to 32 per cent of the vote with 67 per cent of the results counted by 9.30pm ET on Tuesday, when the Associated Press called the race.
Mr Vance's victory represents a show of the power the former president's endorsement still holds within the GOP.
John Bowden has more details on the race here:
JD Vance wins GOP Senate primary in Ohio riding wave from Donald Trump’s endorsement
Analysis: Republicans could face a dire Roe v Wade backlash
05:05 , Graeme Massie
ICYMI: After a night outside the Supreme Court reporting on the protests that followed the leak of Samuel Alito’s opinion overturning Roe v Wade, Eric Garcia writes that for all the conservative jubilation at the prospect of the decision being thrown out at last, the consequences could be harsh for the Republican Party.
A Washington Post/ABC News poll published on Sunday found that 47 percent of voters trust Democrats as opposed to Republicans on abortion. That number is likely to nosedive even more if this leaked draft becomes the official opinion of the Supreme Court — especially considering other polls show that the majority of Americans support safe and legal access to abortion.
“This is really unprecedented, and just to be frank with you is going to piss a lot of people off across the country,” Marcela Mulholland, political director for the progressive polling outlet Data for Progress, told me in the wake of the news. “And there’s been a lot of talk about this being a tough midterm cycle for Democrats. But I really think there’s no telling how a decision like this could have ramifications and really be a backlash against conservatives who are stripping people of their constitutional rights to bodily autonomy.”
Read his full dispatch below.
Republicans don’t realize the backlash they’ll face if Roe is overturned
Hillary Clinton on Alito’s Roe opinion
04:00 , Graeme Massie
ICYMI: Hillary Clinton, whose defeat paved the way for Donald Trump to appoint three anti-abortion Supreme Court justices, has given her view on the leaked draft opinion from justice Samuel Alito that would effectively overturn Roe v Wade:
Not surprising. But still outrageous.
This decision is a direct assault on the dignity, rights, & lives of women, not to mention decades of settled law. It will kill and subjugate women even as a vast majority of Americans think abortion should be legal. What an utter disgrace. https://t.co/TNo1IX3Tl4— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 3, 2022
ICYMI: Grand jury being selected in Georgia Trump case
03:13 , Graeme Massie
ICYMI: Authorities in Fulton County, Georgia, yesterday began the process of impanelling grand jurors in a case examining whether Donald Trump illegally tried to influence the outcome of the 2020 election by pressuring state officials to “find” enough votes to flip the state Mr Trump’s way.
The case is one of the most serious of many legal threats to Mr Trump’s political future, and hinges on a recorded phonecall from January 2021 in which the then-president told Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger: “I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have.”
Mr Trump continues to insist that Georgia was stolen from him via organised fraud, but has produced no evidence to back up his claims. Multiple re-examinations of the state’s votes have turned up no irregularities that could have affected the result.
Bevan Hurley reports:
Georgia grand jury to investigate Trump’s bullying of official after election loss
Trump holds three hour meeting with ‘Speaker McCarthy'
02:01 , Graeme Massie
Donald Trumpo held a three hour meeting with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, during which he repeatedly referred to him as “Speaker McCarthy”, according to The New York Times.
The meeting was scheduled before the releaase of tapes on which Mr McCarthy could be heard disparraging the one-term president and weighing if he should be asked to resign following the 6 January attack on the US Capitol.
Report: Anti-Trump GOV governor to let rip in speech
01:08 , Graeme Massie
ICYMI: According to the Wall Street Journal, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who stands as one of the few nationally known Republicans to vehemently oppose Donald Trump, is preparing to deliver a speech today in which he’ll issue his party a full-throated warning about the perils of yoking itself to the former president.
“We won’t win back the White House by nominating Donald Trump or a cheap impersonation of him,” Mr. Hogan will say, according to a copy of his speech shared with the WSJ. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” https://t.co/9v4z7XPkrw
— John McCormick (@McCormickJohn) May 3, 2022
It has been speculated that Mr Hogan could run for president in 202, but it is unclear what he himself thinks about the merits of joining a field expected to be dominated if not cleared completely by a returning Mr Trump.
What you’ll find on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform for ‘free expression’
Wednesday 4 May 2022 00:15 , Graeme Massie
ICYMI: After world’s richest person Elon Musk announced a deal to buy Twitter for $44bn, another social media platform climbed up the charts of Apple’s App Store.
Truth Social, former President Donald Trump’s platform to “stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech,” as he described it, is the most high profile among several newer platforms to launch as a direct challenge to mainstream platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, viewed among right-wing figures and users as too constrictive or conspiring to remove their views after they were kicked off for flouting rules about Covid-19 misinformation, violence and harassment.
Alex Woodward has the details.
What you’ll find on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform for ‘free expression’
GOP Senate candidate shrugs off Trump messing up his name
Tuesday 3 May 2022 23:04 , Graeme Massie
JD Vance isn’t taking it personally after Donald Trump flubbed his name in front of thousands of his fans.
The Ohio Senate candidate was questioned by Robert Costa for CBS News on Monday after the former president, at a rally in Nebraska, quipped that he had endorsed a candidate named “JD Mandel” in the race.
The flub was a reference to Mr Trump’s announcement of support for JD Vance, the race’s new frontrunner (according to recent polling) but combined Mr Vance’s name with that of his closest opponent, Josh Mandel. More embarassingly, Mr Mandel was known to have sought Mr Trump’s endorsement with the same fervor that Hillbilly Ellegy author JD Vance did as the two launched their bids last year.
John Bowden has the story.
GOP Senate candidate shrugs off Trump messing up his name
Trump settles inauguration hotel lawsuit
Tuesday 3 May 2022 21:30 , Andrew Naughtie
The Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue has been a hub of controversy ever since Donald Trump won the presidency, with major questions over whether hosting foreign and business delegations there could violate laws meant to prevent the president from profiting from his office.
There have also long been claims that the Trump Organization overcharged the committee in charge of the inauguration for the use of the hotel’s facilities – but now, a long-running lawsuit brought by the DC attorney general has been settled for $750,000, with Mr Trump insisting the payment comes “with absolutely no admission of liability or guilt”.
Gino Spocchia has more.
Trump agrees to pay $750k to settle DC hotel lawsuit
Trump enraged at advent of Georgia grand jury
Tuesday 3 May 2022 20:30 , Andrew Naughtie
The Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney has convened a grand jury to hear evidence that Donald Trump illegally interfered with the outcome of the 2020 election by pressuring Georgia officials to “find” enough votes to flip the state his way. He was heard doing that on a call with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that was recorded and leaked.
The ex-president’s mood about the case today is not good.
“A ‘Special’ get Trump Grand Jury has been convened to discuss a ‘PERFECT’ phone call that was made by me, as president, directly from the White House and with many lawyers and other people knowingly on the call, and with my assumption that the call was being recorded,” he wrote.
“As President I am the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the U.S. The Election was rigged and stolen!”
Bevan Hurley reports:
Trump insists his call under Georgia grand jury investigation was ‘PERFECT’
Report: Trump sits down with McCarthy
Tuesday 3 May 2022 19:30 , Andrew Naughtie
The New York Times’s Maggie Haberman reports that Donald Trump yesterday had a sit-down meeting with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who recently denied having said in January 2021 that the then-president should resign over the 6 January riot. Audio of him saying precisely that was released just hours after his denial.
However, it quickly became clear that despite another damaging recording emerging afterwards, the bulk of the House Republican caucus is in no mood to take Mr McCarthy down. There are also reports that Mr Trump responded well to the tapes, deciding that they proved Mr McCarthy had come to heel.
NEW: McCarthy saw Trump yesterday, per two people familiar with the meeting.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) May 3, 2022
They held a three-hour meeting, during which Trump called people on the phone and kept referring to sitting with “Speaker McCarthy,” people familiar with what happened said.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) May 3, 2022
Meeting was set before the tapes, per a person briefed, one of several they’ve had since Trump was ousted.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) May 3, 2022
Trump on Roe v Wade leak: “demeaning and not good"
Tuesday 3 May 2022 18:30 , Andrew Naughtie
Donald Trump has joined the chorus of Republicans voicing anger at the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v Wade:
Former President Trump on Bruce Hooley radio show asked to comment on Roe news: “This is a terrible thing when you have a leak coming out of the Supreme Court…I think it was demeaning and not good.”
— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) May 3, 2022
The prospect of an end to legal abortion access is highly unpopular across the country to the point that a decision overturning Roe and the subsequent Casey opinion could provoke severe backlash against conservatives.
Ohio primary: JD Vance “not worried” about Trump forgetting his name
Tuesday 3 May 2022 14:35 , Andrew Naughtie
JD Vance, the Hillbilly Elegy author whose sudden conversion to hardcore Trumpism won him the former president’s endorsement in today’s Ohio Senate primary, has shrugged off the embarrassing incident this weekend where the president appeared to forget his name at a rally.
“He gives, what, thousands of words of speeches every single week,” Vance told CBS News. “Sometimes he’s going to misspeak. Everybody’s going to do that...I’m not worried about it at all.”
Mr Vance is loathed by many in the Republican ranks for his longtime opposition to Mr Trump, whom he once said could turn into “America’s Hitler” after being elected on an openly racist platform.
.@costareports asks Ohio GOP Senate candidate J.D. Vance his reaction to Pres. Trump referring to him as "J.D. Mandel" at a rally Sunday:
"Sometime's he's going to misspeak...I'm not worried about it at all," Vance says ahead of tomorrow's primary race. pic.twitter.com/SDxJgqx4MJ— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 2, 2022
Trump rails at Georgia grand jury on Truth Social
Tuesday 3 May 2022 14:00 , Andrew Naughtie
As he finally embraces his formerly moribund platform Truth Social, Donald Trump has fired off a statement ranting about the grand jury being convened in Fulton County, Georgia to hear evidence that could result in him being prosecuted for pressuring state officials to illegally overturn the 2020 election in his favour.
GA is the one he is worried about. It’s the one he’s always worried about. Because this time, the “perfect calls” are on tape. The last line - he was just calling as “Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the US.” The president is nothing of the sort - that’s his autocratic fantasy. pic.twitter.com/p0Ag3ohqwQ
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) May 3, 2022
Poll shows Americans think Trump should face Jan 6 charges
Tuesday 3 May 2022 13:23 , Andrew Naughtie
A new poll commissioned by the Washington Post and ABC News has found that more than half of Americans think Donald Trump should be charged with a crime for his role in the events of 6 January 2021.
The survey did not ask what specific crime respondents thought the president had committed – but it is notable that fully 56 per cent of independents think he is culpable in some way, perhaps signalling that Republicans’ efforts to delegitimise the investigation into the riot as a “witch hunt” may yet prove counter-productive.
NEW: 52% of Americans say Trump should be charged with a crime for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot by @JaxAlemany & @sfcpoll https://t.co/xmD38zk3JF pic.twitter.com/qZYJphycKf
— Emily Guskin (@EmGusk) May 3, 2022
Trump endorsee vanishes from university website
Tuesday 3 May 2022 11:16 , Andrew Naughtie
Dr Mehmet Oz, the TV medic and Pennsylvania candidate who has won Donald Trump’s endorsement over the objections of many conservatives, has apparently been all but completely removed from the Columbia University medical school’s website.
The move comes after an erroneous report in January that claimed the school had changed his title to “professor emeritus”. Since then, the school has removed his biography from the site and modified pages that mention him so they do not link to the defunct page.
Dr Oz is controversial on the right because of his long-held support for abortion and gun control, core issues on which he has now reversed his positions as he seeks the GOP nomination. Before he entered the political fray, he was already a contentious figure because of his long history of promoting cures and therapies that he himself admitted often “don't have the scientific muster to present as fact”.
Andrew Feinberg has more.
Columbia University removes mentions of Mehmet Oz from website
The truth about Truth Social
Tuesday 3 May 2022 10:30 , Andrew Naughtie
Truth Social, Donald Trump’s bespoke “free speech” alternative to Twitter, fell disastrously flat when it went live earlier this year. Would-be users were stranded on a growing waiting list after the confused quasi-launch, and executives soon departed as its various technical and branding troubles became clear. Downloads and user engagement soon reached dire lows.
More to the point, Mr Trump himself declined to post on the app, despite the fact that his presence was supposed to be one of its main selling points. However, after the news broke that Elon Musk was buying Twitter, Mr Trump returned with an exuberant message: “I’M BACK! #COVFEFE”
Does this mean that despite all predictions, Truth Social is going to survive and thrive? The Independent’s Alex Woodward has signed up to find out.
What you’ll find on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform for ‘free expression’
ICYMI: Jan 6 committee asks three congressmen for information
Tuesday 3 May 2022 09:55 , Andrew Naughtie
The select committee investigating the 6 January attack on the US Capitol yesterday wrote to three Republican House members requesting that they explain what they knew about the riot and those participated in it, both before and after the fact.
Among them are Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks – who recently lost Donald Trump’s endorsement in the Alabama Senate race – and Ronny Jackson.
Dr Jackson’s letter in particular is of interest as it cites messages mentioining him that were sent during the riot by members of the Oath Keepers, an extremist militia whose leaders are now facing charges of seditious conspiracy over their role in the insurrection.
Andrew Feinberg has more.
Jan 6 committee asks Reps Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks and Ronny Jackson for information
What’s at stake for Trump in tonight’s Ohio primary?
Tuesday 3 May 2022 09:20 , Andrew Naughtie
Tonight marks the end of the bitterly fought Republican Senate primary in Ohio, where multiple candidates have been duking it out for the chance to fight for an open seat – one that their party will almost certainly need to hold if it wants to be assured of a majority after the November midterms.
The last major turn in the race was Donald Trump’s decision to endorse JD Vance, the Hillbilly Elegy author and bitter Trump critic who reinvented himself as a right-wing culture warrior for the purposes of the election. His most conspicuous rival, the equally hardline Josh Mandel, has become a target of scorn from many in Mr Trump’s orbit since the president’s endorsement came down, but as evidenced by Mr Trump mangling the two men’s names together at his rally this weekend, it is unclear what weight the endorsement will actually carry at the ballot box.
John Bowden has this report from the ground.
Josh Mandel seeks a victory over Trump-endorsed JD Vance through Ohio’s churches
Trump rails against establishment Republicans in Nebraska, backs candidate facing sexual assault allegations
Tuesday 3 May 2022 08:00 , Graig Graziosi
Former president Donald Trump railed against establishment Republicans during a rally in Nebraska and backed a gubernatorial candidate facing several sexual assault allegations.
Mr Trump boosted for Nebraska Republican Charles Herbster, who has been accused by eight women of groping them or focrcing himself on them. He has denied the allegations, and Mr Trump – who also was the subject of sexual assault allegations – advocated for his character. The sexual assault allegations were first published by the Nebraska Examiner.
“It’s a shame,” Mr Trump said. “That’s why I came out here. I defend people when I know they’re good. He’s a good man. He was with us from the beginning ... he’s an innocent human being.”
He also took shots at Senator Ben Sasse, who he called an “embarassment.”
Twenty three Republican Secretary of State candidates in 19 states believe that Trump won the 2020 election
Tuesday 3 May 2022 07:00 , Graig Graziosi
There are 23 Republican candidates for Secretary of State postings in 19 states who believe that Donald Trump actually won the 2020 election, and that massive voter fraud occurred.
Many of the candidates echoing Mr Trump’s lies have been endorsed by the former president in their races.
Those candidates, if they win, could reshape the way elections occur, which some experts fear they could abuse to help Mr Trump win if he were to run again in 2024.
Jared Kushner to write White House memoir
Tuesday 3 May 2022 06:00 , Graig Graziosi
Former president Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kusher is releasing a memoir of his time in the White House this summer.
He will be the first member of the Trump family to release a memoir about his time working alongside Mr Trump in the White House.
The book is titles Breaking History: A White House Memoir, and will be released on 9 August.
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell rejoins Twitter only to be banned again in four hours
Tuesday 3 May 2022 05:00 , Graig Graziosi
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who was banned from Twitter last year for spreading US election-related misinformation, rejoined the platform after Elon Musk’s takeover, only to be suspended again four hours later.
Mr Lindell, a staunch supporter of former president Donald Trump, announced his comeback on Twitter with a new account on Sunday afternoon.
“Hello everybody, I’m back on Twitter. My only account is @MikeJLindell! Please RT and follow to spread the word,” the MyPillow CEO wrote in his first Twitter post from his new account.
He was banned again shortly after.
Stuti Mishra has more in the report below.
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell rejoins Twitter only to be banned again in four hours
Georgia forming special grand jury to investigate Trump’s bullying of official after election loss
Tuesday 3 May 2022 04:00 , Graig Graziosi
Grand jurors are due to start being impanelled in Georgia on Monday to examine whether former President Donald Trump and his allies tried to illegally influence the 2020 election.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who has been investigating election interference in the state since early last year, requested the grand jury in January to allow her to issue subpoenas to those who have refused to cooperate otherwise.
The District Attorney’s office is looking into a January 2021 phone call in which Trump pushed Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed for him to win the state.
“I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,” Mr Trump said during the conversation.
The Independent’s Bevan Hurley has more in the story below.
Georgia grand jury to investigate Trump’s bullying of official after election loss
House January 6 committee asks Reps Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks and Ronny Jackson for information
Tuesday 3 May 2022 03:00 , Graig Graziosi
The House select committee investigating the 6 January insurrection has requested interviews with Republican Representatives Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama, and Ronny Jackson of Texas as part of its probe into the worst attack on the Capitol since 1814.
In a statement, Select Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson and Vice-Chair Liz Cheney said the panel has found “several of our colleagues” are in possession of “information relevant to our investigation into the facts, circumstances, and causes of January 6th”.
Read more from Andrew Feinberg on the requests in the story below.
Jan 6 committee asks Reps Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks and Ronny Jackson for information
New book says Trump wanted troops to open fire on BLM protesters: ‘Can’t you just shoot them?’
Tuesday 3 May 2022 02:00 , Graig Graziosi
Former president Donald Trump reportedly asked if law enforcement could “just shoot” George Floyd protesters who took to the streets in 2020 to demonstrate against police violence.
Mr Trump’s secretary of defense at the time, Mark Esper, makes the claim in his upcoming memoir, A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times, which comes out on 10 May.
Read more in Nathan Place’s story below.
Trump wanted troops to ‘just shoot’ BLM protesters, new book says
NYPD veteran found guilty of assaulting officer at Capitol riot
Tuesday 3 May 2022 01:00 , Graig Graziosi
A former New York City Police Department officer and a US Marine Corps veteran has been convicted of assaulting a police officer during the Capitol riot. Jurors rejected his argument that he acted in self defence when he tackled an officer to the ground.
Thomas Webster is the direct 6 January defendant to be tried for assault and to attempt to make a self defece claim to justify his actions.
Alex Woodward has more in the story below.
NYPD veteran found guilty of assaulting officer at Capitol riot
Republican Governor of Arkansas mulling presidential run in 2024
Tuesday 3 May 2022 00:00 , Graig Graziosi
Republican Governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson said he was considering a 2024 presidential run, and said former president Donald Trump’s involvement in that race would not impact his decision.
Mr Hutchinson, a two-term governor, cannot run for a third term due to Arkansas state law.
He told CNN that he was not aligned with Mr Trump’s ideas and wanted to take the country in a different direction.
“I think he did a lot of good things for our country, but we need to go a different direction. And so that’s not a factor in my decision-making process,” he said.
Monday 2 May 2022 23:00 , Graig Graziosi
A Republican Federal Communications Commission member backed Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, arguing that his “state intention to ease Twitter’s restrictions on speech ... would almost certainly enhance competition and better serve those Americans, the majority, who value free speech.”
Nathan Simington, the official, said Monday the FCC “cannot, and should not, block this sale.”
“We should instead applaud Mr. Musk for doing something about a serious problem that government has so far failed to address,” he said.
Ars Technica reports that Mr Simington was nominated to the FCC by then-president Donald Trumo in 2020. He replaced another Republican commissioner who disagreed with Mr Trump that the FCC needed to crack down on social media “censorship.”
Fox News correspondent says Trump will run again and lose
Monday 2 May 2022 22:00 , Graig Graziosi
Fox News commentator Geraldo Rivera appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored and said he believed former president Donald Trump will run again, but that he will lose.
“His ego has been rattled and it’s a grudge now,” Mr Rivera said.
Watch the clip below.
"His ego has been rattled and it's a grudge now."
Journalist and political commentator Geraldo Rivera says he thinks Donald Trump will run for President again - but he won't win.@GeraldoRivera | @piersmorgan | #piersuncensored pic.twitter.com/GYyyYsoLFg— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) May 2, 2022
What you’ll find on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform for ‘free expression’
Monday 2 May 2022 21:45 , Graig Graziosi
The Independent’s Alex Woodward writes,
“Truth Social, former President Donald Trump’s platform to ‘stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech,’ as he described it, is the most high profile among several newer platforms to launch as a direct challenge to mainstream platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, viewed among right-wing figures and users as too constrictive or conspiring to remove their views after they were kicked off for flouting rules about Covid-19 misinformation, violence and harassment.”
Take a deep dive into the former president’s social media venture in the story below.
What you’ll find on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform for ‘free expression’
Trucker convoy members suing Washington DC over barricades, citing First Amendment rights
Monday 2 May 2022 21:10 , Graig Graziosi
Sixteen truckers who participated in the Washington DC trucker protest earlier this year are suing the district for erecting barricades that prevented them from exercising their “constitutionally protected right to free speech” within the city.
The case alleges the truckers’ First Amendment rights were violated, according to DCist. It claims that the truckers were not able to excercise their First Amendment rights to protest a “continued state of emergency declaration and Covid-19 related policies” due to the obstacles.
DC Metropolitian Police and the city’s Department of Public Work blocked exits on I-395 and I-695 on days during the protest. Police said they closed the exits to allow traffic to continue moving safely.
The blockades did not prevent total access to the city, and affected all drivers, not just the truckers.
