Trump news – live: Oath Keepers leader tried to call ex-president on Jan 6, court hears
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A member of the Oath Keepers militia group has pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy in relation to the 6 January riot – and with the plea deal sealed, it has emerged that he was present when the militia’s leader tried to contact Donald Trump after the Capitol riot had ended.
According to court documents filed in the case of William Todd Wilson, who is now co-operating with the government, leader Stewart Rhodes called “an individual” on speaker phone after leaving the Capitol grounds and implored this person “to tell President Trump to call upon groups like the Oath Keepers to forcibly oppose the transfer of power”. However, the unidentified person on the other end of the line apparently refused to put Mr Trump on the phone.
The news comes after Mr Trump’s oldest son, Donald Jr, voluntarily testified to the select committee investigating the insurrection. In a session conducted without a subpoena, the president’s oldest child reportedly answered questions without pleading the Fifth Amendment.
The committee is still considering whether and how to request testimony from the former president himself as it tries to piece together his movements and communications on the day of the riot.
Key points
Donald Trump Jr testifies to Jan 6 committee
JD Vance wins GOP Senate primary in Ohio
US Capitol riots panel to hold public hearings in June, says chairman
Right-wing candidate who attended Jan 6 rally storms out of interview
15:06 , Andrew Naughtie
Doug Mastriano, a hardcore right-winger who attended the 6 January rally and is now running for governor of Pennsylvania, has made much of his support for Donald Trump while also insisting he did nothing wrong by spending campaign funds on buses to take people to Washington, DC for the 6 January rally that preceded the attack on the US Capitol.
As the state’s primary draws near, he remains an extremely controversial figure, not least for his continued association with far-right religious movements and conspiracy theorists. When asked about this in a recent podcast interview, he ended up storming out of the room.”
“I resent the fact that you want to castigate anyone who went down to Washington, DC on 6 January as some kind of enemy of the public.,” he told the interviewer. “That is dangerous. You’re talking like an East German there.”
Read more from the Delaware Valley Journal below.
"You really are always fair," state Sen. Doug Mastriano said on the podcast, minutes before walking out of the interview over questions about his ties to QAnon and Jan. 6. https://t.co/VZiC0EgqIB
— Stephen Caruso (@StephenJ_Caruso) May 5, 2022
Book details “outlandish” policies considered by 2020 Trump campaign
14:30 , Andrew Naughtie
According to the much-trailed This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden and the Battle for America’s Future, top aides to Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign poll-tested the public’s potential reaction to various policies that if implemented would have been outré even by the then-president’s standards.
Authors Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns report that the litany of ideas included sending the National Guard into American cities at times of social unrest and ” requiring all Chinese scientists, researchers, and technicians that are Chinese citizens to leave the US”.
Shweta Sharma has more.
Trump’s 2020 campaign tested idea of allowing Americans to sue China, book claims
Oath Keeper says militia leader tried to call Trump on Jan 6
13:55 , Andrew Naughtie
A member of the extremist Oath Keepers militia group yesterday pleaded guilty to a charge of seditious conspiracy stemming from the 6 January riot – and according to details of the case against him, he testified that his group’s leader attempted to contact Donald Trump after the insurrection to ask for his support.
According to a court filing from the Department of Justice, “Wilson heard Rhodes repeatedly implore the individual to tell President Trump to call upon groups like the Oath Keepers to forcibly oppose the transfer of power. This individual denied Rhodes’s request to speak directly with President Trump. After the call ended, Rhodes stated to the group, ‘I just want to fight’”.
It is not clear who the person Mr Rhodes spoke to was, or if law enforcement officials know their identity.
Read more below from Namita Singh.
Militia leader tried to ask Trump to allow his group to forcibly stop power transfer
Bizarre scenes at Pennsylvania GOP debate
13:24 , Andrew Naughtie
The Republican candidates for Pennsylvania’s open US Senate seat held a TV debate last night, and once again, their encounter saw candidate Dave McCormick laying into controversial Trump endorsee Dr Mehmet Oz – specifically over his record of voting in Turkey, where he holds citizenship, and serving in the Turkish military.
The “normie” candidate is going with some wild stuff here against Oz. At the debate hosted by Newsmax, moderated by .@Greta A lot going on here… https://t.co/yQpr7S2TTb
— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) May 5, 2022
The discussion also took several decidedly strange turns, in particular one that revived a truly odd story from the Trump era...
Let's check in on the Pennsylvania GOP Senate debate, hosted by Newsmax. pic.twitter.com/IvgwGOqFgs
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) May 5, 2022
Lindsey Graham mocked for musings on election lies
12:43 , Andrew Naughtie
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Donald Trump’s most determined congressional allies and a key player in the confirmation of all three of his Supreme Court nominees, went on Fox News yesterday to discuss the reaction to the draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v Wade. And on the matter of whether the news would drive up Democratic turnout in November’s midterms, he had a strangely amnesiac take:
“They think America’s stupid,” he said of the Democrats, “and we’re not. People are not going to be goaded into believing hysterical things just to try to change an election.”
This of course rather misses the point of everything that happened on the right after the 2020 election. Former Republican congressman Denver Riggleman, a Trump critic who served for a time on the legal staff of the 6 January select committee, had this to say...
Hysterical things like the election was stolen? Ballots with secret watermarks? Dems should be sent to Gitmo? Broken algorithms? Bamboo ballots? The Great Awakening? Italygate? CIA working with Brits to cover up election? 1/6 was an inside job? Or hang Mike Pence? Chavez did it? https://t.co/oBcX5uKrr4
— Denver Riggleman (@RepRiggleman) May 5, 2022
Watch: A Democratic challenger to Madison Cawthorn
11:50 , Andrew Naughtie
Thanks to the rules governing Republican primaries in his state, far-right Congressman Madison Cawthorn has a low bar to clear in order to be renominated, meaning that the party establishment may struggle to shake him off.
His most conspicuous Democratic challenger, who faces a primary on the same day as Mr Cawthorn, is the Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, a county commissioner who is touting her faith and local credentials – and insisting that a gay woman can be elected to Congress in the South.
I’m Democrat Jasmine Beach-Ferrara and I’m running against Madison Cawthorn. As a gay woman, Christian minister, mom of 3, I’ve heard “you can’t” all my life. I’m ready to prove the skeptics wrong again. Please retweet and ask everyone you know to follow this account to join us. pic.twitter.com/dJroXf3bWf
— Jasmine Beach-Ferrara (@JBeachFerrara) March 3, 2021
However severe Mr Cawthorn’s troubles, the seat is still rated “solid Republican” by poll-watchers.
Republican Party shills for Truth Social
11:10 , Andrew Naughtie
The official Republican National Committee email list has sent out a promotional email for Truth Social, Donald Trump’s bespoke social media platform, which it describes as a “huge success” despite months of dire publicity. The platform is a private company operated in the name of someone out of office with no official role in the party, but the RNC is pointing users its way regardless.
The RNC uses its email list to push Donald Trump’s private business. pic.twitter.com/3yi20dPzMs
— Sam Stein (@samstein) May 5, 2022
Mr Trump has recently reappeared on Truth Social. after a long silence, apparently spurred into action by Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter. Alex Woodward recently took a peek at what’s going on there.
What you’ll find on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform for ‘free expression’
Kinzinger calls for Cawthorn’s defeat
10:27 , Andrew Naughtie
Another unedifying video of Madison Cawthorn adds another stain to his tarnished image, anti-Trump Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger has called on voters to turf out the extreme North Carolina representative in November.
I just want to say to close out this evening: @CawthornforNC does not belong in Congress, and is an embarrassment not just to his district, but to the country. Vote this clown out, America we can do better than these disasterous leaders.
— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) May 5, 2022
Mr Cawthorn has shared a video message in which he rants against the supposed smear campaign against him. The latest video, which is on the explicit side, comes after one in which his cousin and scheduler apparently grabs his crotch.
I’m ready to keep fighting for you.
I wanted you to know the truth, straight from me. Don’t lose hope, don’t listen to the fake news.
Don’t let the swamp of Washington dissuade or distract you from sending a warrior back to Washington.
I’ve only just begun to fight for you. pic.twitter.com/kDqtzsoquT— Madison Cawthorn (@CawthornforNC) May 4, 2022
Catch up; New McCarthy audio on Trump’s “atrocious” actions
09:48 , Andrew Naughtie
Kevin McCarthy’s political standing has so far suffered little from the audio detailing his anger at Donald Trump after the Capitol riot, but further recordings from the aftermath of the attack are still emerging.
Here’s a new excerpt that was aired on CNN last night. On the recording, which dates from two days after the riot, Mr McCarthy says he wants to “reach out to Biden” to help “make a smooth transition” between the two presidents.
McCarthy on Jan. 8, 2021: "What the President did is atrocious and totally wrong."
McCarthy on the 25th Amendment for Trump: "That takes too long too. It could go back to the House, right?"
audio from @alexburnsNYT @jmartNYT https://t.co/iPfceIhRTN
Audio from pic.twitter.com/vOTkh2Wain— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 4, 2022
Ohio primary proves the Trump Bump lives on
08:00 , John Bowden
The number one lesson from Tuesday’s GOP primary for Ohio’s open Senate seat? Donald Trump still rules over the Republican Party.
His elevation of JD Vance’s campaign from fourth place to first place over the course of just over a month is an incredible case study into his dominance over the party that appears poised to support him again in 2024, if he runs.
Read more in The Independent:
The Trump bump lives on: Lessons from Ohio’s GOP primary
Oath Keepers member pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy
07:25 , John Bowden
A member of the far-right Oath Keepers militia on Wednesday became the third person to plead guilty to seditious conspiracy in relation to the January 6 attack.
William Todd Wilson plead guilty to a charge of plotting to use force to halt the peaceful transfer of power to the Biden administration in a DC court. He also revealed that the group’s founder attempted to contact Donald Trump through a mediary ahead of the attack itself.
Read more at CBS News:
ICYMI: DHS inspector general says Trump appointee covered up report that made Trump ‘look bad'
06:25 , John Bowden
The former acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, intervened to alter a report’s final wording as well as delay its release because of concerns it made Donald Trump “look bad”, the agency’s Inspector General said on Wednesday.
The report itself detailed foreign interference in the 2016 election, including in particular the efforts on behalf of Russia’s government.
Read more from The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg:
Trump’s DHS boss intervened to downplay Russia threat in intel report, watchdog says
‘The Five’ turns ugly over abortion ruling
05:25 , John Bowden
Fox News’s The Five turned ugly fast on Wednesday as the co-hosts discussed a draft ruling from the Supreme Court leaked to and published by Politico over the weekend.
The network’s longtime correspondent Geraldo Rivera warned that such a move would just drive abortions underground to illegal facilities, increasing the danger for women.
After a back-and-forth with co-host Greg Gutfeld, he lashed out at the “insulting punk”.
Watch below:
Geraldo: You insulting punk pic.twitter.com/hGjsEJCVpx
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 4, 2022
Trump ally Madison Cawthorn criticises fellow Republicans again
04:25 , John Bowden
Congressman Madison Cawthorn is once again attacking the reputations of broad swaths of lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including his fellow Republicans.
In a new video apparently shot by Mr Cawthorn’s team and shared online by a Democratic-leaning political firm on Wednesday, the embattled North Carolina Republican says that “most” of his older colleagues would have been disqualified for office if the technology to rapidly take pictures and share them via cell phones was around when they were younger. Mr Cawthorn is the youngest member of the House or Senate.
Madison Cawthorn, again, throws his colleagues under the bus:
“Most of my colleagues in Congress right now would not be serving in Washington if they grew up within a single mile of a cell phone growing up.” pic.twitter.com/ovga4LR4ZH— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) May 4, 2022
Trump attacks Biden administration over DHS board on disinfo
03:20 , John Bowden
Donald Trump is weighing in on the growing right-wing backlash against the Department of Homeland Security’s effort to fight disinformation including Russian efforts to interfere in American election systems.
In an interview with CBN, he smeared the agency’s efforts as a Soviet-esque effort to control speech.
“Now they’re saying, ‘Oh, no, it’s just a recommendation.’ That’s where it all began. I guess that’s what they used to say in Russia. That’s what they said in the Soviet Union, right? We’re just going to do a little bit — no, we can’t do that, we can’t do that. That’s a horrible thing,” he said.
Read more at CBN:
GOP leader McCarthy supportive of removing Trump quickly in audio
02:25 , John Bowden
More leaked audio of GOP House leader Kevin McCarthy has been published, today by CNN, and it’s clear that Mr McCarthy was privately completely supportive of removing Donald Trump from office in the hours just after January 6.
The GOP majority leader is heard telling a colleague in the new audio that usage of the 25th Amendment to remove Mr Trump from office was not preferable — but only because it would take “too long”.
Listen to the audio, from CNN:
McCarthy on Jan. 8, 2021: "What the President did is atrocious and totally wrong."
McCarthy on the 25th Amendment for Trump: "That takes too long too. It could go back to the House, right?"
audio from @alexburnsNYT @jmartNYT https://t.co/iPfceIhRTN
Audio from pic.twitter.com/vOTkh2Wain— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 4, 2022
Louisiana GOP pushes forward with anti-abortion agenda
01:25 , John Bowden
Louisiana Republicans on Wednesday debated a bill that would make abortion a crime of murder in the state.
The shocking legislation, which would have been unthinkable just years ago, is now on the table thanks to a draft opinion from the Supreme Court overturning both Roe V Wade and Planned Parenthood V Casey, two landmark abortion rights cases, leaked to Politico and published by the news outlet over the weekend.
HB813 by @McCormick4LA to make abortion a crime of homicide in Louisiana regardless of U.S. Supreme Court decision being debated now in House Criminal Justice #lagov #lalege
— Greg Hilburn (@GregHilburn1) May 4, 2022
Biden rips GOP’s ‘ultra-MAGA’ agenda
Thursday 5 May 2022 00:25 , John Bowden
Joe Biden swiped at the Republican Party and Donald Trump for what he dubbed their “ultra-MAGA agenda” during remarks about the economy on Wednesday, where he celebrated federal deficit reductions that occurred under the first year of his presidency.
His remarks referred largely to a wide-ranging proposal released by Sen Rick Scott that would, among other things, require all federal programs including Medicare and Social Security to be reauthorised by the Senate every few years.
.@POTUS: "Let me tell you about this ultra-MAGA agenda. It's extreme, as most MAGA things are. It will actually raise taxes on 75 million American families, over 95% of whom make less than $100,000 a year. Among the hardest hit? Working families." pic.twitter.com/7ThfXtRTUU
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) May 4, 2022
Mo Brooks uses footage of himself in aftermath of mass shooting in campaign ad endorsed by NRA
Wednesday 4 May 2022 23:12 , John Bowden
Mo Brooks, the Alabama Senate candidate who recently lost Donald Trump’s endorsement, is out with a new ad hitting the media for its reaction to the targeting of Republican lawmakers by a gunman at a congressional baseball practice.
The ad uses footage of Mr Brooks taken moments after the shooting, and slams reporters for asking in the immediate aftermath whether the congressman still opposes gun control legislation.
Read more from The Independent’s Bevan Hurley:
Mo Brooks uses footage from aftermath of mass shooting in campaign ad endorsed by NRA
Jan 6 defendant arrested
Wednesday 4 May 2022 22:25 , John Bowden
The Department of Justice’s effort to prosecute the hundreds of Americans who stormed the Capitol and battled with law enforcement on January 6.
On Wednesday, authorities arrested 20-year-old Justin Michael Smith and charged him with crimes related to illegal entry of the Capitol during the riot. The Brunswick, Ohio native was reportedly identified via an FBI informant who showed officials Facebook photos in which Mr Smith was wearing the same clothes he wore during his attendance at the riot.
NBC News correspondent Ryan J Reilly has more:
Donald Trump Jr testifies to Jan 6 committee
Wednesday 4 May 2022 21:34 , John Bowden
Donald Trump Jr testified remotely before lawmakers on the Jan 6 committee on Tuesday, according to Politico and CNN.
The president’s eldest son and longtime campaign surrogate did not plead the Fifth and instead answered questions from members of the panel, according to CNN.
The cable news channel’s source described the meeting as lasting a little more than three hours and having a “cordial” tone.
A source familiar w/ Don Jr's interview tells @KaraScannell it was conducted remotely, lasted a little over 3 hours & was cordial.
He answered all the questions & did NOT assert Fifth Amendment, the source said.
More w/ @ryanobles & @AnnieGrayerCNN https://t.co/ELM36Rn6ZQ— Zachary Cohen (@ZcohenCNN) May 4, 2022
Kayleigh McEnany keeping her children away from Disney after “Don’t Say Gay” furore
Wednesday 4 May 2022 19:35 , Andrew Naughtie
Former Trump spokeswoman turned Fox News talking head Kayleigh McEnany has shared a video in which she explains that though her daughter loves all things Disney, she cannot “in good faith” do that, “at least not in the near future”, because of the company’s opposition to Florida’s notorious “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.
Kayleigh McEnany says her daughter loves Disney, wears Minnie Mouse pajamas, and she really wants to go to Disney World, but she “can’t in good faith” take her there after their confrontation with Desantis. pic.twitter.com/OxyEZmnESW
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) May 4, 2022
The conservative backlash directed at Disney has manifested itself in proposed legislation dissolving the company’s longtime governing agreement in several counties, a move that some say could sharply raise taxes on residents.
Kellyanne Conway complains about people lying on TV
Wednesday 4 May 2022 19:00 , Andrew Naughtie
Kellyanne Conway, whose repeated propagation of falsehoods (or “alternative facts”) via the airwaves made her a figure of both mockery and contempt during the Trump administration, last night joined Fox News’s Laura Ingraham to vent her disgust at people who are never held “accountable” for what they say on TV.
Kellyanne: People on TV are never really held to account for what they get wrong. None of these people on TV are ever under oath.. pic.twitter.com/Vg85qNoX8G
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 4, 2022
Watch: Marjorie Taylor Greene confronted over “craziness"
Wednesday 4 May 2022 18:25 , Andrew Naughtie
Extreme Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was recently obliged to testify in a lawsuit accusing her of violating an anti-insurrection clause in the 14th Amendment, has been confronted on camera by a constituent and veteran who accused her of “disrespecting the United States Congress” and described himself as “saddened that the 14th district has gone to such craziness”.
Watch the footage below.
Ohio Republican delivers campaign message in rap
Wednesday 4 May 2022 17:45 , Andrew Naughtie
Some more mainstream Republicans were dismayed by last night’s primary in Ohio’s 9th congressional district, whose incumbent Democrat Marcy Kaptur will be now challenged by JR Majewski – a 6 January riot attendee who rose to fame by painting a Trump mural on his lawn and giving an interview about it wearing a QAnon t-shirt.
Here he is “rapping” in a “Let’s Go Brandon”-themed music video – of sorts.
this is jr majewski, who just won the gop nomination for congress in ohio last night, "rapping" his verse of "let's go brandon." i can't. (h/t @daveweigel) pic.twitter.com/NHlls51HQV
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) May 4, 2022
He wore his Q shirt for Fox & Friends. pic.twitter.com/fZN3uSobKH
— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) May 4, 2022
Biden tears into “truly outrageous” GOP agenda
Wednesday 4 May 2022 17:00 , Andrew Naughtie
The Republican Party has not been enthusiastic about putting forward a concrete policy platform for this year’s midterm elections, leaving it up to Senate campaign chair Rick Scott to launch a plan of his own – one that’s been ridiculed for suggesting raising income taxes for 50 per cent of adult Americans.
Now, Joe Biden has delivered a speech not only touting his party’s own plans but laying into Mr Scott’s self-proclaimed “ultra-MAGA” agenda.
“Let me tell you about this ‘ultra Maga agenda’ — it’s extreme, as most Maga things are,” he said. “it will actually raise taxes on 75 million American families, over 95 per cent of whom make less than $100,000 a year.
“The working class folks are gonna pay a hell of a lot more — and it goes further than that,” Mr Biden continued. “It’s hard to make this up — meanwhile, millionaires and billionaires and corporations skate by … I think it is truly outrageous,” he said.
Read more below from Andrew Feinberg.
‘Truly outrageous’: Biden attacks GOP plan to sunset Social Security and raise taxes
Oath Keeper pleads guilty to Jan 6 sedition charges
Wednesday 4 May 2022 16:25 , Andrew Naughtie
A member of the self-styled milita the Oath Keepers, William Todd Wilson, will appear in court today to plead guilty to offences related to the 6 January attack on the US Capitol.
Specifically, he faced charges of seditious conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding. Other members of the group, including its founder, Stewart Rhodes, are being held on similar counts., which are among the most serious facing any accused 6 January rioters.
"WILSON and other co-conspirators also amassed firearms on the outskirts of Washington, D.C.⸻some distributed across hotels and “quick reaction force” (“QRF”) teams⸻and planned to use them in support of their plot to halt the lawful transfer of power.” https://t.co/NAGye1n3xd pic.twitter.com/TNRVgJdq7G
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) May 4, 2022
Of note, the charging document says the Oath Keepers amassed weapons at multiple *hotels* and had multiple *teams* prepared to deploy them. https://t.co/mVamt5OOf9
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) May 4, 2022
ICYMI: What’s going on on Truth Social
Wednesday 4 May 2022 15:45 , Andrew Naughtie
Donald Trump has lately started posting on his troubled social media platform Truth Social, which suffered a disastrous launch earlier this year and saw downloads and user engagement crash to dizzying lows as many conservatives declined to migrate across from other places – while many of those who did languished on a glitch-ridden waiting list.
The ex-president’s return to the platform seems to have been spurred by Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, to which Mr Trump says he will not return even if his account is reinstated. Alex Woodward has taken a look inside the Truth Social ecosystem, where the president for now (mostly) remains.
What you’ll find on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform for ‘free expression’
Outgoing GOP Senator praises Vance after complaining about polarisation
Wednesday 4 May 2022 15:15 , Andrew Naughtie
Rob Portman, the Ohio Republican whose retirement has paved the way for this year’s open-seat race, has offered up his endorsement of JD Vance after his victory in last night’s primary – but as the Bulwark’s Amanda Carpenter points out, his embrace of the Trump critic-turned-acolyte sits uneasily alongside his given reasons for standing down...
Does anyone mean anything anymore https://t.co/jUdULJmpLg pic.twitter.com/7ACwG5CQfk
— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) May 4, 2022
Trump promotes debunked 2020 election fraud “documentary”
Wednesday 4 May 2022 14:45 , Andrew Naughtie
Donald Trump’s fixation on the 2020 election is not abating, and even as he faces legal action over claims that he improperly pressured Georgia officials to overturn the result in their state, he is now promoting a film helmed by right-wing agitator Dinesh D’Souza that claims at least 2,000 “mules” were paid to illegally collect ballots and deliver them to drop boxes in key swing states ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Save America Announces Screening of 2,000 Mules in Greensburg, Pennsylvania
REGISTER HERE: https://t.co/xuPMiYrRKC pic.twitter.com/xcvfWbD9Gu— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) May 3, 2022
However, the film is in fact riddled with falsehoods and largely restates claims that have already been debunked elsewhere over the last 18 months. Here’s a fact check:
FACT FOCUS: Gaping holes in the claim of 2K ballot ‘mules’
Watch: GOP governor urges party to abandon Trump
Wednesday 4 May 2022 14:10 , Andrew Naughtie
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican elected in a reliably blue state, is one of his party’s few nationally known elected Trump critics – and despite every indication that Mr Trump still effectively controls the GOP, he is still imploring his comrades to shake off the former president’s influence.
Mr Hogan, who has acknowledged that a 2024 presidential run is not out of the question for him, gave an interview to CBS News in which he insisted that Mr Trump should not run for a second term, and that the party should not nominate him if he does.
Republican Maryland Governor Larry Hogan tells CBS News’ Robert Costa that President Trump shouldn’t run for President again in 2024, adding that Trump’s presidency was a “terrible four years” for the GOP. pic.twitter.com/iAOsXcznQu
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) May 3, 2022
Read more from Alisha Rahaman Sarkar:
GOP governor calls on fellow Republicans to ‘move on’ from Trump
ICYMI: Trump settles inauguration lawsuit
Wednesday 4 May 2022 13:39 , Andrew Naughtie
After years of back-and-forth, Donald Trump has finally agreed to settle a lawsuit over the use of his hotel for the 2017 inauguration – more specifically, allegations that it deliberately overcharged the inauguration committee for the use of its facilities.
The settlement sees Mr Trump agree to pay $750,000 to Washington authorities while admitting no guilt or culpability.
Read more:
Trump agrees to pay $750k to settle DC hotel lawsuit
What JD Vance said about Trump
Wednesday 4 May 2022 12:59 , Andrew Naughtie
The story of Ohio primary victor JD Vance’s conversion from Trump critic to Trump endorsee is being told in great detail across the internet today, but perhaps the best way to gauge how big the transformation is is to read the now-candidate’s own words from 2016.
Writing in The Atlantic, which he has lately been denigrating, Mr Vance explained Mr Trump’s rise with a riff on his thesis that white working-class “Scots-Irish” Americans were to blame for their own drug addictions:
Folks back home speak of heroin like an apocalyptic invader, something that assailed the town mysteriously and without warning. Yet the truth is that heroin crept slowly into Middletown’s families and communities—not by invasion but by invitation...
During this election season, it appears that many Americans have reached for a new pain reliever. It too, promises a quick escape from life’s cares, an easy solution to the mounting social problems of U.S. communities and culture. It demands nothing and requires little more than a modest presence and maybe a few enablers. It enters minds, not through lungs or veins, but through eyes and ears, and its name is Donald Trump.
Trump blasts out another Letitia James rant
Wednesday 4 May 2022 12:30 , Andrew Naughtie
The Trump legal team yesterday failed to convince a New York judge to halt a $10,000 daily fine imposed while the ex-president’s business fails to comply with a subpoena from the state’s attorney general, Letitia James.
As usual when he is confronted with such setbacks, Donald Trump responded to the news with a livid statement decrying Ms James as a “racist” and accusing her of “harassment”.
this persecution would have long ago ended. The good news is, I have done nothing wrong!”
— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) May 3, 2022
Mike Huckabee hawks “Kids Guide to President Trump"
Wednesday 4 May 2022 12:01 , Andrew Naughtie
Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who twice ran for president, appeared in an ad on Fox News last night to promote a new book meant to give children an upbeat primer on Donald Trump and his presidency.
“Schools and the media don’t want you to hear anything positive,” he said in the spot, “And that’s why my team created The Kids Guide to President Trump. It’ll teach your kids all about President Trump’s accomplishments and his vision for America. And I want you to have it for free.”
The ad has been widely derided for its cult-like feel.
SNL should use this straight up unedited as a cold open https://t.co/fnQdaltQyK
— George Conway🇺🇦 (@gtconway3d) May 4, 2022
Teaching your kids black history is indoctrination but this is right here is A-Ok according to the “intellectual right” https://t.co/wSNx8fd2hL
— Rickety Split (@RickG_P2PRadio) May 4, 2022
If only Trump loved them as much as they worship him 🙄 https://t.co/YevZZQb81T
— Wale Gates (@walegates) May 4, 2022
The Kids Guide is the latest contribution to a bibliography of pro-Trump literature that also includes a $20 coloring book – one that comprises a mere 16 single-sided pages.
Trump campaign sends text to sell voters his colouring book as US coronavirus deaths pass 90,000
Other Ohio candidates back Vance
Wednesday 4 May 2022 11:30 , Andrew Naughtie
JD Vance rocketed to the top of the Ohio Senate primary field after Donald Trump backed him, much to the chagrin of less extreme candidates – but two of the other Republicans in the field, Jane Timken and Matt Dolan, have already thrown their weight behind him.
I just spoke with JD Vance and congratulated him on his victory. I am so thankful to my wonderful family and team who supported me in this race. While tonight's results are disappointing, I am incredibly proud of the race we've run and know we must retake the Senate in November. pic.twitter.com/PAxr1xIInK
— Jane Timken (@JaneTimkenOH) May 4, 2022
JD Vance and I have debated our differences, and in this hard fought campaign he was successful. Just as I will never quit fighting for Ohio, I now pledge to unite our party and endorse JD Vance to be our next U.S. Senator. pic.twitter.com/1oSMmN6rWA
— Matt Dolan (@dolan4ohio) May 4, 2022
Flashback: Hillbilly Elegy’s disastrous big-screen adaptation
Wednesday 4 May 2022 11:00 , Andrew Naughtie
JD Vance’s memoir of Appalachian misery, Hillbilly Elegy, was hailed on both sides of the mainstream political spectrum when it was published in 2016, and its stock surged after Donald Trump’s win as people sought to explain why white working-class voters had deserted the Democrats in many parts of the country.
But as the Trump years wore on and onetime critics like Mr Vance started to embrace the president they once claimed to loathe, many lost patience with the book’s thesis of self-induced decline. And by the time the movie adaptation of the book dropped in 2020, the appeal had gone – something that Clarisse Loughrey’s review for The Independent conveyed in the bluntest terms.
Vance’s writing is raw, vulnerable, and intrinsically empathetic. But his politics are deceptive – using “we” as a way to speak on behalf of all Appalachians, he declares that his people’s poverty is largely self-determined. If only the young men of his community didn’t shrug off hard work. If only the women didn’t waste their money and neglect their children. He spares no thought to mass unemployment, the collapse of government support, or the lack of healthcare. “These problems were not created by governments or corporations or anyone else,” he writes. “We created them, only we can fix them.” There is only dead land here, without hope of rescue....[Director Ron] Howard’s adaptation has done nothing to combat the central ethos that made Vance’s work so damaging – the idea that the solution to poverty is for everyone to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get to work. His film pivots on the half-hearted notion that “where we come from is who we are, but we choose every day who we become”, and that what separates Vance’s fate from his mother’s is purely down to personal choice. That’s a narrative that belongs to a writer who refuses to admit his larger place in the world – and a filmmaker who thinks that a positive outlook alone can fix the world.
Read her full one-star review below.
Hillbilly Elegy is a sickeningly irresponsible parade of death and despair – review
“What a joke”: Tim Ryan ready for his Ohio rival
Wednesday 4 May 2022 10:31 , Andrew Naughtie
Democratic Senate nominee Tim Ryan had already prepared his anti-Vance attack ad, foregrounding the Republican candidate’s increasingly bilious rhetoric about the state of America.
Watch his opening volley below:
JD Vance doesn’t care about Ohioans and he thinks our country is a joke.
Now he wants to represent us in the Senate? You’ve got to be kidding. pic.twitter.com/UM7A5nL3al— Tim Ryan (@TimRyan) May 4, 2022
Poll finds over half of Americans want Trump to face criminal charges over Jan 6
Wednesday 4 May 2022 10:00 , Stuti Mishra
A little over half of Americans believe that former president Donald Trump should face criminal charges for encouraging the 6 January Capitol riot, according to a new poll.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 52 per cent of Americans, a narrow majority, want to see the twice-impeached president criminally charged, while just 42 per cent say that he should not be charged with a crime.
Abe Asher has more details on the poll here:
Majority of Americans say Trump should face criminal charges over Jan 6, poll finds
Kinzinger unsurprised Trump 'wanted protesters shot in the legs’
Wednesday 4 May 2022 09:15 , Stuti Mishra
ICYMI: A new book by Donald Trump’s former secretary of defense Mark Esper confirms earlier reports that in 2020, the president was so incensed by Black Lives Matter protesters outside the White House that he suggested calling in the military to shoot them, if only in the legs.
The ex-president’s critics are not surprised.
I am zero percent surprised at this. https://t.co/Ssm4Fxel3M
— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) May 3, 2022
Nathan Place has more.
Trump wanted troops to ‘just shoot’ BLM protesters, new book says
How Trump passed the test as kingmaker in Ohio
Wednesday 4 May 2022 08:30 , Stuti Mishra
The primary elections in Ohio and Indiana on Tuesday stood as the first real test of former president Donald Trump's status as the Republican Party kingmaker — and he passed.
Here are the key takeaways from the races:
Primary takeaways: Trump passes test as kingmaker in Ohio
Right-wingers crediting Trump for the end of Roe
Wednesday 4 May 2022 07:45 , Stuti Mishra
ICYMI: The draft Supreme Court opinion leaked last night is not necessarily the final version of the court’s decision, and nor has the vote on that decision been made clear – but many right-wing Republicans are already taking it for granted that Roe v Wade is dead, and that Donald Trump deserves the credit for appointing the jusitices who’ve buried it.
Because of Donald J. Trump, Roe v. Wade will be overturned.
— Madison Cawthorn (@CawthornforNC) May 3, 2022
Read more below from Bevan Hurley.
Madison Cawthorn and right-wing Republicans hail Trump for Roe v Wade move
Oath Keepers member pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy
Thursday 5 May 2022 00:48 , John Bowden
A member of the Oath Keepers became the third person to plead guilty to a charge of seditious conspiracy related to the January 6 attack on Wednesday.
William Todd Wilson plead guilty in court to plotting to use force to halt the peaceful transfer of power to the Biden administration.
CBS News has the full story:
Report: Capitol Police officer accidentally discharged gun in House office building
Wednesday 4 May 2022 07:00 , Stuti Mishra
ICYMI: It has emerged that a member of the US Capitol Police accidentally “discharged a weapon” in a breakroom at the Cannon House Office Building, which sits across the street from the US Capitol.
In a statement, Capitol Police spokesman Tim Barber said: “The Capitol Police’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is investigating the discharge of a USCP weapon inside a breakroom in the Cannon Office Building. The officer has been suspended while OPR investigates the incident."
Capitol Police officer accidentally discharged gun in Cannon Office Building, sources say via @ChrisMarquette_ https://t.co/WAI8YOvv1x
— John T. Bennett (@BennettJohnT) May 3, 2022
There have been other incidents involving Capitol Police officers and their weapons in recent years, including an infamous one where a lieutenant left his service weapon in a bathroom. It was eventually found by another officer.