Trump news – live: Georgia grand jury findings to be released today as Mark Meadows subpoenaed over Jan 6

The grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia will release some of its findings on Thursday – which could shed light on whether or not the former president will face criminal charges for his actions.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney has ordered the release of the report’s introduction, conclusion and concerns the jury had about witnesses lying under oath.

The report is the result of a two-year investigation into the actions of Mr Trump and his campaign back in 2020 when the one-term president lost the state to President Joe Biden.

Infamously, Mr Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2021 asking him to “find” enough votes to swing the election in his favour.

The release of the probe findings comes as it emerged that Mr Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has been subpoenaed by the special counsel investigating the former president’s role in the January 6 Capitol riot.

A source told CNN that Mr Meadows received the subpoena last month, the latest sign that special counsel Jack Smith is ramping up his investigation into the former president.

Key points

• Trump trolls Rihanna’s Super Bowl show

• Classified folder from Mar-a-Lago to DOJ

• Former president denies branding Ron DeSantis ‘Meatball Ron’

• Trump to testify in E Jean Carroll defamation case

• Special counsel probes ramp up with former NSA chief and Mike Pence subpoenaed

Fox News loses bid to dismiss $2.7bn defamation suit over Trump election-rigging claims

11:30 , John Bowden

Fox News lost an attempt Tuesday to shut down a multibillion-dollar defamation lawsuit that accuses the network of spreading lies that a voting-technology company helped “steal” the 2020 election from then-president Donald Trump.

The company that brought the case, Smartmatic, has said it played a valid and small role in the election. It hailed the ruling as a step toward holding Fox News accountable for amplifying unsupported and damaging claims from Trump’s lawyers.

Fox executives have complained that the lawsuit is meant to stifle free speech; however, the network continues to host personalities like Tucker Carlson who continue even now to sow doubt about the integrity of US elections.

Read more in The Independent:

Fox News loses bid to toss $2.7bn defamation suit over Trump election-rigging claims

Judge rejects Trump’s offer to supply DNA in E Jean Carroll rape defamation case

10:30 , John Bowden

A judge has rejected former President Donald Trump’s offer to provide DNA in the defamation case against writer E Jean Carroll.

Federal New York Judge Lewis Kaplan said the offer came too late after years of legal fights in the lawsuit by the writer, who alleges that Mr Trump defamed her when he rejected her claim that he raped her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s, according to CNBC.

The judge said that the trial is set to start in less than three months. The part of the process where evidence may be exchanged has ended.

Read more:

Judge rejects Trump’s offer to supply DNA in E Jean Carroll rape defamation case

Justice Department won’t charge Matt Gaetz for sex trafficking

09:30 , John Bowden

Justice Department officials have reportedly said they will not seek sex trafficking charges against Florida Representative Matt Gaetz after a multi-year probe into whether he violated US law by allegedly paying for sex with underage girls.

Citing “a source familiar with the matter,” CNN reported on Wednesday that the department had informed a witness who testified in the probe that charges against the Florida Republican would not be forthcoming.

Andrew Feinberg is following this story for The Independent:

Justice Department won’t charge Matt Gaetz for sex trafficking

Nikki Haley’s bid might not hurt Trump, but it could be fatal to Ron DeSantis

08:30 , John Bowden

Former South Carolina Gov Nikki Haley’s entrance into the 2024 presidential race isn’t bad news for her former boss, Donald Trump, who is currently the only other prominent announced candidate.

Instead, it’s a bad sign for Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, who is already presumed to be the popular anti-Trump alternative for the contest even though he remains publicly vague about whether he will run, writes The Independent’s Eric Garcia.

Read more:

Nikki Haley’s bid might not hurt Trump, but it could be fatal to Ron DeSantis

Kellyanne Conway dismisses concerns about Biden’s age

07:30 , John Bowden

Kellyanne Conway, who served as Counselor to the President under former president Donald Trump from 2017 to 2020, said during an appearance on Fox News Sunday that Mr Biden’s age isn’t something voters will have problems with in 2024, when Mr Trump — who announced his candidacy for president in November — hopes to challenge Mr Biden for a second term in the White House.

It’s an interesting statement that could preempt attacks from her former boss on an issue that the right fixated on in 2020.

Read more:

Kellyanne Conway says Biden’s age won’t be an issue in 2024 campaign

Resurfaced footage shows Nikki Haley saying states can secede after announcing 2024 launch

06:30 , John Bowden

Footage has resurfaced of Nikki Haley saying that states can secede from the US.

Ms Haley announced her 2024 launch on Tuesday, making her the first Republican to take on Donald Trump.

Not long after the announcement, Patriot Takes shared a video from 2010 of Ms Haley speaking about potential secession.

“I think that they do,” she said of states having the right to secede.

“I mean, the constitution says that.”

Trump blasts Nicola Sturgeon as ‘failed woke extremist’ in furious rant after Scottish leader steps down

05:30 , John Bowden

Former president Donald Trump blasted Nicola Sturgeon as the Scottish First Minister announced she would resign in a transphobic rant that cited his properties in the country.

Mr Trump made the remarks after Ms Sturgeon announced that she would resign as the head of Scotland’s government on Wednesday. The former president is of Scottish heritage on his mother’s side and owns properties in the country.

Eric Garcia has the story:

Trump blasts Nicola Sturgeon in furious rant after Scottish leader steps down

‘We can’t let that ever happen again’: Nikki Haley’s stunning reversals on Donald Trump

04:30 , John Bowden

Donald Trump’s former UN ambassador, Nikki Haley, was blistering in her words following the January 6 insurrection in Washington

“We need to acknowledge he let us down. He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. And we can’t let that ever happen again,” she said at the time.

But just a few weeks later, the ex-Trump official was already trying to finegle her way back in to her old boss’s good graces.

Follow her unique journey to the 2024 field in The Independent:

From Trump ambassador to to ‘sellout’: What is Nikki Haley doing in the 2024 race

Trump wants to bring back firing squads, execute drug dealers en masse

03:30 , John Bowden

Donald Trump has a new issue at the centre of his third bid for the White House: killing drug dealers, according to Rolling Stone.

A new piece on the inner deliberations of Trumpworld from Rolling Stone reveals that Donald Trump is making the death penalty — specifically, expanding its use in America — a centre point of his flagging 2024 campaign. According to several sources close to the former president who spoke with the magazine, Mr Trump is putting energy behind the idea of widely expanding the death penalty to make drug offences eligible for capital punishment.

The former president is said by aides to also be discussing the possibility of launching a political effort to reintroduce firing squads to the US justice system, apparently due to their flashy nature.

John Bowden has more:

Trump is planning to bring back firing squads if re-elected

Mike Pence to fight special counsel subpoena

02:30 , John Bowden

Former Vice President Mike Pence will fight a subpoena from the Justice Department for his testimony in the investigation surrounding Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Axios reported the news on Tuesday, citing a source close to Mr Pence.

Mr Pence is supposedly set to address the issue this week when he appears in Iowa, site of the first 2024 GOP caucus. That could indicate that Mr Pence will also go through with plans for a presidential campaign, which have been widely reported.

Read more:

Pence to fight special counsel subpoena on 2020 election

Trump again insists that he only took empty ‘classified’ folders

01:30 , John Bowden

Donald Trump again argued on Tuesday that many of the supposedly classified documents taken from his Mar-a-Lago residence were actually empty folders, which he says he took for keepsakes.

The former president’s resort and residence in Florida was raided last September by agents with the FBI after he and his team resisted for months their efforts to collect the documents he had retained without permission from the National Archives.

“Many of the so-called “documents” that the “Gestapo” took in the Raid of Mar-a-Lago, unlike the”No Raids of Biden,” were merely inexpensive and very common folders with words such as “Presidential Reading,” “Confidential,” “Classified,” or other words stamped on the front cover,” wrote Mr Trump in a Truth Social post.

“There was nothing inside of the folders because, during meetings where information was passed out, say at the Oval Office, when finished the papers inside were taken back, but the empty folders were left behind...I would put them in a pile and keep them as momentous. Nothing wrong with that, but sounds to me that the Injustice Department views these as DOCUMENTS - They are not!”

Nancy Mace mocks Trump and George Santos for respective lies

00:30 , John Bowden

It may be a bit awkward for Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace at the next House GOP get-together.

That’s because the South Carolina representative took several opportunities at Wednesday night’s Washington Press Club dinner to skewer her own fellow conservatives during a short comedy routine that had attendees guffawing.

Perhaps her top lines of the night were two not-so-subtle digs at Donald Trump, who endorsed against her in the 2022 midterm season only to see Ms Mace triumphantly coast to reelection.

The Independent’s John Bowden has the story:

Nancy Mace mocks George Santos and Trump for lying about volleyball and 2020

Three Trump attorneys appear before classified documents grand jury probe

00:00 , John Bowden

Three of Donald Trump’s attorneys have now appeared before a grand jury investigating the discovery of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after he left the White House.

Two sources told The Guardian that Evan Corcoran, Christina Bobb and Alina Habba made appearances before the federal grand jury as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation.

All three are among the group of people who searched Mar-a-Lago and uncovered a trove of papers containing classified markings – including some which were labelled top secret.

Nikki Haley and Donald Trump trade barbs as Republican nominating contest heats up

Wednesday 15 February 2023 23:00 , John Bowden

New Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley did not mention former President Donald Trump by name during her campaign kickoff event in Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday morning — but there was little mistaking what she meant when she said that the country’s politicians are past their primes.

Donald Trump, meanwhile, is making no attempt at subtlety: On Wednesday, his office published a blistering memo accusing Ms Haley (among other things) of fondness for Hillary Clinton, the former president’s bitter 2016 rival.

Read more in The Independent from Abe Asher:

Nikki Haley and Donald Trump trade barbs as Republican nominating contest heats up

From Trump ambassador to ‘sellout’: What is Nikki Haley doing in the 2024 race?

Wednesday 15 February 2023 22:30 , John Bowden

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley had a unique journey from the governor’s mansion in Columbia to the 2024 primary field, which she entered on Tuesday as only the second prominent Republican, behind Donald Trump.

Once beloved by the GOP’s moderate wing and now painted with the same “sellout” label that those same NeverTrumpers stuck to Marco Rubio, Lindsey Graham and others, the nation’s second-most prominent Indian-American politician (behind VP Kamala Harris) is hoping that the GOP establishment’s desire to move on from Trumpism will be the wind in her sails that carries her campaign to the nomination.

She joined the 2024 race officially on Tuesday, following months of dropping hints; The Independent’s John Bowden takes a look at her long road through Trumpworld:

From Trump ambassador to to ‘sellout’: What is Nikki Haley doing in the 2024 race

Trump blasts Nicola Sturgeon as ‘failed woke extremist’ in furious rant after Scottish leader steps down

Wednesday 15 February 2023 21:45 , John Bowden

Former president Donald Trump blasted Nicola Sturgeon as the Scottish First Minister announced she would resign in a transphobic rant that cited his properties in the country.

Mr Trump made the remarks after Ms Sturgeon announced that she would resign as the head of Scotland’s government on Wednesday. The former president is of Scottish heritage on his mother’s side and owns properties in the country.

Eric Garcia has the story:

Trump blasts Nicola Sturgeon in furious rant after Scottish leader steps down

Resurfaced footage shows Nikki Haley saying states can secede after announcing 2024 launch

Wednesday 15 February 2023 21:00 , John Bowden

Footage has resurfaced of Nikki Haley saying that states can secede from the US.

Ms Haley announced her 2024 launch on Tuesday, making her the first Republican to take on Donald Trump.

Not long after the announcement, Patriot Takes shared a video from 2010 of Ms Haley speaking about potential secession.

“I think that they do,” she said of states having the right to secede.

“I mean, the constitution says that.”

Trump scorches Nicola Sturgeon upon her resignation

Wednesday 15 February 2023 20:18 , John Bowden

Donald Trump had words for Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon on Wednesday as the SNP leader announced her resignation from both government and the leadership of her party in a surprising move.

Ms Sturgeon is the longest-serving Scottish first minister in history.

"Good riddance to failed woke extremist Nicola Sturgeon of Scotland! This crazed leftist symbolizes everything wrong with identity politics. Sturgeon thought it was OK to put a biological man in a women’s prison, and if that wasn’t bad enough, Sturgeon fought for a “Gender Recognition Reform Bill” that would have allowed 16-year-old children to change their gender without medical advice,” fumed the former president.

He then added: “I built the greatest Golf properties in the World in Scotland, but she fought me all the way, making my job much more difficult. The wonderful people of Scotland are much better off without Sturgeon in office!"

Justice Department won’t charge Matt Gaetz for sex trafficking

Wednesday 15 February 2023 19:30 , John Bowden

Justice Department officials have reportedly said they will not seek sex trafficking charges against Florida Representative Matt Gaetz after a multi-year probe into whether he violated US law by allegedly paying for sex with underage girls.

Citing “a source familiar with the matter,” CNN reported on Wednesday that the department had informed a witness who testified in the probe that charges against the Florida Republican would not be forthcoming.

Andrew Feinberg is following this story for The Independent:

Justice Department won’t charge Matt Gaetz for sex trafficking

Fox News loses bid to dismiss $2.7bn defamation suit over Trump election-rigging claims

Wednesday 15 February 2023 19:00 , John Bowden

Fox News lost an attempt Tuesday to shut down a multibillion-dollar defamation lawsuit that accuses the network of spreading lies that a voting-technology company helped “steal” the 2020 election from then-president Donald Trump.

The company that brought the case, Smartmatic, has said it played a valid and small role in the election. It hailed the ruling as a step toward holding Fox News accountable for amplifying unsupported and damaging claims from Trump’s lawyers.

Fox executives have complained that the lawsuit is meant to stifle free speech; however, the network continues to host personalities like Tucker Carlson who continue even now to sow doubt about the integrity of US elections.

Read more in The Independent:

Fox News loses bid to toss $2.7bn defamation suit over Trump election-rigging claims

Donald Trump responds to Nikki Haley campaign announcement

Wednesday 15 February 2023 18:15 , John Bowden

Donald Trump’s team has responded to the decision of Nikki Haley, his former UN ambassador, to run against him for the 2024 nomination.

The president’s office released a statement on Wednesday accusing Ms Haley of being “inspired by Hillary Clinton” and attaching her name to politically toxic efforts to impose cuts on Social Security and Medicare, which Joe Biden has spent the past week hanging around the necks of House and Senate Republicans.

Wednesday 15 February 2023 17:30 , Gustaf Kilander

A judge has rejected former President Donald Trump’s offer to provide DNA in the defamation case against writer E Jean Carroll.

Federal New York Judge Lewis Kaplan said the offer came too late after years of legal fights in the lawsuit by the writer, who alleges that Mr Trump defamed her when he rejected her claim that he raped her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s, according to CNBC.

The judge said that the trial is set to start in less than three months. The part of the process where evidence may be exchanged has ended.

Read more:

Judge rejects Trump’s offer to supply DNA in E Jean Carroll rape defamation case

Support for a Biden-Trump rematch in 2024 dwindling with both Democrats and Republicans, new poll shows

Wednesday 15 February 2023 17:20 , John Bowden

Voters in both major US political parties are looking for fresh faces to run for president in 2024, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll

A majority of Democratic voters, at 52 per cent, do not want Mr Biden to seek a second term, while 40 per cent of Republican voters do not want Mr Trump to seek another term in 2024.

Eric Garcia has more:

Support for a Biden-Trump rematch in 2024 dwindling with Democrats and Republicans

Trump unloads on Nikki Haley

Wednesday 15 February 2023 17:50 , John Bowden

Donald Trump’s team is out with their official response to the campaign launch of Nikki Haley, his former UN ambassador and now current rival for the 2024 nomination.

A blistering memo from Mr Trump’s office on Wednesday accused Ms Haley of being “inspired by Hillary Clinton” and attached her name to the politically-toxic calls for cuts to Social Security and Medicare which Joe Biden has spent the last week hanging around the necks of House and Senate Republicans.

Nikki Haley’s bid might not hurt Trump, but it could be fatal to Ron DeSantis

Wednesday 15 February 2023 16:40 , John Bowden

Former South Carolina Gov Nikki Haley’s entrance into the 2024 presidential race isn’t bad news for her former boss, Donald Trump, who is currently the only other prominent announced candidate.

Instead, it’s a bad sign for Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, who is already presumed to be the popular anti-Trump alternative for the contest even though he remains publicly vague about whether he will run, writes The Independent’s Eric Garcia.

Read more:

Nikki Haley’s bid might not hurt Trump, but it could be fatal to Ron DeSantis

Tim Scott preparing presidential bid, report claims

Wednesday 15 February 2023 16:00 , John Bowden

As Nikki Haley becomes the second prominent Republican to enter the 2024 race, the Senate’s lone Black GOP member is reportedly planning on joining her.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Mr Scott is making plans and preparations for an official announcement. He would become the first current elected lawmaker to officially announce a bid for the nomination.

Read more at the Journal:

‘We detected it’: Biden White House says Trump officials failed to detect Chinese army balloon programme

Wednesday 15 February 2023 15:20 , John Bowden

Pressured by criticism from Republicans and questions from reporters about a sudden series of efforts to shoot down a Chinese surveillance balloon and several other unidentified craft, the Biden White House on Monday blamed the Trump administration for failing to detect similar craft in US airspace between 2017-2021.

According to a spokesman for the National Security Council (NSC), the reason for this sudden effort by the US military was simply that balloons similar to the first object shot down in early February off the coast of South Carolina had only recently been detected. It wasn’t initially clear how the US now knew that those craft were active during the Trump presidency.

“It was operating during the previous administration, but they did not detect it. We detected it,” said John Kirby.

Read more about the White House’s latest statements regarding the Chinese spy craft shot down over South Carolina:

Biden White House says Trump’s team failed to detect Chinese army balloon programme

Donald Trump denies coming up with ‘Meatball Ron’ nickname for DeSantis

Wednesday 15 February 2023 14:46 , John Bowden

Donald Trump is denying ownership of the latest un-savoury nickname for the man shaping up to be his biggest rival in the Republican party.

After The New York Times reported that Mr Trump has taken to calling Florida Governor Ron DeSantis “Meatball Ron”, the ex-president released a statement on his Truth Social platform denying the story.

Rachel Sharp has the story:

Donald Trump denies coming up with ‘Meatball Ron’ nickname for DeSantis

Resurfaced footage shows Nikki Haley saying states can secede after announcing 2024 launch

Wednesday 15 February 2023 14:00 , Rachel Sharp

Footage has resurfaced of Nikki Haley saying that states can secede from the US.

Ms Haley announced her 2024 launch on Tuesday, making her the first Republican to take on Donald Trump.

Not long after the announcement, Patriot Takes shared a video from 2010 of Ms Haley speaking about potential secession.

“I think that they do,” she said of states having the right to secede.

“I mean, the constitution says that.”

The video also features an unnamed neo-Confederate group.

Three Trump attorneys appear before classified documents grand jury probe

Wednesday 15 February 2023 13:30 , Rachel Sharp

Three of Donald Trump’s attorneys have now appeared before a grand jury investigating the discovery of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after he left the White House.

Two sources told The Guardian that Evan Corcoran, Christina Bobb and Alina Habba made appearances before the federal grand jury as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation.

All three are among the group of people who searched Mar-a-Lago and uncovered a trove of papers containing classified markings – including some which were labelled top secret.

Nancy Mace mocks Trump and George Santos for respective lies

Wednesday 15 February 2023 13:00 , John Bowden

It may be a bit awkward for Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace at the next House GOP get-together.

That’s because the South Carolina representative took several opportunities at Wednesday night’s Washington Press Club dinner to skewer her own fellow conservatives during a short comedy routine that had attendees guffawing.

Perhaps her top lines of the night were two not-so-subtle digs at Donald Trump, who endorsed against her in the 2022 midterm season only to see Ms Mace triumphantly coast to reelection.

The Independent’s John Bowden has the story:

Nancy Mace mocks George Santos and Trump for lying about volleyball and 2020

Kellyanne Conway dismisses concerns about Biden’s age

Wednesday 15 February 2023 12:30 , John Bowden

Kellyanne Conway, who served as Counselor to the President under former president Donald Trump from 2017 to 2020, said during an appearance on Fox News Sunday that Mr Biden’s age isn’t something voters will have problems with in 2024, when Mr Trump — who announced his candidacy for president in November — hopes to challenge Mr Biden for a second term in the White House.

It’s an interesting statement that could preempt attacks from her former boss on an issue that the right fixated on in 2020.

Read more:

Kellyanne Conway says Biden’s age won’t be an issue in 2024 campaign

Trump wants to bring back firing squads, execute drug dealers en masse

Wednesday 15 February 2023 12:00 , John Bowden

Donald Trump has a new issue at the centre of his third bid for the White House: killing drug dealers, according to Rolling Stone.

A new piece on the inner deliberations of Trumpworld from Rolling Stone reveals that Donald Trump is making the death penalty — specifically, expanding its use in America — a centre point of his flagging 2024 campaign. According to several sources close to the former president who spoke with the magazine, Mr Trump is putting energy behind the idea of widely expanding the death penalty to make drug offences eligible for capital punishment.

The former president is said by aides to also be discussing the possibility of launching a political effort to reintroduce firing squads to the US justice system, apparently due to their flashy nature.

John Bowden has more:

Trump is planning to bring back firing squads if re-elected

Nikki Haley in Trumpworld: Key moments that led up to former governor’s 2024 bid

Wednesday 15 February 2023 11:30 , John Bowden

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley had a unique journey from the governor’s mansion in Columbia to the 2024 primary field, which she entered on Tuesday as only the second prominent Republican, behind Donald Trump, in the field.

Once beloved by the GOP’s moderate wing and now painted with the same “sellout” label that those same NeverTrumpers stuck to Marco Rubio, Lindsey Graham and others, the nation’s second-most prominent Indian-American politician (behind VP Kamala Harris) is hoping that the GOP establishment’s desire to move on from Trumpism will be the wind in her sails that carries her campaign to the nomination.

Let’s take a look at how Nikki Haley got here, and how the thin line she has threaded between the pro- and anti-Trump wings of the party could leave her high and dry come the Iowa caucus next year:

Nikki Haley in Trumpworld: Key moments that led up to former governor’s 2024 bid

Mike Pence to fight special counsel subpoena

Wednesday 15 February 2023 11:00 , John Bowden

Former Vice President Mike Pence will fight a subpoena from the Justice Department for his testimony in the investigation surrounding Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Axios reported the news on Tuesday, citing a source close to Mr Pence.

Mr Pence is supposedly set to address the issue this week when he appears in Iowa, site of the first 2024 GOP caucus. That could indicate that Mr Pence will also go through with plans for a presidential campaign, which have been widely reported.

Read more:

Pence to fight special counsel subpoena on 2020 election

WATCH: Nikki Haley’s full announcement video

Wednesday 15 February 2023 10:30 , John Bowden

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley is officially the first prominent Republican to get in the race against Donald Trump for president.

Watch her campaign announcement video here, and read more about her bid for the presidency in The Independent:

Nikki Haley officially announces 2024 presidential run

Trump again insists that he only took empty ‘classified’ folders

Wednesday 15 February 2023 10:00 , John Bowden

Donald Trump again argued on Tuesday that many of the supposedly classified documents taken from his Mar-a-Lago residence were actually empty folders, which he says he took for keepsakes.

The former president’s resort and residence in Florida was raided last September by agents with the FBI after he and his team resisted for months their efforts to collect the documents he had retained without permission from the National Archives.

“Many of the so-called “documents” that the “Gestapo” took in the Raid of Mar-a-Lago, unlike the”No Raids of Biden,” were merely inexpensive and very common folders with words such as “Presidential Reading,” “Confidential,” “Classified,” or other words stamped on the front cover,” wrote Mr Trump in a Truth Social post.

“There was nothing inside of the folders because, during meetings where information was passed out, say at the Oval Office, when finished the papers inside were taken back, but the empty folders were left behind...I would put them in a pile and keep them as momentous. Nothing wrong with that, but sounds to me that the Injustice Department views these as DOCUMENTS - They are not!”

JD Vance slammed for delayed reaction to Ohio train derailment: ‘Gibberish’

Wednesday 15 February 2023 09:00 , John Bowden

Ohio Senator JD Vance is facing criticism for taking 10 days to issue a statement about a train derailment near East Palestine that forced thousands of residents to flee their homes due to a toxic chemical spill.

The 3 February crash sparked a large fire and left hazardous materials including vinyl chloride, a volatile odorless gas, and phosgene seeping into the water supply.

Ten days later, Mr Vance said in a statement released on his Twitter page that he was “horrified” by the crash. But many Twitter users took issue with the lack of specific promises for action in the text. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has yet to comment on the crash at all, despite joining Mr Vance at a rally in the region just a few months ago.

Bevan Hurley has more:

JD Vance slammed for delayed reaction to Ohio train derailment: ‘Gibberish’

What we know about Chinese spy balloons that flew over US during Trump administration

Wednesday 15 February 2023 08:00 , John Bowden

A recovery operation is underway after a US Air Force fighter jet shot down a high-altitude Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina on 4 February.

President Joe Biden’s administration and senior military officials revealed that similar crafts had flown above the US in previous years, including at least three times during former president Donald Trump’s administration, as part of what national security officials have described as a years-long Chinese global surveillance programme.

”It is something that they’ve been working on for many years, and that they have tried to improve … in terms of capability, range [and] communication,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in a phone briefing on 6 February.

At least three similar balloons were above the US at some points during the Trump administration, which began in January 2017 and ended in January 2021, according to the White House and military officials.

Mr Kirby said that those balloons were likely in the US for shorter periods of time compared to the recent balloon incident.

Here’s what we know about the spy balloons during the Trump administration:

What we know about Chinese spy balloons that flew over US during Trump administration

Tim Scott preparing presidential bid, report claims

Wednesday 15 February 2023 07:00 , John Bowden

As Nikki Haley becomes the second prominent Republican to enter the 2024 race, the Senate’s lone Black GOP member is reportedly planning on joining her.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Mr Scott is making plans and preparations for an official announcement. He would become the first current elected lawmaker to officially announce a bid for the nomination.

Read more at the Journal:

Trump’s ex-national security adviser subpoenaed in special counsel probes

Wednesday 15 February 2023 06:00 , John Bowden

Donald Trump’s former national security adviser has been subpoenaed in special counsel probes investigating the former president, according to reports – which came just hours after it emerged a subpoena had been served to former vice president Mike Pence.

Robert O’Brien, who served as national security advisor from 2019 to 2021 under the Trump administration, was served a subpoena by special counsel Jack Smith in both his investigation into the classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago and the probe into Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

A source familiar with the matter told CNN that Mr O’Brien has so far been asserting executive privilege in declining to provide some of the information that prosecutors are asking of him.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the story:

Trump’s ex-national security adviser subpoenaed in special counsel probes

Trump was subpoenaed for folder with classification markings

Wednesday 15 February 2023 05:00 , John Bowden

Donald Trump’s latest batch of documents turned over to the US Justice Department came after another subpoena was issued for the material, according to a new report.

The Guardian reported on Saturday that Mr Trump’s handover of a laptop as well as an empty folder marked “classified evening briefing” and one document marked classified occurred after at least one of the items, the folder, was observed by an FBI source in the former president’s private residence.

That would likely mean the materials were not secured in the same fashion that others taken from a storage area and Mr Trump’s private office were held; if so, it could potentially mean that prosecutors looking into whether Mr Trump or others mishandled classified materials have more ammunition to use.

Read the full story here:

Trump was subpoenaed for folder with classification markings before turning it over

‘We detected it’: Biden White House says Trump officials failed to detect Chinese army balloon programme

Wednesday 15 February 2023 04:00 , John Bowden

Pressured by criticism from Republicans and questions from reporters about a sudden series of efforts to shoot down a Chinese surveillance balloon and several other unidentified craft, the Biden White House on Monday blamed the Trump administration for failing to detect similar craft in US airspace between 2017-2021.

According to a spokesman for the National Security Council (NSC), the reason for this sudden effort by the US military was simply that balloons similar to the first object shot down in early February off the coast of South Carolina had only recently been detected. It wasn’t initially clear how the US now knew that those craft were active during the Trump presidency.

“It was operating during the previous administration, but they did not detect it. We detected it,” said John Kirby.

Read more about the White House’s latest statements regarding the Chinese spy craft shot down over South Carolina:

Biden White House says Trump’s team failed to detect Chinese army balloon programme

Donald Trump denies coming up with ‘Meatball Ron’ nickname for DeSantis

Wednesday 15 February 2023 03:00 , John Bowden

Donald Trump is denying ownership of the latest un-savoury nickname for the man shaping up to be his biggest rival in the Republican party.

After The New York Times reported that Mr Trump has taken to calling Florida Governor Ron DeSantis “Meatball Ron”, the ex-president released a statement on his Truth Social platform denying the story.

Rachel Sharp has the story:

Donald Trump denies coming up with ‘Meatball Ron’ nickname for DeSantis

VOICES – Murdoch and Musk’s Super Bowl confab gives the game away

Wednesday 15 February 2023 02:00 , John Bowden

Murdoch and Musk’s Super Bowl confab gives the game away

Trump mocks Arizona over Super Bowl and 2020 conspiracies

Wednesday 15 February 2023 01:00 , John Bowden

Donald Trump used the location of the Super Bowl as an excuse to dredge up his complaints against Arizona state officials over his 2020 defeat on Monday.

“Sorry football fans! Because the Super Bowl was held in Arizona, the results of the game, after a lengthy analysis currently taking place of the “holding” call, will not be known for at least 4 weeks. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I hope that you thoroughly enjoyed the game!” he quipped on Truth Social.

Judge orders partial release of Georgia grand jury report on Trump election schemes

Wednesday 15 February 2023 00:00 , John Bowden

A Georgia judge has ordered the partial release of a Fulton County, Georgia grand jury report on efforts by former president Donald Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden in the Peach State.

The members of the special purpose grand jury had asked the Fulton County Superior Court to allow the release of their full work product, which was commissioned at the request of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

But Judge Robert McBurney on Monday ordered that parts of the report remain sealed, including a list of individuals against whom the special purpose grand jury recommended indictments.

Andrew Feinberg has more:

Judge orders partial release of Georgia grand jury report on Trump election schemes

VOICES: Donald Trump doesn’t have proper conservative values

Tuesday 14 February 2023 23:30 , John Bowden

“As an American and as a millennial, I have never wanted to associate myself with a party that supports Trump.

“But in America, we still get separated into two outdated labels: either you’re a conservative Republican or a liberal-minded Democrat.

“So, where does this leave me?”

Hope Howard writes for The Independent:

Donald Trump doesn’t have proper conservative values

Kellyanne Conway dismisses concerns about Biden’s age

Tuesday 14 February 2023 23:15 , John Bowden

A former senior aide to the second-oldest man to serve as president of the United States says the age of the oldest man to serve as president won’t be an issue in next year’s election.

Kellyanne Conway, who served as Counselor to the President under former president Donald Trump from 2017 to 2020, said during an appearance on Fox News Sunday that Mr Biden’s age isn’t something voters will have problems with in 2024, when Mr Trump — who announced his candidacy for president in November — hopes to challenge Mr Biden for a second term in the White House.

It’s an interesting statement that could preempt attacks from her former boss on an issue that the right fixated on in 2020.

Read more:

Kellyanne Conway says Biden’s age won’t be an issue in 2024 campaign

Mike Pence to fight special counsel subpoena

Tuesday 14 February 2023 22:45 , John Bowden

Former Vice President Mike Pence will fight a subpoena from the Justice Department for his testimony in the investigation surrounding Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Axios reported the news on Tuesday, citing a source close to Mr Pence.

Mr Pence is supposedly set to address the issue this week when he appears in Iowa, site of the first 2024 GOP caucus. That could indicate that Mr Pence will also go through with plans for a presidential campaign, which have been widely reported.

Read more:

Pence to fight special counsel subpoena on 2020 election

Trump again insists that he only took empty ‘classified’ folders

Tuesday 14 February 2023 22:00 , John Bowden

Donald Trump again argued on Tuesday that many of the supposedly classified documents taken from his Mar-a-Lago residence were actually empty folders, which he says he took for keepsakes.

The former president’s resort and residence in Florida was raided last September by agents with the FBI after he and his team resisted for months their efforts to collect the documents he had retained without permission from the National Archives.

“Many of the so-called “documents” that the “Gestapo” took in the Raid of Mar-a-Lago, unlike the”No Raids of Biden,” were merely inexpensive and very common folders with words such as “Presidential Reading,” “Confidential,” “Classified,” or other words stamped on the front cover,” wrote Mr Trump in a Truth Social post.

“There was nothing inside of the folders because, during meetings where information was passed out, say at the Oval Office, when finished the papers inside were taken back, but the empty folders were left behind...I would put them in a pile and keep them as momentous. Nothing wrong with that, but sounds to me that the Injustice Department views these as DOCUMENTS - They are not!”

WATCH: Nikki Haley’s full announcement video

Tuesday 14 February 2023 21:14 , John Bowden

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley is officially the first prominent Republican to get in the race against Donald Trump for president.

Watch her campaign announcement video here:

JD Vance slammed for delayed reaction to Ohio train derailment: ‘Gibberish’

Tuesday 14 February 2023 20:32 , John Bowden

Ohio Senator JD Vance is facing criticism for taking 10 days to issue a statement about a train derailment near East Palestine that forced thousands of residents to flee their homes due to a toxic chemical spill.

The 3 February crash sparked a large fire and left hazardous materials including vinyl chloride, a volatile odorless gas, and phosgene seeping into the water supply.

Ten days later, Mr Vance said in a statement released on his Twitter page that he was “horrified” by the crash. But many Twitter users took issue with the lack of specific promises for action in the text.

Bevan Hurley has more:

JD Vance slammed for delayed reaction to Ohio train derailment: ‘Gibberish’

Trump wants to bring back firing squads, execute drug dealers en masse

Tuesday 14 February 2023 19:56 , John Bowden

Donald Trump has a new issue at the centre of his third bid for the White House: killing drug dealers, according to Rolling Stone.

A new piece on the inner deliberations of Trumpworld from Rolling Stone reveals that Donald Trump is making the death penalty — specifically, expanding its use in America — a centre point of his flagging 2024 campaign. According to several sources close to the former president who spoke with the magazine, Mr Trump is putting energy behind the idea of widely expanding the death penalty to make drug offences eligible for capital punishment.

The former president is said by aides to also be discussing the possibility of launching a political effort to reintroduce firing squads to the US justice system, apparently due to their flashy nature.

John Bowden has more:

Trump is planning to bring back firing squads if re-elected

John Bolton: Nikki Haley wants to be VP

Tuesday 14 February 2023 18:40 , John Bowden

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton said this week that he believes Nikki Haley’s longshot presidential bid is really an effort to be the running mate of the eventual nominee.

“I think Nikki’s really running for vice president, that’s my sense,” Mr Bolton said on NBC’s Meet the Press. “I think she has a problem because she first said she wouldn’t run if President Trump ran.”

“Her justification for changing was that a lot of things have changed, which I don’t think is very convincing...I think Trump will have a lot of fun with her,” he predicted.

Chuck Schumer says GOP-led proposals to ban TikTok should be ‘looked at’

Tuesday 14 February 2023 18:00 , John Bowden

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that a ban on TikTok in the United States “should be looked at” as tensions with China escalate.

The Beijing-based company Bytedance owns the popular social media app. Former president Donald Trump explored the idea of banning TikTok and Republicans like Senator Josh Hawley have supported doing so.

“It’s something that should be looked at,” Mr Schumer said in an interview with ABC News. “We do know there’s Chinese ownership of the company that owns TikTok.”

Mr Schumer said some members of the Senate Commerce Committee were exploring the idea.

Eric Garcia has more:

Chuck Schumer says GOP-led proposals to ban TikTok should be ‘looked at’

Tim Scott preparing presidential bid, report claims

Tuesday 14 February 2023 17:20 , John Bowden

The Senate’s lone Black Republican is reportedly planning on being a contender for the 2024 GOP primary.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Mr Scott is making plans and preparations for an official announcement. He would become the first prominent Republican to officially announce beyond Donald Trump, though others like Nikki Haley, Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo are all thought to be considering runs as well.

Read more at the Journal:

Trump wants group executions of drug dealers by firing squad

Tuesday 14 February 2023 16:34 , John Bowden

A new piece on the inner deliberations of Trumpworld from Rolling Stone reveals that Donald Trump is making the death penalty — specifically, expanding its use in America — a centre point of his flagging 2024 campaign.

The former president is said by aides to be discussing the possibility of launching a political effort to reintroducte firing squads to the US justice system, apparently due to their flashy nature.

And that’s not all — Mr Trump has even floated the prospect of group executions with his closest advisers, while he rants about how drug dealers supposedly be “eradicated”.

Read more at Rolling Stone:

Mike Pence to fight special counsel subpoena

Tuesday 14 February 2023 15:26 , John Bowden

Former Vice President Mike Pence will fight a subpoena from the Justice Department for his testimony in the investigation surrounding Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Axios reported the news on Tuesday, citing a source close to Mr Pence.

Mr Pence is supposedly set to address the issue this week when he appears in Iowa, site of the first 2024 GOP caucus. That could indicate that Mr Pence will also go through with plans for a presidential campaign, which have been widely reported.

Nikki Haley officially announces 2024 presidential run

Tuesday 14 February 2023 14:17 , John Bowden

Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who served as the US Ambassador to the United Nations for the first two years of Donald Trump’s presidency, has officially announced her entry into the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

Ms Haley, who previously claimed she would not run in next year’s contest if her former boss were to mount a bid to return to the White House, appears to have reversed that stance. She and Mr Trump are now the only two declared presidential candidates running in the 2024 election.

The ex-Palmetto State chief executive had teased the launch of a presidential campaign for several weeks, but she made the news official in a video released by her campaign.

Andrew Feinberg has more:

Nikki Haley officially announces 2024 presidential run

Trump legal team hands over more classified material found at Mar-a-Lago

Tuesday 14 February 2023 13:00 , John Bowden

Donald Trump’s attorneys have turned over a new batch of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago to federal prosecutors, according to reports.

An empty folder marked “classified evening briefing,” and a document marked classified were located at the former president’s Florida resort in December, sources told CNN.

A laptop belonging to a current aide of Mr Trump’s was also handed over to the Justice Department, reports stated.

Read the full story here:

Trump legal team hands over more classified material found at Mar-a-Lago

Trump mocks Arizona over Super Bowl and 2020 conspiracies

Tuesday 14 February 2023 12:30 , John Bowden

Donald Trump used the location of the Super Bowl as an excuse to dredge up his complaints against Arizona state officials over his 2020 defeat on Monday.

“Sorry football fans! Because the Super Bowl was held in Arizona, the results of the game, after a lengthy analysis currently taking place of the “holding” call, will not be known for at least 4 weeks. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I hope that you thoroughly enjoyed the game!” he quipped on Truth Social.

Tuesday 14 February 2023 12:00 , John Bowden

A former senior aide to the second-oldest man to serve as president of the United States says the age of the oldest man to serve as president won’t be an issue in next year’s election.

Kellyanne Conway, who served as Counselor to the President under former president Donald Trump from 2017 to 2020, said during an appearance on Fox News Sunday that Mr Biden’s age isn’t something voters will have problems with in 2024, when Mr Trump — who announced his candidacy for president in November — hopes to challenge Mr Biden for a second term in the White House.

It’s an interesting statement that could preempt attacks from her former boss on an issue that the right fixated on in 2020.

Read more:

Kellyanne Conway says Biden’s age won’t be an issue in 2024 campaign

Trump wants to bring back firing squads, execute drug dealers en masse

Tuesday 14 February 2023 22:04 , John Bowden

Donald Trump has a new issue at the centre of his third bid for the White House: killing drug dealers, according to Rolling Stone.

A new piece on the inner deliberations of Trumpworld from Rolling Stone reveals that Donald Trump is making the death penalty — specifically, expanding its use in America — a centre point of his flagging 2024 campaign. According to several sources close to the former president who spoke with the magazine, Mr Trump is putting energy behind the idea of widely expanding the death penalty to make drug offences eligible for capital punishment.

The former president is said by aides to also be discussing the possibility of launching a political effort to reintroduce firing squads to the US justice system, apparently due to their flashy nature.

John Bowden has more:

Trump is planning to bring back firing squads if re-elected

Tim Scott preparing presidential bid, report claims

Tuesday 14 February 2023 11:00 , John Bowden

The Senate’s lone Black Republican is reportedly planning on being a contender for the 2024 GOP primary.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Mr Scott is making plans and preparations for an official announcement. He would become the first prominent Republican to officially announce beyond Donald Trump, though others like Nikki Haley, Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo are all thought to be considering runs as well.

Read more at the Journal:

Trump again insists that he only took empty ‘classified’ folders

Tuesday 14 February 2023 22:01 , John Bowden

Donald Trump again argued on Tuesday that many of the supposedly classified documents taken from his Mar-a-Lago residence were actually empty folders, which he says he took for keepsakes.

The former president’s resort and residence in Florida was raided last September by agents with the FBI after he and his team resisted for months their efforts to collect the documents he had retained without permission from the National Archives.

“Many of the so-called “documents” that the “Gestapo” took in the Raid of Mar-a-Lago, unlike the”No Raids of Biden,” were merely inexpensive and very common folders with words such as “Presidential Reading,” “Confidential,” “Classified,” or other words stamped on the front cover,” wrote Mr Trump in a Truth Social post.

“There was nothing inside of the folders because, during meetings where information was passed out, say at the Oval Office, when finished the papers inside were taken back, but the empty folders were left behind...I would put them in a pile and keep them as momentous. Nothing wrong with that, but sounds to me that the Injustice Department views these as DOCUMENTS - They are not!”

Judge orders partial release of Georgia grand jury report on Trump election schemes

Tuesday 14 February 2023 10:00 , John Bowden

A Georgia judge has ordered the partial release of a Fulton County, Georgia grand jury report on efforts by former president Donald Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden in the Peach State.

The members of the special purpose grand jury had asked the Fulton County Superior Court to allow the release of their full work product, which was commissioned at the request of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

But Judge Robert McBurney on Monday ordered that parts of the report remain sealed, including a list of individuals against whom the special purpose grand jury recommended indictments.

Andrew Feinberg has more:

Judge orders partial release of Georgia grand jury report on Trump election schemes

‘We detected it’: Biden White House says Trump officials failed to detect Chinese army balloon programme

Tuesday 14 February 2023 09:00 , John Bowden

Pressured by criticism from Republicans and questions from reporters about a sudden series of efforts to shoot down a Chinese surveillance balloon and several other unidentified craft, the Biden White House on Monday blamed the Trump administration for failing to detect similar craft in US airspace between 2017-2021.

According to a spokesman for the National Security Council (NSC), the reason for this sudden effort by the US military was simply that balloons similar to the first object shot down in early February off the coast of South Carolina had only recently been detected. It wasn’t initially clear how the US now knew that those craft were active during the Trump presidency.

“It was operating during the previous administration, but they did not detect it. We detected it,” said John Kirby.

Read more about the White House’s latest statements regarding the Chinese spy craft shot down over South Carolina:

Biden White House says Trump’s team failed to detect Chinese army balloon programme

Chuck Schumer says GOP-led proposals to ban TikTok should be ‘looked at’

Tuesday 14 February 2023 08:00 , John Bowden

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that a ban on TikTok in the United States “should be looked at” as tensions with China escalate.

The Beijing-based company Bytedance owns the popular social media app. Former president Donald Trump explored the idea of banning TikTok and Republicans like Senator Josh Hawley have supported doing so.

“It’s something that should be looked at,” Mr Schumer said in an interview with ABC News. “We do know there’s Chinese ownership of the company that owns TikTok.”

Mr Schumer said some members of the Senate Commerce Committee were exploring the idea.

Eric Garcia has more:

Chuck Schumer says GOP-led proposals to ban TikTok should be ‘looked at’

VOICES – Murdoch and Musk’s Super Bowl confab gives the game away

Tuesday 14 February 2023 07:00 , John Bowden

Murdoch and Musk’s Super Bowl confab gives the game away