Bernie Sanders releases plan to combat ‘crisis’ in journalism – live news

In a statement about the the president’s performance at the G7 summit, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden warned of the potentially devastating effects another four years of Trump could unleash.

“Rather than looking to America for vision, agenda setting, and leadership by example, our closest democratic allies sought to manage and mitigate the damage Trump might do at this year’s G-7,” Biden said.

Taylor Swift surprised some of her fans last night by striking a political tone while accepting the MTV Video Music Award for video of the year.

The pop star encouraged those listening to sign a petition in support of the Equality Act, which would bar discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. The Democratic-controlled House passed the bill earlier this year, but it has not yet been taken up in the Senate.

Congrats to @billieeilish and @ArianaGrande for huge wins and @lizzo for an incredible performance at the #VMAs and huge thanks for joining the fight to tell politicians: #BansOffMyBody! Visit https://t.co/RD5uRCwa2y

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Trump postpones meeting with Danish PM over Greenland purchase

President blames rescheduling on Mette Frederiksen’s comments ‘that she would have no interest in discussing purchase’

National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre confirmed, via a tweet, that he spoke with President Trump today about gun laws, and called him a “strong” president.

The Atlantic reported earlier this afternoon that Trump had called LaPierre to reassure him that any background check legislation was now off the table.

I spoke to the president today. We discussed the best ways to prevent these types of tragedies. @realDonaldTrump is a strong #2A President and supports our Right to Keep and Bear Arms! – Wayne LaPierre

Donald Trump said on Tuesday evening that he is postponing a scheduled meeting with the Danish prime minister over her comments on his proposal for the US to buy the island.

Denmark owns Greenland, and the country has said the island is not for sale. Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, said on Sunday: “Greenland is not for sale. Greenland is not Danish. Greenland belongs to Greenland. I strongly hope that this is not meant seriously.”

....The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct. I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!

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Biden in his element in Iowa – is he still the Democrat most likely to beat Trump?

The former vice-president’s folksy charm went down well at the state fair – but critics say the party needs a bolder 2020 candidate

Joe Biden hardly seemed to be sweating.

He was standing on a small wooden stage at the Iowa state fair, a large crowd around him, no shade in sight. He wore a dark polo and his signature aviator sunglasses, and spoke with a vigor that was absent in his first two Democratic debate performances. But while his audience perspired in the oppressive August sun, cooling themselves with paper fans, Biden seemed at ease.

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Trump visits intensify US divisions as calls for action on gun control grow – live

Nancy Pelosi is leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, after which the group will see a migrant detention center in McAllen, Texas.

Estoy entusiasmada de viajar a Guatemala con la Presidenta de la Cámara @SpeakerPelosi y la delegación del Congreso para que escuchen y hablen directamente con el pueblo guatemalteco como lo he hecho yo. https://t.co/1mZQcJjrKp

Trump has turned his focus to the Federal Reserve, which he has repeatedly bashed for not lowering interest rates fast enough.

....John Deere, our car companies, & others, to compete on a level playing field. With substantial Fed Cuts (there is no inflation) and no quantitative tightening, the dollar will make it possible for our companies to win against any competition. We have the greatest companies...

....in the world, there is nobody even close, but unfortunately the same cannot be said about our Federal Reserve. They have called it wrong at every step of the way, and we are still winning. Can you imagine what would happen if they actually called it right?

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Trump arrives in El Paso as hundreds of people protest his visit – live updates

Beto O’Rourke has said that Donald Trump is a white supremacist.

The former El Paso representative earlier spoke at a rally protesting the president’s visit.

Donald Trump has been very clear about who he wants to keep out of this country — with walls and cages and militarization and torture and cruelty. We in El Paso have borne the brunt of that, but we in El Paso are standing up to that. https://t.co/nEdgJvfwwy

Trump just posted photos from his visit to a hospital in Dayton, where the press pool was not allowed because it was “not a photo op”

White House @presssec says reporters were not included in Dayton hospital visit "because the visit was not 'a photo opp’" https://t.co/LKkI3bOkm5

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Joe Biden confuses debate viewers with bizarre ‘website’ plug – video

Delivering what must have been one of the most cryptic gaffes of his career, Joe Biden caused mass confusion during the final moment of the latest Democratic debate, after he apparently urged viewers to visit a website that does not exist. Biden laid out his 2020 vision before telling those watching: 'If you agree with me, go to Joe 30330.' He had in fact meant to refer them to a phone number

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Joe Biden clashes with rivals in second Democratic debate – video

Joe Biden was the central target as 10 Democratic presidential candidates clashed in Detroit on Wednesday in the party's second 2020 debate. The former vice-president stood his ground against criticism of his healthcare and immigration plans, unlike in last month’s debate when he visibly struggled to defend his record

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Joe Biden stands his ground and resists rivals’ attacks in testy second debate

  • Former vice-president targeted in second Democratic debate
  • Biden rejects criticism of healthcare and immigration plans

Joe Biden was the central target as 10 Democratic presidential candidates took the stage for the second debate in Detroit on Wednesday, with rivals attempting to knock the former vice-president from his frontrunner status.

Unlike last month’s debate in Miami, however, where Biden visibly struggled to defend his decades-old record, this time Biden was ready for the fight.

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Joe Biden and Kamala Harris brace for tonight’s debate – live updates

The president is back on Twitter, defending himself against accusations of racism by calling himself the “least racist person in the world” and insulting the intelligence of one of the most prominent black TV journalists in the US.

....or is he too dumb (stupid} to understand that. No wonder CNN’s ratings (MSNBC’s also) have gone down the tubes - and will stay there until they bring credibility back to the newsroom. Don’t hold your breath!

Related: 'His only tool is racism': why Trump's bigoted tirade could be a vote winner

Ohio representative Tim Ryan’s campaign has issued a statement about his decision to not put his hand over his heart during the national anthem at the Democratic debate last night, saying it was an accident.

Congressman Ryan wasn’t protesting and didn’t mean to make any statement last night in Detroit, it was a moment of absentmindedness while on a debate stage that won’t happen again. He was, in fact, singing along with the choir to honor our country. Congressman Ryan loves our country and will continue to honor the flag during the anthem in future events, as he has in countless events in the past.

Rep. Tim Ryan didn’t put his hand over his heart during the national anthem. I guess he’s appealing to the Kaepernick wing of the Democratic Party.

Happening now: Will any of the Dems take a knee for the national anthem?

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Biden jabs leftwing Democrats and says Trump a bully he’d ‘smack in the mouth’

Democratic frontrunner defends ‘centre-left’ credentials but admits he wasn’t prepared for debate attack from Kamala Harris

Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential frontrunner, hit out at the Democratic party’s left wing on Friday, suggesting firebrand progressives cannot win in battleground states.

Biden meanwhile admitted he wasn’t prepared for the attack by rising challenger Senator Kamala Harris on his historic handling of race issues in the first primary debates last week – and said Donald Trump was a bully and he would “smack him in the mouth”.

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Is a new generation taking over the Democratic party? – podcast

Kamala Harris was the big winner of the first round of Democratic party debates in the US. This week, her poll numbers surged and so did donations to her campaign. But as Lauren Gambino in Washington notes, it was bad news for the frontrunners as Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders faltered. Also today: Daniel Boffey on the new cast of characters taking over the EU’s top jobs

The race for the Democratic party’s presidential nomination is intensifying after two rounds of televised debates in which the candidates squared up to each other on major issues and their past records. The big winner was the California senator Kamala Harris, who denounced the record of the frontrunner, Joe Biden, on race.

The Guardian’s Lauren Gambino joins Anushka Asthana to look across the diverse field of potential presidential nominees and the debates that highlighted the generational and ideological divides in the party.

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Homeland security chief orders inquiry into US border patrol Facebook group – live

Kevin McAleenan called report that officers allegedly belong to a secret group where they have made abusive statements ‘disturbing’

Hello everyone! This is Julia Carrie Wong picking up the politics blog in San Francisco, where the holiday weekend hasn’t started yet.

A federal judge in Ohio has issued a preliminary injunction preventing Ohio’s six-week abortion ban from going into effect as scheduled, next week.

Here’s a summary of where things stand:

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Booker not sure Biden ‘up to the task’ of reconciling US over racial injustices

Booker, a Democratic presidential candidate, says Biden has ‘an inability to talk candidly about the mistakes he made’

The Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker said on Sunday that while the US must fix racial injustice, he is not sure Joe Biden is “up to that task”.

Related: Julián Castro calls Trump Jr a ‘coward’ over racist attack on Kamala Harris

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US election 2020: highlights from second night of Democratic debates – video

Ten more candidates battle it out in the contest to become the Democratic nominee for president. It was a strong night for Kamala Harris, who criticised the former vice-president Joe Biden’s record on race. Biden also took a blow from Eric Swalwell, who suggested the former should live by what he said 32 years ago and ‘pass the torch to a new generation’

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Kamala Harris confronts Joe Biden over his civil rights record during Democratic debate – video

California senator Kamala Harris confronted former vice president Joe Biden over his civil rights record during the second Democratic debate. “I do not believe you are a racist,” Harris said, looking directly at the former vice-president. “But, it is personal and it was actually hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country.” Biden labelled the accusation "a mischaracterisation of my position".

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Harris attacks Biden’s record on race in Democratic debate’s key moment

California senator’s experience of school integration overshadows expected face-off between ex-vice-president and Bernie Sanders

Ten more Democratic presidential candidates clashed in Miami on Thursday night over the best approach to remove Donald Trump from office in 2020, in a contentious debate featuring an explosive challenge from senator Kamala Harris on race that left former vice president Joe Biden rattled.

On a stage divided along generational and ideological lines, the debate – the second over two days to accommodate the huge field of candidates vying for the Democratic nomination – saw Biden, who has dominated the early stages of the race, face off against Vermont senator Bernie Sanders.

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The planet’s heating up but candidates’ climate crisis response remains tepid

The 10 candidates on stage in Miami accurately conveyed the urgency of global heating but missed chances to show how it underlies all key political issues

Thursday’s Democratic debate demonstrated just how far the the US is from contemplating the climate crisis as a threat that will touch almost all areas of American life and policymaking.

Once again, debate moderators waited until nearly 80 minutes into the debate to pose questions on the climate emergency.

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‘Warren’s to lose’: who won the first Democratic debate? | Panelists

Bold ideas on the debate stage in Miami – and an unexpected breakout star. Here’s the verdict from our panelists

Generously speaking, Democratic presidential candidates tonight spent a little less than 10 minutes after nearly an hour and a half had gone by answering a handful of direct questions about a climate crisis that could make large swathes of the planet horrifically uninhabitable by the end of this century. (NBC’s technical difficulties took nearly as long.) The best you can say is that tonight’s climate bit was still longer than the time spent on climate during the entirety of the 2016 debates.

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Democratic debates 2019: everything you need to know

20 presidential hopefuls go head-to-head in Miami on 26-27 June – but what will they discuss, and who needs it the most?

The Republican primary debates in 2015 featured 17 candidates – a number interpreted as unwieldy at best and, at worst, a bit ridiculous.

Well step aside, Republicans, because this year Democrats have gone one better. Or three better: over the evenings of 26th and 27th June, 20 presidential hopefuls will have it out on stage, as they attempt to sell themselves as the one Democratic candidate to take on Donald Trump in the 2020 US presidential election.

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Biden stumbles over abortion rights while Warren receives cheers

In a first-of-its-kind forum, the former vice-president claimed a ‘100% voting record’ – before his mic suddenly cut out

In the first presidential forum on reproductive rights in recent memory, former vice-president Joe Biden told an audience of mostly female Planned Parenthood supporters he had a “100% voting record” on reproductive rights.

In fact, his record on the subject is mixed, as a question to the former vice-president suggested.

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