Category Archives: Joe Biden

Trump vows to appeal after judge sets March 2024 trial date – live

Posted on by

Experts say trial dates typically not subject to appeal as Mark Meadows attempts to move his case to federal court

Attorneys for Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows are today arguing in Georgia that his trial in the election subversion case should be moved to federal court from the state level, where Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis originally brought the charges.

The hearing was scheduled to start at 10 am, but attendees are not permitted to carry electronic devices while in the building, and so we are unlikely to know what’s happening in the courtroom.

If Meadows is able to punt his case to federal court, it could benefit him when it comes time to choose a jury, experts said. The jury pool for a federal case would be composed of residents from across northern Georgia, which is more politically conservative than Fulton County and a potentially friendlier audience for the former Trump official and Republican congressman.

Continue reading...

Florida shooting: ‘White supremacy has no place in US,’ Biden says after killings

Posted on by

A white man shot and killed two men and one woman – all three victims were Black – before fatally shooting himself yesterday

Joe Biden declared on Sunday that “white supremacy has no place in America” after three people were killed in a racist shooting in Florida and it emerged that the gunman had been turned away from a historically Black college or university (HBCU) campus moments before opening fire at a discount store.

Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, on Sunday called the gunman in the attack a “hateful lunatic” and said “we will not allow HBCUs to be targeted”.

Continue reading...

Republican debate live: eight presidential hopefuls take stage as Trump is a no-show

Posted on by

Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Chris Christie, Doug Burgum, Tim Scott, Asa Hutchinson and Vivek Ramaswamy take stage in Milwaukee

Onstage at the Republican presidential debate tonight is the governor of North Dakota, Doug Burgum – who almost didn’t make it.

He has managed to make the event despite requiring crutches and wearing a boot after hurting his Achilles tendon while playing basketball.

Continue reading...

Joe and Jill Biden land in Hawaii to survey wildfire devastation – live

Posted on by

The Bidens are accompanied by the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell

Donald Trump continues to hold a dominant lead over the rest of the GOP field in Iowa, the site of the nation’s first presidential caucuses, with 23 points ahead of his closest competitor, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, according to a new poll.

The survey by the Des Moines Register, NBC News and Mediacom of likely Republican caucus-goers, was conducted before and after Trump’s latest indictment in Georgia, and shows the former president’s lead over DeSantis increased after his latest charges.

Continue reading...

Biden will reassure Maui fire victims they will control rebuild, says Fema chief

Posted on by

Deanne Criswell says the president will visit Lahaina on Monday to meet with first responders, officials and victims

The administrator of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell, said Joe Biden will on Monday reassure the people of Lahaina they will be in control of how they rebuild when he visits the Maui community devastated by a historically deadly wildfire.

The president and the first lady, Jill Biden, will meet first responders, officials and victims, getting a first-hand look at the widespread devastation, Criswell told CNN’s State of the Union.

Continue reading...

Joe Biden says US, Japan and South Korea ‘doubling down’ on joint defense against security threats – as it happened

Posted on by

US president, Yoon Suk Yeol and Fumio Kishida meet as they agree to take trilateral defence cooperation to ‘unprecedented levels’

A standalone summit bringing together the leaders of Japan and South Korea would have been almost unthinkable just over a year ago, when the north-east Asian neighbours were embroiled in disputes over their bitter wartime legacy.

Bilateral ties were at a low point before the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, took office in May 2022, due to compensation claims by Koreans over Japan’s use of forced labour during its 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean peninsula, and the longstanding controversy over Korean women who were coerced into working in Japanese military brothels.

It is a historic event, and it sets the conditions for a more peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific, and a stronger and more secure United States of America.

Continue reading...

US ‘concerned’ over reports of Russia-North Korea nuclear cooperation

Posted on by

National security adviser Jake Sullivan makes comments as US, Japan and South Korea agree to new security pledge

The United States is “concerned” about the national security implications of North Korea and Russia reportedly cooperating on nuclear missile technology, the Biden administration said, as the US welcomed the leaders of Japan and South Korea to Camp David on Friday for an unprecedented trilateral summit.

The US, Japan and South Korea agreed to a new security pledge committing the three countries to consult with each other in the event of a security crisis or threat in the Pacific, according to the Biden administration.

Continue reading...

Trump indictment sparks fears of calls to violence as Georgia grand jury doxxed – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is now closed, but continuing coverage of Trump’s Georgia indictment can be found here and here.

Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, dismissed the suggestion that she is running in the 2024 GOP presidential race in order to become the vice president.

In an interview with Politico, Haley said:

I think everybody that says, ‘She’s doing this to be vice president,’ needs to understand I don’t run for second.

That’s something that I hear all the time, and I’ll tell you that, look, we have a country to save, and I don’t trust anybody else to do it.

Sources tell ABC News that Trump’s legal advisers have told him that holding such a press conference with dubious claims of voter fraud will only complicate his legal problems and some of his attorneys have advised him to cancel it.

Continue reading...

US promises ‘new era’ as Biden prepares to host first summit with Japan and South Korea

Posted on by

US president aiming to take advantage of recent thaw in ties under president Yoon Suk Yeol and prime minister Fumio Kishida

The US has promised to usher in a “new era” in relations with its most important allies in Asia, as the region struggles to address the threat posed by an increasingly assertive China and a nuclear-armed North Korea.

Joe Biden is expected to take advantage of a recent thaw in ties between Japan and South Korea – home to tens of thousands of US troops – to announce new collaborations on missile defence and technology, when he meets the countries’ leaders on Friday.

Continue reading...

Joe and Jill Biden to visit fire-ravaged Hawaii as death toll hits 110

Posted on by

President has faced criticism for not speaking about wildfire disaster earlier and using the wrong name when referring to Maui

Joe and Jill Biden will travel to Hawaii next week to witness the impact of wildfires that devastated the town of Lahaina, the White House said on Wednesday, as the death toll from disaster rose to 110.

Announcing the visit, which will take place on Monday, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said: “In Maui, the president and first lady will be welcomed by state and local leaders to see first-hand the impacts of the wildfires and the devastating loss of life and land that has occurred on the island, as well as discuss the next steps in the recovery effort.

Continue reading...

Biden to tout climate benefits of Inflation Reduction Act as White House announces visit to fire-ravaged Hawaii – live

Posted on by

US president and first lady to meet survivors and first responders on Monday; White House speech on anniversary will extol wins on EVs and green energy

The US is the world’s second largest emitter of greenhouse gases and the Inflation Reduction Act is widely forecast to slash these emissions, by as much as 48% by 2035, from 2005 levels, according to one analysis.

These forecasts have a relatively wide range of estimates due to uncertainties such as economic growth but even in the most optimistic scenario the US will require further measures if it is to get to net zero emissions by 2050, as scientists have said is imperative if the world is to avoid catastrophic climate impacts.

Continue reading...

Family of academic detained in Egypt accuse US of breaking pledge to help

Posted on by

Salah Soltan, a US green card holder and critic of Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi, claims he faces death in Cairo jail and urges Biden to act

A prominent Egyptian prisoner of conscience has told his family that he faces death in detention, spurring them to accuse the Biden administration of abandoning their father, despite previous promises on human rights.

In a letter smuggled out of prison, Salah Soltan, a US green card holder and Islamic jurisprudence scholar, said he felt “as if I stared death in the eyes while lying on the ground, paralysed and denied help and medicine for days,” after collapsing in his cell earlier this year following complaints of chest pains. His family say the letter was his first unsupervised contact in two and a half years.

Continue reading...

Trump election investigation: Georgia grand jury witnesses called early as prosecutors ‘moving faster’ than expected – live

Posted on by

Former Georgia Lt Gov Geoff Duncan and journalist George Chidi to testify on Monday; court publishes then removes docket of charges against Trump

Twice impeached and now arrested and indicted three times. Donald Trump faces serious criminal charges in New York, Florida and Washington over a hush-money scheme during the 2016 election, his alleged mishandling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

As Trump prepares for those cases to go to trial, the former president is simultaneously reeling from a verdict that found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation toward writer E Jean Carroll. A New York jury awarded Carroll, who accused Trump of assaulting her in 1996, $5m in damages.

Continue reading...

Hunter Biden lawyers say collapsed plea deal on gun charge remains valid

Posted on by

Response to federal prosecutors’ move to render plea deal moot comes days after appointment of David Weiss to special counsel

Lawyers for Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden who has been under a years-long federal investigation over failing to pay taxes and, separately, illegally possessing a gun, said that part of the plea deal which unexpectedly fell apart in July remains “valid and binding”, in a Sunday court filing.

Federal prosecutors, led by US attorney David Weiss, had on Friday asked the court to cancel its request that the two sides reach a renewed agreement on the deal “since there is no longer a plea agreement or diversion agreement for the Court to consider”.

Continue reading...

Merrick Garland appointing special counsel in Hunter Biden investigation

Posted on by

US attorney general makes announcement deepening inquiry into Joe Biden’s son ahead of 2024 election

The US attorney general, Merrick Garland, sent shockwaves through US politics on Friday when he announced he is appointing a special counsel in the Hunter Biden inquiry, deepening the investigation of the president’s son ahead of the 2024 election.

The move is a momentous development from the usually cautious Garland and comes amid a pair of sweeping justice department investigations into Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s chief rival in next year’s election.

Continue reading...

Experts fear US carbon capture plan is ‘fig leaf’ to protect fossil fuel industry

Posted on by

Critics concerned energy department decision on fledgling technology will undermine efforts to phase out fossil fuels

The US energy department has announced it is awarding up to $1.2bn to two projects to directly remove carbon dioxide from the air, a fledgling technology that some climate experts worry will distract and undermine efforts to phase out fossil fuels.

The process, known as direct air capture, does not yet exist on a meaningful scale, and the move was being seen as the US government taking a big bet coming after July was confirmed as the hottest month ever recorded on its surface.

Continue reading...

Joe Manchin expected to skip Biden event as he weighs leaving Democrats

Posted on by

US Democratic senator will reportedly miss anniversary of Inflation Reduction Act, Biden’s landmark climate legislation

The West Virginia Democratic senator Joe Manchin is expected to skip a prominent White House celebration of one of Joe Biden’s signature legislative achievements, NBC reported, as he considers leaving his party – and perhaps running for president himself.

Next week, the Biden administration will celebrate the first anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a healthcare, climate and tax reform package Joe Biden hailed on signing as “the biggest step forward on climate ever”.

Continue reading...

China a ‘ticking time bomb’ because of economic woes, Joe Biden warns

Posted on by

At Utah fundraiser, US president says China’s employment and workforce issues pose a risk, because ‘when bad folks have problems, they do bad things’

Joe Biden has called China a “ticking time bomb in many cases” because of its economic challenges, saying the country was in trouble because of weak growth.

The US president pointed to the country’s high unemployment and ageing workforce, saying: “China is in trouble.”

Continue reading...

Prosecutors ask for 2 January start date for Trump 2020 election interference case – live

Posted on by

Federal prosecutors say they estimate it will take four to six weeks to present their case against former US president

US supreme court justice Clarence Thomas has been embroiled in ethics scandals for months following bombshell revelations by ProPublica, which included how Thomas repeatedly accepted luxury vacations such as a $500,000 trip to Indonesia in 2019 from Harlan Crow, a billionaire businessman, Republican donor and longtime friend.

Thomas, Samuel Alito and the Trump-appointed Neil Gorsuch – all conservative hardliners on the supreme court – have fallen foul of recent ethics disputes.

Continue reading...

White House asks Congress for additional $24bn in Ukraine aid

Posted on by

US has so far given Ukraine more than $113bn in aid since Russia invaded in February 2021

The White House is asking Congress for an additional $24bn in Ukraine aid “and other international needs” such as countering China, including $13.1bn for defense, senior administration officials revealed on Thursday.

The US has so far given Ukraine more than $113bn in aid since Russia invaded in February 2021. The extra funds for defense would push the total amount of US military aid to Ukraine to around $60bn. The US is still Ukraine’s biggest funder in its defense against Russia.

Continue reading...