Category Archives: Democrats

Elizabeth Warren drops out of 2020 Democratic presidential race

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After surging to the front of the field last summer, senator saw a series of lackluster finishes in the early contests

Elizabeth Warren, the liberal Massachusetts senator whose sweeping economic plans shaped the Democratic policy debate, dropped out of the presidential race on Thursday after struggling to regain the momentum that briefly made her a frontrunner for the nomination.

In what began as the most diverse field in history, Warren was the last major female Democratic presidential candidate in the race. Her departure sets up what is effectively a contest between two white men in their 70s – Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.

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Mike Bloomberg quits 2020 race after spending more than $500m

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Billionaire candidate faced controversy over his wealth, stop-and-frisk policy and past remarks against women and minorities

The billionaire Mike Bloomberg has suspended his Democratic presidential campaign after spending more than $500m on a failed attempt to seize the moderate lane from rival Joe Biden.

Bloomberg, one of the richest people in the world, blitzed the Super Tuesday voting states with an extensive and expensive advertising campaign, after controversially skipping the early primary voting states – with almost nothing to show for his efforts and his millions.

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Biden becomes America’s new comeback kid after triumphant Super Tuesday

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Former vice-president won eight states in one of the stunning reversals in recent political history

American politics has a new comeback kid.

That was what Bill Clinton called himself after reviving his presidential campaign in 1992. Now, even more improbably, Joe Biden – who, at 77, is the youngest man in the race for the Democratic nomination – has risen like Lazarus to win eight states on Super Tuesday and become the frontrunner.

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California results: follow the primary votes live

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There are 415 pledged delegates up for grabs in California’s Democratic presidential primary vote on Super Tuesday, more than any other state. Income inequality, homelessness, healthcare, immigration, climate change and the economy are some of the key issues for Democratic voters in the state. Hillary Clinton won the state convincingly in the 2016 US election.

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Senate Republicans appear to resume efforts to investigate Biden and family – live

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A new post-South Carolina poll shows Joe Biden pulling nearly even with Bernie Sanders.

According to the Morning Consult poll, Biden has climbed up to 26%, while Sanders has dropped slightly to 29%. Those numbers represent a 7-point bump for Biden and a 3-point slump for Sanders.

NEW: Biden at 26%, Sanders at 29% in First National Poll Since South Carolina Primary

While Biden saw no significant uptick in support among black voters, Hispanic voters became 9 points more likely to say they’d vote for him.https://t.co/6bwULwgjbd pic.twitter.com/pwRP9tSaOb

Here’s where the day stands as of now:

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Mike Bloomberg: four issues that could derail White House race – video

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Billionaire Mike Bloomberg has launched one of the most audacious campaigns for the US presidency in modern times – pouring almost half a billion dollars of his vast fortune into creating the most expensive nomination bid in US history. But the former mayor of New York is under intense scrutiny: here’s a look at the key issues that could derail his race to the White House

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Mike Bloomberg: four issues that hindered his presidential hopes – video

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The billionaire Mike Bloomberg has suspended his Democratic presidential campaign after launching one of the most audacious political campaigns in modern times – pouring almost half a billion dollars of his vast fortune into creating the most expensive nomination bid in US history. The former mayor of New York has come under intense scrutiny and failed to seize the moderate lane from his rival Joe Biden: here's a look at the key issues that hurt his race to the White House

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Peter Buttigieg bows out of Democratic race – video

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Pete Buttigieg has dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination on Sunday, saying he no longer saw a chance of winning, the day after fellow moderate Joe Biden won a big victory in South Carolina.

The move shook up the Democratic contest to pick a candidate to take on Republican president Donald Trump in November's election and came two days before the 14-state Super Tuesday nominating contests that will offer the biggest electoral prize so far.

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Pete Buttigieg drops out of 2020 race to be Democratic presidential nominee

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Former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, leaves the race to take on Donald Trump after a poor showing in the South Carolina primary

Pete Buttigieg has ended his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination with a call for Democrats to unite in their fight to beat Donald Trump in the election.

Related: People turn backs on Mike Bloomberg at Bloody Sunday church service in Selma

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After early Iowa success, Pete Buttigieg’s fiery campaign floundered in more diverse states

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The 38-year old former Indiana mayor has dropped out of the Democratic primary race after early success in Iowa and New Hampshire

Pete Buttigieg, the former Indiana mayor whose long-shot bid for the presidency saw brief success in Iowa and New Hampshire, has dropped out of the Democratic primary.

When Buttigieg launched his campaign in April of last year, the millennial mayor of the fourth-largest city in Indiana acknowledged his relative lack of experience in a growing primary field that came to include a former vice president, multiple senators and mayors of much larger cities.

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Joe Biden breathes new life into his campaign with landslide South Carolina win

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  • Biden wins by large margin and says: ‘We are very much alive’
  • Victory means he becomes Sanders’ main centrist challenger

Joe Biden delivered a landslide victory in the South Carolina primary vote on Saturday, breathing new life into his presidential campaign and establishing himself as the main moderate competitor to Bernie Sanders in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Related: Decisive South Carolina win puts Biden at front of Democrats' centrist pack

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Trump nominates John Ratcliffe for top intelligence officer post – as it happened

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  • This is the second try to name the Republican as DNI
  • Court ruled 2-1 to block Trump Remain in Mexico policy
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It’s been a busy day in US politics. Here’s a rundown of the top stories:

Trump is ad-libbing on the coronavirus at his rally in South Carolina, Oliver Laughland reports.

Trump is ad libbing significantly. Breaking off from prepared remarks on coronavirus to ask Graham and Scott to pass legislation that allows him to serve for 25 years

“Lets term limit ourselves at 25 years. Tim pass it in the senate with Lindsey. A 25 year term limit, please.”

We are doing everything in our power to keep the infection and those carrying the infection from entering the country. We have no choice. Whether it’s the virus that we’re talking about, or the many other public health threats, the Democrat policy of open borders is a direct threat to the health and wellbeing of all Americans.

Now you see it with the coronavirus… when you have this virus, or any other virus, or any other problem coming in, it’s not the only thing that comes in through the border… and we’re setting records at the border, we’re setting records, and now, just using this, important, so important.

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Obama takes legal action over ‘misleading’ Republican attack ad on Joe Biden – live updates

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  • Vice-President Pence to take charge of US response to coronavirus
  • Poll shows widespread concerns about election security and integrity
  • UN chief Michelle Bachelet criticises Trump’s weakened environmental protection standards
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The US Dept. of Justice announced it had created a division tasked with denaturalizing immigrants.

The Denaturalization Section “underscores the department’s commitment to bring justice to terrorists, war criminals, sex offenders and other fraudsters who illegally obtained naturalization” officials said in a statement.

Denaturalizations have ramped up under the Trump administration: Of the 228 denaturalization cases that the department has filed since 2008, about 40 percent of them were filed since 2017, according to official department numbers.

According to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, actor Steven Seagal allegedly failed to disclose a promotional agreement related to cryptocurrencies.

The SEC alleges Seagal accepted $250,000 in cash and $750,000 worth of Bitcoiin2Gen (B2G) tokens in exchange for online promotion of the currency, including “posts on his public social media accounts encouraging the public not to ‘miss out’”.

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Democrat challengers face fall-out from rowdy TV debate – live updates

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  • Sanders and Bloomberg bear brunt of attacks in ‘messy’ TV debate
  • Trump defending administration’s handling of coronavirus
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Back to the fall-out from last night’s Democratic debate. With a crowded field it was the last TV opportunity for one of the candidates who isn’t Bernie Sanders to have a break-out moment that could propel them towards next week’s Super Tuesday.

That, according to Ryan Lizza in Politico, is not what happened.

By the end, it was clear that there was no Bernie slayer at the lecterns in Charleston, someone who alone had the time and skills to convince Democratic voters that the democratic socialist was a radical whose nomination would forfeit the party’s chance to defeat Trump.

The court hearing in London into the US attempt to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is underway again. Journalist James Doleman is tweeting from the court.

Judge returns to court and proceedings resume.#Assange

Related: Julian Assange was 'handcuffed 11 times and stripped naked'

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Bernie Sanders faces onslaught from rivals in chaotic South Carolina debate

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Candidates bickered and shouted over each other in sharp exchanges in debate before Super Tuesday contests

The Democratic presidential candidates engaged in a series of chaotic and fiery exchanges on Tuesday night, in the final debate before the critical South Carolina presidential primary and Super Tuesday contests that could represent a make-or-break moment.

Senator Bernie Sanders, the frontrunner who cruised to victory in Nevada last week, bore the brunt of criticism from a number of his centrist rivals, including the former vice-president Joe Biden, the ex-New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg, and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

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Sanders and Bloomberg come under attack in chaotic Democratic debate – live

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Bernie Sanders was asked why he voted to protect gun manufacturers from legal liability, which other candidates have criticized him for.

Sanders initially tried to pivot to criticizing Joe Biden for his record on trade deals, which prompted boos from the Charleston audience.

Elizabeth Warren has so far directed more criticism at Mike Bloomberg than Bernie Sanders, the frontrunner in the primary race.

As another progressive senator, Warren will likely need to pick off some of Sanders’ supporters to have any chance of the nomination.

The difference between how aggressively Warren goes after Bernie (the front runner & existential threat to her candidacy), and Bloomberg (who she clearly despises), is something to behold.

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Democratic party grapples with rising likelihood of Sanders as the nominee

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In the aftermath of Bernie Sanders’ victory in Nevada and as the South Carolina primary looms, the Democratic party establishment continues to grapple with the increasing likelihood that the Vermont senator, a self-proclaimed socialist, will be its nominee for president.

Related: Trump holds rally in India while Steyer qualifies for South Carolina debate – live

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Bernie Sanders’ rivals applaud his Nevada caucus win – video

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Strong results in New Hampshire and Iowa helped the senator achieve a landslide victory. He is clearly in the lead to win the democratic nominations and take on Donald Trump in a presidential election. Sanders’ rivals congratulated him but galvanised their supporters as they looked ahead to the South Carolina race and Super Tuesday in March, when 14 states will vote

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