Joe Walsh, a talk radio host and former congressman, said on Sunday he would challenge Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination.
Related: Something rotten? Trump's state over Denmark at heart of a madcap week
Continue reading...Charles and David Koch spent millions to promote conservative candidates and causes, provoking anger – and devotion
Charles and David Koch long claimed to belong to a system of belief based in the freedom of the individual, unimpeded trade and lives lived free from the intrusion of tax, drafts, business regulations, welfare support and laws designed to curb free expression.
To that end, and in particular with the financing of the Tea Party revolution, the Kochs spent in excess of $100m to promote conservative candidates and causes. Their actions provoked dismay and anger among liberals and devotion among the conservatives and libertarians whom they funded.
Continue reading...The president is travelling to France for the G7 summit, claiming the economy is ‘phenomenal’ despite some worrying signs
A city council candidate in Michigan said she wants to keep her community white “as much as possible” at a public forum on Thursday.
The candidate, Jean Cramer, made the comment in response to a question about diversity in Marysville, which is 55 miles (88 kilometers) northeast of Detroit and more than 90% of its 9,700-person population is white.
Donald Trump, who tapped into the angst and anger in the rust belt in 2016, has failed to return jobs to Lordstown, Ohio, where a GM plant closed down last year.
The Guardian’s Adam Gabbatt visited the town where, he writes, the presence of the factory and its well-paid manufacturing jobs was particularly important:
Related: 'It's devastating'. End of GM in Ohio town as Trump fails to bring back midwest jobs
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I’m signing off for the day and handing over the reigns to my talented colleague, Julia Wong. Thanks for sticking with us through what has proved to be a slow but steady news days. Here’s a roundup of the biggest news of the day.
Connecticut senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat who became a leading champion of gun control in the wake of the Newtown shooting, has revived hope of action on background checks after Trump appeared to walk back his support.
I spoke with the White House today. They have not walked away from improving background checks. I am skeptical we can reach consensus but I’m willing to stay at the table over next few weeks. Maybe I’m a fool for trying but stakes are too high.
Continue reading...New rule would effectively replace the Flores agreement, which sets 20-day limit for families held in custody
Eighteen (!) of the 23 (!!) prominent Democratic candidates for president are speaking at the Iowa Federation Labor Convention today.
The presidential hopefuls will address union members in Altoona, beginning at 10am ET and running, presumably, for a long time.
Some reaction to the Trump administration rule on indefinitely detaining immigrant families:
The government should NOT be jailing kids, and certainly shouldn’t be seeking to put more kids in jail for longer.
This is yet another cruel attack on children, who this administration has targeted again and again with its anti-immigrant policies.
Congress must not fund this. https://t.co/bp3uDIJder
Even a short period of detention— let alone prolonged detention—has devastating, often lifelong effects on children. https://t.co/3823D0XnhO
It's also incredibly costly. DHS declined to run the numbers in the proposed rule, so we did so for them. Each year this will cost at least $200 MILLION, and as much as over $1 BILLION.
All to hurt kids and families.https://t.co/MjsidJxQx0
That’s all our live coverage for today, thanks for following along. Some key links and developments from the day:
The president says he is dining tonight with Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO:
Having dinner tonight with Tim Cook of Apple. They will be spending vast sums of money in the U.S. Great!
President Donald Trump called Apple CEO Tim Cook "Tim Apple" during a meeting at the White House on Wednesday pic.twitter.com/B6z3tzeBeO
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Several more Democratic presidential candidates have issues statements condemning Israel’s decision to block Omar and Tlaib’s planned trip.
I don't believe any nation should deny entry to elected Members of Congress, period. It’s an affront to the United States. Open and engaged foreign relations are critical to advancing U.S. interests. Trump is playing politics as he weakens our global leadership. https://t.co/UnMt9Tsd7Q
It’s appalling that President Trump continues to attack two sitting Congresswomen and encouraged another country to deny U.S. officials entry. Trump's behavior is unacceptable, dangerous, and un-American. Israel's decision should be reversed immediately. https://t.co/jHd0VYVJ1u
Nancy Pelosi has put out a statement saying she is “deeply saddened” by Israel’s decision to block Omar and Tlaib’s trip.
“As one who loves Israel, I am deeply saddened by the news that Israel has decided to prevent Members of Congress from entering the country,” the House speaker said.
Continue reading...Critics say the effort to dump King glosses over Trump’s conduct and fails to tackle a problem more pervasive than the GOP admits
Republican leaders piled on quickly following the latest outrageous remarks by Steve King, the longtime Iowa congressman and perceived bigot whom the party has been trying, unsuccessfully, to shake off its pant leg for months.
On Wednesday, King offered a defense of sorts of rape and incest, questioning whether, without the historical persistence of those two crimes, “would there be any population of the world left?”
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Donald Trump is linking US-China trade talks with the Hong Kong protests on Twitter, suggesting that if the China government wants to work out a deal it has to “humanely” work with the protestors.
Whereas investors and foreign leaders have blamed uncertainty around trade negotiations between the US and China is triggering economic volatility around the world, Trump has insisted that negotiations between himself and China’s Xi Jinping are going well and that Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Fed chairman that Trump nominated in 2017, is to blame.
I know President Xi of China very well. He is a great leader who very much has the respect of his people. He is also a good man in a “tough business.” I have ZERO doubt that if President Xi wants to quickly and humanely solve the Hong Kong problem, he can do it. Personal meeting?
..deferral to December. It actually helps China more than us, but will be reciprocated. Millions of jobs are being lost in China to other non-Tariffed countries. Thousands of companies are leaving. Of course China wants to make a deal. Let them work humanely with Hong Kong first!
Continue reading...Republican congressman Steve King has tried to defend a proposal for absolutist abortion restrictions on Wednesday by saying that without rape and incest the human race might long since have disappeared.
Related: Fury as Trump ally says poem on Statue of Liberty refers to 'people from Europe'
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Federal agents descended upon the private island of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein as part of an ongoing investigation into the late financier, the FBI announced Monday.
Epstein died of an apparent suicide on Saturday while in federal custody at New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center after being arrested on federal sex trafficking charges last month.
The New York Police Department is investigating attacks on Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn early Monday morning as a hate crime.
The hate crimes unit and local precinct are investigating the assaults, which were carried out against at least three people between the ages of 56 and 71.
Continue reading...Ohio state representative’s screed against cannabis and liberal ‘snowflakes’ goes too far even for her own party
A Republican state representative in Ohio who blamed “homosexual marriage” and “recreational marijuana” – along with many of Donald Trump’s favourite targets – for gun massacres is facing calls from her own party to resign.
In a Facebook post, Candice Keller, who represents a conservative district near Dayton, where nine people were killed early on Sunday, mused about the causes of mass shootings including: family breakdown and same sex marriage, open borders, sportsmen who disrespect the flag and national anthem, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, a godless culture, and liberal “snowflakes”.
Continue reading...Recent tragic events have, critics say, displayed once again the moral collapse of one of America’s two great parties
Presidential addresses in the wake of national tragedies are typically attempts to heal and unite. For critics of Donald Trump, it was more a case of wondering how much more damage he might do.
Standing in the diplomatic reception room at the White House after a weekend of bloodshed in America, the US president declared: “In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy.”
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Trump has turned his attention away from the shootings if his Twitter feed is any indication.
The president has instead been busy attacking China for harming America’s economy and repeating the (false) claim that US consumers are not covering the cost of his trade war:
....used currency manipulation to steal our businesses and factories, hurt our jobs, depress our workers’ wages and harm our farmers’ prices. Not anymore!
Another Democratic presidential candidate, Cory Booker, has dismissed Trump’s statement on the shootings this morning as woefully lacking.
The New Jersey senator specifically cited Trump’s focus on mental illness in his remarks. “Mental illness didn’t kill the people of Dayton,” Booker said. “People are too easily getting their hands on guns.”
Continue reading...Hurd’s departure set to leave one Republican African American in Congress – and 41 of 53 sitting GOP senators are white men
Four months ago, the woman in charge of recruiting Republicans to run for Congress in the 2020 elections lectured her party about diversity.
Related: Will Hurd, only black House Republican, is latest to not seek re-election
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As Trump carries on with his rally in North Carolina, we’re going to wrap up the liveblog for today. Check The Guardian’s homepage for updates.
Congressman Will Hurd of Texas, a critic of Trump and one of the few Republican lawmakers who voted to condemn Trump’s racist attacks, announced that he will not be seeking reelection in order to “pursue opportunities outside the halls of Congress”.
I have made the decision to not seek reelection for the 23rd Congressional District of Texas in order to pursue opportunities outside the halls of Congress to solve problems at the nexus between technology and national security. https://t.co/GeZ4Hh264f
Continue reading...Marianne Williamson was the most-searched candidate during the live broadcast, according to Google. The New Age author was widely written off as a joke when she entered the Democratic presidential contest and, while she remains a fringe candidate, she received praise for her answers last night on race, environmental justice and slavery reparations. Here is a look at her best moments during the debate
Continue reading...The president called himself ‘the least racist person’ after he was accused of racist behaviour once again. In his comments on Tuesday, Trump also accused one of the people he has attacked, the Rev Al Sharpton, of being a racist and claimed his presidency has been a success for African Americans
Continue reading...The Rev Al Sharpton has addressed Donald Trump’s attack on the Maryland representative Elijah Cummings and his district of Baltimore. Speaking to reporters, the longtime activist said the president had attacked Cummings and his constituents ‘in the most bigoted and racist way’. Earlier on Monday Trump attacked Baltimore, the home city of Cummings, saying that it is ‘a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess’, adding that it was ‘the worst run and most dangerous [district] anywhere in the United States’
Continue reading...Dan Coats to go next month after turbulent two years of disagreements with president
Dan Coats, one of the most senior national security officials willing to contradict Donald Trump, will leave the post of US director of national intelligence next month, the president has said.
Trump said Coats would go on 15 August and that he will nominate John Ratcliffe, a Texas representative and staunch loyalist, to the post.
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