President Donald Trump labelled Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris 'a big failure' the day after she was announced as Joe Biden's running mate. Trump's criticism is the second in as many days from his White House press briefings, where called her appointment 'risky'. The president cited previous tension between the two during the primary election debates and backed his own vice-president, Mike Pence
Continue reading...Category Archives: US elections 2020
Bob Woodward obtains letters between Trump and Kim Jong-un for new book Rage
- Publisher announces details of successor to bestseller Fear
- North Korean leader describes bond out of a ‘fantasy film’
- Interview: ‘Too many people are emotionally unhinged’
Bob Woodward’s second book on the Trump White House has a title, Rage, and promises to reveal the secrets of “25 personal letters exchanged between [Donald] Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that have not been public before”.
Related: It Was All a Lie review: Trump as symptom not cause of Republican decline
Continue reading...Harris and Biden make first appearance as running mates and excoriate ‘failure’ Trump
- Democratic pair say president has left America ‘in tatters’
- Biden introduces Harris as ‘the next vice-president of the US’
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris accused Donald Trump of leaving the US “in tatters” by failing to lead the country through the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout, as they debuted the Democratic presidential ticket the party hopes will defeat him in November’s election.
Related: 'Ready on day one': Joe Biden welcomes Kamala Harris at their first event as running mates – live
Continue reading...Why Joe Biden picked Kamala Harris as his running mate – video explainer
Joe Biden has picked his former one-time presidential rival Kamala Harris to be his running mate, making her the first woman of color on a major party presidential ticket. The Guardian's Lauren Gambino explains Harris's trailblazing background, the 'hunger for black, female leadership' and the excitement around the Californian senator's nomination
- What to make of the Kamala Harris VP pick? Our panel's verdict
- Good day for our country': Democrats hail Kamala Harris as VP pick
Joe Biden picks Kamala Harris as running mate – US politics live
- Democrats hail Kamala Harris as VP pick
- Trump tweets she is ‘weak’ and ‘the kind opponent everyone dreams of’
- QAnon supporter denounced for racism wins Georgia primary
- ‘Squad’ member Ilhan Omar wins her primary race
- 53,344 new US coronavirus cases reported – up on day before
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Well at least we now know where Donald Trump stands on QAnon supporting Marjorie Taylor Greene. Some members of the Republican party disowned her campaign after a series of racist videos emerged in which she complains of an “Islamic invasion” into government offices, claims Black and Hispanic men are held back by “gangs and dealing drugs”, and pushes an antisemitic conspiracy theory that the billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who is Jewish, collaborated with the Nazis.
And that seems all fine with the commander-in-chief
Congratulations to future Republican Star Marjorie Taylor Greene on a big Congressional primary win in Georgia against a very tough and smart opponent. Marjorie is strong on everything and never gives up - a real WINNER!
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has said his department did everything by the book in regards to arms sales to Saudi Arabia in 2019, after a government watchdog found the risk of civilian casualties in Yemen was not fully evaluated.
His comments came after a state department inspector general report earlier this week concluded the state department did not fully evaluate the risk of civilian casualties in Yemen when it pushed through a huge 2019 precision-guided munitions sale to Saudi Arabia, report the Associated Press.
‘Good day for our country’: Democrats hail Kamala Harris as VP pick
Party leaders and progressive groups appear largely united behind Joe Biden’s choice of running mate
Democrats from all corners of the party appeared largely united behind Joe Biden’s selection of the California senator Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday.
The responses came almost immediately after Biden unveiled Harris as his choice for the vice presidential nominee, less than a week before the Democratic national convention, where Biden will be formally nominated as the presidential candidate for his party.
Continue reading...QAnon supporter denounced for racism wins Georgia Republican primary
Videos have shown congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene voicing racist, antisemitic and Islamophobic views
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a businesswoman who has expressed racist views and support for the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon, has won the Republican nomination for Georgia’s 14th congressional district.
Greene beat the neurosurgeon John Cowan in a primary runoff for the open seat on Tuesday in the deep-red district in north-west Georgia, despite several Republican officials denouncing her campaign after videos surfaced in which she expressed racist, antisemitic and anti-Muslim views.
Continue reading...In choosing Kamala Harris, Biden may have found the anti-Trump
Biden’s VP pick ‘makes America look more like America’ – and now Harris is better placed than anyone to be the first female president
Joe Biden may have just chosen the anti-Trump as his running mate – and, if he wins, as his successor.
The selection of California senator Kamala Harris for the Democrats’ vice-presidential nomination puts a woman of colour on a major party ticket for the first time in America’s 244-year-old history.
Continue reading...Kamala Harris: memorable moments from Joe Biden’s VP pick – video
Kamala Harris, 55, has become the first black woman on a major presidential ticket in US history after democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden named her as his VP pick.
From her punishing cross-examinations of Trump officials to previous clashes with Biden over racism, we look back at the California senator's key moments in politics
Continue reading...Trump won’t hold socially distanced rallies: ‘You can’t have empty seats’ – US politics live
- Trump says ‘China will own the US’ if he loses
- President says empty seats at a rally won’t ‘look great’
- Investigation: finding every US healthcare worker who dies fighting Covid-19
- US health secretary expects vaccine by December
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Joe Biden may have settled on his running mate, but there is no guarantee we will find out today, according to New York Times reporter Jonathan Martin:
No actual VP event today, per a Biden official.
doesn’t mean there won’t be a reveal of who it is, leaked or planned. just no plans for an in-person event.
The Big Ten college football conference has canceled its football season due to coronavirus concerns, it announced today, in a blow to Republicans and Donald Trump who had urged college football to go ahead.
“The mental and physical health and welfare of our student-athletes has been at the center of every decision we have made regarding the ability to proceed forward,” Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said in a statement.
Related: Why college football is the perfect storm for Covid-19
Continue reading...Coronavirus US: study shows 97,000 children tested positive in last two weeks of July – live
- New data shows huge uptick in infections of children
- US passes 5m Covid-19 cases
- Street fridges of free food help Americans survive pandemic
- US PPE shortage could last years, experts warn
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Donald Trump is responding to a statement released Sunday by former Republican senator, Ben Sasse, who excoriated the president for his attempt to use executive orders to combat the worsening coronavirus outbreak.
RINO Ben Sasse, who needed my support and endorsement in order to get the Republican nomination for Senate from the GREAT State of Nebraska, has, now that he’s got it (Thank you President T), gone rogue, again. This foolishness plays right into the hands of the Radical Left Dems!
President Obama did not have the power to unilaterally rewrite immigration law with DACA, and President Trump does not have the power to unilaterally rewrite the payroll tax law. Under the Constitution, that power belongs to the American people acting through their members of Congress.
In a press conference Monday, following a night of unrest and looting, Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot appeared to criticize Cook County’s state’s attorney Kim Foxx, whom she previously endorsed.
People believe there is no accountability in our criminal justice system. We need the prosecutors and courts to step up”.
Continue reading...Big oil remembers ‘friend’ Trump with millions in campaign funds
Donations to support the president’s re-election have flooded in from a fossil fuel industry that has enjoyed three years of energy deregulation and tax cuts
In mid-June the oil pipeline billionaire Kelcy Warren hosted a fundraising bash at his palatial Dallas, Texas, home that drew the presence of Donald Trump and raised $10m for the US president’s campaign coffers.
Warren’s fundraising gusher for Trump occurred after he and his wife had donated a hefty $1.7m since 2019 to Trump Victory, a fundraising vehicle for Trump’s re-election and the Republican National Committee, according to the non-partisan Open Secrets group.
Continue reading...Trump bypasses Congress with order for coronavirus relief including less unemployment aid – as it happened
- Trump gives speech at New Jersey golf club
- ‘We’re making it up’: How Trump’s America failed the Covid test
- Trumpism has taken over, but what happens if Trump loses?
- US sees wave of progressive victories by people of color
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We’ll be shutting down today’s blog shortly. Here’s a glance at today’s major news items:
Trump’s decision to unilaterally extend federal unemployment insurance through executive order will almost certainly prompt a legal challenge from Democrats on the grounds that only the legislative branch has the constitutional authority to determine federal spending.
But the US president brushed aside concerns on Saturday, suggesting that he believes public sentiment will carry the day.
Continue reading...Doctors and medical students across the US push to register patients to vote
More than 60 hospital networks are taking part in campaign as some of the usual ways of registering are curbed by the pandemic
An emergency room doctor in Boston is assembling thousands of voter registration kits for distribution at hospitals and doctor’s offices.
Later this month, students at Harvard and Yale’s medical schools are planning a contest to see which of the Ivy League rivals can register the most voters.
Continue reading...Russia, China and Iran seeking to influence US ahead of elections, top intelligence official says
Statement says China is opposed to Trump but offers more concrete evidence of Russia’s efforts to undermine Biden
Russia is backing Donald Trump, China is supporting Joe Biden and Iran is seeking to sow chaos in the US presidential election, a top intelligence official has warned in a sobering assessment of foreign meddling.
The statement on Friday by William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, raises fears of a repeat of the 2016 election, when Russia manipulated social media to help Trump and hurt his opponent Hillary Clinton.
Continue reading...Why a Biden presidency might not mean a return to pre-Trump foreign relations
There could be a renewed focus on international cooperation – but Biden would not be great news for Boris Johnson’s Britain
European leaders, desperate for an end to the Trump presidency, are being warned that four years of Joe Biden may present them with new challenges and not a simple restoration of the benign status quo in transatlantic relations prior to 2016.
An evolving Biden doctrine about ending “forever wars” and protecting American workers from Chinese competition would require collective military and economic commitments from the EU that it is still ill-equipped to meet, foreign policy specialists have suggested.
Continue reading...Trump falsely claims Joe Biden is ‘against God and guns’ – video
Donald Trump says likely presidential rival Joe Biden is "against God" as he upped his attacks on the Democratic nominee. Speaking to a crowd at Cleveland airport in Ohio, Trump told supporters Biden is " following the radical left agenda. Take away your guns, destroy your Second Amendment. No religion, no anything, hurt the Bible, hurt God." The president continued his criticism against Biden, saying "He's against God. He's against guns. He's against energy, our kind of energy". Biden has repeatedly pledged his support for second amendment rights and owns a shotgun. He is also a practising Catholic.
Continue reading...New York attorney general files lawsuit to dissolve NRA – live
- Letitia James says her office uncovered ‘years of self-dealing’
- Another 1.18m Americans file for unemployment
- Deutsche Bank gave Trump records to New York prosecutors - report
- Join us today at 5pm ET for an online event with Eric Holder to discuss voter suppression in the 2020 election. Register now
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At her press conference, New York attorney general Letitia James said NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre is the “central figure” in the alleged fraud and abuse crimes committed by the gun rights group.
New York AG Letitia James says NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre is the "central figure" in the organization's suspected financial schemes, and she details instances of him allegedly using millions of dollars in NRA assets for personal and family expenses https://t.co/Nj065CIsxp pic.twitter.com/kkJ3ZCihfY
New York attorney general Letitia James is seeking to dissolve the NRA after an investigation by her office uncovered “years of self-dealing and illegal conduct,” the Democratic official said.
#BREAKING: I filed a lawsuit to dissolve the National Rifle Association for years of self-dealing and illegal conduct.
The @NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse.
No organization is above the law.
Sexism casts shadow over Biden’s search for a female running mate
Leading VP contenders have had to endure the usual criticisms men often direct at women – which has undermined a historic selection process
The final weeks of Joe Biden’s search for a running mate have had all the usual trimmings: leaks from unnamed Democratic party officials, last-minute suggestions of outsider names and a trail of vague hints from the candidate himself.
But this year is different. Biden promised to select a female running mate, setting up a historic nomination process that many prominent Democratic women say is being overshadowed by the increasingly nasty – and unmistakably sexist – debate over who he should choose.
Continue reading...Coronavirus US: Biden tells Trump ‘step up and do your job’ over Covid-19 death toll – live
- Negotiations on bailout package stuck as parties dispute
- Biden: coronavirus is failing to ‘just disappear’
- Join us for an online event with Eric Holder to discuss voter suppression in the 2020 election, Thursday at 5pm ET. Register now
- Sign up to our First Thing newsletter
Donald Trump refused to praise the late John Lewis, the Georgia congressman and original Freedom Rider, during his latest one-on-one interview, and also questioned the value of the pivotal Civil Rights Act of the 1960s, which Lewis fought and almost died for.
When asked how history would remember the civil rights leader, the president replied, “I don’t know. I really don’t know” and brought the point back around to himself.
Related: Trump refuses to praise late civil rights leader John Lewis
“Veep” the hit politics satire series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus found seven seasons of success on HBO.
Louis-Dreyfus does not like the new HBO material:
God, I wish this was just a dumb show like ours. https://t.co/n3edLDiqiq
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