Kamala Harris endorses Joe Biden for president ahead of key contests

Endorsement follows former presidential candidates Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg and Mike Bloomberg

Joe Biden’s campaign for the White House received another significant lift on Sunday when Democratic senator Kamala Harris, until recently one of the former vice-president’s main rivals for the party’s presidential nomination, announced her endorsement.

In a short video statement released on Twitter, Harris promised she would “do everything in my power” to ensure Biden beats off a challenge from Vermont senator Bernie Sanders for the nomination and goes on to be elected president in November.

Continue reading...

Biden warns against primary bloodbath as Sanders sharpens attacks ahead of key contests

Democratic rivals are preparing for a showdown in crucial midwest primary contests in Michigan and Missouri on Tuesday

Democratic presidential rivals Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are racing across the US midwest this weekend, with the progressive Sanders sharpening his attacks while the former vice-president warned against a campaign “bloodbath” as the 2020 nominating contest narrows.

Biden also warned, in an intensifying fight, against what he called “Bernie brothers” – understood to be a reference to diehard fans of Sanders more widely dubbed “Bernie bros” and known for aggressive online attacks on supporters of Democratic rivals and an unwillingness to join up with them if Sanders loses the nomination.

Continue reading...

Bernie Sanders plots new strategy to foil Biden and take charge of 2020 race

Campaign to sharpen midwest focus, increase attacks on Biden and make fresh appeals to black voters in tactical ‘reset’

Bernie Sanders is giving his presidential campaign a “reset” as he goes head-to-head for the Democratic presidential nomination with Joe Biden, amid signs that the political revolution he hoped to ignite through a surge in voter turnout of young and marginalised Americans is failing to catch fire.

Related: Is Joe Biden the American Brezhnev? | Ben Judah

Continue reading...

Trump campaign sues CNN for ‘false’ statements about Russia and 2020 election – live

  • Campaign files libel lawsuit seeking ‘millions of dollars’
  • Sanders reiterates that he believes his rival Biden can beat Trump
  • Support the Guardian’s independent journalism. Make a contribution

Oof, that’s a gut-punch to the Trump campaign’s efforts to sue media outlets it doesn’t like over some articles......but not others....

Yet another Trump lawsuit against a news organization, but still no action against the NYT for story that accused Trump in so many words of the crime of tax fraud. That’s beginning to look like a confession, isn’t it? https://t.co/RJep7HRhIC

Mr. Trump did not offer an outright denial of the facts in the report, such as that the money he made during his decades in real estate came from tax schemes of dubious legality, the existence of records of deception in documenting the family’s financial assets, and that the beginning of the president’s so-called self-made fortune dates back to his toddler years when, by the time he was 3 years old, Mr. Trump earned $200,000 a year in today’s dollars from his father.

CNN’s media expert Brian Stelter says libel lawsuits like the one Donald Trump’s re-election campaign just filed against CNN, and prior suits vs the New York Times and the Washington Post won’t succeed and are just a political strategy.

Trump‘s war on the media enters the “performative lawsuit” phase—just in time for 2020. https://t.co/xmrNTzefJA

It’s the latest of a series of libel suits by the campaign aimed at media outlets’ opinion articles on issues linked to Russia. Over the last few weeks, the campaign has also sued the New York Times and the Washington Post, alleging similar motives.

Continue reading...

‘We still have a problem with female authority’: how politics sets a trap for American women

Elizabeth Warren’s departure shines light on a system that is rife with sexism but rejects candidates who address it

“Gender in this race?” Senator Elizabeth Warren said outside her home on Thursday. “You know that is the trap question for every woman. If you say, ‘Yeah! There was sexism in this race,’ everyone says, ‘Whiner!’ And if you say, ‘No, there was no sexism, about a bazillion women think, ‘What planet do you live on?’”

She added: “I promise you this. I will have a lot more to say on that subject later on.”

Continue reading...

Trump attacks Biden’s cognitive health in possible general-election preview

President says ‘there’s something going on’ with Democratic candidate in first public event since Super Tuesday

Donald Trump attacked Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities on Thursday night during an event in the former-vice president’s hometown that could set the tone for an ugly general election.

Appearing at a Fox News town hall in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Trump – who has faced repeated scrutiny over his own mental acuity – said there was “something going on” with Biden, in what may prove a rehearsal for Republican attacks during the presidential election.

Continue reading...

Elizabeth Warren drops out of 2020 Democratic presidential race

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.

Continue reading...

Pressure on Elizabeth Warren after Bloomberg drops out of Democrat race – live updates

With Bloomberg’s departure, pressure is on third-placed Elizabeth Warren whose White House hopes have dwindled

Donald Trump Jr - who you feel is perhaps on somewhat thin ice when throwing out this kind of accusation - has just been tweeting out a Daily Caller ‘exclusive’ from yesterday about Hunter Biden. The son of the US president is suggesting that “It’s almost like the whole Biden family is entity dependent on Joe holding public office?”

It’s almost like the whole Biden family is entity dependent on Joe holding public office?

EXCLUSIVE: Hunter Biden touted connections in 2019 while pitching UCLA Law on letting him teach drug policy course | The Daily Caller https://t.co/P8wteom4tW

Slightly away from the election, Associated Press this morning have been running a story about visiting a shop selling unofficial President Donald Trump-themed merchandise in a suburban Philadelphia strip mall.

The Trump Store in Bensalem sells t-shirts, hats, beanies, and mugs with the president’s cartoon face - all designed to appeal to his biggest fans

Continue reading...

The other winners on Super Tuesday: Joe Biden’s wife and his adviser

Jill Biden and senior adviser Symone Sanders protected Joe Biden from two protesters who stormed the stage

As the Super Tuesday results continue to roll in, two unexpected heroes have emerged from the night: Jill Biden, wife of the former vice-president, and his senior adviser Symone Sanders.

The two offered secret service-level protection last night in Los Angeles, quickly responding when Joe Biden was interrupted mid-speech by two protesters who stormed the stage chanting “Let dairy die!”. Buzzfeed reports that a number of such anti-dairy protests have taken place at political events in California this election season.

Continue reading...

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

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.

Continue reading...

Biden triumphs, Sanders hits back and Warren fights on: how Super Tuesday unfolded – video report

Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden emerged as the frontrunners for the Democratic presidential nomination after 14 states voted on Super Tuesday. While Biden won across more states, Sanders claimed the crucial victory in California. The results were a blow to fellow hopefuls Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bloomberg. Warren lost her home state of Massachusetts to Sanders while Bloomberg's big spending has failed to net the desired results

Continue reading...

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

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.

Continue reading...

Protesters rush stage as Joe Biden makes Super Tuesday speech – video

Joe Biden surged to Super Tuesday victories in nine states, sweeping the south and taking the key state of Texas in a remarkable comeback on the most pivotal night of the Democratic presidential primary race.

As the former vice-president addressed supporters in Los Angeles, two anti-dairy protesters, who have disrupted other candidates’ events in recent days, ran on to the stage and had to be dragged off by Biden's staffers

Continue reading...

California results: follow the primary votes live

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.

Continue reading...

Biden takes early lead over Sanders in strong Super Tuesday start – live

The Guardian’s Sam Levin reports from Los Angeles:

At Skid Row, the epicenter of the homelessness crisis in LA, voters living in shelters and on the street are able to cast ballots inside the Union Rescue Mission.

Kevin Wilkerson, 52, Skid Row resident, just voted for Joe Biden. “I’m sick and tired of where this country is going and I’m sick and tired of this president.” pic.twitter.com/TeaCTtsASr

The AP has called Oklahoma for Joe Biden, about an hour after the polls closed in the Sooner State.

The former vice president is running about 12 points ahead of second-place Bernie Sanders, with 53% of the vote in.

Continue reading...

Super Tuesday: polls open as 14 US states vote in crucial Democratic primary contests – follow live

Fourteen states across the country voting on key day for Sanders and Biden campaigns

The AP are reporting that a super PAC is sending out robocalls today in five Super Tuesday states that feature positive words about Joe Biden from former president Barack Obama.

Amanda Loveday of Unite the Country PAC says the call is running through Tuesday in Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

Amy Klobuchar was live on NBC News this morning in her first TV spot since dropping out.

Continue reading...

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

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:

Continue reading...

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

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

Continue reading...