Category Archives: US elections 2024

Republican convention speakers ramp up anti-Democratic rhetoric despite campaign promise of unity

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Kari Lake attacks media as ‘fake news’ as Elise Stefanik calls Biden ‘feckless and failed’ and says he’s caused ‘chaos’

Speakers at the Republican national convention ramped up their rhetorical attacks on Democrats on Tuesday night despite Donald Trump’s presidential campaign signalling that the party would adopt a serious tone and message of unity in the face of political violence.

Kari Lake, a Trump ally and Republican candidate for senate in Arizona, used her speech time to launch an attack on the media, which she called “fake news”, and said more Americans were no longer tuning in to mainstream media.

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Donald Trump names Ohio senator JD Vance as vice-presidential running mate

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The former ‘never Trumper’ once called the ex-president a ‘terrible candidate’ and asked if he was ‘America’s Hitler’

Donald Trump has named JD Vance, the Ohio senator who has aligned himself with the populist right, as his running mate at the Republican national convention on Monday.

“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator JD Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” wrote Trump on Truth Social.

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Who is JD Vance, Trump’s vice-presidential pick?

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Once an outspoken Trump critic, the senator believes the former US president is the ‘best president’ of his ‘lifetime’

Donald Trump has selected JD Vance, the junior senator of Ohio and author of the bestselling memoir Hillbilly Elegy, as his running mate in the presidential race.

The announcement, made on Monday during the first day of the Republican national convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, marked the culmination of Vance’s stunning political evolution over the past several years.

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Judge who dismissed Trump criminal case is ‘future supreme court justice’, Gaetz says

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Far-right Florida congressman is asked by critic: ‘Are you admitting to a quid pro quo?'’

The far-right Florida Republican Matt Gaetz has hailed Aileen Cannon – the judge who dismissed the classified documents case against Donald Trump – as a “future supreme court justice”.

“Future supreme court justice Cannon,” Gaetz posted Monday to social media, with a picture of the Florida jurist.

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Trump to keep schedule for Republican convention after rally shooting

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Next public appearance is tentatively set for Tuesday at the convention but sources caution that could still change

Donald Trump huddled with his senior advisers at his Bedminster club in New Jersey a day after surviving what federal investigators called an assassination attempt, preparing for the Republican national convention, which kicks off on Monday.

Trump was keeping the same schedule as originally planned, according to sources familiar with the situation. His next public appearance is tentatively set for Tuesday at the convention though the sources cautioned that could change.

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Biden says he spoke with Trump after rally shooting: ‘No place in America for this kind of violence’

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US president decries assassination attempt and urges Americans to unite during White House press conference

Joe Biden said that that there was “no place in America” for the sort of political violence that saw a gunman open fire on Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania and plunge America’s already fractious election campaign into new levels of fears over political unrest.

“There is no place in America for this kind of violence or any violence for that matter. An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation,” Biden said. “Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is more important than that right now. Unity. We’ll debate and disagree, that’s not going to change, but we’re not going to lose sight of who we are as Americans.”

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Trump rally shooting live: FBI names ‘subject involved’ in assassination attempt

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Thomas Matthew Crooks, aged 20, named by the agency as person involved in the shooting at campaign event in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor Josh Shapiro rejected political violence in a statement posted on X following the apparent shooting of Donald Trump at a rally in his state today:

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung tells me in a statement that the former president is being assessed at a local medial facility:

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What we know about the shooting at a Donald Trump rally

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Suspected shooter and one rally attendee dead, says Butler county district attorney – here’s what else we know about the situation

A shooting occurred at a Donald Trump rally on Saturday, followed by the former president being rushed off the stage with blood around his ear. Here’s what we know about the situation so far.

Trump was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when loud noises were heard in the crowd around 6.13pm.

Trump appeared to have been struck by something in the area of his right ear as he was speaking, and videos show him quickly clutching his ear and then ducking down to the ground, as security agents and others leap to his aid.

One spectator was killed and at least two were injured.

Trump stood up with blood on the side of his face and appeared to be saying “fight, fight” while pumping his fist.

Trump was then quickly escorted from the stage and into his vehicle.

The rally location is now an active crime scene. The FBI has taken over the investigation.

Trump’s team and the Secret Service confirmed that he was “fine” and being checked at a local medical facility.

Trump later posted a statement on Truth Social, saying he was hit by a “bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear”.

The Butler county district attorney confirmed that the suspected shooter and one rally attendee were dead. One person at the rally was in serious condition. The Secret Service later said two people were critically injured.

The shooting is being investigated as an attempted assassination.

The FBI later named Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, PA as the “subject involved” in the shooting.

The Secret Service shared more details on the shooter’s position and confirmed that the shooter was killed by the Secret Service. ABC News reported that law enforcement officials the suspect was perched on a rooftop and used an AR-style rifle.

The president, Joe Biden, said “everybody must condemn political violence” in a speech shortly after the shooting. The White House later said the president and Trump had spoken. Biden is traveling back to the White House. Trump is in New Jersey.

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Questions mount over shooter’s ability to access roof despite security presence

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Lawmakers express shock at apparent security lapses, while Mike Johnson says House will conduct ‘full investigation’

Demands for answers were mounting on Sunday as to how an armed man was able to get into position on a roof overlooking a rally and fire shots at Donald Trump – the 2024 presumptive Republican nominee – despite federal and local law enforcement presence and witnesses reportedly alerting police.

National lawmakers expressed shock at the apparent security lapses. Mike Johnson, the speaker of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, said the chamber would conduct a “full investigation”.

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Biden hits back at calls for withdrawal as Democrats are locked in battle of wills

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Speculation grows that senior figures including Barack Obama could step in and ask president to throw in the towel

What can we say to make you go, Joe? It is the question that more and more Democrats – elected members and ordinary voters – are asking as the rumbling crisis over Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy, sparked by a pitiful display in the debate in Atlanta, degenerates into a war of attrition.

Last Thursday, the president’s fate appeared perched on the edge of an abyss, as Congress members deserted him, senators poured out their heartfelt fears at a tearful meeting with White House staff, and even his own close aides and advisers briefed reporters that he should stand aside.

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Trump rally shooting being investigated as attempt on his life as spectator killed

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One spectator and suspected shooter both confirmed dead after incident at Pennsylvania campaign event

Law enforcement agents were investigating what they suspected was an attempt to assassinate Donald Trump after a man with a rifle fired shots at him during a campaign rally on Saturday in Butler county, Pennsylvania.

The Secret Service spokesperson, Anthony Gugliemi, said on X that the former Republican president was “safe” following several shots, which prompted agents protecting Trump to leap on him amid the ensuing panic. Gugliemi said Secret Service agents then fatally shot the suspected attacker – who had fired toward Trump “from an elevated position outside of the rally venue”, Gugliemi said.

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Australian PM says ‘no place for violence in democratic process’ after Trump assassination attempt

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Anthony Albanese says he is relieved to hear Donald Trump is safe after shooting at campaign rally in Pennsylvania

Anthony Albanese says he is “relieved” that former US president Donald Trump is safe after a shooting at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, calling the incident an “inexcusable attack”.

The Australian prime minister said there was “no place for violence in the democratic process” as other politicians decried the assassination attempt four months out from the US presidential election.

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Bernie Sanders backs Biden and urges Democrats to ‘stop the bickering’

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Senator hails ‘most effective president in modern history’ and says Biden is strongest bet to beat ‘demagogue’ Trump

Bernie Sanders has offered his backing to Joe Biden, dismissing calls for the man he described as the “most effective president in the modern history of our country” to stand down in the upcoming US presidential election.

Sanders, the totemic progressive US senator, used an opinion piece in the New York Times to endorse Biden, who has come under increasing fire from fellow Democrats over his ability to beat Donald Trump following a disastrous televised debate between the two.

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Republicans ramp up attacks on Kamala Harris amid swirl over Biden future

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Strength of criticism suggests Trump and allies see vice-president as powerful electoral asset for Democrats

With the state of Joe Biden’s re-election campaign in turmoil, Donald Trump and his Republican allies are stepping up attacks on a familiar and, some say, possibly more threatening, political foe: his vice-president, Kamala Harris.

In the weeks since Biden’s stumbling debate performance, Republicans have intensified what many call racist and misogynistic criticism. They have questioned Harris’s competency, mocked her demeanor, and accused her of concealing concerns about the president’s health. Trump unveiled a new, derisive nickname for the vice-president, “Laffin’ Kamala”, which he tested at a campaign rally in Florida this week.

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‘I’m not going anywhere’: Biden holds Michigan rally as calls to quit persist

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Hakeem Jeffries reveals ‘candid’ talks with president about 2024 future as another top Democrat urges Biden to pull out

Joe Biden delivered a defiant speech on Friday evening in the battleground state of Michigan, firmly dismissing the doubt swirling around his survival as the Democratic presidential nominee.

Biden held a rally at a high school gymnasium in Detroit as part of his visit to the critical swing state that chose Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020. He walked on stage to audience chants of “don’t you quit” and addressed the speculation head on: “I am running, and we’re gonna win,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

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Republican senator Susan Collins says she will not vote for Trump

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Moderate conservative from Maine says she wanted Nikki Haley to win and will write her name on November ballot

US senator Susan Collins didn’t vote for her fellow Republican Donald Trump for president in 2016 or 2020 – and the third time will not be the charm.

The longtime moderate conservative from Maine told reporters on Friday that she intended to write in former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley’s name on the ballot in November. The move recalls 2016, when Collins said she wrote in then-US House speaker Paul Ryan for president over Trump, who won the White House before losing to Democratic rival Joe Biden in 2020.

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Teamsters boss faces backlash over ‘unconscionable’ GOP convention speech

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Sean O’Brien accused of bolstering ‘most anti-union party and president’ by senior members of his own union

Teamsters International president Sean O’Brien has been accused by senior members of the union of disgracing it by agreeing to an unprecedented appearance at next week’s Republican national convention.

O’Brien’s decision was branded “unconscionable” by John Palmer, vice-president at large at Teamsters, who accused him of lending support to the “most anti-union party and President” in a generation.

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Democratic billboards stress Trump link to rightwing Project 2025 manifesto

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Billboards will go up in seven swing states as campaign seeks to publicize manifesto and tie it to ex-president

Democrats will put up billboards in swing states that show Donald Trump and tie him to Project 2025, a conservative manifesto that could become reality if he wins in November.

The Democratic National Committee’s paid media campaign escalates liberal efforts to publicize Project 2025 and tie it to the former president after he sought to distance himself from the plan. The blueprint for a second Trump administration is led by the rightwing thinktank the Heritage Foundation and counts support from more than 100 other conservative groups.

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How Georgia state election board’s proposed rules make it easier to challenge results

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A new rule would require Fulton county to hand count paper ballots and investigate discrepancies on the spot, possible delaying tabulation

Georgia’s state board of elections has proposed changes to election policy and monitoring requirements that put Fulton county elections officials in their crosshairs and could delay and allow for partisan actors to challenge election results. .

As part of the state board’s reprimand for Fulton county double-counting some ballots in a 2020 recount – an error that did not affect the outcome of the election – Fulton county is required to hire a team of election monitors for the 2024 presidential election. The board also began a process of rule-making this week that will require county elections workers to count the paper ballots cast at each polling place by hand before turning those ballots in to be tabulated after each day of voting, and to investigate discrepancies on the spot.

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Trump leads 2024 race in new poll as some Biden aides reportedly discuss how to convince him to end campaign – live

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Pew finds that Trump has a 4 percentage point lead over Biden among registered voters nationwide

Joe Biden continues to push back against those calling for him to step aside, albeit gently.

Politico reports that the president’s aides have reached out to delegates ahead of the Democratic national convention in August, and asked questions that seem geared towards making sure they remain loyal to the president ahead of his formal re-nomination.

Fearing a floor revolt against his nomination, President Biden’s aides are telephoning individual delegates to next month’s Democratic convention to gauge their loyalty to the president, according to three delegates who received a call this week.

After a round of introductory questions confirming each delegate was still planning on going to Chicago and asking if they had served as delegate before, the Biden aide making the calls got to the point, the Democratic activists recalled to me in separate interviews.

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