John Bolton, a former national security adviser to the Trump administration, gets into heated exchanges with BBC Newsnight's Emily Maitlis over why he did not appear at Donald Trump's impeachment trial. He repeatedly tells Maitlis to 'let him finish', and blames House Democrats for empowering Trump when they failed to convict him during the impeachment trial. Maitlis also pressed Bolton on why he worked alongside Trump despite admitting he saw him as corrupt and a threat to American security
Continue reading...Category Archives: US Politics
Donald Trump’s campaign investigating ‘attack’ on website
Website was restored after briefly displaying warning that it was seized because ‘world’ had enough of ‘fake-news’ spread by Trump
Donald Trump’s campaign says its website was “defaced” on Tuesday evening, and that it is working with law enforcement to investigate the source of what it called an “attack”.
Continue reading...Fears of crackdown on US journalism as Trump ally removes editorial ‘firewall’
Outrage as USAGM chief Michael Pack rescinds rule that insulates journalists from editorial direction of politically appointed bosses
The US diplomats’ union has denounced an attempt by a Trump appointee to remove the “firewall” protecting the editorial independence of the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and other US overseas broadcasters, warning that it marked an attempt to turn them into vehicles for “government propaganda”.
The CEO of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Michael Pack, announced overnight on Monday that he would be rescinding the “firewall rule” insulating journalists from editorial direction from politically appointed management.
Continue reading...Obama mocks Trump: ‘He’s jealous of Covid’s media coverage’ – video
Former US president Barack Obama mocked Donald Trump at an election rally for Joe Biden in Florida. Obama criticised his successor’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, noting that Trump had complained about the amount of news coverage it had received even as the US death toll continues to climb. 'He’s jealous of Covid’s media coverage,' Obama said.
The former president also criticised Trump for his personal lack of coronavirus safety, saying that he had turned the White House into a 'hot zone' in the wake of two coronavirus outbreaks among the president and his senior staff. 'Florida, we can’t afford four more years of this,' Obama added. 'We cannot afford this kind of incompetence and disinterest.'
Continue reading...Biden attacks Trump’s ‘rushed and unprecedented’ confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett – US politics live
- Full story: Barrett confirmed in major victory for conservatives
- Why Barrett’s addition to court may undermine climate fight
- Bob Woodward: The Trump Presidency – live event today
- Sign up for Fight to Vote – our weekly US election newsletter
Donald Trump Jr has just retweeted Derek Hunter saying that “Leftists really seem to want dead police officers” in connection to the shooting of Walter Wallace Jr in Philadelphia.
Police shot and killed a guy coming at them with a knife who was given ample opportunity to drop it and didn't. Leftists really seem to want dead police officers. https://t.co/askRXGpEzs
Related: Philadelphia protesters take to streets after police killing of black man
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany once praised Joe Biden as “a man of the people” capable of “coming off as human” and “resonating with middle class voters”.
In an interview with a New York radio station in 2015, she also said that though she thought Donald Trump would be more likely to beat Biden, then considering a run for president, than Hillary Clinton, “I think the juxtaposition of kind of the man of the people and kind of this tycoon, is a problem.”
Continue reading...US embassy warns Colombian politicians not to get involved in US elections
At least three senior Colombian lawmakers have been accused of acting as surrogates for Donald Trump in Florida
The American embassy in Bogotá has warned Colombian politicians to “avoid getting involved” in the US election, amid a growing row over allegations that far-right lawmakers from the South American country are campaigning in support of Donald Trump.
At least three senior Colombian politicians have been accused of acting as Trump surrogates in Florida, a pivotal battleground state which has been flooded with political advertising and fake news aimed at Latino voters.
Continue reading...Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to supreme court in major victory for US conservatives
Senate’s confirmation of Barrett, 48, cements rightwing domination of court for years to come
The US Senate has confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court, delivering Donald Trump a huge but partisan victory just eight days before the election and locking in rightwing domination of the nation’s highest court for years to come.
Continue reading...US Senate to hold final vote on Amy Coney Barrett confirmation – live
- Trump aide admits ‘we’re not going to control pandemic’ as Pence staff test positive
- Nearly 60 million Americans cast early vote as record-shattering turnout expected
- Many midwest Democrats stayed home in 2016. Will they turn out for Biden?
Here again is a link to the interview with Donald Trump published on Sunday by 60 Minutes, an institution in US television news known for editorial balance and seriousness of purpose. Significantly, the program also reaches millions of older voters, who overwhelmingly supported Trump in 2016 but who appear to be splitting their vote this year between the candidates.
In this clip, via Vox’s Aaron Rupar, Trump whines about the difficulty level of the questions he is being confronted with, after interviewer Lesley Stahl refuses to endorse one of his conspiracy theories about the Russia investigation.
I don’t understand how anyone can watch this and draw any conclusion other than Trump is completely unfit for his job pic.twitter.com/DA87zGehXI
Hello and welcome to our round-the-clock coverage as the 2020 US election enters its final lap. Only eight days to go.
On Sunday, the number of early voters in the election surpassed 58m, the number who voted early in 2016. That means the 2020 election will mark the first time in history that more than half of the overall US vote was cast early.
Continue reading...Senate votes on Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to supreme court – live
- Barrett is certain to be confirmed by Republicans tonight
- Democratic candidate criticizes president’s ‘super-spreader events’
- Fauci says US still in first wave of coronavirus infections
- Study: Republicans closely resemble autocratic parties
- North Carolina Republicans try to block mail ballot deadline extension
- Sign up for Fight to Vote – our weekly US election newsletter
Voting has begun...
As McConnell continues his cynical, revisionist version of how we’ve ended up at this moment – awaiting the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett – the supreme court, one member short, is still working.
Just now, the court upheld a federal appeals court ruling that blocks a deadline extension for mail-in-ballots, awarding a victory for Republicans in a crusade against expanding voting rights and access.
Revealed: the full extent of Trump’s ‘meat cleaver’ assault on US wilderness
After four years of Trump, protected places such as national monuments and wildlife refuges have opened to oil drilling, new maps show – with more on the way
Continue reading...‘This will make lib heads explode’: Donald Trump Jr posts 2024 picture
- President’s son campaigns in swing state Nevada
- ‘Sue if you must’: Lincoln Project rejects Kushner-Ivanka threat
Donald Trump Jr posed in front of a “Don Jr 2024” sign in Nevada on Saturday, posted the picture online and waited for “the lib heads to explode”.
Related: 'Owning the libs': how Donald Trump Jr became the unlikely political heir apparent
Continue reading...White House chief of staff says ‘we’re not going to control pandemic’, after Pence staffers test positive – live
- Will midwest Democrats turn out for Biden?
- Biden gains among suburban women and elderly
- US election polls tracker: who is leading in the swing states?
- Sign up for Fight to Vote – our weekly US election newsletter
Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York state, is having a field day over the comments of the White House chief of staff Mark Meadows this morning. In a rare moment of transparency, Meadows admitted to a Sunday political talk show that the Trump administration had no intention of containing coronavirus, saying: “We’re not going to control the pandemic”.
Cuomo said that thinking was tantamount to giving in to the virus. “They surrendered without firing a shot. It was the great American surrender,” he said on Sunday, as reported by the Daily News.
After the Senate voted to move forward with the final vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, Mitch McConnell spoke on the Senate floor, celebrating the lasting influence of the vote for posterity.
“By tomorrow night, we’ll have a new member of the United States Supreme Court,” he told the chamber.
McConnell, just after the Senate votes to limit debate on Amy Coney Barrett: "A lot of what we’ve done over the last four years will be undone sooner or later by the next election. They won’t be able to do much about this for a long time to come."
Also, McConnell's right hand, which was deeply bruised earlier this week and prompted several Qs about his health, appears much better. Most of the bruising is gone https://t.co/WPFJcqsog2
Continue reading...‘Sue if you must’: Lincoln Project rejects threat over Kushner and Ivanka billboards
- Lawyer for group issues scathing response to legal letter
- Times Square ads blame Trump advisers for Covid deaths
The Lincoln Project “will not be intimidated by empty bluster”, a lawyer for the group wrote late on Saturday, in response to a threat from an attorney for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner over two billboards put up in Times Square.
Related: 'On the brink': US coronavirus cases surge in final days before election
Continue reading...‘Deep down, he’s a terrified little boy’: Bob Woodward, John Bolton and others on Trump
The authors of recent exposés, including Mary Trump and Anthony Scaramucci, on the president, his time in office – and what they expect to happen at the polls
Bob Woodward is associate editor of the Washington Post and the author of 20 books on American politics. In 50 years as a journalist he has covered nine presidents. His reporting on the Watergate break-in and cover-up with his colleague Carl Bernstein helped bring down Richard Nixon and won the Post a Pulitzer prize. His latest book about Donald Trump, Rage, is based on 10 hours of interviews, spread over 19 taped phone calls, often initiated by the president himself, in which Trump proved “only too willing to blow the whistle on himself”, as the Observer’s review noted.
Continue reading...‘Power grab’: how Republican hardball gave us Amy Coney Barrett
Confirmation of a sixth conservative on the nine-member court is due on Monday, the result of ruthless Republican politics
The almost certain confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court on Monday represents a “power grab” by Republicans facing possible wipeout at the ballot box, activists and analysts say.
Related: Revealed: ex-members of Amy Coney Barrett faith group tell of trauma and sexual abuse
Continue reading...From climate to China, how Joe Biden is plotting America’s restoration
The challenger aims to fix the foreign policy upheaval of the Trump years but such an agenda presents many challenges
By any measure, Joe Biden is old in the ways of the world. As Barack Obama’s vice-president, he met all the big international actors. As chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, he helped direct US foreign policy.
After four years of Donald Trump’s manic leadership, the Democrat offers a steady, dependable hand on the tiller. Biden’s grand aim: a glorious American restoration, at home and abroad.
Continue reading...Biden gains as suburban women and elderly voters turn backs on Trump
Nine days out from election day, polling shows the Democratic nominee with big leads in key demographics
Joe Biden’s hopes of reaching the White House could rest on two crucial demographic groups that appear to be deserting Donald Trump: elderly people and suburban women.
Related: Trump assaulted American democracy – here's how Democrats can save it
Continue reading...Obama campaigns for Biden in Florida as Trump heads to battleground Ohio – as it happened
- As election day nears, what dirty tricks could Trump turn to?
- California ‘shattering prior returns’ with 6m ballots cast
- US election polls tracker: who is leading in the swing states?
- Sign up for Fight to Vote – our weekly US election newsletter
It’s been a lively day on the election trail. We’re closing this blog now but will be back with all the developments in US political news, as it happens, tomorrow.
Here are the main events of the day:
Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris is calling for an administration that is frank about racist police brutality in America.
“There isn’t a Black man I know, be it a relative or friend, who has not had some sort of experience with police that’s been about an unreasonable stop, some sort of profiling or excessive force,” she said.
We can’t just speak the truth about police brutality in our nation—we must act to change our systems of justice and demand accountability. pic.twitter.com/arSdFLi7Wj
Continue reading...‘How do we become a serious people again?’ Dave Eggers, Annie Proulx and more on the 2020 election
How is America faring after four years of Donald Trump? Which way will voters turn? US authors including Richard Powers, Ocean Vuong and Kiley Reid share their hopes and fears
As election day nears, what final dirty tricks could Trump turn to?
Days before the election, Hunter Biden emails dropped with a roll call of Trump associates involved in ‘discovering’ them – and experts say it probably isn’t the last of the dirty tricks
On 28 October 2016, the then director of the FBI, James Comey, dropped a bomb into the middle of the presidential race. With just 11 days to go until election day, he announced that his agents were investigating a newly discovered batch of emails from Hillary Clinton’s personal server.
Related: ‘What did we all do?’: why women who voted for Trump could decide the 2020 election
Continue reading...