Mike Bloomberg has come under attack in Las Vegas from his Democratic rivals after taking part in his first debate. The former New York mayor was criticised for the city's stop-and-frisk policy, his wealth and the non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) several women at his company have signed while settling lawsuits. Elizabeth Warren repeatedly urged him to disclose how many NDAs women had signed and to let the women speak freely. Bloomberg refused to answer her direct questions, leading to boos from the crowd. “I hope you heard what his defence was: ‘I’ve been nice to some women,” Warren said
Category Archives: US Politics
Mike Bloomberg’s Democratic opponents target him ahead of debate – live
- Sanders is also likely to attract criticism as a clear frontrunner
- Biden and Bloomberg have been trading criticisms via Twitter
- ‘Gloves will be off’: Nevada debate could be pivotal for Democrats
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The White House said that Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke over the phone yesterday.
“The two leaders discussed the importance of NATO, French and United States counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel, and other bilateral issues,” the readout says.
Bernie Sanders may also be asked about this during tonight’s debate: the Atlantic is reporting that the Vermont senator considered challenging Barack Obama for the 2012 Democratic nomination.
The Atlantic reports:
Bernie Sanders got so close to running a primary challenge to President Barack Obama that Senator Harry Reid had to intervene to stop him.
It took Reid two conversations over the summer of 2011 to get Sanders to scrap the idea, according to multiple people who remember the incident, which has not been previously reported.
Continue reading...Rod Blagojevich thanks Donald Trump for prison release – video
The former Democratic Illinois governor called himself a ‘Trumpocrat’ as he thanked Donald Trump for commuting his prison sentence, praising Trump’s ‘kind heart’. Blagojevich had been recorded trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he became president, but Trump has claimed it did not happen
Continue reading...Barr reportedly considers quitting as attorney general over Trump tweets
Revelation comes days after Barr took swipe at president over apparent intervention in Roger Stone case
The attorney general, William Barr, has told people close to him he is considering quitting his post, after Donald Trump failed to heed his warning to stop tweeting about justice department cases, administration officials told the Washington Post and Associated Press.
The revelation came days after Barr took a public swipe at the president, saying in a television interview that Trump’s tweets about justice department cases and staffers made it “impossible” for him to do his job. The next day, Trump ignored Barr’s request and insisted that he had the “legal right” to intervene in criminal cases and sidestep the department’s historical independence.
Continue reading...Trump calls for Roger Stone’s conviction to be thrown out
President condemns ‘fraudulent investigation’ and falsely claims that he is the country’s chief law enforcement officer
Donald Trump has called for his longtime ally Roger Stone’s recent conviction for witness tampering and lying to Congress to be thrown out.
Trump’s barrage of Tuesday morning tweets comes days after his own attorney general, William Barr, sparked a furore over his apparent intervention in the case.
Continue reading...Trump seems to call for new Roger Stone trial – live updates
- Billionaire Bloomberg will face opponents on debate stage in Las Vegas
- Democratic rules were changed, opening door to former NY mayor’s participation
- Bloomberg facing criticism over past policies and alleged comments
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The good polling news for Michael Bloomberg just keeps on coming this morning.
A new poll from Oklahoma, which will also hold its primary on Super Tuesday, shows Bloomberg leading the field with 20%.
In addition to qualifying for the next Democratic debate, Michael Bloomberg also got some good news from a Virginia poll out this morning.
According to the Monmouth University survey, Bloomberg and Bernie Sanders are tied among likely voters in Virginia, which will hold its primary on Super Tuesday.
Continue reading...NSA whistleblower who leaked Russian hacking report petitions for clemency
Reality Winner was sentenced to five years in 2018 after leaking classified report about Russia’s interference in the 2016 election
Supporters of Reality Winner, a National Security Agency whistleblower who leaked classified information about Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, petitioned Donald Trump on Monday for her early release from prison.
Alison Grinter, an attorney representing the former US air force intelligence specialist, announced at a press conference in Dallas that she had submitted 4,500 letters of support to the federal office of the pardon attorney, the division of the Department of Justice that advises the US president on executive clemency decisions.
Continue reading...Ted Cruz criticizes vasectomy bill, exposing his hypocrisy on reproduction rights
Unwitting boost to Alabama Democrat pushing back on restrictive abortion laws by objecting to her vasectomy proposal on Twitter
Ted Cruz, the Republican Texas senator, has given an unwitting boost to an Alabama lawmaker’s attempt to push back on restrictive abortion laws in her state, by tweeting about her proposal to force men to have vasectomies when they reach the age of 50.
Democratic representative Rolanda Hollis introduced the measure to the state House last week, intending it as protest against a law passed by the Alabama legislature last year to outlaw abortion in almost every case unless the life of the mother was at risk.
Continue reading...‘Trump is deciding who is American’: how the new travel ban is tearing families apart
As six countries are added to the list of restrictions, Nigerian and Eritreans in the US say the ban is devastating their lives
It started out as a joyous day for Olumide. On 31 January, the 32-year-old Nigerian American learned in an email that the US was finally processing the visa applications of his wife and daughter in Nigeria.
Hours later, Donald Trump shattered their celebration, announcing that he was adding six countries to the travel ban, including Nigeria. The decision cuts off pathways to permanent US residency for Nigerians, throwing Olumide’s case into limbo at the final stage of the process. It leaves his wife and and 11-year-old girl stuck across an ocean with little hope of making it to the US.
Continue reading...The electability business: is Bernie Sanders America’s Corbyn?
Some Democratic observers fear their party is following the British left’s road to defeat
British politics rarely intrudes into a US presidential election. In 1988, Joe Biden was forced to abandon his first bid for the White House after it emerged that he had quoted without attribution a chunk of oratory from the then Labour party leader, Neil Kinnock. In 2016, Donald Trump deployed Nigel Farage as an occasional mascot on the stump, the Brexit victory in that year’s referendum deemed a happy omen that populists could defy the odds and win. In 2020, a third name has surfaced, offered as a cautionary tale to a Democratic party that this week confirmed a septuagenarian radical socialist and longtime backbench rebel as its frontrunner. That name is Jeremy Corbyn.
“I don’t want the Democratic party of the United States to be the Labour party of the United Kingdom,” James Carville, the victorious manager of Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign, told audiences on cable TV and in New Hampshire this week, warning that if Democrats nominate Bernie Sanders, they will almost certainly be following Corbyn’s Labour party to defeat.
Continue reading...Queer activists escorted out of Pete Buttigieg event in San Francisco – video
Queer activists were met with chants of ‘Boot-Edge-Edge’ after they disrupted a private fundraiser for Pete Buttigieg in San Francisco on Friday evening. The activists, escorted out of the event, reflected unease among the LBGTQ+ community over the Buttigieg campaign
Continue reading...‘Can you post a meme?’: Facebook changes ad rules after Bloomberg exploits loophole
Policy change involves what Facebook calls ‘branded content’, sponsored items posted by ordinary users who are typically paid by companies
Facebook decided on Friday to allow a type of paid political message that had sidestepped many of the social network’s rules governing political ads, in a reversal that highlights difficulties tech companies and regulators have in keeping up with the changing nature of paid political messages.
Facebook’s policy change comes days after the Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg exploited a loophole to run humorous messages promoting his campaign on the accounts of popular Instagram personalities followed by millions of younger people.
Continue reading...Attorney general William Barr tells Trump to stop tweeting about cases – live updates
- Attorney general makes unexpected intervention into controversy over Stone case
- Trump criticised for interfering in friend’s sentencing
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Two leading Republican voices came out in favour of Barr in the dispute yesterday, with Senator Mitch McConnell, the party’s leader in the Senate, saying: “If the attorney general says it’s getting in the way of doing his job, maybe the president should listen.”
Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally who was scathing about the impeachment trial against the president, said Barr was “the right man at the right time to reform the department and stand up for the rule of law”.
To hear this attorney general complain about this president, who is fighting every one of those damn people to do the right thing and get this country straightened out and it’s mission to do so and not to carp about his boss.
And, by the way, I don’t want to hear any crap about an independent Justice Department. This Justice Department, as does everyone, works for the president. It’s part of the executive branch.
Good morning.
US attorney general William Barr made an unexpected intervention into the ballooning controversy over Donald Trump’s interference in the trial of his friend Roger Stone.
When I terminated John Kelly, which I couldn’t do fast enough, he knew full well that he was way over his head. Being Chief of Staff just wasn’t for him. He came in with a bang, went out with a whimper, but like so many X’s, he misses the action & just can’t keep his mouth shut,.
The attorney general had been contemplating how to respond since he became aware of Mr. Trump’s attacks on the department, according to a person familiar with his thinking. Speaking up could have put Mr. Barr at risk of losing the backing of the president, but remaining silent would have permitted Mr. Trump to continue attacking law enforcement and all but invited open revolt among the some 115,000 employees of the Justice Department.
Ultimately, Mr. Barr concluded that he had to speak out to preserve his ability to do his job effectively, the person said … The attorney general had let the president know some of what he planned to say and is remaining in his job, a person familiar with the events said.
Related: 'Are they mean?' Donald Trump obsessed with badgers, new book claims
Continue reading...US expresses ‘disappointment’ in China’s response to coronavirus – video
Larry Kudlow, the National Economic Council director, said the US was 'disappointed' in the response of China to the coronavirus outbreak. He said it was a concern for the wellbeing of people in China, adding that the virus had been contained in the US. The senior White House official called on Beijing to be more transparent over its handling of the outbreak amid moves by Chinese authorities to expand 'wartime' measures to limit its spread
Continue reading...The trouble with anti-populism: why the champions of civility keep losing
With rightwing demagogues gaining power and public debate getting nastier, many are calling for a return to a more sensible politics. But this approach has its own fatal flaws. By Benjamin Moffitt
You’ve probably heard some version of it in recent years. Maybe you’ve even said or thought it yourself. “Politicians are always fighting!” “Politics has become totally irrational!” “Why can’t politicians just compromise, find some consensus and solve our problems?”
For many people, these views have come to seem like basic common sense. In this era of extreme partisanship, the argument goes, what we need is more unity and moderation to bring us together. And if there is one group of politicians who have been blamed for the sorry state we find ourselves in, it is populists.
Continue reading...William Barr says Trump’s tweets ‘make it impossible to do my job’
Attorney general says he will not be ‘bullied’ over decisions but some observers question his motives
The US attorney general, William Barr, publicly rebuked Donald Trump on Thursday, saying that the president’s tweets about the case of Roger Stone “make it impossible for me to do my job” and that he would not be “bullied or influenced” over justice department decisions.
In an interview with ABC News, the attorney general acknowledged his comments could leave him open to backlash from the president, who is notoriously intolerant of criticism from his aides. But Barr said he was determined to lead the justice department without being influence by outside forces, including the president.
Continue reading...Senate votes to restrict Trump’s authority to launch military action in Iran – live updates
- Democratic resolution to limit Trump’s power will likely not become law
- Pelosi says Trump comments on Stone case are ‘abuse of power’
- Hope Hicks reportedly returning to the White House
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A judge has temporarily blocked Microsoft’s cloud-computing work with the Pentagon after Amazon complained that it lost the contract partly because of Trump’s bias against the company.
Trump has repeatedly lashed out against Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and owner of the Washington Post.
A judge ordered Thursday a temporary block on the JEDI cloud contract, which was awarded to Microsoft, in response to a suit filed by Amazon. Shares of Microsoft fell on the news, while Amazon’s stock rose slightly.
A court notice announcing the injunction was filed on Thursday, but wasn’t public. It’s unclear why the documents were sealed.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is instructed to earmark $42 million for any ‘costs and damages’ that could be incurred in the event that the ‘injunction was issued wrongfully,’ the filing states. Amazon must file a notice with the courts indicating it has obtained the $42 million by Feb. 20. Microsoft and Amazon must respond to the filing by Feb. 27.
The eight Republicans who supported the Iran War Powers resolution in the Senate were: Todd Young, Mike Lee, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Rand Paul, Bill Cassidy, Jerry Moran and Lamar Alexander.
The resolution, aimed at limiting Trump’s authority to launch military operations in Iran, was expected to attract some Republican support, but the number of defections was surprising.
Continue reading...After a disappointing start, where does Elizabeth Warren go from here?
She placed third in Iowa and fourth in New Hampshire, but still touts herself as a candidate to excite liberals and please moderates
The votes in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary were still being counted when Elizabeth Warren took the stage at a sports center in Manchester to address her supporters.
Related: Controversy rages over Trump interference in Roger Stone case – live updates
Continue reading...Marie Yovanovitch: former ambassador warns of ‘amoral’ US foreign policy
She cited a need for the country to be ‘principled, consistent and trustworthy’ while accepting an award for diplomacy
The former US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, has warned that the US had adopted an “amoral” foreign policy that “substitutes threats, fear and confusion for trust”.
In her first public remarks since leaving the US foreign service two weeks ago, Yovanovitch said that the Trump administration’s handling of foreign policy risked alienating allies and driving them into the arms of other partners they find more reliable.
Continue reading...Extreme alarm as prosecutors resign after Trump intervention in Stone case – live
- Ex-DoJ officials and watchdogs warn of ‘five-alarm fire in our democracy’
- Trump congratulates Barr for ‘taking charge’ in case
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Trump: congratulations William Barr on following the order I tweeted to 72m people.
Congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought. Evidence now clearly shows that the Mueller Scam was improperly brought & tainted. Even Bob Mueller lied to Congress!
GOP Sen. John Kennedy said Trump’s tweets about Stone were “problematic” but he also told us he’s seen “no evidence” that Trump improperly interfered and thought it was simply lack of coordination on sentencing. He wouldn’t comment directly when I asked if Barr should testify
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday asked the inspector general of the justice department to investigate the Stone sentencing recommendation reversal.
This morning on the Senate floor, Schumer called on the chair of the judiciary committee, Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, to convene hearings on the matter. Graham, a staunch ally of the president who has lately been focused on the need to investigate Hunter Biden’s conduct in Ukraine, is not likely to do that.
The president ran against the swamp in Washington, a place that is rigged by the powerful to benefit them personally. I ask my fellow Americans, what is more swampy, what is more fetid, what is more stinking than the most powerful person in the country literally changing the rules to benefit a crony guilty of breaking the law?”
NEW: Chuck Schumer calls on Lindsey Graham "to convene an emergency hearing...to conduct oversight and hold hearings" following DOJ reversal on Stone sentencing recommendation.
"That's the the job of the Judiciary Committee, no matter who's president." https://t.co/xDonmgJTd0 pic.twitter.com/Bwx57FoFez