Joe Biden was the central target as 10 Democratic presidential candidates clashed in Detroit on Wednesday in the party's second 2020 debate. The former vice-president stood his ground against criticism of his healthcare and immigration plans, unlike in last month’s debate when he visibly struggled to defend his record
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US Senate pushes Trump to safeguard last Russian nuclear arms control treaty
Exclusive: Bipartisan bill seeks New Start extension– the last formal restraint on the world’s major arsenals
Bipartisan Senate legislation introduced on Wednesday aims to change the administration’s course on nuclear arms control, urging Donald Trump to extend the New Start treaty with Russia or provide justification for allowing it to expire.
Trump has already pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia, which is due to end on Friday.
Continue reading...Outsider Marianne Williamson moves beyond the fringe in Democratic debate
- New Age author was most-Googled candidate of the night
- Williamson spoke for under nine minutes but won loud cheers
With her talk of harnessing love, her Hollywood friends and background in spiritual guidance and self-help books, many instantly wrote Marianne Williamson off as a joke candidate for the presidency after she jumped into the race.
But she has proved curiously magnetic during the brief moments she’s actually been able to speak from her lectern, literally on the fringe, at the televised Democratic primary debates so far.
Continue reading...Joe Biden and Kamala Harris brace for tonight’s debate – live updates
- Frontrunners unlikely to face as many existential questions
- Trump defends himself against accusations of racism
- Sign up for the US briefing and get a new perspective
The president is back on Twitter, defending himself against accusations of racism by calling himself the “least racist person in the world” and insulting the intelligence of one of the most prominent black TV journalists in the US.
....or is he too dumb (stupid} to understand that. No wonder CNN’s ratings (MSNBC’s also) have gone down the tubes - and will stay there until they bring credibility back to the newsroom. Don’t hold your breath!
Related: 'His only tool is racism': why Trump's bigoted tirade could be a vote winner
Ohio representative Tim Ryan’s campaign has issued a statement about his decision to not put his hand over his heart during the national anthem at the Democratic debate last night, saying it was an accident.
Congressman Ryan wasn’t protesting and didn’t mean to make any statement last night in Detroit, it was a moment of absentmindedness while on a debate stage that won’t happen again. He was, in fact, singing along with the choir to honor our country. Congressman Ryan loves our country and will continue to honor the flag during the anthem in future events, as he has in countless events in the past.
Rep. Tim Ryan didn’t put his hand over his heart during the national anthem. I guess he’s appealing to the Kaepernick wing of the Democratic Party.
Happening now: Will any of the Dems take a knee for the national anthem?
Continue reading...Marianne Williamson’s best moments from Democratic debate – video
Marianne Williamson was the most-searched candidate during the live broadcast, according to Google. The New Age author was widely written off as a joke when she entered the Democratic presidential contest and, while she remains a fringe candidate, she received praise for her answers last night on race, environmental justice and slavery reparations. Here is a look at her best moments during the debate
Continue reading...Sanders and Warren clash with moderates in Democratic debate – video
The leading progressive candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination came under withering attack from moderates on Tuesday in a second debate that reflected the party's struggle between a call for revolutionary policies and a desperate desire to defeat Donald Trump
Continue reading...Warren and Sanders give rivals Bonnie and Clyde treatment during fiery debate
Analysis: pair were dominant at event showcasing Democratic party’s split personality, pitting progressives against moderates
Bonnie and Clyde. Mulder and Scully. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. On Tuesday night it was Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders who, defying predictions that they would turn on each other, instead formed a leftwing tag team against the forces of moderation at the latest Democratic primary debate on Tuesday.
Warren and Sanders stood centre stage in the ornate Fox Theatre in Detroit, had the most speaking time – more than 35 minutes between them – produced the best lines of the night (with the possible exception of self-help guru and long-shot candidate Marianne Williamson) and had all the appearance of incumbents fending off pesky challengers. Barack Obama’s party this isn’t.
Continue reading...Democratic debates: Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren among 10 candidates set to face off – live
Ten of the 20 candidates participating in the debates, which are hosted by CNN, will appear on the debate stage tonight in Detroit
The main attraction tonight is the duel on the left between septuagenarian senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. In football or soccer terms, it’s like a local derby. Could it turn nasty?
Aaron Kall, director of debate at the University of Michigan, said: “The key $10,000 question is whether the friendship lasts for the two hours of the debate because they’re colleagues and they have not gone negative with each other on the campaign trail. When you get on the stage under the bright lights, it could certainly change.
“I think Sanders has the incentive to do that, frankly, because he fared much better in the last cycle. He’s slipping to almost single digits now. If anyone needs to make a move and have the focus on the campaign it’s Sanders and, by going negative against Warren, that could be the way.”
Kall, editor of the book Debating the Donald, added: “I think she would be hesitant to respond and we saw in the first debate there were many instances where she could have interjected herself forcefully into the debate but she kind of disappeared for an hour. So if she doesn’t respond, it could be successful for him and put some more spotlight on him, which has been lacking in the last several weeks or months of this campaign.”
The debate’s proximity to Flint, Michigan, has thrown a spotlight on the need for candidates to better flesh out their plans to ensure safe drinking water and fight environmental racism.
The facts are clear: climate change and pollution disproportionately harm low-income communities and communities of color — and are major contributors to ongoing economic and racial inequality.
Today, I’m releasing my plan to build a just and inclusive clean energy economy. pic.twitter.com/qfb7xznEJd
A$AP Rocky: US envoy for hostage affairs sent to Sweden for rapper’s trial
Trump, who has advocated for the rapper’s release, sent the special envoy to Stockholm to monitor court proceedings
Donald Trump sent the US special presidential envoy for hostage affairs to Stockholm to monitor the court proceedings of the American rapper A$AP Rocky, according to Swedish news agency TT.
The special envoy Robert O’Brien was seen on Tuesday at Stockholm district court, where the rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, faced trial.
Continue reading...Trump: ‘I am the least racist person there is anywhere in the world’ – video
The president called himself ‘the least racist person’ after he was accused of racist behaviour once again. In his comments on Tuesday, Trump also accused one of the people he has attacked, the Rev Al Sharpton, of being a racist and claimed his presidency has been a success for African Americans
Continue reading...Trump’s friend tried to profit from Middle East nuclear deal, lawmakers say
Congressional report finds Tom Barrack tried to buy Westinghouse as he sought a related government post
A billionaire friend of Donald Trump pursued a plan to buy Westinghouse Electric Corp – even as he lobbied Trump to become a special envoy and promote the company’s work on nuclear power in Saudi Arabia, a congressional report released on Monday.
While Tom Barrack failed in both efforts, the report provides fresh evidence of the ease with which some corporate and foreign interests have gained access to the US president and other senior members of his administration.
Continue reading...Al Sharpton: Trump ‘has a particular venom for blacks and people of colour’ – video
The Rev Al Sharpton has addressed Donald Trump’s attack on the Maryland representative Elijah Cummings and his district of Baltimore. Speaking to reporters, the longtime activist said the president had attacked Cummings and his constituents ‘in the most bigoted and racist way’. Earlier on Monday Trump attacked Baltimore, the home city of Cummings, saying that it is ‘a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess’, adding that it was ‘the worst run and most dangerous [district] anywhere in the United States’
Continue reading...Trump lines up loyalist as Coats leaves US intelligence chief post
Dan Coats to go next month after turbulent two years of disagreements with president
Dan Coats, one of the most senior national security officials willing to contradict Donald Trump, will leave the post of US director of national intelligence next month, the president has said.
Trump said Coats would go on 15 August and that he will nominate John Ratcliffe, a Texas representative and staunch loyalist, to the post.
Continue reading...Democrats and media condemn Trump’s racist Cummings attack
- Baltimore Sun: ‘Better to have some vermin than to be one’
- Mulvaney insists Trump not racist, just fighting back
- David Simon: Trump is a ‘simplistic, racist moron’
In its response to Donald Trump’s racist attack on congressman Elijah Cummings, the editorial board of the Baltimore Sun said it “would not sink to name-calling in the Trumpian manner”.
Related: 'Own up to reality': 2020 Democrats urged to confront US racial divide
Continue reading...Nadler: Mueller’s testimony ‘broke the lie’ Trump has been telling Americans
- House judiciary chair says it could clear path to impeachment
- Adam Shiff: ‘We are now in preliminary to a judicial proceeding’
Robert Mueller’s testimony to Congress “broke the lie” Donald Trump has been telling and potentially cleared the path to impeachment, House judiciary chair Jerrold Nadler said on Sunday.
Related: Baltimore Sun and CNN lead response to Trump’s racist Cummings attack
Continue reading...‘Own up to reality’: 2020 Democrats urged to confront US racial divide
As the NAACP gathered in Detroit, leaders warned presidential hopefuls not to shy away as Trump fans the flames
In August 2016, Donald Trump stood before an overwhelmingly white crowd in Dimondale, Michigan, and asked black people for their votes.
Related: Trump 'rat-infested' attack on Elijah Cummings was racist, Pelosi says
Continue reading...Trump ‘rat-infested’ attack on Elijah Cummings was racist, Pelosi says
- President says oversight chair is ‘brutal bully’ and slams district
- Attack follows racist invective aimed at four congresswomen
Donald Trump kicked off his weekend with a stinging attack on Elijah Cummings, the Democratic chair of the House oversight committee, that opponents including House speaker Nancy Pelosi said was another example of the president deploying racist invective for political ends.
Related: Trump slams 'rat-infested' district – but his own restaurant had a rodent problem
Continue reading...Trump says agreement reached with Guatemala to restrict asylum seekers
Immigrant rights advocates say the ‘safe third country’ agreement is cruel and unlawful, though it could still be blocked
Donald Trump announced Friday that Guatemala was signing an agreement to restrict asylum applications to the US, a move that immigrant rights advocates said was cruel and unlawful.
The so-called “safe third country” agreement would require migrants, including Salvadorans and Hondurans, who cross into Guatemala on their way to the US to apply for protections in Guatemala instead of at the US border.
Continue reading...Supreme court allows Trump to use $2.5bn in Pentagon funds on border wall – live
White House announces an asylum deal with Guatemala three days after Trump threatened tariffs, among other sanctions, if it did not sign on
The president is celebrating the supreme court’s decision to allow him to spend $2.5bn on the border wall:
Wow! Big VICTORY on the Wall. The United States Supreme Court overturns lower court injunction, allows Southern Border Wall to proceed. Big WIN for Border Security and the Rule of Law!
This wall won't make anyone any more secure. It's a futile exercise to massage your ego, and advance your racist agenda.
We should be spending this $2.5bn of our tax payers money on housing for homeless people, mental health for veterans, and healthcare for those who are unwell.
The case is not about whether the challenged border barrier construction plan is wise or unwise. It is not about whether the plan is the right or wrong policy response to existing conditions at the southern border of the United States. Instead, this case presents strict legal questions regarding whether the proposed plan for funding border barrier construction exceeds the executive branch’s lawful authority.”
The case the Supreme Court ruled on began after the 35-day partial government shutdown that started in December of last year. Trump ended the shutdown in February after Congress gave him approximately $1.4 billion in border wall funding. But the amount was far less than the $5.7 billion he was seeking, and Trump then declared a national emergency to take cash from other government accounts to use to construct sections of wall.
The money Trump identified includes $3.6 billion from military construction funds, $2.5 billion in Defense Department money and $600 million from the Treasury Department’s asset forfeiture fund.
The Supreme Court has said the Trump administration can spend $2.5bn in Pentagon funds on the border wall:
JUST IN: Supreme Court allows Trump administration to spend $2.5 billion in Pentagon funds on border wall pic.twitter.com/JVxFusMf41
NOW: In a divided decision, the Supreme Court rules the Trump administration can begin using some of the contested federal funds Trump redirected for border wall construction — the court granted the admin's request to stay a lower court injunction https://t.co/SSEU48JLNU pic.twitter.com/DPijozmm8B
Justices Ginsburg, Sotomayor, and Kagan would have denied the stay and left in place the injunction blocking the admin from using the funds while the case went forward; Breyer would have let the govt finalize contracts, but also blocked construction during the litigation
Continue reading...US justice department resumes use of death penalty and schedules five executions
William Barr announces he has reinstated a policy dormant for 16 years, following authorization from Congress and signing by Trump
The US government is set to carry out the death penalty for the first time in 16 years, William Barr, the attorney general, announced on Thursday, despite criticism of capital punishment as “immoral and deeply flawed”.
The justice department scheduled the execution of five death row federal inmates for December and January.
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