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Judge enters not guilty pleas for suspect in stabbing deaths of 4 University of Idaho students
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Pence seizes on Trump's latest indictment as he looks to break through in crowded GOP field
As Donald Trump was being arraigned in Washington on yet another round of criminal charges, his running mate-turned-rival Mike Pence hurried to capitalize on the news. Pence's campaign unveiled new T-shirts and baseball caps featuring the phrase “Too Honest" in big red letters — a reference to an episode in the indictment in which the former president called Pence to berate him over his refusal to go along with Trump's scheme to overturn the 2020 election. “You’re too honest," Trump allegedly scoffed at his second-in-command on New Year's Day. Pence's decision to seize on the words marks a notable change in tone for a usually cautious candidate who has struggled to break through in a primary dominated by his former boss. Since the release of the indictment in which he plays a central role, Pence has criticized Trump more aggressively, casting himself as the person who stood up to Trump, averting catastrophe. “’The American people deserve to know that President Trump and his advisers didn’t just ask me to pause. They asked me to reject votes, return votes, essentially to overturn the election," Pence told Fox News Wednesday. Had he listened to Trump and his “his gaggle of crackpot lawyers,” Pence said, “literally chaos would have ensued.” Pence's response might seem like the expected reaction of a man who had to flee for his life on Jan. 6, 2021, when a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building, clashing with police and disrupting the joint session of Congress over which Pence was presiding. Trump had convinced legions of his followers that Pence had the unilateral power to undo the election, and Pence, his staff and family spent hours in hiding in a Senate loading dock as rioters chanted, “Hang Mike Pence!” outside. But Pence's new words stand out, in part because of just how staunchly he refused to publicly criticize Trump during his four years as vice president, dutifully and deferentially defending his boss. His newly tough talk also contrasts with Trump’s other rivals, who have largely shied away from attacking the former president over his mounting legal troubles and efforts to remain in power. “I think this is the ‘Enough is enough’ Mike Pence. This is the ‘Let’s do this thing,’ ‘Let’s get it done’ Mike Pence,” said his spokesman, Devin O’Malley. Pence notably had refused to appear before the congressional committee that investigated Jan. 6, criticizing its work as politicized. And he fought a subpoena to appear before the grand jury that heard the election case. To be sure, Pence had never shied away from defending his own actions on Jan. 6, and for a while he was openly critical of Trump. His advisers had long acknowledged that many of the former president's followers continue to believe Trump's lies about Pence's role, blaming him for failing to keep Trump in power, and they felt it was something he would have to address head-on. They believed that if he spent time explaining his position to voters, they would come to respect his decision and adherence to the Constitution. During his campaign launch speech, Pence directly assailed Trump, saying that, “anyone that puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States" and that "anyone who asks someone else to put them over the Constitution should never be president of the United States again.” The press wifi password at the event underscored that message: “KeptHisOath!” When a supportive SuperPAC first launched, allies said the 6th would be a fundamental part of their messaging. The group's first ad featured footage from the riot and contrasted the two men's actions that day. Since then, however, Pence has spent most of his energy casting himself as the most conservative candidate in the field on economic and social issues, particularly abortion, instead of going after Trump. He did not issue statements in response to Trump's first two indictments. And when he did react, he focused heavily on charges of a two-tiered system of justice and allegations that the Justice Department had been “weaponized” by the Biden administration. Pence had spent four years as a loyal Trump defender and even when pressed, seemed unwilling to drop his guard. But during a senior campaign leadership call on Monday, as Washington awaited news of the indictment, Pence and his team discussed the idea of releasing a statement this time given his central role in the day's events. Some on the call urged Pence to go further than he had been and to deliver a message in line with what he'd said as he launched his campaign and argued Trump was unfit to return to the White House. If we’re running against him, let's run against him, one person urged. A draft of the statement was ready by Tuesday morning, before the indictment was unveiled. “Today’s indictment serves as an important reminder: Anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States," it read. “Our country is more important than one man. Our constitution is more important than any one man’s career." The next day, Pence continued to drive that message, telling reporters at the Indiana State Fair that, “Sadly the president was surrounded by a group of crackpot lawyers that kept telling him what his itching ears wanted to hear." On Fox, he pointed to “all the other legal issues around the president,” including a possible additional indictment in Georgia. Pence's team blasted out clips of the interview via email — “ICYMI: PENCE CHOSE THE CONSTITUTION OVER TRUMP AND ALWAYS WILL," they read — and Pence clashed with a conservative talk radio host who had characterized Pence's stance on the 6th as merely his “beliefs." The attention sparked by the Trump indictment also brought a cash infusion. The Pence campaign received 7,000 new contributions in the first 24 hours. While 5,000 of those stemmed from the more than one million pieces of direct mail the campaign recently sent out, it nonetheless marked a seven-fold increase from the campaign's usual daily haul and will likely qualify Pence for the first GOP debate in the coming days. Committed to America, the super PAC supporting Pence's candidacy, also increased its spending on digital ads amid heightened interest in Pence online. “This is the first of many moments Pence will have between now and the Iowa caucus,” said Scott Reed, the group's co-chair. The attention caught Trump's notice. “I feel badly for Mike Pence, who is attracting no crowds, enthusiasm, or loyalty from people who, as a member of the Trump Administration, should be loving him," Trump wrote on his Truth Social network, again repeating his false claims about Pence's role. Soon after, the campaign decided to move forward with the new merchandising plan. Marc Short, who was Pence's chief of staff on Jan. 6 and was referenced several times in the indictment, said Pence had grown increasingly tired of Trump's bad-mouthing. “I just think there's the reality that for two-and-a-half years, the president has misrepresented the events of that day and grossly distorted what the vice president's authority was and knowingly presented that in false ways to the American people. And I think that there's an understandable frustration," he said. “How much more can any one person ... tolerate?" While he said Short believes most Republican voters would rather be talking about other issues and focusing on Joe Biden, he said he always believed Pence's actions that day would serve as a point of strength. “I think people," he said, “respect him for upholding his oath under enormous pressure.” Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Mike Pence heckled by Trump supporters at town hall after rolling out mocking merch Chris Christie meets Volodymyr Zelensky in surprise Ukraine visit GOP presidential hopeful Chris Christie says 'inhumanity' of war is palpable during visit to Ukraine
2023-08-06 04:14
Influencer claims these seven words can prove your partner is cheating
A woman has claimed there a seven words that can prove that your partner is cheating on you. In a video on Instagram, influencer Mariah Fernando, who has more than 231,000 followers, said any man who uses the phrase “Go ahead and believe what you want” when confronted about being unfaithful probably has been. “If you’re confronting your man for cheating and he says [that], I hate to break it to you ladies, but that man is guilty. He is guilty,” she added. Commenting on her video, it's safe to say people were divided in their response. Some clearly didn't agree with her, with one writing: "No it doesn’t it means you’ve accused him so many times he doesn’t care anymore." "If you think someone is cheating just leave," advised another. "Don’t play games like you’re Sherlock Holmes. Usually the accuser is the guilty one anyway." And a third said: "So is a woman if she gives the same answer." Some were more on board with her claim, with one saying: “I agree because if he was innocent he would be aggressively defending himself." It doesn't sound like an exact science to us, but maybe it is something to look out for... Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-10-05 17:56
Colorado embraces broad law requiring patient consent for pelvic exams while sedated
Colorado medical providers will need to get patients’ prior consent before medical students can perform pelvic exams on them while they are unconscious for a procedure under a bill signed into law
2023-05-26 01:19
3 astronauts return to Earth after 6-month stay on China's space station
Three astronauts have returned to Earth after six months aboard China's orbiting space station
2023-10-31 11:36
‘Today’ meteorologist Al Roker faces backlash as fans criticize his playful teasing of co-host Craig Melvin in BTS video
Al Roker often shares behind-the-scenes videos on Instagram and this time he humorously imitated Craig Melvin which sparked mixed reactions from fans
2023-08-17 15:08
'Hunger Games' prequel reveals first look
"Every saga has a beginning." That's part of the message in the newly released trailer for "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes."
1970-01-01 08:00
Mets pitcher David Peterson to miss start of season following hip surgery
New York Mets pitcher David Peterson is projected to miss the start of next season following surgery to repair a torn labrum in left hip
2023-11-09 02:06
Protective boot just a precaution – James Maddison plays down ankle injury
Tottenham playmaker James Maddison has allayed fears over a potential right ankle injury by telling reporters he was wearing a protective boot for “precaution” after the 2-0 victory over Manchester United. Maddison starred in midfield to help Ange Postecoglou claimed a maiden Premier League win, with Pape Sarr’s first Spurs strike and an own goal by Lisandro Martinez handing the hosts a fine first victory of the season. Summer signing Maddison completed 90 minutes but was spotted leaving Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on crutches and in a protective boot on Saturday night. England international Maddison did suffer a blow to his right ankle during the second half of the United clash when Antony tackled him inside the area. It was not enough to prevent him finishing the match, but Maddison tried to play down concerns by revealing to the assembled media the protective boot was for “precaution” and he will now aim to recover in time for Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live
2023-08-20 15:04
Katie Taylor’s rematch with Chantelle Cameron made official as Irish icon eyes revenge
Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron will return to Dubin’s 3Arena for a rematch in November, six months after Cameron retained her super-lightweight titles against the Irish icon. Cameron beat Taylor via majority decision at the 3Arena in May, remaining undisputed champion and handing the 37-year-old her first professional loss in the process. Now Taylor, who is undisputed at lightweight, will get another shot at Cameron’s belts, when the pair square off on 25 November. “I’m delighted the rematch has been made,” said Taylor, “and I really can’t wait for another huge night in November. I relish challenges like this. These are the occasions I live for.” Meanwhile, England’s Cameron said: “Last time out I pulled off one of the best ever away wins against the best female fighter on the planet. To go over to Ireland for her homecoming, with my belts on the line, and beat her was a brilliant experience – but beating her on 25 November will surpass that. “I’ve boxed at that high level with a huge amount of pressure on me and the crowd against me,” added the unbeaten Cameron, 32. “I’m going to go in there with more aggression and energy, and I’m confident of getting the job done in better fashion. I’m going to be a lot better in the rematch. “I said it last time: I think I’m all wrong for Katie. I’m too big, I’m too strong, and my will to win is too strong. I’m going to be there all night long.” Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Conor Benn may face extra hurdle to fight, Eddie Hearn and British Boxing Board reveal Errol Spence Jr drops hint over next move in social-media update Terence Crawford’s masterclass puts him in conversation to be an all-time great
2023-08-02 23:29
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