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A Florida woman whose complaints led to school restrictions for a poem read at Joe Biden’s inauguration appears to have ties to several far-right groups, including the Ron DeSantis-supported Moms for Liberty and neo-fascist gang the Proud Boys. In a complaint requesting that her child’s school remove the books entirely, Daily Salinas claimed that The Hill We Climb – Amanda Gorman’s book-length version of the poem she read at the president’s inauguration ceremony – and several other titles contained references to critical race theory, gender ideology, “indirect hate messages,” and “indoctrination,” especially of socialism, according to documents shared by the Florida Freedom to Read Project. Her complaint prompted the school to restrict access to the book, along with The ABCs of Black History, Cuban Kids and Love to Langston. A school committee moved the books to the library’s middle school section, despite the books being recommended for younger readers. Ms Salinas told the Miami-Herald that she “is not for eliminating or censoring any books” but wants materials to be appropriate and for students “to know the truth” about Cuba. But she appears to have connections with or has expressed support for several far-right groups that have promoted sweeping restrictions against LGBT+ people and honest discussions of race and racism, according to a review of her social media history and online activity from Miami Against Fascism and The Daily Beast. In August 2021, she was photographed alongside Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio during a protest against Covid-19 protections in Miami-Dade schools. The following year, while wearing a Ron DeSantis T-shirt, she attended another rally organised by Proud Boys to support far-right activist Christoper Monzon, a 2017 “Unite the Right” rally attendee who was allegedly beaten while canvassing for Republican Senator Marco Rubio last year. Ms Salinas also was photographed posing with Mr Monzon and a small group of his supporters after his release from hospital. That same year, Ms Salinas also worked as a volunteer for the governor’s “Education Agenda Tour,” which promoted right-wing candidates in school board elections as part of his efforts to upend the state’s education system. Video from a Miami-Dade school board meeting in July 2022 appears to show Ms Salinas with the group Moms for Liberty disrupting the hearing to protest sex education textbooks that had previously been approved by the board. Footage shows police forcibly removing her from the meeting. Moms for Liberty, a right-wing group that emerged from protests over Covid-19 guidelines, has offered so-called bounties for reporting teachers who allegedly discuss “divisive topics” in schools, attacked The Trevor Project for supporting young LGBT+ people at risk of suicide, and launched a barrage of book challenges. The group has also won praise from Mr DeSantis, who appointed one of its members to a board that now controls properties operated by the Walt Disney Company for its massive Orlando park campus. The Independent has requested comment from the group’s Miami-Dade chapter. A review of Ms Salinas’ social media history includes a Facebook post calling the Proud Boys “los mejores”, or “the best.” “My Proud Boys,” she wrote in the post on April 2021, above a photo of Tarrio with other members of the group. In March of this year, she shared a Facebook post promoting the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” a fraudulent century-old piece of antisemitic propaganda. Ms Salinas appeared to have deleted the post after it was flagged by Miami Against Fascism on Twitter. She then posted an image of an Israeli Defense Force soldier with a caption reading: “People never seen this. I love my Jewish people.” “I want to apologize to the Jewish community,” she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on 24 May. “I’m not what the post says,” she added. “I love the Jewish community.” She also co-hosted a Spanish-language podcast – “Hablando Como Los Locos” – that published an episode with the caption “Learn more about Kanye West, his polemic, his message” on 5 December 2022. Four days earlier, the rapper appeared on Alex Jones’s InfoWars and praised Adolf Hitler. The Independent has requested comment from Ms Salinas. Mr DeSantis – who has entered the race for the 2024 Republican nomination for president – has ushered through sweeping laws to control public school education and lessons and speech he deems to be objectionable while characterising reporting on the impacts of such policies as a “hoax” and a “fake narrative” manufactured by the press. The state is at the centre of a nationwide trend of challenges against books and materials in libraries and schools, while the governor continues to falsely insist that no books have been banned as he launches his 2024 campaign. A trio of state laws enacted within the last school year include what opponents have called the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in all school grades, and laws that restrict discussions of race or racism, and mandate how schools catalog books on their shelves. Taken together, teachers and schools have been forced to remove materials out of fear of facing legal action without clear guidance, or have faced an increase in threats and challenges from activists emboldened by legislation. Last week, Penguin Random House and several prominent authors and families filed a federal lawsuit against a school district where activists have challenged dozens of books, largely involving or written by people of colour or LGBT+ people. In Escambia County alone, nearly 200 books have been challenged, at least 10 books have been removed by the school board, five books were removed by district committees, and 139 books require parental permission, according to an analysis from free expression group PEN America. In Florida’s Clay County, at least 100 books were pulled off shelves after challenges from a single person, PEN America found. Read More Amanda Gorman ‘gutted’ after poem banned at Florida school The book ban surge gripping America’s schools and libraries The school librarian in the middle of Louisiana’s war on libraries

A Delaware woman is facing decades in prison after pleading guilty to killing her 3-year-old daughter and dumping her burned remains on a softball field. Kristie Haas, 31, pleaded guilty Thursday to murder by abuse or neglect, abuse of a corpse, and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Prosecutors are recommending a sentence of 50 years in prison on the murder charge, suspended for non-custodial supervision after 30 years behind bars. The murder charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Prosecutors are recommending probation for the other counts and will drop several other felony and misdemeanor charges. “Yes, your honor,” Haas repeatedly intoned softly as Superior Court Judge Noel Primos asked whether she understood the nature of the charges and the consequences of entering a guilty plea. At the request of attorneys, Primos, who is not bound by the sentencing recommendation, deferred sentencing until July 10, the date on which a trial for Haas was to begin. Prosecutor Kevin Smith said the delay will allow time for relatives of the victim, Emma Grace Cole, to make arrangements to travel from out of state to attend the sentencing. Attorneys, in the meantime, will prepare sentencing memoranda. Smith said prosecutors are recommending a mental health evaluation of Haas. Defense attorney Patrick Collins told the judge that Haas is already being treated for bipolar disorder and depression. “She is current on her medications,” he said. The defense and prosecution disagree on whether Haas should be barred from having any contact with her three other children, as recommended by prosecutors, or whether she should be allowed contact pursuant to court orders. Collins declined to comment as he left the courtroom. The court entered a partial gag order in June 2021 restricting what attorneys could say about the case, which has drawn widespread media attention. The child’s body was found in September 2019 by a person walking a dog through Smyrna-Clayton Little Lass Fields, a softball park near Smyrna Middle School in central Delaware. At the time, Emma lived with her parents and siblings less than a mile from the ball field. Authorities believe Emma had been dead for several weeks before her body was found. Haas and her husband, Brandon Haas, who was the child’s stepfather, were arrested in Pennsylvania in October 2020, more than a year after the child’s body was found. Both were originally indicted on felony charges of child abuse, child endangerment and hindering prosecution involving Emma’s death, as well as misdemeanor child endangerment charges involving her siblings. Kristie Haas also was charged with felony assault, abusing a corpse and reckless burning. The charges against her were later upgraded to include two counts of murder. Authorities alleged that the couple withheld food and medical care from Emma and subjected her to “torture or maltreatment,” while also subjecting her and her siblings to excessive forced exercise and inappropriate physical discipline. A trial for Brandon Haas is set to begin July 10. He faces more than 40 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

Two members of Donald Trump’s staff moved boxes of documents just a day before the Department of Justice visited Mar-a-Lago, according to a report. The files were moved the day before FBI agents and a prosecutor visited the private club in Florida’s Palm Beach. The timing of the move is suspicious and a sign that obstruction may have taken place, according to The Washington Post. Mr Trump and his associates are alleged to have conducted a “dress rehearsal” for moving the sensitive files even before getting a subpoena in May last year. More follows...

New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mocked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign launch by noting that more people watched her gaming online than listened to the 44-year-old begin to make his case to the voters. Mr DeSantis started his campaign on Twitter Spaces alongside platform owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk and entrepreneur David Sacks. The launch was marred by tech issues, with the live broadcast crashing several times and the sound dropping out, which Mr Musk blamed on the servers being overwhelmed by the number of people trying to listen in. Ben Collins of NBC News tweeted on Wednesday night that “David Sacks just ludicrously made up that Ron DeSantis’ Twitter space was the largest group that ‘has ever met online.’ There are 100,000 people in this thing.” “We had more people join when I played Among Us,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez added. More than 400,000 people watched Ms Ocasio-Cortez and Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar play the game Among Us on Twitch in the lead-up to the 2020 election – one of the 20 most watched streams on the platform at the time, according to The Verge. Ms Ocasio-Cortez was far from the only one mocking the debacle of Mr DeSantis’s disastrous launch. Donald Trump Jr echoed his father’s ‘”low energy” comments about former Florida Governor Jeb Bush during the 2016 campaign, saying that “DeSantis is making JEB! look high energy right now”. Memes began to be shared of the Twitter Spaces chaos, including an edited video of Mr Trump tackling Mr DeSantis to the ground. After the tech issues plaguing the Twitter Spaces event finally faded, Mr DeSantis was mocked for his voice. “Now that the space has worked long enough for DeSantis to deliver consecutive desentences, all I’m seeing are tweets about how annoying his voice is,” Bobby Lewis tweeted. DNC member Thomas Kennedy added: “Holy s*** this is the worst campaign launch I have objectively ever seen. Embarrassing technical difficulties and consists of DeSantis rambling with his annoying nasally voice about the most niche hyper online right-wing issues that your average voter finds weird and alienating.” Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo, tweeted that “the initial space topped out at over 600k but this one is stuck at 139k”. The second space later hosted on the account of Mr Sacks reached more than 300,000 listeners, according to Twitter. “BuzzFeed exploding the watermelon hit 820,000 concurrent viewers in 2016,” Tom Gara noted. MSNBC host Chris Hayes said: “I’m sorry but this is an ASTOUNDINGLY HUMILIATING degree of incompetence. Unspinnable failure. Total and complete. Fully public.” Former Obama official and Pod Save America co-host Tommy Vietor tweeted on Wednesday evening that “doing a Twitter spaces conversation with Elon at some point during your campaign is a good idea, even if its glitchy. Making this awkward mess your presidential announcement is truly a disaster”. The right-wing account Catturd added: “I left the Space - It was so terrible and boring I couldn’t take it anymore. I’m going to go watch some paint dry so I can be more entertained.” Rep Matt Gaetz of Florida, a Trump supporter, simply wrote: “DeSedative.” Read More DeSantis wants to model America after Florida. Civil rights groups are sounding the alarm on his ‘hostile’ agenda DeSantis dismisses climate change, calling it ‘politicisation of weather’ Ron DeSantis news – live: DeSantis’ glitch-filled 2024 launch on Elon Musk’s Twitter Spaces branded ‘DeSaster’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday said he would “aggressively” use presidential pardons to free people who’ve been charged or convicted of crimes stemming from participation in the January 6 attack on the Capitol as well as former president Donald Trump. Speaking during an interview with hosts Buck Sexton and Clay Travis, Mr DeSantis claimed that the Department of Justice has been “weaponised” under the Biden Administration, and cited a laundry list of GOP grievances about federal law enforcement targeting conservative activists and other GOP figures who have allegedly violated federal laws. “What I’m going to do is — I’m going to do on day one – I will have folks that will get together and look at all these cases, who people are victims of weaponization or political targeting, and we will be aggressive at issuing pardons,” he said. Mr DeSantis downplayed what he described as “technical violations of the law” and suggested he’d issue pardons for January 6 rioters because Black Lives Matter protesters have not been prosecuted to the same extent by the federal government. “If there are other people who did the same thing, but just in a context like BLM and they don’t get prosecuted at all, that is uneven application of justice, and so we’re going to find ways where that did not happen. And then we will use the pardon power — and I will do that at the front end,” he said. Asked whether he’d look at granting blanket reprieves to Mr Trump, who is currently the target of multiple federal criminal probes including one looking at his alleged unlawful retention of national defence information and his efforts to obstruct that probe, the Florida governor said “any example of disfavoured treatment based on politics or weaponization” would be included in his review of charges brought under the Biden Administration, including the twice-impeached ex-president. Read More Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

The state of South Carolina has outlawed abortion at roughly six weeks of pregnancy, extending the sweeping restrictions and outright bans on abortion care across the entire US South, and threatening legal access to care for millions of Americans. Republican Governor Henry McMaster signed legislation into law on 25 May after the bill’s final passage earlier this week. It goes into effect immediately. Republican lawmakers in neighbouring North Carolina recently voted to override the Democratic governor’s veto of a bill outlawing abortion at 12 weeks of pregnancy, restricting abortion access in a state that has been a haven for abortion care in the year after the US Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v Wade. More than a dozen states, mostly in the South, have outlawed most abortions or severely restricted access within the year after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which revoked a constitutional right to abortion care that was affirmed for nearly half a century. Abortion rights restrictions in North Carolina and a six-week ban in South Carolina dramatically change the map for abortion access in the US, where abortions are banned in most cases from Texas to West Virginia and along the Gulf Coast, making legal access to care out of reach altogether across the Deep South. Abortion rights advocates and civil rights groups have filed a lawsuit to challenge South Carolina’s law in court. The lawsuit comes just four months after the state’s Supreme Court permanently struck down a nearly identical law, which the court determined ran afoul of the state’s constitution. Restrictions on abortion care “must be reasonable and it must be meaningful in that the time frames imposed must afford a woman sufficient time to determine she is pregnant and to take reasonable steps to terminate that pregnancy,” Justice Kaye Hearn wrote in the majority opinion on 5 January. “Six weeks is, quite simply, not a reasonable period of time for these two things to occur,” the judge added. Jenny Black, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, said in a statement that South Carolina lawmakers “have once again trampled on our right to make private health care decisions, ignoring warnings from health care providers and precedent set by the state’s highest court just a few months ago.” “The decision of if, when, and how to have a child is deeply personal, and politicians making that decision for anyone else is government overreach of the highest order,” she added. “We will always fight for our patients’ ability to make their own decisions about their bodies and access the health care they need. We urge the court to take swift action to block this dangerous ban on abortion.” Governor McMcaster has pledged to defend the law in court. “We stand ready to defend this legislation against any challenges and are confident we will succeed,” he said in a statement. “The right to life must be preserved, and we will do everything we can to protect it.” Read More Mother forced to give birth to stillborn son joins lawsuit against Texas abortion ban Senator who voted for anti-trans bill that passed by one vote admits she wasn’t paying attention Twitter's launch of DeSantis' presidential bid underscores platform's rightward shift under Musk Timeline: How Georgia and South Carolina nuclear reactors ran so far off course Georgia nuclear rebirth arrives 7 years late, $17B over cost

American Airlines Group Inc's Chief Financial Officer Devon May said on Thursday the court ruling on the Northeast

The horrifying case of four University of Idaho students butchered in an off-campus home has taken another dramatic twist after it emerged that the parents of their accused killer are testifying in a separate case thousands of miles away in Pennsylvania. In a bombshell development this week, it emerged that Bryan Kohberger’s parents have been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury investigating the disappearance and death of mother-of-three Dana Smithers. Smithers, 45, was last seen alive in May 2022. Her remains were finally discovered last month, with her cause of death still a mystery. It remains unclear what connection – if any – her disappearance and death may have to Mr Kohberger, who was living close to Smithers at the time she vanished. But multiple reports have revealed that Mr Kohberger’s parents Michael and Maryann Kohberger have been ordered to testify in the case. A source told CNN that the accused killer’s mother has already given evidence to the grand jury while his father is expected to testify on Thursday. Any information in the case can then be turned over to prosecutors in Idaho who have charged Mr Kohberger with the quadruple murders of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. While many questions remain unanswered, here’s what we know about Dana Smithers and what happened to the mother-of-three. Mysterious disappearance In May 2022, Smithers vanished without a trace from Monroe County – the same county in Pennsylvania where Mr Kohberger was living at the time before moving cross-country to Washington state in the summer to pursue a graduate degree program in criminal justice. A ring video camera captured Smithers leaving a neighbour’s house at around 11.05pm on 28 May, holding her cellphone in her hand. She was never seen alive again. What was especially odd was that Smithers’ cellphone, wallet and daily medication were all found at her home. Earlier that day, Smithers and her youngest daughter, 7, had gone to a local festival at the Happy Hour Bar and Grille in Stroudsburg with her daughter’s father. Smithers’ sister Stacey told NBC’s Dateline in December that the couple were no longer together but were still on good terms. At the festival, Smithers appeared to be having a good time, dancing and saying hello to people. The three later returned to the home that Smithers, her daugher and Smithers’ mother shared. Later that night, best friend Tara Cioni said that Smithers called into her home to hang out. The two women lived just a couple of doors down from each other and would often just stop by to see each other on an evening. “We’re best friends. She’s been my neighbor for 16 years. We’ve raised our children together,” Ms Cioni told Dateline. “It was an open door policy, like, with her. So she came in and she was here for a little bit.” Ms Cioni said that, in hindsight, she wonders if something was troubling her friend that night. Smithers – who had a history of substance abuse – was smoking, something she only did if she was “nervous” or on edge. Ms Cioni said that Smithers later asked her if she wanted to come back to her house to hang out but she was tired so said she was going to bed. That was the last time anyone saw her. “If I would have known that was the last time I would have seen her, I would have definitely asked more questions but I was sort of like, ‘I’m going to bed,’” she said. Looking back, she said that she doesn’t think Smithers was using drugs again. “I really don’t think it was that,” she said. Her sister added that Smithers had recently had her medication adjusted and appeared to be “getting much better” at the time. It was the following morning when Smithers’ mother realised her daughter had not come home that night. Initially, the family wasn’t too concerned as Stacey said the 45-year-old had stayed out all night in the past. But, when she didn’t show up for Memorial Day celebrations with the family on 30 May, they knew something must be wrong. Smithers and her children, aged 25, 23 and 7, had a family tradition to go to Knoebels Park in Pennsylvania ever Memorial Day. “She would not have missed Memorial Day,” said Stacey, adding that she would also never have left her youngest child for that long. “She didn’t do anything that didn’t involve her kids,” she said. “That was her thing. I mean she was always there with the kids.” Smithers was finally reported missing days later after Stacey said law enforcement initially didn’t take her disappearance seriously. In June, the Pennsylvania State Police and local police carried out searches with cadaver dogs at Glen Park in Stroudsburg – a heavily wooded area close to her home. The search did not turn up anything and the case went cold for months. A missing persons report described Smithers as a 45-year-old white female, 5 foot 5 inches, approximately 165 pounds, with brown eyes, brown hair and last seen wearing black jeans with a burgundy shirt. For almost a year, the mother-of-three’s family desperately searched for answers and Smither’s case featured in an episode of NBC’s Dateline in December 2022 – one month after the four students were murdered in Idaho. Stacey feared the worst, saying: “I think something happened. I don’t think she’s here anymore.” Remains found Almost one year later – on 27 April – Smithers’ remains were found in a wooded area in Stroudsburg. Stroud Area Regional Police said that a Borough employee had discovered decomposing human remains in a wooded area close to Park Avenue in the Borough of Stroudsburg. Due to extensive decomposition, the gender and identity of the individual was unclear at the time. Using dental records, the remains were later identified as belonging to Smithers. Her cause and manner of death is not yet known. What is Bryan Kohberger’s connection to the case? There are many unanswered questions around what happened to Smithers – and what it may have to do with Mr Kohberger. It is currently unclear why Mr Kohberger’s parents Michael and Maryann Kohberger have been called to testify in the case. A lawyer for Mr Kohberger’s parents tried to have the subpoenas cancelled but was unsuccessful, the source told CNN. Pennsylvania judges will be permitted to share transcripts of the grand jury witness testimony with law enforcement agencies across the country in Idaho. At the time of Smithers’ disappearance in May 2022, Mr Kohberger was also living in Monroe County with his family. That summer, he then moved cross-country to Pullman for a graduate program in criminal justice at Washington State University (WSU). A few months later on 13 November, he allegedly broke into an off-campus student home just over the border in Moscow, Idaho, and murdered the four college students. He was back at his parents’ home in the Pocono Mountains for the holidays when police swooped and arrested him for the quadruple murders on 30 December. In that case, it remains unclear what motive and what connection Mr Kohberger may have had to the victims. And now, in Smithers’ case, a possible link also remains unclear. Mr Kohberger is said to have a solid alibi for Smithers’ disappearance and is likely not connected to her death, a source told Eyewitness News. But the grand jury investigation is still ongoing and no findings have been revealed. Back in January, Stacey posted an update on the Facebook page “Finding Dana” saying that many people had contacted her about a possible link between her sister’s disappearance and the Idaho murders. “Thank you to everyone who has been reaching out recently regarding the possibility of the suspect in the horrific murders in Idaho having been in our area around the time of my sister, Dana’s disappearance,” she wrote. “I have forwarded all of your suggestions on to local law enforcement. Please pray for everyone involved.” However, it comes following a report that one of the accused killer’s older sisters grew increasingly suspicious that her brother could have been involved in the Idaho murders prior to his arrest. Her suspicions were so great that – at one point – several family members searched Mr Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra for possible evidence of the crime when the family gathered to spend the holidays together, sources told NBC’s Dateline. They found nothing but investigators had already allegedly seen Mr Kohberger scrubbing his car with bleach. Read More Bryan Kohberger – live: Idaho murders suspect’s parents secretly testify over woman found dead in Pennsylvania Idaho murders suspect’s parents ordered to testify in case of missing woman found dead last month Families of slain University of Idaho students prepare to sue college over murders

Due to technical difficulties, a number of people were unable to tune into Gov Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign announcement on Twitter Spaces on Wednesday. But people who were able to tune in were treated to, among other things, Elon Musk complaining about his comparisons to white supremacist David Duke. “Florida is great state and I think... people realize that the some of the things that have been said are just truly absurd,” Mr Musk said partway through his conversation with Mr DeSantis, moderator David Sacks, and others. “I mean, I saw some headline from The Atlantic basically claiming that anyone who listens to this Spaces on Twitter is basically a Nazi.” Mr Musk was mistaken about the publication that seemingly compared him to a former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. The outlet that made the comparison was Vanity Fair, not The Atlantic, and its headline read “Report: Ron DeSantis Will Formally Announce His 2024 Bid With Elon Musk, Because Apparently David Duke Wasn’t Available.” The headline was widely criticised in conservative media as over-the-top. Mr DeSantis’s gamble in launching his campaign on Twitter was widely panned as a failure after technical difficulties derailed the beginning of the Spaces conversation between the candidate and Mr Musk. Meanwhile, some people were caught off guard by the discussion of Mr Duke. After Mr Musk’s comments about the Vanity Fair headline, Mr DeSantis mused that the headline was the result of the failings of “legacy media” and “corporate journalists.” “They’re in their little bubble, and to draw allusions to stuff like that — I mean, how crazy do you have to be? But in their little bubble, sounds like they’re making some type of profound point,” Mr DeSantis said. “And so part of, I think, what Twitter is standing for is, people should be exposed to different viewpoints. And I think the elites in our society have tried to cluster themselves to where their assumptions are never challenged. And that’s not a good way I think to live.” Mr DeSantis has long been touted as a top threat to former President Donald Trump’s supremacy over the Republican Party, but his poll numbers have fallen in recent months as Mr Trump and his allies have made him the target of numerous attacks. Read More Ron DeSantis news – live: Elon Musk’s Twitter Spaces crashes ruining Florida governor’s 2024 campaign launch Ron DeSantis 2024 launch with Elon Musk derailed by tech issues amid awkward jokes about ‘melting servers’

Donald Trump has posted a fake clip of Ron DeSantis’ 2024 launch on Twitter Spaces – featuring George Soros, Adolf Hitler and the devil. The former president went on the attack against the Florida governor before, during and after the hotly-anticipated launch event, as the two men prepare to go head-to-head for the Republican nomination. In one of his most bizarre attacks, Mr Trump posted a two-minute video on his Truth Social page which had been doctored to look like Mr DeSantis’ Twitter Spaces event. However, the participants in the fake event included Nazi leader Hitler, billionaire businessman Mr Soros, World Economic Forum chairman Klaus Schwab, late former vice president Dick Cheney, the FBI and the devil – as well as Musk, Mr DeSantis and Mr Trump. The clip suggested that the medley of participants were all backing Mr DeSantis’ run for president while also poking fun at the technical glitches that plagued the Florida governor’s launch event, with a coughing Mr Sorors – a constant target of far-right conspiracy theories – struggling to connect with the participants at the start. It also pushed a conspiracy that the FBI if out to “take out” Mr Trump, with a fake agent joining the call and asking: “So how are we going to take out Trump guys?” After being told the event is open to the public, the fake FBI agent quickly leaves the call. Following a brief and chaotic announcement from Mr DeSantis, a fake Mr Trump jumps into the conversation at the end where he vows to fight back against each of the call participants. “Hold your horses Elon, the real president is going to say a few words,” he says. “Devil, I’m going to kick your a** very soon. Hitler you’re already dead, Dick Cheney it sounds like you’ll be joining Hitler very soon. “Klaus Schwab and George Soros, I’m putting both your a**es in jail and Ron DeSanctimonious you can kiss my big, beautiful 2024 presidential a**. Trump 2024 baby, let’s go.” Mr Trump made several other posts mocking Mr DeSantis’ entrance into the 2024 race, branding it a “disaster” and posting a video of a Tesla rocket with “Ron” written over it crashing. Mr DeSantis’ hotly-anticipated 2024 campaign launch plunged into chaos on Wednesday night when it was marred by technical glitches from the off. The Florida governor, 44, chose to announce his presidential run in an unconventional way – in a Twitter Spaces event with Musk and controversial entrepreneur David Sacks. But, the event got off to a rocky start when it crashed several times and the sound repeatedly dropped out. While Musk claimed the servers were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people tuning in to listen, Mr DeSantis faced ridicule for the underwhelming launch from online commentators and both sides of the political aisle. Mr Trump’s son Don Jr coined the term “DeSaster” – a hashtag that soon began trending on Twitter – while Mr Trump ally Matt Gaetz simply tweeted: “DeSedative”. President Joe Biden also joined in the ridicule, posting a link to his donation page with the quip: “This link works.” Democratic congresswoman AOC joked that she had more viewers join her online when she famously played Among Us on Twitch. Mr DeSantis, who is seen as Mr Trump’s biggest rival for the Republican vote, sought to brush off the debacle in a Fox News interview. In the launch, he laid out his plans for his campaign run – speaking mostly about the issues of the right-wing culture war that he has made a centrepiece of his role as Florida governor. “I am running for president of the United States to lead our great American comeback,” Mr DeSantis said. “American decline is not inevitable. It is a choice,” he said. “And we should choose a new direction, a path that will lead to American revitalisation.” Read More Ron DeSantis news – live: Elon Musk’s Twitter Spaces crashes ruining Florida governor’s 2024 campaign launch Ron DeSantis mocked yet again for campaign ad packed with Elon Musk footage Can Ron DeSantis beat Donald Trump? These Florida political veterans aren’t so sure Can Ron DeSantis beat Donald Trump? These Florida political veterans aren’t so sure DeSantis aide voices confusion about history of US flag after campaign teaser video Elon Musk’s Twitter Spaces crashes ruining Ron DeSantis’s 2024 campaign launch – live

Oprah Winfrey is reportedly being considered to replace Dianne Feinstein should the 89-year-old California senator choose to retire. A list of names, that includes the talk show host, is being considered, according to the Associated Press. This comes as Ms Feinstein’s office confirmed last week that the longest-serving Democrat in the current US Senate is suffering health complications from a recent case of shingles. A spokesperson told CNN that Ms Feinstein experienced Ramsay Hunt syndrome and encephalitis as part of the diagnosis. “While the encephalitis resolved itself shortly after she was released from the hospital in March, she continues to have complications from Ramsay Hunt syndrome,” the spokesperson said on Thursday. Ms Feinstein returned to the Senate earlier this month after her bout of shingles to cast her vote. Following her return, she spoke to reporters and denied she was ever absent. She has faced calls to resign due to questions around her cognitive abilities. Governor Gavin Newsom has the authority to name a successor to fill Ms Feinstein’s seat if a vacancy arises. He could even pick himself, though that is unlikely. State rules dictate when an election would have to be held. According to the AP report, the governor could also select a caretaker. Voters would then decide in next year’s election on someone who would hold the seat but is not a Senate candidate. The report said that is where names like Winfrey’s come up. Winfrey, a famous celebrity and media proprietor, happens to meet Mr Newsom’s pledge to appoint a Black woman to the seat. However, the governor might find it challenging to land on someone willing to take a short-term appointment. Mr Newsom recently said in an interview that he was swamped with recommendations for how to fill the possible Senate vacancy. He called Ms Feinstein a mentor and one of his closest friends, and said he hoped he never had to make the decision to fill her seat. “I get it. For those who say, ‘Enough of Newsom making these picks!’ I get it. I’m with you. I understand,” he was quoted as saying to Fox 11 TV in Los Angeles. Winfrey is one of the world’s most famous media personalities, and has a multi-billion-dollar net worth. Her talk show – The Oprah Winfrey Show – which ran for 25 years until 2011, was one of the biggest daytime talk shows of all time. While she said she will never run for president in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in 2016, she admitted she had considered it briefly. Read More Diane Feinstein denies she was ever absent from US Senate after months spent recovering from shingles California governor faces tough question of who would replace Dianne Feinstein if she steps down The danger of America’s ageing politicians Louis Vuitton takes Baroque and botanical cues from Italy's Isola Bella for Cruise 2024 collection Tina Turner, unstoppable superstar whose hits included 'What's Love Got to Do With It,' dead at 83 California governor faces tough question of who would replace Dianne Feinstein

Ron DeSantis’ hotly-anticipated 2024 campaign launch fell flat on Wednesday night when it was marred by technical glitches from the off. The Florida governor, 44, chose to announce his presidential run in an unconventional way – in a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk and David Sacks. But, the event got off to a rocky start when it crashed several times and the sound repeatedly dropped out. While Musk claimed the servers were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people tuning in to listen, Mr DeSantis faced ridicule for the underwhelming launch from online commentators and both sides of the political aisle. His main Republican rival Donald Trump jumped at the chance to brand the launch a “disaster” while his son Don Jr coined the term “DeSaster” – a hashtag that soon began trending on Twitter. President Joe Biden also joined in the ridicule, posting a link to his donation page with the quip: “This link works.” Meanwhile, AOC joked that she had more viewers join when she famously played Among Us on Twitch. Mr DeSantis, who is seen as Mr Trump’s biggest rival for the Republican vote, sought to brush off the debacle in a Fox News interview. Read More Ron DeSantis 2024 launch with Elon Musk derailed by tech issues amid awkward jokes about ‘melting servers’ Trump and DeSantis' rivalry intensifies as Florida governor formally enters 2024 presidential race His 2024 launch was laughable but DeSantis could be more dangerous than Trump Billionaires, media bashing and woke ‘bubbles’: Key takeaways from Ron DeSantis’ campaign rollout