List of All Articles with Tag 'eric'

Fox News host Jesse Watters received a lot of advice from his mother on air on the very first night of his show on the network in which he replaced a primetime slot previously hosted by Tucker Carlson. Watters’ mother has sent critical text messages to her son since 2017, when he became co-host of The Five. Later, producers introduced a segment called “Mom Texts” in which he regularly read aloud his mother’s texts to him. On his first night as Carlson’s replacement on the 8pm ET slot on 17 July, his mother started by congratulating him. “Congratulations, honeybun. We are so proud of you and your accomplishments ... Now let’s aim to have you keep your job. And to that end, I do have some suggestions,” she told her son on his Jesse Watters Primetime. “Do not tumble into any conspiracy rabbit holes. We do not want to lose you and we want no lawsuits, OK?” she said. Carlson, the previous regular 8pm Fox host, was fired by Fox News earlier this year after the network agreed to a $787.5m legal settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. The lawsuit filed by the company alleged Carlson and other Fox News personalities and their guests amplified bogus statemenets and conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election. “I want you to seek solutions, versus fanning the flames,” Ms Watters told her son. She told him to “use your voice responsibly, to promote conversation that maintains a narrative thread.” “There really has been enough Biden bashing. And the laptop [Hunter Biden’s laptop controversy] is old,” she added. “Perhaps you could suggest that your people take less interest, for example, in other people’s bodies, and talk about that,” she said, a likely reference to his ongoing segments ridiculing transgender people and his commentary on abortion. (Last year, Watters called a very real story about a 10-year-old girl who needed abortion care a ”hoax” and “politically timed disinformation”, then tried to take credit for putting “pressure” on the investigation after a suspect was arrested.) She also mocked Donald Trump by referring to him as “that Bedminster friend” of her son’s. “You could encourage that Bedminster friend of yours to return to his earlier career on television. Everyone in his audience could wear a red hat and I’m sure the ratings would soar, although never as high, my darling, as yours,” she said. Ms Watters also urged her son to take cognisance of the Hippocratic Oath – “do no harm” – and to “be kind and respectful”, even though she acknowledged that her son mentioned the idea of him being “humble” might be “a stretch”. Watters’ honed his reputation on the network with brash, offensive man-on-the-street interview segments and deliberately provacative commentary that has drawn widespread criticism and accusations of sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and election denialism, including incendiary statements aired days before the attack on the US Capitol. Unlike Carlson, who arrived at Fox after on-air roles at competing networks, Watters is something of a Fox company man, moving up in the ranks over more than 20 years while adopting the hostile posture and talking points of some of its biggest stars, with a self-satisfied grin. Read More Far-right pundits and lawmakers evangelise and crown Trump and Tucker at Turning Point’s Florida conference US support for Ukraine emerges as key dividing line between GOP 2024 hopefuls in Tucker Carlson-hosted forum Tucker Carlson and Mike Pence clash in heated exchange over Ukraine at GOP 2024 forum Meet Jesse Watters, the Fox News host helming Tucker Carlson’s primetime slot He was a loyal Fox News viewer before he starred in a conspiracy theory. Now Ray Epps is suing

Police in New York City have revealed they are exploring potential links between Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann and other unsolved murders outside of Long Beach. An NYPD official told ABC News the 59-year-old is being looked at in connection to missing persons cases and murders across all five boroughs of New York City. The married father-of-two’s DNA has been entered into a statewide database and his alleged MO is being compared to other cases – including those during the period he was allegedly active in Gilgo Beach. Mr Heuermann is charged with the murders of three women who vanished between 2007 and 2010, and is the prime suspect in a fourth murder. It’s not clear whether he committed any more alleged crimes between the discovery of the bodies in 2010 and his arrest 13 years later. He lived close to Gilgo Beach in Massapequa Park but worked in the heart of Midtown Manhattan where he runs an architecture firm. He also has ties to South Carolina and Las Vegas, owning properties in both locations. Mr Heuermann’s attorney released a statement on Monday, insisting he is innocent and that officials have ignored “more significant and stronger leads”. Read More Police release haunting 911 call from woman later found dead as possible serial killer probe continues: ‘There’s somebody after me’ Long Island police search for ‘body parts’ in storage unit tied to Gilgo Beach murders suspect Rex Heuermann Rex Heuermann’s lawyer dismisses evidence against ‘loving father and husband’ in Gilgo Beach murders case

The Pentagon leak suspect has contested a judge’s ruling for his continued detention and used Donald Trump’s classified documents case to argue for his release. Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira, who is alleged to have leaked secret military papers, told the judge on Monday of the contrasting treatment received by him and Mr Trump. He pointed to the pretrial release of the former president and other individuals facing charges in similarly high-profile cases involving classified documents. In May, a magistrate judge ruled that 21-year-old Mr Teixeira must stay in custody throughout the duration of the case, as there was a concern that releasing him could lead to a potential flight from the country or obstruction of justice. Mr Teixeira’s legal team is currently seeking to challenge this decision by requesting a different judge to overturn the ruling. The attorneys for Mr Teixeira argue that the government “greatly over exaggerates” his “risk to national security”. Mr Teixeira’s lawyers pointed out a notable inconsistency in the treatment of their client compared to the former president and his co-defendant, Walt Nauta. They highlighted that the prosecutors did not pursue detention for Mr Trump or Mr Nauta, despite both individuals having significant resources and “extraordinary means to flee the United States”. This discrepancy raises questions about the fairness and equal application of the law in their client’s case, the attorneys argued. “Former president Trump and the Trump Organization own properties in multiple foreign countries, and former president Trump has access to a private plane. Yet, the risk of flight posed by their knowledge of national security information, and their abnormal ability to flee, didn’t even result in a request that either surrender their passport,” Mr Teixeira’s lawyers wrote. “The government’s disparate approach to pretrial release in these cases demonstrates that its argument for Mr Teixeira’s pretrial detention based on knowledge he allegedly retains is illusory,” Mr Teixeira’s lawyers wrote. Mr Teixeira faces accusations of sharing classified military documents pertaining to Russia’s war in Ukraine and other sensitive national security subjects on Discord, a social media platform widely used by individuals engaged in online gaming. Last month, Mr Teixeira entered a plea of not guilty to six counts of wilful retention and transmission of national defence information. If convicted on each count, he could face a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison for each offence. Read More After secret documents leak, Pentagon plans tighter controls to protect classified information Pentagon documents leak suspect Guardsman Jack Teixeira is due back in court on federal charges National Guardsman Jack Teixeira indicted for sharing classified defence documents on Discord Citing Trump case, Pentagon leak suspect Teixeira urges judge to release him while he awaits trial House Republicans propose planting a trillion trees as they move away from climate change denial Trump loses bid to throw out Georgia election interference case – live

A string of murders in the Portland, Oregon metro area that police previously said were unrelated have now been linked as authorities identified a person of interest. Deputies in nine different police departments released a joint statement on Monday saying the deaths of four women who were found either near or on the sides of roads between February and May are somehow connected. The women have been identified as Kristin Smith, 22, Charity Lynn Perry, 24, Bridget Leann (Ramsay) Webster, 31, and Ashely Real, 22. Police haven’t identified the person of interest linking the deaths yet or filed any charges. Local media sites have identified the alleged person at the center of the investigation, but this information is unconfirmed. Read More Deaths of four women in Portland linked to person of interest, authorities say

Georgia’s Supreme Court on Monday dismissed an attempt from Donald Trump to shut down key parts of a probe from state officials investigating him for potential interference in the 2020 election. The high court found in a unanimous ruling that the former president hadn’t shown the kind of “extraordinary circumstances” that would require the Georgia Supreme Court to intervene in the case and toss out key portions of evidence. “(Trump) has not shown that this case presents one of those extremely rare circumstances in which this Court’s original jurisdiction should be invoked, and therefore, the petition is dismissed,” the ruling states. The judges also were not persuaded by Mr Trump’s arguments that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be removed from the case. On 11 July, a new set of grand jurors were sworn in for the long-running investigation who could potentially be the ones to approve an indictment against the former president. Since February 2021, officials in Fulton County have been investigating the conduct of Mr Trump and his allies in the state during the hotly contested 2020 election, where Joe Biden narrowly carried the state. The investigation has focused on an infamous 2 January, 2021, call Mr Trump placed to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, urging the top official to “find” enough votes for him to overturn his defeat in the state, but has expanded to cover a wide-ranging influence campaign Mr Trump and his allies exerted in Georgia. Another key area of focus is a December 2020 plot, allegedly directed by Trump campaign officials and potentially the former president himself, to organize a slate of unauthorised Republican electors to cast the state’s Electoral College votes, rather than the Democratic slate Georgia voters had selected. The group of false electors included the chair of the Georgia GOP and Republican members of the state legislature. They’ve defended their efforts as a back-up in case the original election results were tossed out in court. Mr Trump has denied wrongdoing. Ms Willis has suggested a decision on charges against Mr Trump could come as soon as August. Charges in Georgia would join the other unprecedented sanctions against the former president, including felony charges in New York for a hush money scheme involving a porn star and federal charges against Mr Trump for his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Read More Trump news – live: Manchin run could help Trump as ex-president eyes two of his GOP 2024 rivals for VP Citing Trump case, Pentagon leak suspect Teixeira urges judge to release him while he awaits trial Senior ex-intelligence official warns second Trump term could fatally destabilise US, new book says Georgia's top court rejects Trump attempt to thwart prosecutor in 2020 election investigation 9th Circuit denies bid by environmentalists and tribes to block Nevada lithium mine Trump praises judge overseeing classified documents case: ‘She loves our country’

The husband of the viral “pink beret” protester at the Capitol riot has been identified and arrested. Spencer Geller was photographed wearing a red Maga hat and a puffy black coat and carrying a big blue flag on 6 January alongside the “pink beret” rioter, according to an FBI affidavit. Mr Geller “can be seen pushing bike racks into a line of officers during the time of the initial breach on the West side of the U.S. Capitol,” the affidavit said. After the breach, the affidavit continued, he can be seen “at various other points within the restricted area” at the Capitol building, accompanied by photographs of his movements. “He was one of the first individuals to arrive at the West Plaza,” the FBI wrote. Mr Geller was previously referred to as #CaliGreat. The “pink beret” rioter was previously identified as Jennifer Vargas Geller. Photos of her went viral after the FBI tweeted them out asking for tips in April. Mrs Geller’s ex reported her to the FBI in a complaint in May, the document said, and she was charged with multiple counts. The affidavit also said that the tipster believed that the two are now married and may have been travelling to Japan. Mr Geller also faces multiple counts, according to the affidavit, which was dated 13 July. Read More Capitol riot suspect arrested near Barack Obama's home indicted on firearms charges Special counsel issues criminal warning to Trump Organization employee over alleged obstruction, report says FBI director shoots down ‘ludicrous’ January 6 conspiracy theory

Former President Donald Trump praised a judge he appointed as he awaits to hear about his request to delay the trial in the classified documents case until after the 2024 election. “I know it’s a very highly respected judge. A very smart judge, and a very strong judge,” Mr Trump said on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, referring to federal Judge Aileen Cannon. Judge Cannon also presided over the court proceedings surrounding the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago. Host Maria Bartiromo pointed out that the federal judge was appointed by Mr Trump. He replied, “I did, and I’m very proud to have appointed her.” “But she’s very smart and very strong, and loves our country,” the former president continued. “We need judges that love our country so they do the right thing.” Attorneys for Mr Trump — and his co-defendent Walt Nauta — wrote in a filing on Monday: “Proceeding to trial during the pendency of a Presidential election cycle wherein opposing candidates are effectively (if not literally) directly adverse to one another in this action will create extraordinary challenges in the jury selection process and limit the Defendants’ ability to secure a fair and impartial adjudication.” Last month Mr Trump pleaded not guilty to the 37 count federal indictment in the classified documents case, which is led by Special Counsel Jack Smith. Judge Cannon was criticised last year when she issued what many legal experts saw as an unusually broad decision to appoint a “special master” to review the documents seized by the FBI from Mr Trump’s home. She temporarily barred federal agents and prosecutors from reviewing a batch of classified documents seized during the search. However, her order was ultimately thrown out in a scathing opinion by a federal appeals court, which found she had overstepped. While Mr Trump’s supporters had cheered her ruling as a check on what they viewed as a politically motivated probe, others accused her of trying to help the former president. With reporting from the Associated Press Read More Is DeSantis campaign dead in the water? The money says yes Donald Trump Jr says he wouldn’t have got away with having cocaine at White House: ‘Luckily it’s not my thing’ Fox News anchor and Trump superfan Maria Bartiromo shocks by pushing back on ex-president: ‘You didn’t drain the swamp’

Progressive Action Fund launched a new ad attacking crackdowns on reproductive rights ahead of an Ohio ballot measure, featuring an elderly Republican congressman in a couple’s bedroom. The ad begins with a sex scene in which a woman asks, “Do you have a condom?” The man reaches for the condom in a bedside table drawer, and another suit-covered arm reaches for it as well, shocking the couple. “Sorry, you can’t use those,” says an older man, clad in a black suit and red tie, while standing beside the bed. The woman asks who he is. “I’m your Republican congressman. Now that we’re in charge, we’re banning birth control,” he says. “This is our decision, not yours,” the woman replies, adding, “Get out of our bedroom!” The Republican congressman says eerily, “I won the last election, I’m not going anywhere. I’m just gonna watch and make sure you don’t do anything illegal.” The ad then ends with a frame of the Republican congressman’s face next to text that reads: “Keep republicans out of your bedroom.” It urges voters to “vote no” on 8 August, in reference to State Issue 1, which would require proposed amendments to Ohio’s constitution “receive the approval of at least 60 per cent of eligible voters voting on the proposed amendment.” If passed, State Issue 1 would replace a simple majority requirement. The argument for Issue 1 states that it “protects our Constitution from deep-pocketed, out-of-state interests,” while the argument against it states that “it takes away our freedom by undermining the sacred principle of ‘one person, one vote’ and destroys majority rule in Ohio.” A number of people have said the amendment is all about preventing abortion access. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose disagreed, “Some people say this is all about abortion.” Instead, he said, it was about protecting the state from special interest groups: “Well, you know what, I’m pro-life. I think many of you are as well. This is 100% about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution. The left wants to jam it in there this coming November.” “If you live in Ohio, watch this steamy and horrifying ad and vote against raising the number for ballot initiatives to pass to 60%,” Jill Wine-Banks tweeted. Read More Ohio's Republican secretary of state, Frank LaRose, launches his campaign for US Senate Watchdog calls for House committee to uninvite RFK Jr. after his comments are blasted as antisemitic Ohio police officers struggle to get mayonnaise jar off raccoon’s head in CCTV footage Unhealthy air quality lingers across parts of U.S. from drifting Canadian wildfire smoke Watchdog calls for House committee to uninvite RFK Jr. after his comments are blasted as antisemitic Ohio's Republican secretary of state, Frank LaRose, launches his campaign for US Senate

Donald Trump is considering his Republican 2024 rivals as potential running mates should he win the GOP nomination. The former president told Fox News on Sunday that his running mate could “possibly” be among those in the 2024 field. He said that Vivek Ramaswamy has “done a very good job” and Senator Tim Scott is a “very good guy” but stopped short of saying who he would pick if the time came. Over the weekend, Mr Trump headlined the first of a two-day conference hosted by right-wing political activist group Turning Point USA alongside far-right lawmakers, candidates and pundits, including Tucker Carlson and Matt Gaetz. In his rambling Saturday night address condemned investigations and criminal indictments against him while telling Ron DeSantis to “get home to Florida,” accusing his rival for the Republican nomination for president of neglecting the governor’s office. Meanwhile, Senator Joe Manchin is continuing to feed speculation about his political future by appearing at an event with No Labels as he weighs whether to make a third-party run for president. Some Democrats fear a No Labels-backed candidacy would siphon votes away from President Joe Biden and enable Mr Trump to win another term as president. Read More Donald Trump brands US a ‘third-world hellhole’ run by ‘perverts’ and ‘thugs’ Ron DeSantis campaign fires staff as Florida governor trails Trump in the polls Fundraising takeaways: Trump and DeSantis in their own tier as Pence and other Republicans struggle RFK Jr revives antisemitic conspiracy theory that Covid-19 was ‘ethnically targeted’ to spare Jewish people

The White House on Monday condemned anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr’s claim that the virus which causes Covid-19 was somehow engineered to target white and Black people while sparing Asians and Jews of Eastern European descent as an example of antisemitism that puts Americans at risk. During a press event in New York City on 11 July, Mr Kennedy baselessly stated that “there is an argument to be made” that the disease is “ethnically targeted” and claimed that the Sars-CoV-2 virus was “targeted to attack Cucasians and Black people” even as “those who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese”. Mr Kennedy later falsely claimed that he had made the remarks at an off-the-record event and attacked the New York Post who had reported on his offensive comments, accusing him of trying to “to discredit [him] as a crank — and by association, to discredit revelations of genuine corruption and collusion.” His comments were widely condemned by numerous Jewish groups including the Anti-Defamation League, which called them “deeply offensive” pointed out that they “feed into sinophobic and antisemitic conspiracy theories”. Speaking at the White House daily press briefing on Monday, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to respond to Mr Kennedy directly, citing his status as a 2024 presidential candidate. But Ms Jean-Pierre said the anti-vaccine activist’s comments were insensitive to the “countless” American families with empty seats at the dinner table because they’ve lost people to the virus since it began spreading across the globe in March 2020. Continuing, Ms Jean-Pierre said the claims Mr Kennedy made on a tape which was published by The New York Post were “false” as well as “vile,” and said they “put our fellow Americans in danger”. “if you think about the racist and antisemitic conspiracy theories that come out of saying those types of things, it’s an attack on our fellow citizens, our fellow Americans and so it is important that we ... speak out when we hear those claims made more broadly,” she said. “This President and this whole administration is going to stand against ... those false claims against ... Asian Americans, against Jewish Americans,” she said. “We’re going to continue to speak out and we believe ... it’s important to protect the dignity of our fellow Americans”. Read More RFK Jr revives antisemitic conspiracy theory that Covid-19 was ‘ethnically targeted’ to spare Jewish people RFK Jr press dinner screaming match over climate crisis ends with columnist launching his own natural gas Robert F Kennedy Jr calls interviewer ‘unfair’ for spelling out his laundry list of conspiracy theories Editor apologises for publishing RFK Jr anti-vaxx screed: ‘I should have been fired’

President Joe Biden on Monday invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to meet with him in the U.S. this fall, the White House said, even as he expressed ongoing concern about Netanyahu's controversial plans to overhaul his country's judicial system. Monday's phone conversation between the U.S. and Israeli leaders came one day before Israel's figurehead president Isaac Herzog is set to visit to the White House and as Netanyahu's government pushes forward with the judicial changes that have sparked widespread protest in Israel. The Biden administration declined to say whether Biden would host Netanyahu at the White House — as the Israeli leader has hoped — or in New York on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly. White House visits are typically standard protocol for Israeli prime ministers, and the delay in Netanyahu receiving one has become an issue in Israel, with opponents citing it as a reflection of deteriorating relations with the U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Biden again on Monday expressed concern to Netanyahu over the judicial plan — as he did when they last spoke earlier this year — and urged the “broadest possible consensus” over the legislation that has been pushed by Netanyahu and his hard-line coalition. Netanyahu and his allies, a collection of ultra-Orthodox and ultranationalist parties, say the plan is needed to rein in the powers of unelected judges. Opponents say the plan will destroy Israel’s fragile system of checks and balances and move the country toward authoritarian rule. Kirby said Biden also expressed his “ironclad, unwavering commitment” to Israel's security and that the two leaders discussed Iran's nuclear program and regional security issues. Biden also “expressed concern” over Israel's continued settlement growth in the West Bank and urged Israel to take steps to preserve the viability of a two state solution with Palestinians. Biden, Kirby said, also welcomed steps by the Palestinian Authority to reassert security control in Jenin and other areas of the West Bank and moves by Israel and Palestinians to move toward another round of direct talks. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

Former White House resident Donald Trump Jr has weighed in after the Secret Service closed its investigation into the discovery of cocaine in the building - suggesting he would not have “gotten away with that”. The eldest son of former president Donald Trump made the comments at the Turning Point Action Conference on Sunday, when he assured the crowd that snorting cocaine was not his “thing”. “My guys who I stayed in touch with — many of them just dear friends — they’re like, ‘Hey dude, there’s no way you would’ve gotten away with that,’” he animatedly told the crowd. “I go, ‘I know!’ Luckily, I don’t snort, er, cocaine! It’s just not my thing.” Mr Trump has previously denied being a drug user. On his Triggered podcast earlier this year, he described to former Trump White House official Kash Patel the price of his getting involved in politics, in the process making a series of unsubstantiated claims about President Biden’s son Hunter. “I look at what they called me: a traitor,” Mr Trump said. “Adam Schiff wanted to try me for treason, a crime punishable by death, but Hunter Biden can take a billion from China, work for Ukraine oligarchs, work for Russian oligarchs, money launder, be paid in diamonds off the books, not declare anything in taxes, drop guns in dumpsters across from high schools, and it’s like, ‘He’s an upstanding human being. And then I give an impassioned speech, and it’s ‘Don Jr is on coke.’” A small amount of cocaine (around .007oz – enough for a misdemeanour charge) – was discovered in the White House, but the Secret Service said their investigation would have involved 500 people, not a short enough list of suspects to draw any concrete conclusions. However the lack of investigation has lef to criticisms levelled at President Joe Biden for not doing enough to find the culprit, as well as at White House staff in general. Conservative pundits have speculated – without evidence – that the drug may have belonged to the president’s son, Hunter Biden, who is a recovering drug addict. Former President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: “Despite all of the cameras pointing directly at the ‘scene of the crime,’ and the greatest forensics anywhere in the World, they just can’t figure it out? They know the answer, and so does everyone else!” He subsequently took to calling President Biden a “crackhead”. Read More ‘Don Jr is on coke’: Trump’s son mocks accusations of drug use over his ‘impassioned’ speeches Trump finally reveals how he thinks he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine in a day Judge in Trump documents case under the spotlight after case intensifies following controversial ruling Rudy Giuliani sparks backlash with bizarre appearance at Gilgo Beach murder suspect’s home Donald Trump brands US a ‘third-world hellhole’ run by ‘perverts’ and ‘thugs’ ‘Stoned’ DeSantis canvasser’s lewd rant caught on doorbell camera as 2024 campaign rushes to cut costs