List of All Articles with Tag 'eric'

Donald Trump has suggested he will not participate in the first debate among candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, telling Fox News host Maria Bartiromo that it’s “not fair” for candidates who are polling well to be asked questions alongside lower-polling candidates. “Well, you know, it’s quite an easy question normally,” the former president said in a taped interview that aired on Sunday Morning Futures on16 July when asked directly whether he will join the debate scheduled for 23 August. “Ronald Reagan didn’t do it. A lot of people didn’t do it. When you have a big lead, you don’t do it,” he said. He added: “Why would you be doing a debate? It’s actually not fair. Why would you let someone that’s [polling] at zero, or one, or two, or three, you know, be popping you with questions.” The crowded field of candidates must hit certain fundraising and polling thresholds – and sign a “loyalty pledge” to support the eventual party nominee – to make it to the debate stage. Mr Trump’s appearance on the network comes one day after his rambling remarks to right-wing activist group Turning Point USA’s Turning Point Action Conference in Florida, where he painted a typically bleak picture of the state of the US and denied wrongdoing in the multiple investigations and indictments against him. Read More Trump news – live: Trump tells DeSantis to go back to Florida as governor’s campaign fires staff Donald Trump brands US a ‘third-world hellhole’ run by ‘perverts’ and ‘thugs’ 2024 GOP candidates desperate to make debate stage are finding creative ways to boost donor numbers

Ron DeSantis’ campaign has dismissed a number of staffers in an effort to trim costs months after the Florida governor entered the crowded 2024 GOP field. Politico first reported that around 10 staffers have parted ways in recent days. Some of the staffers may join an outside group affiliated with the DeSantis campaign, according to the report. Despite cruising to re-election in Florida on a hardline conservative agenda, Mr DeSantis has struggled to gain traction in the GOP primary. He consistently trails Donald Trump in polls as the former president has increased his attacks on Mr DeSantis. Campaign manager Generra Peck is under scrutiny for early staffing decisions, according to NBC News. “They never should have brought so many people on, the burn rate was way too high,” a GOP source told the network. “People warned the campaign manager but she wanted to hear none of it.” Mr DeSantis has focused his attention on Iowa in recent weeks, even telling reporters that he would consider Governor Kim Reynolds as a running-mate. The crucial first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses are less than six months away. The DeSantis campaign said the moves will allow the campaign to be more “nimble”. “Americans are rallying behind Ron DeSantis and his plan to reverse Joe Biden’s failures and restore sanity to our nation, and his momentum will only continue as voters see more of him in person, especially in Iowa,” Andrew Romeo said in a statement to The New York Times.. Defeating Joe Biden and the $72 million behind him will require a nimble and candidate-driven campaign, and we are building a movement to go the distance.” Read More 2024 GOP candidates desperate to make debate stage are finding creative ways to boost donor numbers DeSantis would consider Iowa's Reynolds as running mate, calls Trump's attack of her 'out of hand' Fundraising takeaways: Trump and DeSantis in their own tier as Pence and other Republicans struggle

Iraq’s prime minister held talks Sunday with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus during the first trip of its kind to the war-torn country since the 12-year conflict began. Iraq and Syria have had close relations for years even after many Arab countries withdrew their ambassadors for Damascus and Syria’s membership in the 22-member Arab League was suspended because of the crackdown on protesters in 2011. Assad received Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who was heading a high-ranking delegation, at the presidential palace in Damascus. They discussed mutual relations and cooperation between the two neighboring countries among other issues, according to the office of Syria’s president. Al-Sudani’s office said in a statement that talks revolved around ways of expanding cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, transportation, tourism, how to combat climate change and collaboration to fight terrorism. Security cooperation against extremist groups was likely to be on top of the two-day visit's agenda. The two countries, where Iran enjoys wide influence, have a joint 600 kilometers-long (373 miles) border. In June 2014, the Islamic State group declared the establishment of a self-styled “caliphate,” a traditional model of Islamic rule, in wide areas under its control in Iraq and Syria. After a yearslong campaign that left tens of thousands dead in both countries, IS was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in March 2019 in Syria. Over the past years, Syrian government forces regained control of much of Syria with the help of Russia and Iran. Earlier this year, Syria’s membership in the Arab League was reinstated and Assad attended the Arab summit that was held in Saudi Arabia in May. Al-Sudani was invited to visit Damascus during a trip by Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad to Baghdad last month. The U.S. has a presence in both Syria and Iraq and Syrian officials have been calling for the withdrawal of American troops from the country who first arrived in 2015. On any given day there are at least 900 U.S. forces in Syria, along with an undisclosed number of contractors attempting to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State group. U.S. special operations forces also move in and out of the country but are usually in small teams and are not included in the official count. U.S.-led coalition forces have officially ended their combat mission in Iraq, but continue to play an advisory role to Iraqi forces in the fight against the Islamic State extremist group. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Sunday he plans to resign at the next Cabinet reshuffle after four years in the job. Wallace has served as defense secretary under three prime ministers and played a key role in the U.K.'s response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He told The Sunday Times his departure was due to the strain his job had put on his family. He also said he would stand down as a lawmaker at the next general election. Wallace is the longest continuously serving minister in government. He was security minister under former Prime Minister Theresa May, before being promoted to defense secretary by her successor Boris Johnson. Wallace drew criticism last week when he suggested that Ukraine should show “gratitude” for the West's military support. He made the remark at the NATO summit in Lithuania after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed frustration about when his country could join the military alliance. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak distanced himself from Wallace's comments, saying Zelenskyy had “expressed his gratitude for what we've done on a number of occasions.” Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

Donald Trump branded the US a “third-world hellhole” run by “perverts” and “thugs” in his latest 2024 campaign speech. The one-term president told the Turning Point Action Conference in Florida that the American dream was “dead” under Joe Biden as he relentlessly mocked his predecessor “The election will decide whether your generation will inherit a fascist country or a free country, “ Mr Trump told the conference of younger conservative activists on Saturday. “Millions of illegal aliens have stormed across our borders, it is an invasion, like a military invasion. Our rights and liberties are being torn to shreds. “Your country is being turned into a third-world hellhole, run by censors, perverts criminals and thugs.” And Mr Trump continued to paint a bleak picture of America in the year before the next presidential election. “We are in big trouble, today the greatest threat is not for the outside the greatest threat. It is the sick, sinister and evil forces are trying to destroy our country from within,” he claimed. “If you have the right leadership China is not a problem, if you have the right leadership Russia would not be a problem. They would not have done what they did, believe me, they would never have done it.” And he added: “Your task, your calling, your historic mission is to liberate America from these communists, racists, Marxists, globalists and warmongers who want to plunder the future of our country.” And Mr Trump also claimed that he intended to “reclaim colleges” and “choke off the money” to universities that are leading a “Marxist assault” on “Western civilization itself.” “After 50 years of leftist domination in the universities, I will take bold action to reclaim our colleges from the Communist left…anti-American radicals will no longer be given a free hand to dominate our institutions of higher learning.” And he added: “The days of subsidizing communist indoctrination … are over.” Mr Trump also told the crowd at the event that he viewed his indictments as a “great badge of honour.” “Every time the radical left Democrats indict me, I consider it to be a great badge of honour and courage. I am doing it for you. I am being indicted for you. Better me than you and I believe the you is more than 200 million people,” he said. Read More Trump news – live: Trump headlines Turning Point event with Tucker and GOP allies as investigations close in DeSantis would consider Iowa's Reynolds as running mate, calls Trump's attack of her 'out of hand' Fundraising takeaways: Trump and DeSantis in their own tier as Pence and other Republicans struggle US support for Ukraine emerges as key dividing line between GOP 2024 hopefuls in Tucker Carlson-hosted forum The Iowa caucuses are six months away. Some Republicans worry Trump may be unstoppable DeSantis would consider Iowa's Reynolds as running mate, calls Trump's attack of her 'out of hand' Fundraising takeaways: Trump and DeSantis in their own tier as Pence and other Republicans struggle Trump headlines Turning Point event with Tucker and GOP allies – latest

At least four people have been killed in a mass shooting in Georgia‘s Henry County as police hunt for a gunman described as being in his 50s. “Please be advised that beginning at approximately 10:45 this morning there was an active shooter incident took place in the Dogwood Lakes area of Hampton GA. The investigation is active and ongoing,” the Henry County Government posted on Facebook. “I can confirm that four people are deceased,” County government spokeswoman Melissa Robinson told The Associated Press. “As of right now, the suspect is still at large.” Police have described the shooter as a man in his mid 50′s who is around five feet 10 inches, and who was wearing a dark shirt with a red tone. Officials say he was last seen in a black 2017 GMC Arcadia with a tag number of DHF756. Hampton is a city of 8,500 residents located around an hour south of Atlanta, Georgia. The Henry County Police Department, Henry County Sheriff’s Office, Henry County Homeland Security, and the Henry County Crime Scene Unit are all assisting Hampton police with the incident, reported WSB-TV. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has also been notified.

The Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect was linked to the crime scene with the help of a discarded pizza box that was thrown into a Manhattan trash can. Investigators running surveillance on Rex Heuermann at the Manhattan office where he worked as an architect watched him throw the pizza box away, according to court documents. The team grabbed a leftover pizza crust and had it swabbed and analysed by a forensics lab. Prosecutors say that the tested sample matched a mitochondrial DNA profile from a male hair collected off burlap recovered from the body of Megan Waterman. The DNA results came back on 12 June with a 99.96 per cent degree of accuracy, state court papers, with investigators stating that it “is significant that Defendant Heuermann cannot be excluded from the male hair recovered near the ‘bottom of the burlap’ utilized to restrain and transport Megan Waterman’s naked and deceased body.” Investigators refocussed on the Long Island serial killings last year and officials said on Friday that Mr Heuermann quickly became the focus of the investigation. “On March 14, 2022, the name Rex was first mentioned. A New York state investigator was able to identify him in a database and from that point on we used the power of the grand jury, over 300 subpoenas and search warrants, looking into this individual’s background to bring us to this day,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. Eventually, DNA evidence and cell phone data would be used to charge Mr Heuermann with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. The 59-year-old pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder in the first degree and three in the second degree. Prosecutors say that he also remains the prime suspect in the killing of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, a 25-year-old Connecticut woman who went missing in July 2007. Her body was found near Gilgo Beach in December 2010 during the search for Shannan Gilbert. No charges have been brought in her case but officials say that the investigation “is continuing and is expected to be resolved soon.” Investigators also looked into Mr Heuermann’s Internet search history and say that he repeatedly searched for child sex abuse images, sadistic content, and images and information about his alleged victims. Prosecutors say that between March 2022 and June 2023, his email account was connected to more than 200 searches about his alleged victims, articles written on the investigation into their murders, as well as known and active serial killers. The searches included, “Why could law enforcement not trace the calls made by long island serial killer”, “Why hasn’t the long island serial killer been caught”, and “FBI active serial killers.” Read More Gilgo Beach murders – live: Rex Heuermann sobs in court hearing over Long Island serial killing How the Gilgo Beach serial killer turned the Long Island shore into a graveyard Long Island serial killer probe not over after architect is charged in 3 of 11 deaths Classmate of Gilgo Beach murders suspect reveals he left ‘love notes’ in her locker Manhattan architect, family man and accused serial killer: Who is Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann?

Why was it on a Friday at 4 p.m. ET?

Anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr has revived an antisemitic conspiracy that blames Jewish people for the emergence of Covid-19, a claim that follows a string of offensive statements and falsehoods elevated by the long-shot candidate for the US presidency. 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”. “Covid-19 is targeted to attack Cucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese,” he said, according to video of the event from The New York Post. “We don’t know whether it was deliberately targeted or not but there are papers out there that show the racial or ethnic differential and impact.” His remarks follow antisemitic conspiracy theories that circulated at the onset of the pandemic, and follow other statements from the candidate elevating spurious conspiracy theories surrounding Covid-19 and vaccines that have fuelled his campaign. “The claim that Covid-19 was a bioweapon created by the Chinese or Jews to attack Caucasians and Black people is deeply offensive and feeds into sinophobic and antisemitic conspiracy theories,” according to a statement from the Anti-Defamation League. “Layer upon layer of antisemitism,” wrote Jonathan Weisman, author of (((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump. “If you still think there is a left or even non-insane case for supporting or even indulging RFK Jr then you have been conned or have conned yourself,” wrote MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan. “Madness. Racist, conspiratorial, dangerous madness.” “We have no words for this man’s lunacy,” wrote nonprofit US watchdog Stop Antisemitism. Mr Kennedy responded to the reporting on Saturday morning, and a statement from a campaign spokesperson to The Independent claimed that the Post “got it wrong”. “I have never, ever suggested that the Covid-19 virus was targeted to spare Jews,” Mr Kennedy wrote on Twitter before echoing his claim that the US and other governments are “developing ethnically targeted bioweapons”. He pointed to a 2020 National Institutes of Health study finding that the impacts of the disease are disproportionately felt among Black people and people with cardiovascular and pulmonary conditions, cancer and other risk factors. “In that sense, it serves as a kind of proof of concept for ethnically targeted bioweapons,” Mr Kennedy stated. “I do not believe and never implied that the ethnic effect was deliberately engineered.” Mr Kennedy’s campaign, an insurgent effort for the Democratic nomination boosted by right-wing media to drive a wedge among Democratic voters, has painted a dark and conspiratorial worldview amplifying debunked and misleading claims and outright falsehoods. Earlier this year, US Holocaust Memorial Museum shot down his suggestion that life is worse for people today than it was for Anne Frank. “Making reckless comparisons to the Holocaust, the murder of six million Jews, for a political agenda is outrageous and deeply offensive,” the organisation said. “Those who carelessly invoke Anne Frank, the star badge, and the Nuremberg Trials exploit history and the consequences of hate.” Mr Kennedy and his organisation Children’s Health Defense also have promoted James Corbett, a prominent conspiracy theorist who has claimed that “Hitler was a Rothschild” and “Hitler and the Nazis were 100 per cent completely and utterly set up” by the “international banking community and the international crony capitalists.” His connections to Mr Corbett join a long list of associations with and appearances on right-wing media platforms with far-right pundits. Read More Who is running for president in 2024? Robert F Kennedy Jr calls interviewer ‘unfair’ for spelling out his laundry list of conspiracy theories White House rejects Lauren Boebert’s claim that antisemitism plan will be used ‘go after conservatives’

Manhattan architect Rex Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to six counts of murder in connection with the infamous Gilgo Beach serial killings. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office released charging documents on Friday confirming Mr Heuermann, of Massapequa, as the suspected serial killer who targeted sex workers and dumped their bodies along remote Long Island beaches. He appeared in court in handcuffs and wearing a polo shirt and khaki pants. Mr Heuermann was held without bail as prosecutors had previously sought, citing his recent searches for “sadistic materials, child pornography, images of the victims and their relatives.” The 59-year-old pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder in the first degree and three in the second degree over the deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello. The women are among the “Gilgo Four” whose bodies were found along a stretch of Ocean Parkway in Long Island in 2010. Court documents state that Mr Heuermann is also the “prime suspect” in the murder of the fourth woman in that group, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, though he is not facing charges related to her death. The documents outline a number of extremely disturbing searches in Mr Heuermann’s internet history, as well as burner phones he is accused of using to “taunt” his victims. The Gilgo Beach serial killer had previously been linked to as many as 11 victims discovered more than a decade ago in Suffolk County. Read More Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect arrested on suspicion of murders of 10 women on Long Island Police release haunting 911 call from woman later found dead as possible serial killer probe continues: ‘There’s somebody after me’ New police chief vows to close the case on Long Island’s unsolved Gilgo Beach murders

Police continue to search for a woman who went missing after telling her family she spotted a child walking alone on a stretch of Alabama highway earlier this week. Rewards totaling $25,000 have been offered up for the return of 25-year-old Carlethia Nichole “Carlee” Russell, who called 911 to report that she saw a toddler on the side of Interstate 459 in Hoover on 13 July. She then called a family member, who lost contact with her while the phone line remained open, according to police. Officers who arrived at the scene found Ms Russell’s car and some of her belongings but did not locate her or the child. “We currently are investigating every possibility,’’ Hoover Police Department public information officer Lt Daniel Lowe said during a press briefing on 14 July. “We’re certainly leaving nothing off the table.” Her mother Talitha Russell said her daughter left The Woodhouse Day Spa before stopping at Taziki’s at 9pm on Thursday to pick up food for her and her mother, according to AL.com. She called 911 when she had pulled over after spotting what she said was a three- or four-year-old child, her mother said. At 9:36pm, Talitha Russell said her daughter was then on the phone with her brother’s girlfriend. “My son’s girlfriend heard her asking the child, ‘Are you OK?’ She never heard the child say anything but then she heard our daughter scream,’’ Talitha Russell said. “From there all you hear on her phone is background noise from the interstate.” An officer was dispatched to the scene within three minutes. One witness reported possibly seeing a gray vehicle and a male standing outside of Ms Russell’s car at the time of the incident, according to Hoover police. Family members have questioned why authorities did not alert an Ashanti Alert, relying on a similar Amber Alert emergency messaging system for missing children. Ashanti alerts, named after 19-year-old Ashanti Billie, who was abducted and killed in 2017, are used in critical missing adult cases for those too old for Amber alerts and too young for Silver alerts. Ms Russell – who is described as Black, 5’4” and 150 to 160 lbs – was last seen wearing a black shirt, black pants and white Nike shoes, according to Hoover police. Members of the public who believe they have seen her are directed to call Hoover Detective Brad Fountain at 205-444-7562, Sgt Drew Mims at 205-739-7274, or Crimestoppers of Metro Alabama at 205-254-7777.

Former President Donald Trump has asked courts in Georgia to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from investigating him for election interference and to quash the final report of a special purpose grand jury that recommends people be indicted. Trump’s attorneys filed similar petitions in both the Georgia Supreme Court and Fulton County Superior Court. This week a grand jury was sworn in to hear evidence in the case regarding alleged interference in the 2020 election on the part of the then-president. Elsewhere, the special counsel investigating the former president threatened potential criminal charges against a Trump Organization employee suspected of lying to investigators, according to sources of ABC News. Jack Smith transmitted a letter to a staffer that indicated that he might have perjured himself in an appearance before the federal grand jury that ultimately indicted Mr Trump for allegedly mishandling classified documents, the sources said. The letter appears to signal Mr Smith’s interest in the handling of surveillance footage and efforts to avoid sharing footage with investigators. Meanwhile, many of Mr Trump’s 2024 Republican opponents spent Friday taking part in one-one interviews with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson at the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa. Read More Hunter Biden lawyers tell Trump to end attacks warning they’re ‘one social message away’ from causing violence Jared Kushner and Hope Hicks have testified in front of grand jury investigating Jan 6, reports say Prosecutors say there is ‘no reason’ to delay Trump documents trial until after 2024 election Americans are widely pessimistic about democracy in the United States, an AP-NORC poll finds