List of All Articles with Tag 'eric'

Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) appeared to agree with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s assertion that Mexico poses a bigger threat to the US than Russia in a chummy 2024 campaign trail forum. The South Carolina senator joined five other Republican presidential candidates - except for former president Donald Trump - to appear at the forum hosted by Blaze Media, run by former Fox News host Glenn Beck, and the Iowa Family Leader, a socially conservative organisation that candidates frequently court. During the forum, Mr Carlson questioned candidates individually for approximately 25 minutes on current events and policies that voters may be interested in. Mr Carlson, who frequently criticises US support for Ukraine against Russia, began his conversation with Mr Scott by discussing the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The conservative television personality told Mr Scott Russia was not as big of a threat as Mexico. “So Russia is bad, Russia is a threat, Putin is evil. Got it,” he said. “But the total body count from Russia in the United States is right around zero. Like I don't know anyone who's been killed by Russia. I know people personally who have been killed by Mexico.” Mr Carlson specifically cited the fact that fentanyl comes over the US-Mexico border. “The government of Mexico allows fentanyl to be made in its country and to come over our border has remittances from Mexico are a huge part of their economy,” he said. “The Mexican government is a party to the murder of hundreds of 1000s of Americans. So why is Mexico less of a threat than Russia?” Mr Scott appeared to try and split the difference in his response. “I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time,” he said before adding that he sponsored legislation that would freeze the assets of the Mexican cartels to cut off the flow of fentanyl. “I do agree with you that 70,000 Americans losing their lives on an annual basis is an existential threat to America that we can solve,” he said. “We don't have to choose.” In response, Mr Carlson asked Mr Scott if he would support placing a tariff on Mexico to hurt its economy. “So you use every tool available to stop fentanyl coming across our border,” Mr Scott said. The South Carolina Senator advocated for building “the wall” – the southern border policy that Mr Trump ran his 2016 campaign on and promised to execute during his time in the White House. Reports indicate approximately 49 miles (79 km) of “the wall” was newly built during Mr Trump’s presidency. In addition to “the wall” Mr Scott said the US should close the southern border and install surveillance equipment to keep an eye on any people trying to enter illegally. Read More Biden campaign raised twice as much as Trump in 2nd quarter of 2023 Trump news – live: Jared Kushner and Hope Hicks testify in Jan 6 probe as Hunter Biden issues warning to Trump DeSantis to become 1st GOP candidate to file for South Carolina primary during visit next week Tucker Carlson and Mike Pence clash in heated exchange over Ukraine at GOP 2024 forum Tucker Carlson to launch new media company on Twitter, report says He was a loyal Fox viewer before he starred in a conspiracy theory. Now he’s suing

Former Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson on Friday appeared to lose his patience with former vice president Mike Pence after the 2024 presidential candidate refused to back down from his support for arming Ukraine’s defence forces. Mr Pence and Carlson, who spoke for approximately 26 minutes as part of a GOP candidate forum in Iowa sponsored by Blaze Media and the Family Leader social conservative organisation, spent roughly half of their discussion sparring over Mr Pence’s view of the nearly 18-month-old war, which the ex-vice president described in stark terms based on his two visits to the region. The ex-Fox News host, who before his firing in April used his prime time programme to rail against US support for Kyiv while frequently parroting Russian government talking points, attempted to bait Mr Pence into denouncing the Ukrainian government for what he described as mistreatment of Christians. Carlson was referring to a series of actions by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who since the start of the war has imposed internal economic sanctions on a number of clergy from the Russia-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The UOC is an offshoot of the pro-Kremlin Russian Orthodox Church, which is headed by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who according to Forbes was listed in Soviet archives as an agent of the KGB. After the former television presenter accused Mr Zelensky of having “raided convents, arrested priests [and] effectively banned[ing] a denomination,” Mr Pence replied that he had “raised that issue” with the head of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, who he said had “assured” him that Mr Zelensky’s government “was respecting religious liberty even while recognising that they were very small elements of the Russian Orthodox Church that were being utilised for the purpose of advancing the Russian cause in Ukraine”. “The leader of the church at St Michael's in Kyiv told me personally that he he believed that this Zelensky government was respecting religious liberty, and I must tell you, other than the sanctity of life, there's no higher priority in my life than preserving the freedom of religion in America and championing religious liberty around the world,” he said. Carlson, who became rather irate at Mr Pence’s answer, asked the former vice president how “a Christian leader” such as himself “could support the arrest of Christians for having different views,” at which point Mr Pence said the church leader he’d spoken to in Kyiv had “assured [him]” that no one in Ukraine was being persecuted for their religious beliefs. The fired Fox presenter became yet more flustered when Mr Pence launched into a full-throated defence of American and European efforts to arm Ukraine’s defence forces, telling Carlson that what he’d seen during his visits there was “not just evidence of war” but of “evil”. After Mr Pence said he believes it is in American interests to continue supporting Ukraine, Carlson began to raise his voice and accuse Mr Pence of “plodding over” the “treatment of Christians” there. The former vice president interjected, telling Carlson: “The problem is you won’t accept my answer!” “I just told you that I asked the religious leader in Kyiv if it was happening, you asked me if I raised the issue, and I did. And I'm saying I also raised it with the Ukrainians, and I was told that there are there are religious leaders who have been working with the Russian military that is murdering people by the thousands,” he said. Read More Ukraine tells ‘clown’ Tucker Carlson to check his facts after pro-Kremlin rant in first Twitter show Tucker Carlson calls Ukraine’s Jewish leader ‘rat-like’ as he launches new Twitter show with pro-Kremlin rant Tucker Carlson receives a job offer from Russian state TV after Fox News firing Tucker Carlson doesn’t know why he was fired from Fox News but suggests his views on Ukraine were a ‘red line’ Volodymyr Zelensky: Year of tragedy and turmoil that turned comedian president into ‘Ukraine’s Churchill’ The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

New York architect Rex Heuermann is facing charges in the murders of three Gilgo Beach victims, court documents released by the Suffolk County District Attorney on Friday revealed. Mr Heuermann, 59, is accused of murdering Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello — all sex workers in their 20s who disappeared in the Long Island area before their bodies were found during a separate missing person investigation in 2010. The women’s remains along with the body of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who is also believed to be one of the “Gilgo Four,” were found within one-quarter mile of each other, similarly positioned and bound in a similar fashion by either belts or tape. The unsolved murders sent fear through the shoreline community of Gilgo Beach for more than a decade. Few developments were made in the case until earlier this year, when the Suffolk County Police Department, New York State Police, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI revamped the probe into the killings that ultimately led to Mr Heuermann’s bombshell arrest outside his Midtown office on Thursday. A bail application released by the Suffolk County District Attorney revealed that Mr Heuermann was linked to the serial killings through cellphone evidence and surveillance. Prosecutors argued in the application that no bail should be set for Mr Heuermann due to his recent searches for “sadistic materials, child pornography, images of the victims and their relatives.” This is a breaking story ... check back for developments.

Federal prosecutors under supervision of Special Counsel Jack Smith have reportedly spoken with top election officials in Pennsylvania and New Mexico as part of the Justice Department probe into Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election. According to CNN, Mr Smith’s team has in recent months conducted interviews of Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt and New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, with both officials providing information on “matters related to the 2020 election”. Mr Schmidt, who spoke with prosecutors in March, is a Republican who served as a Philadelphia City Commissioner during the 2020 election. He was named to his current post by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. CNN reported that prosecutors questioned Mr Schmidt about issues he encountered during the post-election period in 2020, including how he was impacted by misinformation about alleged voter fraud spread by Mr Trump and his allies. Last June, he told the now-defunct House January 6 select committee that he became the target of a slew of death threats from the then-president’s supporters after Mr Trump began attacking him in a series of tweets “became much more specific, much more graphic” after the then-president called him a “RINO” and a “disaster on the massive election fraud and irregularities which took place in Philadelphia”. The special counsel’s team has been speaking with election officials in swing states won by President Joe Biden in his 2020 contest with Mr Trump as part of their probe into the twice-impeached, now twice-indicted ex-president’s effort to remain in office against the will of voters. CNN also reported that Mr Smith’s team has sent subpoenas to officials in all seven of the states — Georgia, New Mexico, Nevada, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — that were targeted by Mr Trump as he sought to reverse his losses to Mr Biden in each jurisdiction. Mr Smith and his team has also met with the top election officials from Michigan and Georgia, Jocelyn Benson and Brad Raffensperger. In an interview with the network, Ms Benson said prosecutors she spoke to appeared to be focused on how misinformation spread by Mr Trump’s allies affected election workers, as well as the “threats that emerged from that from various sources”. Read More Special counsel issues criminal warning to Trump Organization employee over alleged obstruction, report says Prosecutors say there is ‘no reason’ to delay Trump documents trial until after 2024 election Jared Kushner and Hope Hicks have testified in front of grand jury investigating Jan 6, reports say

The special counsel investigating former president Donald Trump 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 to ABC. The letter appears to signal Mr Smith’s interest in the Trump Organization’s handling of surveillance footage and efforts of the organization to avoid sharing footage with investigators.

European stocks posted their biggest weekly advance since March on rising bets that the Federal Reserve’s monetary tightening

American Airlines said Friday it has begun to wind down its Northeast Alliance with JetBlue Airways after a

A Republican representative from Arizona triggered an angry response in the House of Representatives after using the term “coloured people” to refer to Black Americans during a floor debate. Eli Crane’s proposed amendment to an annual defence policy bill was met with a strong rebuke by the former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus over his usage of the outdated phrase to refer to people of colour. Joyce Beatty, the Democratic representative from Ohio, demanded the phrase be struck from the record through the unanimous consent of the House. “My amendment has nothing to do with whether or not coloured people or Black people or anybody can serve. It has nothing to do with any of that stuff,” Mr Crane said during the debate on the GOP-backed amendments to the National Defence Authorisation Act. “The military was never intended to be, you know, inclusive. Its strength is not its diversity. Its strength is its standards,” he said. “I am going to tell you guys this right now you can: You can keep playing around these games with diversity, equity and inclusion. But there are some real threats out there. And if we keep messing around and we keep lowering our standards, it’s not going to be good,” said the 43-year-old Republican. “I find it offensive and very inappropriate. I am asking for unanimous consent to take down the words of referring to me or any of my colleagues as coloured people,” the 73-year-old Ms Beatty said soon after Mr Crane’s remarks. At this point, Mr Crane interrupted and requested his statement be revised to use the phrase “people of colour” instead. The words were eventually struck from the record through unanimous consent. “In a heated floor debate on my amendment that would prohibit discrimination on the colour of one’s skin in the Armed Forces, I misspoke,” Mr Crane said in a statement. “Every one of us is made in the image of God and created equal.” On Thursday night, the House approved Mr Crane’s amendment with a vote of 214-210. “This just happened on the floor of the United States House of Representatives. A House Republican just referred to Black Americans serving in our military as ‘colored people.’ In 2023,” tweeted representative Don Beyer. “This is a shameful moment on the House floor,” tweeted the Black Caucus. “Rep Eli Crane referring to Black service members who risk their lives for our country as ‘colored people’ is unconscionable. The GOP fights against diversity, equity and inclusion training and prove everyday why it’s necessary.” Ms Beatty also took to social media after the debate to offer her response to the incident. “I am still in utter shock and disbelief that a Republican uttered the words ‘colored people’ in reference to African-American service members who sacrifice their lives for our freedom,” she tweeted. “I will not tolerate such racist and repugnant words in the House Chamber or anywhere in the Congress. That’s why I asked that those words be stricken from the record, which was done so by unanimous consent.” Read More Long-serving Ohio Democrat Kaptur heads back to Congress From AOC to Joe Manchin, the Democratic divide is becoming more severe Joe Biden signs law making lynching a federal hate crime: ‘Hate never goes away, it only hides’ Disney is asking a judge to toss a lawsuit from DeSantis appointees Democratic lawmaker screams at ‘exhausting’ Matt Gaetz on House floor Iowa's restrictive abortion measure faces legal challenge as governor prepares to sign it into law

A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of being the infamous Gilgo Beach serial killer who targeted sex workers and dumped their bodies along remote Long Island beaches. Police sources told News 12 Long Island that an individual had been taken into custody in connection with the unsolved murders of 10 victims more than a decade ago in Suffolk County. The identity of the suspect is currently unknown. The case began in May 2010 when Shannan Gilbert, a 24-year-old sex worker, vanished after leaving a client’s house on foot near Gilgo Beach. She called 911 for help saying she feared for her life and was never seen alive again. During a search for Gilbert in dense thicket close to the beach, police discovered the remains of another woman. Within a matter of days, the remains of three more victims were found close by. By spring 2011, the remains of a total of 10 victims had been found including eight women, a man, and a toddler. For more than a decade, the case has stumped law enforcement officials in Suffolk County who believed it could be the work of one or more serial killers. 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

A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of being the infamous Gilgo Beach serial killer responsible for the murders of at least 10 women on Long Island. Police sources told CBS News that an individual had been taken into custody in connection with the unsolved murders more than a decade ago. The Gilgo Beach murders have long stumped law enforcement officials in Suffolk County who believed it could be the work of one or more serial killers who targeted sex workers and dumped their bodies along the remote beaches on Ocean Parkway. The case began in May 2010 when Shannan Gilbert, a 24-year-old sex worker, vanished after leaving a client’s house on foot near Gilgo Beach. She called 911 for help saying she feared for her life and was never seen alive again. During a search for Ms Gilbert in dense thicket close to the beach, police discovered the remains of another woman. Within a matter of days, the remains of three more victims were found close by. By spring 2011, the remains of a total of 10 victims had been found including eight women, a man, and a toddler. Ms Gilbert’s body was found in December 2011. Her cause of death is widely contested with authorities saying it is not connected to the serial killer or killers but that she died from accidental drowning as she fled from the client’s home. However, an independent autopsy commissioned by her family ruled that she died by strangulation and her mother believes she was murdered. Like Ms Gilbert, most of the victims targeted were sex workers. Four victims are still yet to be identified more than 10 years on from the discovery of their bodies. Several theories have been mulled over the years but no one had ever been charged with the killings. Authorities have previously said they believe that three separate serial killers could be responsible for the slayings over a period of around 20 years. Read More Police release haunting 911 call from woman later found dead as possible serial killer probe continues: ‘There’s somebody after me’ Police share eerie video as they call on public to help solve Gilgo Beach ‘serial killer’ case New police chief vows to close the case on Long Island’s unsolved Gilgo Beach murders

A Democratic lawmaker lost his cool with Matt Gaetz on the House floor on Thursday night, screaming that the far-right Republican is “exhausting”. Rep Steven Horsford, of Nevada, singled out Mr Gaetz while giving an impassioned speech in defence of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military and calling out shocking racially-charged comments made by multiple members of the Republican party in recent days. On Thursday, House Republicans introduced an amendment to a military spending bill pushing to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs from the Department of Defense (DOD). Mr Horsford slammed the move warning it would hamper efforts to improve diversity in the military. “This amendment does nothing to address the recruitment shortfalls that our services are facing and instead it will only make it more difficult to recruit Americans of diverse backgrounds representing the true makeup of our nation,” he said. At this point, he turned and addressed Mr Gaetz directly, his voice rising. “What are you so afraid of? Why do you keep bringing these divisive issues to the body of this floor?” he asked, before shouting: “You are out of order! You are exhausting, Mr Gaetz!” Mr Gaetz – who is currently the focus of a revived House Ethics Committee investigation into his alleged misconduct – complained about Mr Horsford’s actions. “Mr Speaker, the childish antics that we just observed indicate that we’ve got a lot of work to do, both in this House and the military, not to have radical racial ideology governing our discourse and governing the policy choices that we make in these bills,” he said. During the heated debate, Mr Horsford, who is Black, also condemned comments made by Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville – who has repeatedly defended white nationalists – and Republican Rep Eli Crane – who used the term “coloured people” earlier on the House floor. “Just this week, the sponsor of this amendment called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the military a, quote, ‘failed experiment.’ He has called it ‘cancerous’,” said Mr Horsford. “Just this week a senator from Alabama stated that it was his opinion that White nationalists are not necessarily racist and refused to denounce white nationalists serving in the military.” He continued: “Just an hour ago, on this very floor, one of the members on the other side of this body said his amendment, quote, ‘had nothing to do whether coloured people or Black people can serve.’” Mr Horsford said such comments by lawmakers “show exactly why we need diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives” in place. Mr Crane faced an instant backlash on Thursday night when he defended the bill amendment by using the offensive term for people of colour. “My amendment has nothing to do with whether or not coloured people or Black people or anybody can serve. It has nothing to do with any of that stuff,” Mr Crane said. The comment was widely condemned and ultimately struck from the record. Meanwhile, for the past couple of months, Mr Tuberville – who has been blocking the confirmation of senior military officials in protest of the DOD’s abortion policy – has repeatedly refused to condemn white nationalists as racist. “I call them Americans,” he said in May. This week, he then claimed that he can’t possibly be racist because he worked with many people of colour during his time as a football coach. On Tuesday, he finally walked back his defence of white nationalists, now admitting that they “are racists”. Following Thursday’s heated debate, House members voted on the amendment. The Republican-majority House passed the amendment by just one vote of 214 to 213, striking down diversity initiatives in the military. Read More Anger in House as Republican uses ‘racist and repugnant’ term to refer to Black Americans Biden calls out GOP senator’s ‘ridiculous’ block on military promotions: ‘It jeopardises US security’ GOP senator says he can’t be racist because he’s a football coach – after white nationalist comments House Ethics Committee revives ‘misconduct’ probe into rep Matt Gaetz Christopher Wray hits back at Gaetz after Republican presses him on trust in the FBI ‘Rage-baiting’ leftist Twitter account is probably fake, expert says

Hunter Biden’s lawyer has given Donald Trump a cease-and-desist warning, telling him to not “incite” violence against the president’s son on social media. Abbe Lowell sent Mr Trump’s lawyers a letter which warned that his rhetoric against Hunter Biden could lead to another Paul Pelosi-style attack, saying “We are just one such social media message away from another incident.” Meanwhile, federal prosecutors investigating Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election results have questioned his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, among other witnesses to see if the former president acknowledged he had lost. Mr Kushner testified in Washington DC last month, according to a report from The New York Times, and maintained that the former president believed the election was stolen, a source briefed on the matter said. It has also emerged that other key administration figures including Alyssa Farah Griffin and Hope Hicks were also questioned. Elsewhere, special counsel Jack Smith told a federal judge there is “no basis in law or fact” for indefinitely postponing the federal trial of Mr Trump and urged the court to proceed with jury selection in December. 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