List of All Articles with Tag 'erica'

A group of Florida students and the authors of an award-winning children’s picture book about the true story of a penguin family with two fathers have argued that a Florida school district unconstitutionally restricted access to the book under what opponents have called the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. A lawsuit filed in federal court on 20 June argues that the Lake County school district’s decision to pull And Tango Makes Three “cited no legitimate pedagogical reason for its decision” and was restricted only for “illegitimate, narrowly partisan and political reasons.” Last year, Lake County officials announced that the title was “administratively removed due to content regarding sexual orientation/gender identification” prohibited under the “Parental Rights in Education Act,” what critics have called the “Don’t Say Gay” law. That measure, signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis last year, broadly prohibits “classroom instruction” on issues related to “sexual orientation or gender identity” in kindergarten through third grade” or “in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards” in other grades. Mr DeSantis signed a measure this year that explicitly expands the law to cover all school grades. Opponents have warned its broad scope could effectively block discussion of LGBT+ people, history and events from state schools, and be weaponised against students, staff and their families under threat from potential lawsuits against school districts over perceived violations. The lawsuit from the book’s authors Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and the families of several young students argues that such restrictions violate First Amendment protections, including the authors’ right to freedom of expression and students’ rights to receive information. And Tango Makes Three “tells a true and heartwarming story, and it teaches students about animal behavior, adoption, diversity among family structures, and responsible family values,” the lawsuit states. “The authors wrote Tango to spread a message of tolerance and equal treatment. They have a sincere and strongly held desire to ensure that Tango is available to children learning about animal behavior, adoption, and family structures, whether similar to or different from their own – and the student plaintiffs wish to read Tango to learn about those very subjects,” the plaintiffs wrote. The book was listed among free expression group PEN America’s most-banned picture books of the last school year. Last year, a record high of more than 1,200 attempts to remove books from schools and libraries were reported to the American Library Association. There were at least 1,477 attempts to ban 874 individual book titles within the first half of the 2022-2023 school year, according to PEN America. The figures mark a nearly 30 per cent spike from book challenges over the previous year. Book ban attempts have largely targeted books by and about LGBT+ people, titles written by or involving people of colour, or materials featuring honest discussions of race and racism, according to PEN America. Mr DeSantis and his administration have repeatedly rejected characterising such restrictions as “book bans” and have accused media outlets of manufacturing a “hoax” and a “fake narrative” surrounding them. The state has been at the centre of book challenges and legal battles over school and library materials as the DeSantis administration implements a sweeping agenda targeting public education and lessons and speech he deems objectionable. PEN American and Penguin Random House, one of the largest book publishers in the world, and several prominent authors and families have also sued a separate school district and school board in Florida’s Escambia County. A lawsuit filed in US District Court last month argues that school officials have pursued an “ideologically driven campaign to push certain ideas out of schools” against the recommendation of experts. “This disregard for professional guidance underscores that the agendas underlying the removals are ideological and political, not pedagogical,” the lawsuit states. The Independent has requested comment from the state’s Department of Education. Read More A zoo, Black History event and university funding: Ron DeSantis under fire after vetoing local funding because lawmakers didn’t endorse him DeSantis wants to model America after Florida. Civil rights groups are sounding the alarm on his ‘hostile’ agenda The school librarian in the middle of Louisiana’s war on libraries ‘They were trying to erase us’: Inside a Texas town’s chilling effort to ban LGBT+ books Biden condemns ‘hysterical’ threats to LGBT+ Americans as White House pushes back on book bans Florida mom who tried to ban Amanda Gorman’s book has ties to far-right groups

Chris Christie unleashed an epic Twitter takedown of Donald Trump’s White House hiring practices after the former president bragged about bringing on “the best” staff. “It’s plain and simple: Either Donald Trump doesn’t know how to pick personnel, or he’s the worst manager in the history of the American presidency,” Mr Christie, who is vying for the Republican presidential nomination against Trump, tweeted on Monday. The former New Jersey governor followed that tweet with nine more, comparing what Mr Trump said about White House appointees before he hired them and after his eventual falling out with them. In the tweets, Mr Christie noted that Mr Trump called Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley a “great patriot” and a “great soldier” before calling him a “f***ing idiot” and that he called former Secretary of Defense James Mattis “the closest thing to General George Patton that we have” before he called him “the world’s most overrated general.” There are plenty more examples. Former Attorney General Bill Barr was Mr Trump’s “first choice from day one” before he was “gutless” and a “coward.” Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had a “deep understanding of geopolitics” before Mr Trump called him “dumb as a rock.” Former Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney was doing an “outstanding job” before Mr Trump called him a “born loser.” It’s a record that undercuts Mr Trump’s frequent boast that he hires the “best people.” A number of the people he hired for his administration are not supporting his second run for president, in some cases criticising his judgment in personal terms. Two members of his administration, former vice president Mike Pence and former secretary to the United Nations Nikki Haley, are running against Mr Trump. “Republicans should listen to what he says,” Mr Christie said in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Monday. “He’s a petulant child when someone disagrees with him.” Mr Christie, who is polling in the low single digits and has not held elected office since leaving the governor’s mansion in New Jersey more than five years ago, has distinguished himself apart in the crowded Republican primary as the only candidate willing to repeatedly and harshly criticise Mr Trump. The irony, of course, is that Mr Christie cozied up to Mr Trump after Mr Trump’s triumph in the 2016 presidential nominating contest. Mr Christie served as an adviser to Mr Trump throughout the 2016 general election campaign and led his presidential transition team. He remained a close ally of Mr Trump’s throughout his presidency, turning on him only after the Capitol riot of January 6. Mr Christie announced his second bid for the presidency earlier this month. He last won an election in 2013, four years before he left office in New Jersey with one of the lowest approval ratings ever recorded for a governor. Read More Trump news – live: Judge sets Mar-a-Lago classified papers trial date as Hunter Biden reaches plea deal Trump faces questions about whether he'll drag down the Republican Party after his indictments Chris Christie slams GOP debate pledge as a ‘useless idea’ and rips ‘loser’ Trump Miami's Francis Suarez looks to become first sitting mayor to be president

A constitutional amendment to restore abortion rights in Missouri will move forward after a judge on Tuesday broke a standoff between two Republican officials that had halted the process. Cole County Presiding Judge Jon Beetem ordered Attorney General Andrew Bailey to approve fellow Republican Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick's estimated $51,000 price tag on the proposal within 24 hours. Bailey had refused to approve the price estimate, arguing that if the proposal were to succeed, it could cost the state as much as a million times more than that figure because of lost Medicaid funding or lost revenue that wouldn’t be collected from people who otherwise would be born. But Beetem said Bailey has “no authority to substitute his own judgment for that of the Auditor.” “There is an absolute absence of authority to conclude the Attorney General is permitted to send the Auditor’s fiscal note summary back to revision simply because he disagrees with the Auditor’s estimated cost or savings of a proposed measure,” Beetem wrote in his ruling. A spokesperson said the attorney general's office will appeal. If approved by voters, the proposal would enshrine in the constitution the individual right to make decisions about abortion, childbirth and birth control. Missouri's Republican-led Legislature and Republican governor banned nearly all abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer. The state now allows exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for cases of rape or incest. In Missouri, the auditor is required to calculate how much taxpayer money it could cost to implement ballot measures. The attorney general then reviews and approves the cost estimate in an administrative step that historically has been uneventful. Fitzpatrick’s office in March found that the proposal would have no known impact on state funds and an estimated cost of at least $51,000 annually in reduced local tax revenues, although “opponents estimate a potentially significant loss to state revenue.” Bailey said that cost estimate was so low it would bias voters and told Fitzpatrick to change it. Fitzpatrick refused, arguing that a multibillion-dollar projection for the initiative petition would be inaccurate, despite Fitzpatrick’s personal opposition to abortion. “As much as I would prefer to be able to say this IP would result in a loss to the state of Missouri of $12.5 billion in federal funds, it wouldn’t,” Fitzpatrick wrote in an April 21 letter to Bailey. “To submit a fiscal note summary that I know contains inaccurate information would violate my duty as State Auditor to produce an accurate fiscal note summary.” The standoff had blocked the secretary of state from allowing the pro-abortion rights campaign to start collecting signatures from voters. The campaign would need to collect signatures from 8% of legal voters in six of the state’s eight congressional districts in order to get the proposal on the 2024 ballot. ___ For more AP coverage of the abortion issue: https://apnews.com/hub/abortion Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Watch: Andrew Bailey questioned on BoE independence by House of Lords committee Missouri governor signs ban on transgender health care, school sports Hunter Biden reaches deal with DOJ to plead guilty to federal charges

Judge Aileen Cannon has set a date for the trial in the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump. The Trump-appointed judge has signed a court order listing the trial as starting on 14 August of this year in Fort Pierce, Florida. “This case is hereby set for a Criminal Jury Trial during the two-week period commencing August 14, 2023, or as soon thereafter as the case may be called,” the court order states. “Any change of plea must be taken prior to 5:00 p.m. on the last business day before trial is scheduled to begin,” it adds. The court order is likely to be challenged as motions are filed, including requests for the trial to be delayed. “All pre-trial motions and motions in limine must be filed by July 24, 2023,” the court order states. Scott MacFarlane of CBS News noted that “This timeline seems quite aspirational.. not likely to hold”. Judge Cannon appears to have created what’s called a “rocket docket” seemingly in an attempt to push the trial through the judicial system. Most federal trials take as long as a year as both parties prepare for the proceedings, The Daily Beast noted. Legal experts have previously indicated that Judge Cannon can be unpredictable and that she has ruled in favour of Mr Trump in the past after he appointed her shortly before leaving the White House. While overseeing Mr Trump’s challenge to the raid of his Mar-a-Lago estate last year, she added more red tape, slowing down the FBI probe. Former federal prosecutor Brandon Van Grack told The New York Times that the proposed trial date probably won’t stand as the discovery process of handing over classified evidence to the defence legal team hasn’t started yet. But he said that the date “signals that the court is at least trying to do everything it can to move the case along and that it’s important that the case proceed quickly”. “Even though it’s unlikely to hold, it’s at least a positive signal — positive in the sense that all parties and the public should want this case to proceed as quickly as possible,” he added. As Mr Trump struggles to retain lawyers to represent him, it’s unclear if the defence wants the case to move quickly and for the case to be resolved ahead of the 2024 election or if there will be attempts to delay it until after the election. But Mr Trump has for decades attempted to delay legal cases and this case is likely to be given the same treatment. If the trial goes beyond the election and Mr Trump is elected, he may theoretically attempt to pardon himself. He may also order his attorney general to drop the charges against him, The Times notes. Following Mr Trump’s indictment in Miami, Special Counsel Jack Smith indicated that he wanted a speedy trial. Judge Cannon wrote in the court order that the trial is set to be held at her home courthouse in Fort Pierce, a small town in the north of the Southern District of Florida. More follows...

Hunter Biden has reached a plea deal with the Department of Justice, agreeing to plead guilty to three federal charges following an investigation into his taxes. President Joe Biden’s son will plead guilty to three federal charges, the Justice Department said in a court filing on Tuesday morning. A court filing from David Weiss, the US Attorney for District of Delaware, said that the president’s only living son will plea guilty to two federal charges of willful failure to pay federal income tax one charge of a firearm by a person who is “an unlawful user or addicted to a controlled substance.” At the time, Mr Biden, the sole surviving son of the president’s first marriage, was actively addicted to drugs. “The parties jointly request that the Court schedule a consolidated Initial Appearance on the firearm Inform and an Initial Appearance and Change of Plea Hearing on the tax charges,” the filing said. Mr Weiss was appointed by former president Donald Trump and has been in charge of the probe into Mr Biden. The case says that in 2017, Mr Biden had received received taxable income in excess of $1.5m, $100,000 of which was taxable to the federal government, but he failed the pay it to the Internal Revenue Service by 17 April 2018. He reportedly failed to the same the following year. White House Spokesman Iam Sams put out a statement after the charges were made public. “The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life,” he said. “We will have no further comment.” Read More Hunter Biden charged with failing to pay federal income tax and illegally having a weapon Biden snaps back as reporter asks him about ‘big guy’ controversy White House rejects any involvement in Trump prosecution as ex-president under arrest

Former president Donald Trump denied that he ever possessed a secret document about attacking Iran despite the fact a recording exists that had him discussing a document he kept from his presidency. Mr Trump spoke in an interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier at his property in Bedminster, New Jersey less than a week after he pleaded not guilty to 37 charges in a federal court in Miami at his arraignment. A federal grand jury had indicted him for allegedly willfully mishandling classified documents, obstruction of justice and making false statements. The former president was also confronted by Baier over his insistence that he won the 2020 election — which he did not, as the Fox News host made clear in a testy exchange. Voters may be growing sick of Mr Trump as well. In a new poll, voters were most likely to describe Donald Trump in one word: a “criminal”. Mr Trump also complained about the latest Quinnipiac University poll being cited by Fox News that shows Joe Biden beating him in the 2024 election as the network prepared to broadcast an interview with him. Read More Trump reacts angrily as Fox News anchor directly tells him: ‘You lost the 2020 election’ Trump denies ever having secret document about attacking Iran despite ‘unclassified’ tape recording Donald Trump Jr facing calls to be banned from Australia

A Fox News host confronted Donald Trump in a heated interview with a long list of former staffers he appointed and later went against. Mr Trump was challenged on his hiring choices during his tenure, with Fox News anchor Bret Baier reminding him of his 2016 statement that he was "going to surround myself with only the best and most serious people”. "Well, I did do that," Mr Trump responded. "That’s tremendous. Look, we had the best economy we’ve ever had, the world has ever seen." Baier then read out a long list of his former allies who are now running against him in the 2024 presidential elections. He said his former vice president Mike Pence and his former ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley are running against him while his former secretary of state Mike Pompeo is not supporting him. “You mentioned national security adviser John Bolton. He’s not supporting you either. You mentioned attorney general Bill Barr. Says you shouldn’t be president again. Calls you ‘the consummate narcissist’ and ‘troubled man.’ You recently called Barr a ‘gutless pig’,” he said as Mr Trump watched. “Your second defence secretary is not supporting you. Called you irresponsible. This week, you called your White House chief of staff John Kelly ‘weak and ineffective’ and ‘born with a very small brain.’ You called your acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney a ‘born loser’,” he added. "So, why did you hire all of them in the first place?" Baier asked, after adding more references to his aides and officials. Mr Trump said he had “phenomenal people” without naming anyone and praised his administration “for defeating ISIS”. “We had phenomenal people in the military. I’m not a fan of Milley and I’m not a fan of certain of the television people. But I knocked out ISIS, I defeated ISIS. They said, Mattis, it will take three years and I don’t think we can do it. I did it in a period of like four weeks,” Mr Trump said, referring to chair of the US joint chiefs of staff Mark Milley and former defence secretary James Mattis. "There’s a lot of people who praise you for your policies," Baier responded. "I just said that." "That’s true. Well, I mean, you just went through a list. But don’t forget, for every one you say, I had 10 that love us," Mr Trump said. “Because I hired ten to one that were fantastic... We had a great economy. We had phenomenal people in charge of the economy.” Mr Trump sat down for an interview for the first time since 2018 with Fox News’s Baier, who also challenged the former president’s election fraud claims during his coverage of the 2020 elections. Read More Trump news – live: Trump denies ever having ‘Iran’ paper despite recording, as Fox confronts him over 2020 Trump reacts angrily as Fox News anchor directly tells him: ‘You lost the 2020 election’ Donald Trump Jr facing calls to be banned from Australia 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

Nearly 100 letters containing a mysterious white powder were addressed to Donald Trump and several Republican lawmakers in Kansas, according to officials. At least two Republican politicians from the state said they received a letter from someone who referred to themselves as “your secret despirer”. The term is likely a play on the word despise. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said the letters “containing suspicious white powder” have been received across the state of Kansas and sent for testing to determine the components of the substance. It said approximately 100 letters have been received as of Sunday and law enforcement and hazmat teams were working to safely collect the letters and investigate the incidents. “Currently, no injuries have been reported, but we ask everyone to remain vigilant in handling mail,” it said. Similar letters containing a note and a powdery substance were sent to prominent figures such as former president Donald Trump and Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas. However, before reaching their intended recipients, these letters were intercepted by the US Postal Inspection Service, sources told ABC news. The letters were found to be harmless by postal inspectors, sources said. One of the recipients of the compromised letter told ABC Kansas City affiliate KMBC that the note with the letter was intended to threaten. "There is some message. The message is somewhat unclear, but it was intended to be threatening," Republican state senator Molly Baumgardner said. She said the letter mailed to her had a suspicious white powder and a note which read in part that: “It is important not to choke on your ambition”. It was described as a “gift” by the sender who referred to themselves as "your secret despirer”. "Everybody has to be concerned," Ms Baumgardner told the network. "Everyone has to take this and any subsequent threats like this very seriously." Republican state representative Stephen Owens said he also received a letter with content similar to the one that Ms Baumgardner got, according to a copy he shared with CNN. KBI said they are working with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to determine the motive behind the letter. "Preliminary tests have returned from this lab indicating the substance is presumptively negative for common biological agents of concern," the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in an update, adding that it has been sent for further testing. Kansas state Republican representative Steve Owens told ABC News that it was “terrifying” to receive the letter that came in a standard white envelope. In April, Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, received two letters containing white power just days after indicting Mr Trump. New York police were called to the mailroom at the office located in Lower Manhattan as a precaution and determined the white powder was nonhazardous. The first letter to Mr Bragg read: “ALVIN: I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!” Mr Bragg said he has received several “serious” threats of harm recently which has led to an increase in security protection. Read More Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is sent a second package containing white powder after Trump arrest This smiling father-of-six dentist was living a double life – and allegedly plotting his wife’s poisoning murder Blinken says US ‘doesn’t support Taiwan independence’ in visit to ease relations with China 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

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday reiterated decades of US policy towards Taiwan when he said the US does not support a declaration of independence by the government on that island, which the People’s Republic of China considers a rogue province. Mr Blinken’s statement came during a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at which the top US diplomat and the Chinese strongman attempted to smooth over months of tension between Washington and Beijing. A previously scheduled trip to China by the US secretary of state had been cancelled in the wake of the February shootdown of a spy balloon that US intelligence has said belonged to the PRC. “We do not support Taiwan independence,” Mr Blink said in public comments. “We remain opposed to any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side.” While the US diplomat stressed that the US does not support “independence” for Taiwan, Washington remains a major supplier of arms to the Taiwanese military, and President Joe Biden on several occasions has said the US would defend Taiwan if China was to mount an invasion. Officially, his statement does not represent a policy change for the US because the US has long maintained strategic ambiguity towards the island, supplying Taipei with weapons while simultaneously avoiding any official diplomatic contact. Mr Blinken met on Monday with Chinese President Xi and said they agreed to "stabilise" badly deteriorated US-China ties, but America's top diplomat left Beijing with his biggest ask rebuffed: better communications between their militaries. After meeting Mr Xi, Mr Blinken said China is not ready to resume military-to-military contacts, something the US considers crucial to avoid miscalculation and conflict, particularly over Taiwan. Still, China's main diplomat for the Western Hemisphere, Yang Tao, said he thought Blinken's visit to China "marks a new beginning." "The US side is surely aware of why there is difficulty in military-to-military exchanges," he said, blaming the issue squarely on US sanctions, which Mr Blinken said revolved entirely around threats to American security. Yet Mr Blinken and Mr Xi pronounced themselves satisfied with progress made during the two days of talks, without pointing to specific areas of agreement beyond a mutual decision to return to a broad agenda for cooperation and competition endorsed last year by Mr Xi and President Joe Biden at a summit in Bali. And, it remained unclear if those understandings can resolve their most important disagreements, many of which have international implications. Still, both men said they were pleased with the outcome of the highest-level US visit to China in five years. The two sides expressed a willingness to hold more talks, but there was little indication that either is prepared to bend from positions on issues including trade, Taiwan, human rights conditions in China and Hong Kong, Chinese military assertiveness in the South China Sea, and Russia's war in Ukraine. Mr Blinken said later that the US set limited objectives for the trip and achieved them. He told reporters before leaving for a Ukraine reconstruction conference in London that he had raised the issue of military to military communications "repeatedly." "It is absolutely vital that we have these kinds of communications," he said. "This is something we're going to keep working on." The US has said that, since 2021, China has declined or failed to respond to over a dozen requests from the Department of Defense for top-level dialogues. According to a transcript of the meeting with Mr Blinken, Mr Xi said he was pleased with the outcome of Mr Blinken's earlier meetings with top Chinese diplomats and said restarting the Bali agenda were of great importance. "The Chinese side has made our position clear, and the two sides have agreed to follow through the common understandings President Biden and I had reached in Bali," Mr Xi said. That agenda had been thrown into jeopardy in recent months, notably after the US shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon over its airspace in February, and amid escalated military activity in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. Combined with other disputes over human rights, trade and opiate production, the list of problem areas is daunting. But Mr Xi suggested the worst could be over. "The two sides have also made progress and reached agreement on some specific issues," Mr Xi said without elaborating, according to a transcript of the remarks released by the State Department. "This is very good." In his remarks to Mr Xi during the 35-minute session at the Great Hall of the People, a meeting that was expected but not announced until an hour before it started, Mr Blinken said "the United States and China have an obligation and responsibility to manage our relationship." "The United States is committed to doing that," Mr Blinken said. "It's in the interest of the United States, in the interests of China, and in the interest of the world." Mr Blinken described his earlier discussions with senior Chinese officials as "candid and constructive." Despite the symbolism of his presence in China, Mr Blinken and other US officials had played down the prospects for any significant breakthroughs on the most vexing issues facing the planet's two largest economies. Instead, these officials have emphasised the importance of the two countries establishing and maintaining better lines of communication. Thus, China's refusal to resume the military-to-military contacts was a hitch. "Progress is hard," Mr Blinken told reporters. "It takes time, it takes more than one visit." Mr Blinken's trip is expected to herald a new round of visits by senior US and Chinese officials to each other's countries, possibly including a meeting between Mr Xi and Mr Biden in India or the US in the coming months. Before meeting with Mr Xi, Mr Blinken met earlier Monday with China's top diplomat Wang Yi for about three hours, an encounter that produced a harsh assessment of the talks. China's foreign ministry said "it is necessary to make a choice between dialogue or confrontation, cooperation or conflict." It blamed the "U.S. side's erroneous perception of China, leading to incorrect policies towards China" for the current "low point" in relations. And, it said the US bore responsibility for halting "the spiraling decline of China-US relations to push it back to a healthy and stable track." It added that Wang had "demanded that the U.S. stop hyping up the 'China threat theory,' lift illegal unilateral sanctions against China, abandon suppression of China's technological development, and refrain from arbitrary interference in China's internal affairs." In its readout of the meeting, the State Department said Mr Blinken "underscored the importance of responsibly managing the competition between the United States and the PRC through open channels of communication to ensure competition does not veer into conflict," using the acronym for the People's Republic of China. In the first round of talks on Sunday, Mr Blinken met for nearly six hours with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, after which both countries said they had agreed to continue high-level discussions. Both the US and China said Qin had accepted an invitation from Mr Blinken to visit Washington but Beijing made clear that "the China-U.S. relationship is at the lowest point since its establishment." That sentiment is widely shared by U.S. officials. In his meetings, Mr Blinken also pressed the Chinese to release detained American citizens and to take steps to curb the production and export of fentanyl precursors that are fueling the opioid crisis in the United States. Since the cancellation of Mr Blinken's trip in February, there have been some high-level engagements. CIA chief William Burns traveled to China in May, while China's commerce minister traveled to the US And Mr Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Wang Yi in Vienna in May. But those have been punctuated by bursts of angry rhetoric from both countries over the Taiwan Strait, their broader intentions in the Indo-Pacific, China's refusal to condemn Russia for its war against Ukraine, and US allegations from Washington that Beijing is attempting to boost its worldwide surveillance capabilities, including in Cuba. And, earlier this month, China's defense minister rebuffed a request from US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for a meeting on the sidelines of a security symposium in Singapore, a sign of continuing discontent. Read More White House attempts to explain Biden’s ‘God save the Queen’ remark Trump rants on Truth Social over poll showing him losing to Biden These House Republicans opposed making Juneteenth a holiday two years ago International news organisations condemn Tory conference ‘tax’ on journalism Pre-historic long-necked reptiles were decapitated by their predators – study Buttigieg says US 'green corridors' initiative key to cutting shipping industry emissions

When President Joe Biden on Friday closed out a speech to gun control advocates by exclaiming, “God save the Queen, man,” confused members of the White House press corps wondered what, exactly, the president meant. Was he speaking of Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away in September 2022 after a full seven decades on the throne of the United Kingdom and 14 other commonwealth reams — the longest reign of any British monarch and of any female monarch in recorded history? Or was he referring to Queen Camilla, who in May was crowned alongside her husband, King Charles III? Perhaps he was not referring to any British queen, but was instead speaking of the leader who took Elizabeth II’s place as the longest-serving European monarch, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark? According to the White House, the correct answer is: None of the above. Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton clarified the situation slightly late on Friday by telling reporters who were travelling with the president that Mr Biden was merely “commenting to someone in the crowd”. Ms Dalton did not add anything further on who the president was responding to or what prompted the strange remark. Yet Mr Biden, a proud Irishman who was accused of harbouring anti-British sentiments after he followed the example of previous American presidents by not personally attending the 6 May coronation, has previously expressed the same pro-British sentiment at a key moment in recent US history. When, as vice president, he presided over the January 2017 counting of electoral votes which confirmed former president Donald Trump’s surprise 2016 election victory, Mr Biden made the exact same remark in jest to then-House Speaker Paul Ryan after gavelling the counting session to a close. Read More Trump rants on Truth Social over poll showing him losing to Biden Blinken says US ‘doesn’t support Taiwan independence’ in visit to ease relations with China These House Republicans opposed making Juneteenth a holiday two years ago

The artist behind a flattering courtroom sketch of Donald Trump has defended his controversial depiction of the former president. William J Hennessy Jr was one of three artists who drew Mr Trump, 77, during his arraignment in Miami on 13 June on 37 federal counts related to willful mishandling classified documents, obstruction of justice and making false statements. The sketch of a slimmed down, youthful-looking Mr Trump standing bolt upright provoked protests on social media for being overly generous to the defendant. “Is this William J Hennessy Jr’s audition to do Trumps official White House portrait?” quipped one person. “That last sketch of Trump looks almost exactly like the recent photo of his son Barron,” another tweeted. A third person commented that “they got Trump looking like ‘Prince of Tides’ Nick Nolte in this sketch.” Mr Hennessy told the Boston Globe he was bemused by the strong response, which he said had been about half positive and half critical. “It’s rare I get any kind of feedback,” Mr Hennessy told the news site. “Some said he looked too thin, too young, and some said he looked too good.” He told the Globe the court appearance had been “pretty stressful” to cover. Journalists reported waiting in line for 24 hours to get a seat in the courtroom. “I don’t editorialise,” he said. “I just draw what I see.” Other sketches during Mr Trump’s arraignment showed the 45th president hunched over with his arms folded and a scowl on his face. Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to all the counts, and has denounced the investigation as a political “witch hunt”. When Mr Trump appeared for arraignment in New York in April on charges relating to falsifying business records around hush money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign, he told officers he weighed 240 pounds (109 kgs). Read More Trump news – live: Bill Barr slams Trump’s ‘absurd’ classified papers defence as ex-attorney quits CNN lawsuit Attorney General Garland keeps poker face as firestorm erupts after Trump charges Fox News quietly changes headline after White House accused network of lying about Pride flag Why aren’t more Republicans attacking Trump like Bill Barr? Trump news – live: Bill Barr slams Trump’s ‘absurd’ classified papers defence as ex-attorney quits CNN lawsuit

Former president Donald Trump reacted angrily when Fox News host Bret Baier confronted him and old him that he had lost the 2020 presidential election. Mr Baier asked how he would win back independen suburban female voters who have drifted from the Republican Party. The twice-indicted and twice-impeached former president responded by repeating the lie that he did not lose the 2020 presidential election. “First of all, I won in 2020,” he said. “Let’s get that straight. I won in 2020.” Mr Baier interrupted Mr Trump’s tirade to try and correct him even as Mr Trump continued. The former president repeated lies about footage that allegedly shows people stuffing ballot boxes. “You lost the 2020 election,” Mr Baier said. “There were lawsuits, more than 50 of them, by your lawyers, some of them in front of judges, judges that you appointed that came up with no evidence.” Mr Trump repeated his claims throughout the interview and falsely claimed that the state of Wisconsin “practically admitted it was rigged.” Mr Baier countered that investigations did no show widespread voter fraud. “They found fewer than 475 cases,” he said. “They were counting ballots, not the authenticity of the ballot,” Mr Trump said. “The ballots were fake ballots. This was a very rigged election.” Mr Baier then tried to circle back to his original question and ask Mr Trump if this is how he would make a case to the aforementioned indpendent suburban female voter. “We’re off to winning an election, and I think we’re winning very well,” he said. Mr Baier’s challenge to Mr Trump’s claims about the election being stolen came after Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems settled a lawsuit that the company which makes voting machines had filed against the cable news giant for $787.5m. Dominion had filed the lawsuit and claimed that the network defamed the company by giving a platform to conspiracy theorists who spread lies that Dominion engaged in widespread voter fraud and that Fox failed to challenge the lies about the company. Shortly after the settlement, the cable news giant parted ways with Tucker Carlson, one of its most-watched hosts. Mr Carlson had repeatedly parroted lies about the 2020 presidential election. Mr Trump is also currently facing an investigation led by the district attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, for his attempts to overturn the election in that state in 2020. Mr Tump’s interview with Mr Baier was the first one that he conducted with the Rupert Murdoch-owned network since his arraignment in a federal court in Miami. Mr Trump pleaded not guilty to the 37 charges that an indictment that a grand jury supervised by Special Counsel Jack Smith handed down. Mr Smith is also in charge of investigating Mr Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, including his actions on and leading up to the January 6 riot wherein supporters of Mr Trump broke into the US Capitol to prevent the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. Read More Donald Trump Jr facing calls to be banned from Australia Trump news – live: Trump denies ever having ‘Iran’ paper despite recording, as Fox confronts him over 2020 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