List of All Articles with Tag 'us politics'

Most presidents, current and former, typically spend America’s Independence Day celebrating the values of US society that bring its citizens together, joining in the festive and unifying themes of the national holiday. And then there’s Donald Trump. The twice-impeached, twice-indicted former president spent his 4 July morning fuming at his enemies from behind a keyboard, re-”Truth”-ing a vulgar message aimed at President Joe Biden and the tens of millions of Americans who voted for the Democratic commander-in-chief in 2020. ““F**k Biden and f**k you for voting for him”, read the post. It was just another pebble in the avalanche of bizarre behaviour that Mr Trump has long known for; the attack was amplified by the former president at roughly 2am, hours before he would apparently wake up and decide to share a slightly-less caustic message to his followers. “Happy FOURTH OF JULY to everyone. We are working hard, we will take back our Country, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”. Though, he added that the 2024 election would be “our LAST GREAT CHANCE” to do so. Read More Trump’s own words about an indicted president come back to haunt him Ex-Trump spokesperson claims she saw him show off documents on Mar-a-Lago dining patio Chris Christie reacts to ‘control freak’ Trump’s classified documents comments: ‘He’s scared’

A powdery substance that was discovered at the White House Sunday evening, prompting a temporary evacuation of the complex, has been sent for further evaluation and testing, the Secret Service said.

Lots of low-wage workers just received a boost in pay, as more than a dozen states and localities increased their minimum wages.

A small amount of white powder which authorities now believe is cocaine was found in the White House on Sunday, according to multiple media reports. The US Secret Service began an investigation after the substance was discovered Sunday evening. A source familiar told the newspaper that preliminary testing revealed the powder to be cocaine. Separately, The Daily Mail reported that the powder had been found in the library of the White House — an area frequented by many staffers as well as some tours. A source with knowledge of the situation characterised the area where it was found as a work area of the West Wing. Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service’s chief spokesman, told The Independent on Monday that agents were beginning “an investigation into the cause and manner” of how the powder entered the White House. He added that it was discovered during a routine sweep of the room. “On Sunday evening, the White House complex went into a precautionary closure as officers from the Secret Service Uniformed Division investigated an unknown item found inside a work area. The DC Fire Department was called to evaluate and quickly determined the item to be non-hazardous. The item was sent for further evaluation and an investigation into the cause and manner of how it entered the White House is pending,” said Mr Guglielmi said. The president was not in the residence at the time of the investigation, according to the spokesman. Mr Biden spent the weekend at the Camp David residence, returning to Washington on Monday for an event with the National Education Association. Read More Watch live: Joe Biden addresses teachers and representatives of National Education Association Trump marks Independence Day by sharing vulgar attack on Biden and ominous 2024 warning Rudy Giuliani grilled by prosecutors about 'shouting match' in fight to overturn election

A financial firm linked to Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform has reached an $18m settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in order to bring an end to the investigation into its merger with the company. Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC) announced the tentative settlement on Monday, saying that the payment would “remove the cloud of uncertainty lingering over DWAC and would allow DWAC to move forward in achieving its objective of delivering a strategic merger”. The SEC had been looking into whether DWAC held talks with Truth Social’s parent company before going public, which would be a violation of certain antifraud provisions of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. The settlement means once DWAC has paid the civil penalty it can move forward with the merger, which would see Truth Social become a public company. News of the settlement comes after three people involved in the merger were indicted for insider trading last week. Michael Shvartsman, Gerald Shvartsman and Bruce Garelick were named in a federal indictment unsealed last Thursday (29 June) in Manhattan federal court. All three were charged with trading in securities of Digital World Acquisition Corporation (DWAC) based on non-public information about the company’s planned business combination with Trump Media & Technology Group — founded by former president Mr Trump — the parent company of social media platform Truth Social. They were arrested on Thursday morning in Florida. In 2021, the three investors were invited to invest in DWAC and another SPAC. After signing non-disclosure agreements, they were provided with confidential information, including the planned deal with Trump Media. They were prohibited from using this knowledge in the open market. According to the indictment, after making initial investments into DWAC through the initial public offering process, Mr Garelick was given a seat on the board of directors, which gave him access to valuable non-public information about the planned merger. He provided these updates to his co-conspirators, calling it “intelligence”. The defendants bought millions of dollars of DWAC securities on the open market before the news of the Trump Media business combination was public. In addition to their own purchases, they also passed the information to their friends on a trip to Las Vegas, to Michael Shvartsman’s neighbours, and to Gerald Shvartsman’s employees at a furniture supply store. After DWAC’s merger with Trump Media was announced publicly on 20 October 2021, the stock and warrant holdings significantly increased in value. The defendants and the individuals they tipped then sold their DWAC securities for a significant profit. Michael Shvartsman and Bruce Garelick have been charged with five counts of securities fraud under Title 15, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; Gerald Shvartsman has been charged with three counts. All three defendants have also been charged with one count of securities fraud under Title 18, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison; and one count of conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Read More Trump news – live: Truth Social SPAC agrees to SEC settlement as Trump’s past comments on indictment resurface Why isn’t Twitter working? How Elon Musk finally broke his site – and why the internet might be about to get worse Trump mocked for ‘weird apocalyptic’ campaign video Trump marks Independence Day by sharing vulgar attack on Biden Truth Social SPAC reaches SEC settlement as Trump indictment comments reemerge – live Trump sparks speculation by ranting about ‘charges against me’ in Georgia

Robert F Kennedy Jr was left grasping for answers after being confronted with a lengthy list of his conspiracy theories in a new interview. The Democratic presidential candidate, 69, sat last week for a wide-ranging interview with Nick Gillespie and Zach Weissmueller from Reason, which bills itself as the nation’s leading libertarian magazine. Mr Kennedy told the publication he had “always been aligned with libertarians on most issues”, and that he would consider appointing Tulsi Gabbard as his secretary of state. Towards the end of the hour-long interview, Mr Gillespie, Reason’s editor-at-large, noted that RFK Jr routinely trafficked in conspiracies and displayed a “kind of conspiracist mindset where almost everything that we take for granted is bad”. Mr Gillespie went on to list the numerous conspiracies that RFK Jr has peddled, including his anti-vaccine stance and claims that 5G and Wi-Fi are “controlling our mind”, that AIDs is not caused by HIV, that boys are becoming transgender due to chemicals in the drinking water, and that his cousin Michael Skakel was not guilty of a murder he had been convicted of. “It kind of goes on and on,” Mr Gillespie says. “How do you answer people who say, you know, like this is the sign of somebody whose thinking is fundamentally conspiracy-minded rather than kind of dealing with brute reality?” Mr Kennedy responded that the questions were “very unfair”. “You made a series of characterisations of my beliefs that you read in the newspapers. Many of which are just wrong.” When pushed, Mr Kennedy offered to go through each one individually and challenged the interviewers to “show me where I get it wrong.” Mr Gillespie then brought up a now-retracted article published by Rolling Stone and Slate in 2005 which made scientifically disproven claims linking childhood vaccines to autism. Mr Kennedy falsely insisted that he had not been shown “one mistake” in the articles. Mr Kennedy, who is running a longshot candidacy to be the Democratic presidential nominee in 2024, has been repeatedly called out by the scientific community for spreading dangerous misinformation about vaccines. Last month, former Salon editor Joan Walsh said publishing Mr Kennedy’s article was the “worst mistake of my career” and that she should have been fired for it. The nephew of John F Kennedy and son of Robert F Kennedy recently appeared on the controversial Joe Rogan podcast where he continued to spread baseless claims about vaccines. The pair challenged Dr Petez Hotez, a noted medical expert and virologist, to debate the science behind vaccines. Dr Hotez declined, saying he’d be happy to speak with Rogan but didn’t want to create a talk show-style spectacle. “I’ve offered to come and talk to Joe Rogan again, and have that discussion with him, but not to turn it into the Jerry Springer with having RFK Jr on,” he told MSNBC. Read More Trump news – live: Truth Social SPAC agrees to SEC settlement as Trump’s past comments on indictment resurface Editor apologises for publishing RFK Jr anti-vaxx screed: ‘I should have been fired’ Scientist pressured by Musk and Rogan to debate RFK Jr over anti-vaccine misinformation says he won’t be part of ‘Jerry Springer’ show

Thailand's new government took a step closer to forming with the speaker of the House of Representative chosen Tuesday in what has been an arduous task before the next prime minister is named. The House vote for prime minister is the next major move, expected next week. The leader of the surprise election winner Move Forward Party, 42-year-old businessman Pita Limjaroenrat, has faced strong opposition from conservative lawmakers in his bid to take the job. A successful candidate must have the backing of a combined majority of the elected lawmakers in the Lower House and the military-appointed Senate, which represents the country’s traditional ruling class. Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, the Prachachat Party's veteran leader who is better known as Wan Noor, was the sole nomination for the speakership and was automatically chosen with no house vote required. “I will perform my duty with political neutrality,” Wan Noor gave a speech after the nomination. “I will perform my duty with transparency, honesty, and I will fully comply with the constitution and the rules of the parliament.” The House Speaker position was highly sought after as it could influence the passage of legislation. Move Forward said it needed the post to ensure their progressive policies, often blocked by conservative lawmakers, will pass through. But many members of the populist Phue Thai Party insisted that their party should take the crucial post as it was the second winner of the election. Weeks of tensions between the two parties over the speaker’s post had raised concerns over the unity of their coalition and added to the anxiety Move Forward is facing in forming a government, but the proposals Tuesday went according to a compromise the two parties made the day before. Move Forward and Pheu Thai, the two biggest parties in the coalition, each got a candidate endorsed for the two deputy speaker posts. Several Move Forward supporters expressed their disappointment in the speaker deal, fearing it would be seen as the party backing down, which could undermine their reform agendas. Party leader Pita wrote Tuesday on Facebook that the decision was reached in order to “preserve the unity of the work among parties of the coalition government” and that he fully trusts Wan Noor will serve the post with integrity and for the right causes. The general election in May saw Move Forward and Pheu Thai score a major win over parties in the army-backed ruling government. The victory alarmed the country’s conservative ruling establishment — especially with Move Forward, which they regard as radical and a threat to the monarchy because of modest reforms it had proposed during the election campaign. The election results reflected a public weary of nine years under Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who as army commander seized power in a 2014 coup. He was returned as prime minister after the 2019 election. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

A federal judge on Monday blocked a Florida election law that would have set limits on voter registration in the state.

In the early days of the Covid pandemic, mothers frustrated that opening schools seemed a low priority formed communities online. Ron DeSantis became their hero.

A new immigration law passed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis, described by observers as one of the harshest in the country, has caused a massive decline in the Sunshine State’s labour force since it took effect, according to some business owners. The Republican leader and 2024 presidential campaign’s signature immigration law, which took effect 1 July, makes it a third-degree felony for unauthorised immigrants to knowingly use false ID’s for employment, and business that knowingly employ unauthorised immigrants or who avoid using the E-Verify system can lose their licenses or face up to $1000 in fines. The law also requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to check for immigration status, and invalidates drivers licenses issued to unauthorised immigrants from other states. In Miami’s booming construction industry, some companies are reporpting up to a 25 per cent decline in workers, The Wall Street Joural reports. “We’ve seen some fallout on job sites, particularly as it relates to hourly labor as a result of this new law,” Tom C Murphy, co-president of Coastal Construction, a company with more than 30 active projects across the state, told the paper. There at least 400,000 undocumented immigrants working in the state, according to Samuel Vilchez Santiago, the American Business Immigration Coalition’s Florida director. “We are in dire need of workers,” he told the Associated Press last month. “So there is a lot of fear from across the state ... that this new law will actually be devastating.” Migrant groups protested the new law in June, while the governor’s office told the AP in a statement, “Any business that exploits this crisis by employing illegal aliens instead of Floridians will be held accountable.” Mr DeSantis, despite governing a state known for its vibrant immigrant populations from Latin America, has positioned himself as a hard-line anti-immigrant crusader as he runs for president. In late June, he visited the US-Mexico border, where he blamed security issues on the Biden administration and proposed a return to most of Donald Trump’s most controversial immigration policies. That includes detaining migrant families with children beyond the customary 20 days, finishing the US-Mexico border wall, and ending the long-standing practice of releasing migrants into the US ahead of their court dates on potential immigration charges, which are usually civil violations rather than criminal ones more typically associated with prison. Read More Pete Buttigieg takes down Ron DeSantis over ‘strange’ anti-LGBT campaign video with ‘oiled-up bodybuilders’ 'Parental rights' group Moms for Liberty plans nationwide strategy for school board races in 2024 Florida's new DeSantis-backed laws address immigration, guns and more Giuliani grilled by prosecutors about ‘shouting match’ in fight to overturn election Former sheriff who nabbed 'Green River Killer' to run for Washington governor Senegalese President Macky Sall says he won't seek a third term in 2024 elections after protests

Federal prosecutors are nearing a decision on whether to charge Donald Trump and his associates with crimes related to their efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and recently interviewd teh former president’s top attorney for that project as their investigation winds down. Rudy Giuliani spoke to investigators in a voluntary interview in recent weeks, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, and is likely to be among the DoJ’s eventual targets for a criminal indictment if the agency goes forward with a case. According to the Journal, Mr Giuliani spoke among other things about a chaotic December 2020 meeting between the so-called “war room” established at Mr Trump’s now-shuttered DC hotel and the White House legal team, which was revealed throughout the January 6 committee’s investigation to have been firmly opposed from the beginning to the various theories regarding how Mike Pence or others could interfere in the certification of Joe Biden’s victory. The Journal reports that meeting devolved into a “shouting match” as conspiracy monger Sidney Powell and others presented their case — prompting Mr Trump to ask Mr Giuliani, another devotee of those conspiracies, to mediate the discussion. Mr Giuliani’s interview with the DoJ, previously reported by The Independent, was described as a so-called “queen for a day” interview in which a subject of an active investigation can testify to prosecutors about the case and generally receive immunity for whatever criminal acts are described in the session — assuming they are truthful. The former New York City mayor was reported by The Independent last week to be among those that DoJ investigators are considering for potential criminal charges as the agency weighs a decision on whether to file a superceding indictment charging the former president with dozens of crimes related to the 2020 election and the January 6 attack on the Capitol. A source familiar with the situation told The Independent last week that Mr Smith’s office will “most definitely” bring at least a handful of charges against Mr Giuliani for his service on Mr Trump’s legal team in the weeks following the November 2020 election and leading up to the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol. In addition to possible criminal charges, Mr Giuliani previously saw his law license suspended in both Washington DC and New York for false statements he made regarding the 2020 election. Other Trump attorneys like John Eastman have faced similar consequences. The ex-president and his legal team also remain under a separate criminal investigation in Fulton County, Georgia, over their efforts to overturn the lawful election results in that state; a grand jury investigation as part of that case recently concluded and a decision on whether charges will be filed is expected over the summer. Andrew Feinberg contributed to this report Read More What's 'Bidenomics'? The president hopes a dubious nation embraces his ideas condensed into the term Pete Buttigieg takes down Ron DeSantis over ‘strange’ anti-LGBT campaign video with ‘oiled-up bodybuilders’ Melania Trump hawks $50 NFTs to ‘celebrate our great nation’ ahead of July 4 Mike Pence and Liz Truss among VIPs who speak at Iranian dissident rally despite pressure from Tehran Trump’s own words about an indicted president come back to haunt him Ex-Trump spokesperson claims she saw him show off documents on Mar-a-Lago dining patio

President Joe Biden announced Monday his intention to nominate a former appointee under former President Donald Trump with a controversial past in Latin America to the bipartisan United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy.