Elie Honig explains why Trump lost his impeachment legal team
Joe Biden will meet the Queen later this year as part of post-Brexit Britain’s attempts to foster closer ties with the new US administration.
The president will join other world leaders at Buckingham Palace ahead of the G7 summit in June, which is being held in southwest England, according to the Sunday Times.
It comes as Donald Trump’s erratic preparations for his looming impeachment trial reached fever pitch over the weekend, as five of his lawyers reportedly abruptly parted ways with the former president.
Butch Bowers, Deborah Barberi, Josh Howard, Johnny Gasser and Greg Harris all left the team amid reports Mr Trump wanted them to focus on his false claims of presidential election fraud.
Trump loyalists in South Dakota turn on home state senator
Longtime South Dakota Republican voter Jim Thompson is ready to leave the GOP, hoping that an exodus of Donald Trump supporters like him will punish the state’s preeminent politician, Senator John Thune, for defying Mr Trump.
Mr Thompson, a retired rodeo announcer and broadcaster, watched Mr Trump’s calls for supporters to come to Washington to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election victory and he saw the ensuing assault on the US Capitol on January 6.
But as Congress tries to hold Mr Trump accountable for his actions, Mr Thompson sees an agenda to banish the former president from politics and return the party to establishment figures such as Mr Thune, the second-ranking GOP leader in the Senate.
“We were tired of the way things were going, we were tired of political answers and spin,” Mr Thompson said.
Associated Press1 February 2021 09:35
Ted lieu attacks ‘wrong and stupid’ former Trump official over effort to deny states Covid vaccine funding
Democratic congressman Ted Lieu has attacked a “wrong and stupid” former Trump official who is accused of pushing for states to receive less funding than they needed for the mass coronavirus vaccine rollout.
Paul Mango, the former deputy chief of staff for policy at the Department of Health and Human Services, reportedly lobbied against additional funding because many states had failed to spend the $200 million given to them in September, according to STAT News.
States said much of the lack of spending was due to the fact there was no vaccine to actually ship in September.
“Trump official Paul Mango was so wrong & stupid,” Mr Lieu tweeted overnight. “He lobbied against providing funding to states for vaccine distribution because they hadn’t spent $200 million previously allocated by Oct. Why hadn’t they spent it? Well, because no vaccines were available in Oct to distribute.”
Tom Embury-Dennis1 February 2021 09:13
Texas governor threatens to sue Biden because of ‘hostile’ agenda to tackle climate crisis
Texas governor Greg Abbott pledged to fight climate crisis executive orders signed by Joe Biden that he claims will undercut his state’s oil and gas production.
Through his own executive order, the governor authorised state agencies to bring legal challenges to policies implemented by the new president and his administration.
“When it comes to threats to your jobs, you have a governor who has your back,” Mr Abbott told workers at an oilfield service firm where he signed his order. “Texas is going to protect the oil and gas industry from any type of hostile attack from Washington.”
Oliver O’Connell1 February 2021 08:54
Myanmar generals ‘likely emboldened by Trump playbook’ after military launch coup
Brian Klaas, a professor in global politics at University College London, has said the coup in Myanmar was led by generals “likely emboldened” by Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud in the US presidential election.
Myanmar’s military alleged election fraud after the party it backed lost in a landslide to the NLD, which is led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
Joe Biden’s secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, issued a statement expressing “grave concern and alarm” over the reported detentions.
“We call on Burmese military leaders to release all government officials and civil society leaders and respect the will of the people of Burma as expressed in democratic elections,” he wrote, using Myanmar’s former name. “The US stands with the people of Burma in their aspirations for democracy, freedom, peace, and development.”
Tom Embury-Dennis1 February 2021 08:34
Biden to meet Queen later this year
Queen Elizabeth will host new US president Joe Biden and other world leaders at Buckingham Palace before a summit of the G7 big economies in June, the Sunday Times reported.
Describing it as a “soft power” reception, the newspaper said the Queen would be joined by the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The palace declined to comment on the report.
Britain has announced plans to hold the first in-person summit of the G7 for nearly two years in June in Cornwall, southwest England.
Prime minister Boris Johnson hopes the meeting will forge a consensus that the global economy must recover from the Covid-19 pandemic in a pro-free trade and sustainable way.
Reuters1 February 2021 08:15
Trump impeachment lawyers quit after he ‘demanded they repeat election fraud claims’
Two of the leading lawyers tapped to defend Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial abruptly parted ways with the former president on Saturday
Reuters reports that Butch Bowers and Deborah Barberi, two South Carolina lawyers, are no longer on Mr Trump’s team, according to a source familiar with the situation who said their exit was a mutual decision.
A further source said that an additional three lawyers associated with the defence, Josh Howard of North Carolina, and Johnny Gasser and Greg Harris of South Carolina, are also off the team.
Tom Embury-Dennis1 February 2021 07:59
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Tom Embury-Dennis1 February 2021 07:37