Trump praises Putin and denigrates US leaders at CPAC
Donald Trump Jr attacked transgender children shortly after president Joe Biden extended his support during the State of the Union address, saying “I’ll always have your back”.
“Joe Biden wants to help young transgender individuals achieve their utmost potential… admirable, but it seems their only focus is doing so in women’s sports,” Mr Trump had tweeted.
Meanwhile, the House select committee investigating the 6 January insurrection has issued subpoenas to six attorneys connected with Donald Trump’s failed 2020 campaign who promoted baseless claims of election fraud before the attack on the Capitol.
Earlier, former White House aide and Russia expert Fiona Hill claimed in an interview with Politico that Vladimir Putin once tried to make Trump take notice of Russia’s nuclear deterrent, but that the ex-president didn’t understand what the Russian leader was telling him.
“Putin tried to warn Trump about this, but I don’t think Trump figured out what he was saying,” she told Politico. “There was a menace in this exchange. Putin was putting us on notice that if push came to shove in some confrontational environment that the nuclear option would be on the table.”
Texas Republican congressman who rejected Trump’s election fraud claims to face primary runoff
Representative Van Taylor, who was one of the four Texas Republicans to have rejected Donald Trump’s claims of fraud during 2019 presidential fraud, will be forced into a primary runoff against Republican Keith Self in Texas’ third congressional district, reported the Associated Press.
He was faced with Self and another challenger, businesswoman Suzanne Harp, who had slammed him for voting to certify president Joe Biden’s victory.
The winner of the runoff, scheduled in May, will face a Democrat in November for a seat in the US House of Representatives.
Namita Singh2 March 2022 07:50
Scotus nominee is a ‘consensus builder’
President Joe Biden described his Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown as a “consensus builder” during his State of the Union address.
“I’ve nominated Circuit Court of Appeals Ketanji Brown Jackson. One of our nation’s top legal minds who will continue in Justice Breyer’s legacy of excellence,” the president said.
“The former top litigator in private practice, a former federal public defender, from a family of public school educators and police officers. She is a consensus builder. Since she has been nominated she has received a broad range of support including the Fraternal Order of Police and former judges supported by Democrats and Republicans.”
Namita Singh2 March 2022 07:25
Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Biden being blackmailed by Russia
GOP representative Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed that Joe Biden is “totally compromised” and is being blackmailed Russia over the laptop of his son Hunter Biden.
“The president of the United States is totally compromised because every world leader has contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop and much more to blackmail him,” Ms Taylor Greene said after the president’s State of the Union speech.
Making distasteful attacks on the president’s son, the Republican lawmaker said, “And for anyone, anywhere that has blackmail evidence on his sexually deviant, drug-addled, deadbeat dad, pathetic sorry, embarrassing excuse of a son, Joe Biden has already broken his oath of office.
“Because all he cares about is protecting Hunter Biden and he will not protect any of us. This is why I have introduced four articles of impeachment on Joe Biden,” she added.
Namita Singh2 March 2022 07:00
Trump foe Raffensperger fights for reelection in Georgia
As former President Donald Trump sought to lay blame for his 2020 election loss, Georgia’s secretary of state emerged as one of his main targets. Now, with a Trump-endorsed challenger in the Republican primary, Brad Raffensperger is fighting to keep his job.
The secretary of state emerged from relative obscurity into the national spotlight when he insisted that Georgia’s election had been accurate and secure, and refused to bend to pressure from Trump to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the state. Raffensperger says he’s running for reelection based on his record of integrity as a principled conservative.
“I’ve shown that I’ll stand and make the hard decisions and I’ll do what is right, and that’s what I’m called to do,” he said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
Oliver O’Connell2 March 2022 07:00
Lawmakers wear blue and yellow outfit to support Ukraine at State of the Union
Some lawmakers gathered for president Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address wearing blue and yellow outfits and lapel ribbons in support of Ukraine. When flags of Ukraine were handed out, some tucked them into their suit coats like pocket squares as well.
For a nation divided over a range of domestic matters, the fight for Ukraine against Russian aggression provided Mr Biden the opportunity to pull the US Congress together.
“My fellow Americans, last year Covid-19 kept us apart. This year we’re finally together again,” the president said.“Tonight we meet as Democrats, Republicans, independents, but most importantly, as Americans, with the duty to one another, to America, to the American people, to the Constitution and an unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny.”
Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, was welcomed with a standing ovation when the president introduced her, and she waved her country’s flag from the visitors gallery.
Read the complete report here:
Namita Singh2 March 2022 06:46
Dan Crenshaw survives the primary challenge
Two-term US Representative Dan Crenshaw survived a Republican primary challenge in the Houston-area district despite facing criticism from the right-wing of the party that he was not conservative enough, thereby advancing to November’s general election.
First elected in 2018, Mr Crenshaw was seen as a rising star within GOP before falling from the graces of the party for refusing to repeat Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 elections were stolen from him.
Namita Singh2 March 2022 06:16
Fiona Hill: ‘I don’t think Trump figured out’ Putin’s Ukraine plans or nuclear threats
Fiona Hill, a Russia expert who has served in the White House during both Democratic and Republican administrations, says that her former boss Donald Trump ignored warning signs of Vladimir Putin’s revanchist ambitions and threats to use nuclear weapons.
“Putin tried to warn Trump about this, but I don’t think Trump figured out what he was saying. In one of the last meetings between Putin and Trump when I was there, Putin was making the point that: “Well you know, Donald, we have these hypersonic missiles.” And Trump was saying, “Well, we will get them too.” Putin was saying, “Well, yes, you will get them eventually, but we’ve got them first,’” she told Politico on Monday.
Oliver O’Connell2 March 2022 06:00
Texas attorney general Ken Paxton likely headed into runoff
Ken Paxton is likely headed into a primary runoff to decide the Republican nominee for state attorney general, as he saw himself failing to capture more than 50 per cent of the vote needed to clinch the majority.
“I guess what I’d say is, clearly, to the establishment: they got what they wanted,” Mr Paxton said in a speech to supporters late Tuesday. “They got me in a runoff.”
Texas land commissioner George P Bush was neck and neck with former state Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman for the second spot, before pulling ahead as election day results tallied.
Namita Singh2 March 2022 05:59
Biden vows Putin will ‘pay’
President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address to highlight his resolve of a reinvigorated Western alliance to fight against the Russian aggression on Ukraine.
“Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson — when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos,” Mr Biden said. “They keep moving. And the costs and threats to America and the world keep rising.”
Read this report by Andrew Buncombe:
Namita Singh2 March 2022 05:40
Don Jr pushes back against Biden’s demand for gun control
Donald Trump Jr, an outspoken opponent of gun control pushed back on Tuesday against president Joe Biden’s renewed calls for banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
“I ask Congress to pass proven measures to reduce gun violence,” Mr Biden said during his first official State of the Union address. “Pass universal background checks. Why should anyone on a terrorist list be able to purchase a weapon? Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”
Pushing back against the suggestion, Mr Trump tweeted: “Joe, the reason American’s need an AR-15 with a 30 round magazine isn’t a deer in a Kevlar vest it’s what you’re watching take place on the news 24/7 this week in Ukraine.”
Namita Singh2 March 2022 05:19