US Politics

Biden says it appears attack on Paul Pelosi intended for House SpeakerSpeaker’s husband underwent surgery for skull fracture as political figures unite in condemnation of violence A man accused of clubbing the husband of the US House speaker, Nancy Pelosi,’ over the head with a hammer and threatening his life while demanding “Where is Nancy?” now faces charges of attempted murder and other felonies a day after the violent break-in at the couple’s San Francisco home.Attack on Pelosi’s husband heightens fears of increasing US political violenceRead morePaul Pelosi, 82, underwent surgery for a skull fracture and injuries to his right arm and hands, though doctors expect a full recovery.Joe Biden on Saturday afternoon said Pelosi was “doing better” after his surgery. The US president told reporters it looked like the attack had been intended for Nancy Pelosi and he urged all politicians to contemn political violence.The assault stoked fears about political violence less than two weeks ahead of midterm elections on 8 November that will decide control of the House of Representatives and US Senate, coming amid the most vitriolic and polarized US political climate in decades.The 82-year-old House speaker herself was in Washington with her protective detail at the time of the assault, but she flew back to San Francisco on Friday afternoon and went to the hospital.Police identified the man arrested at the scene by officers who intervened in the attack as David DePape, 42. He, too, was hospitalized with minor injuries, although police have spoken to him and he is expected to be formally charged by the San Francisco district attorney on Monday.He was booked into custody on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, battery, burglary and several other felonies.The San Francisco police chief, William Scott, told a Friday night news briefing that police detectives, assisted by FBI agents, had yet to determine exactly what precipitated the home invasion but said: “We know this was not a random act.“A statement from Nancy Pelosi’s spokesperson, Drew Hammill, said Pelosi’s husband had been attacked “by an assailant who acted with force, and threatened his life while demanding to see the speaker.”Scott said the intruder, wielding a hammer, forced his way into the Pelosis’ townhouse in the city’s Pacific Heights neighborhood through a rear door shortly before 2.30am on Friday morning.Police were dispatched after a cryptic emergency 911 call from the residence. CNN reported that Paul Pelosi managed to call 911 and used coded language as he spoke to the dispatcher.Scott credited the 911 operator with using her experience and intuition to “figure out that there was more to this incident than what she was being told” by the caller, so she dispatched police urgently. Scott called her decision “life-saving”.He recounted that police arriving at the scene caught a glimpse through the front door of DePape and Pelosi struggling over a hammer. As the officers yelled at both men to drop the tool, DePape yanked the hammer away and was seen striking Pelosi at least once, the chief said.The officers then arrested Depape. Scott condemned violence against politicians and their loved ones saying they “did not sign up for this” and called the attack on Pelosi “intentional and wrong”.“Everybody should be disgusted,” he said.In recent online posts, an internet user named “daviddepape” expressed support for former US president Donald Trump and embraced the cult-like conspiracy theory QAnon.The posts included references to “satanic pedophilia”, antisemitic tropes and criticism of women, transgender people and censorship by tech companies.He also railed against the prosecution of white former police officer Derek Chauvin, CNN reported, for the racist murder of George Floyd in 2020, a crime that sparked a racial reckoning and a reflowering of the Black Lives Matter movement.Older messages promoted quartz crystals and hemp bracelets. Reuters could not confirm that the posts were created by the man arrested on Friday.Friday’s incident came a day after New York City police warned that extremists could target politicians, political events and polling sites ahead of the midterm elections, and threats have risen sharply.US faces new era of political violence as threats against lawmakers riseRead moreThe US Capitol police said they investigated 9,625 threats against lawmakers from both parties in 2021, nearly a threefold increase from 2017, amid security concerns.Pelosi’s office was invaded and ransacked during the 6 January 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol by extremist supporters of Trump, who had been incited by the-then Republican president, as they attacked law enforcement and sought to overturn Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election. Some of those who invaded the building hunted for the speaker, calling out her name.She had escaped with other lawmakers and then from a place of hiding led efforts to get the halls and chambers of the Capitol re-secured and back in action so that Congress could certify Joe Biden’s presidential election victory, which it did in the early hours of 7 January.In January 2021, the Pelosis’ home was vandalized with graffiti saying “Cancel rent” and “We want everything” painted on the house and a pig’s head left in front of the garage, media reported.The home of the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, was also vandalized.McConnell contributed to bipartisan condemnation, saying he was “horrified and disgusted” by Friday’s violence.Trump’s vice-president, Mike Pence, whom insurrectionists threatened to hang on January 6, a notion reportedly endorsed by Trump, because he was willing to follow protocol and certify Biden’s victory, tweeted on Friday. He condemned the attack on Paul Pelosi as an outrage and said “there can be no tolerance for violence against public officials or their families.”Speaking at a campaign event in Pennsylvania on Friday evening, Biden told the crowd: “Enough is enough.“Every person of good conscience needs to clearly and unambiguously stand up against violence in our politics, regardless of what your politics are,” the US president said.Vice-President Kamala Harris was once the district attorney for San Francisco. On Saturday, she told an election campaign event in Baltimore that “there’s some scary stuff happening.”She said in place of vigorous but fair debate, “powerful people, so-called leaders, have been using the bully pulpit … to divide our country, in a way that is propagating hate,” adding that people needed to make their voices heard to articulate that “we won’t stand for that.”TopicsNancy PelosiSan FranciscoUS politicsUS crimenewsReuse this content More

Interview‘I’m changing Congress’: how Cori Bush brought her lived experience to Capitol HillDavid Smith in Washington Member of ‘the Squad’ on how her abortion experience, sexual assault and front-line fight in Ferguson, Missouri, affected her politicsHer new memoir is bracingly, sometimes painfully honest, but there is one passage that Cori Bush seriously considered striking out before publication.She had an abortion when she was 19. Walking into the white-walled room of a reproductive health clinic, Bush writes, she began to have reservations about the procedure. Twice she told a nurse, “I don’t want to do this,” but twice the nurse ignored her objections and carried on.Bush heard “the awful sounds as the vacuum sucked the fetus out of my body … I remember the intense pain and the feeling of helplessness in that moment. I was furious. That doctor ignored my pleas. I was just another person in his assembly line, just another little Black girl.”The doctors leaving anti-abortion states: ‘I couldn’t do my job at all’Read moreAs the prologue observes, The Forerunner is not your typical political memoir. Bush, 46, is not your typical politician. She is a registered nurse, ordained pastor, community activist and organiser and single mother. A Democrat from St Louis, she is the first Black woman to represent Missouri in the US Congress. She is also a survivor and embodiment of resilience.She realises that her frank recollection of abortion as a traumatic experience is politically loaded and could be seized upon by anti-abortion activists to further their cause. It comes just a month before midterm elections in which Democrats hope to tap into public anger over the supreme court’s decision to torch the constitutional right to abortion.“I know that many supporters of reproductive rights will be outraged by my decision to share this story,” the congresswoman writes.Yet in a phone interview, she tells the Guardian she has no regrets about including it. “It was a difficult position but this memoir is me telling my story,” she says. “To silence me, to tell me you shouldn’t tell this story because someone else can use it and weaponise it, that’s not an answer. We’ve got to fix the problem. The way to make sure that the problem is highlighted and awareness is placed on the issue is to talk about it.”While the abortion debate is often oversimplified, Bush is offering a reminder of the messy, nuanced reality that she faced as a young Black woman restrained by white medical providers. She continues: “Speaking about what happened wasn’t to condemn abortion providers at all because I work closely with a bunch of providers and reproductive health clinics and I support them.“It’s something that should not have happened to me and it is our work to not only fix certain parts of the system of harm; it is to do the work to fix all of it. But as I also wrote in my book, I was still able to have the services that I needed and the decision was mine to make. In the end, I made the right decision for me.”On the day in June that the supreme court’s rightwing majority overturned its 1973 Roe v Wade ruling, Bush happened to be back at the same clinic where she had undergone that difficult abortion (along with a previous abortion that resulted from a rape when she was 17). The congresswoman was meeting with providers, advocates and the health secretary, Xavier Becerra, when the news came through.“My chief of staff walked up to me during the conversation and showed me his phone and I couldn’t believe it at first. I kept blinking and looking at his phone. Even though we knew that it was most likely going to come any day, it was still hard to see and for that reality to set in.“Someone said it out loud and stopped the conversation: ‘The supreme court just overturned Roe.’ We all embraced one another. I shed tears, I yelled, I hollered out because I was thinking about the millions of people across this country that will be affected by this.”The court’s decision led to a surge of women registering to vote in some states. In Missouri’s neighbour Kansas, people voted overwhelmingly to continue to protect abortion in the state constitution. But recent midterm opinion polls suggest that Democratic anger over Roe v Wade could be eclipsed by Republican concerns over inflation and crime.Bush insists, however: “It’s a huge motivator because we have to remember that this is something that had been in place since 1973 – this was in place when I was born. There are a lot of us that only know a Roe v Wade society and there are people who may not agree with abortion but they also don’t agree with their rights being stripped away. Those folks are saying that’s going to make me show up to vote for the Democrat because I don’t want my rights being taken away.”Bush brings lived experience to Capitol Hill in ways unthinkable for a career politician. Having been evicted from her home several times, forcing her to sleep in her car with her children, last year she slept on the steps of the US Capitol in protest after Congress failed to pass legislation to extend an eviction moratorium (the White House eventually issued a new eviction moratorium).In 2014 she was on the frontlines of the uprising in Ferguson, Missouri, after the police killing of unarmed Black teenager Michael Brown. This made her a target for harassment. Her tyres were slashed while her car was parked in front of the complex where she lived. She came home and found her front door had been tampered with.Bush needed to move home. In 2016, a few weeks after losing a Democratic primary election for the Senate, she saw a social media post by a local faith healer advertising a house to rent. When she got in touch and went to see it, the man raped her. She describes the assault in unflinching, unforgiving detail and writes: “I whimpered through the pain. It seemed like forever. I felt like dying. I wanted to die.”Bush explains by phone why she choose to open her memoir with this candid account: “That changed everything and I am still in therapy now. I’m still walking out that journey to healing. It affected my life the way that it did because, when I thought about the sexual assaults I had back when I was 18, early adult, I went for the next 20 years blaming myself, like it was because my shorts were really short or my shirt was low or where I was when I met the person. I carried that for all of those years.“This time I had just completed my first run for office and lost; I was grieving that but I was a registered nurse now, I was taking care of two kids, I had just come from work, I was in my scrubs uniform, I was going to a place to see a home. That’s what really rocked me. Before, I thought it was because of something I did; I didn’t do any of those things this time; I wasn’t drinking, any of it.“So that’s why the book had to start with that, because my life turned upside down but, as I’m working through it, I’ve been able to help so many others and so many others have also helped me to be able to move forward.”Can Democrats win tight midterm races with a pro-choice message? Pat Ryan says yesRead moreAfter the rape, Bush was horrified by the lack of discretion she was afforded. She tells how “a caravan” of people followed her to hospital and she was subjected to the humiliation of a rape kit. A forensic exam found that the encounter could have been an assault or, as the rapist had claimed, consensual rough sex. Bush went to court four times to get a protection order against the faith healer but repeatedly lost.As a Christian, has she been able to forgive the man who raped her? She pauses. “Let me just say I have some forgiveness but is there a blanket all-is-forgiven? I’m still working through that. I’ve always believed that forgiveness is for you, not for the other person, and so usually I’m quick to forgive.“But in this instance, because there was some trust there and he hurt me the way that he hurt me and then he lied as a man of God and preacher of the gospel, and he continues on in this lie and continues to evade the system, that has made it difficult for me to just be like, yes, I forgive him and I’m going on with my life.”The Forerunner also gives Bush’s insider account of joining thousands of activists on the streets in response to the 2014 shooting of Brown in Ferguson. She recalls how the skin on her face and arms burned after police fired teargas. The uprising went on for more than 400 days and, Bush argues, became a pivot point in the centuries-long struggle for Black liberation.It also foreshadowed the nationwide protests for racial justice that followed the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. But calls from Bush and others to “defund the police” met with a predictable backlash, even from Joe Biden and other Democratic leaders. Some fear that the momentum of Black Lives Matter is again being lost.But Bush contends that the working and the organising goes on: “Even if we’re not on the streets every single day chanting and marching, are we organising folks to get them to the polls? Are we organising groups to be able to teach people what to do if you get pulled over by the police? Are we organising groups to teach white people how to talk about and understand racism? Are we mobilising people to support our immigrant community if they’re under attack? Are we organising for repro rights?”She accuses Republicans of wilfully distorting the central idea of defund the police, which means reallocating funding away from police departments to mental health workers, social workers and other government agencies. “They would rather scare their people instead of educating them.”Bush became a leader of the movement seeking police and criminal justice reform in Ferguson and across the St Louis area. She lost a Democratic primary race for a congressional seat in 2018 but, with the backing of progressive group Justice Democrats, prevailed in 2020 over a 20-year incumbent. She was instantly embraced as a member of “the squad” in the House of Representatives; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez describes her as a “sister-in-service”.There have been wins and losses under Biden, a longtime moderate. The president declared racial equity a central plank of his agenda, appointed a diverse cabinet and far outpaced his predecessors in nominating women and people of colour to the federal bench. But legislation on police reform and voting rights stalled in a Congress where Democrats command only narrow majorities. Bush regards the glass as half full.“Joe Biden has absolutely surprised me,” she says, citing his decisions to commute the sentences of 75 people serving time for nonviolent drug offences, cancel billions of dollars in student loan debt and lift a pandemic-related expulsion policy that effectively closed America’s asylum system at its border with Mexico.Many idealists have arrived in Washington only to find their dreams crushed by compromise. Is Bush changing Congress or is Congress changing her? She laughs. “Congress is changing me a little bit in the way of helping me to see how, by pushing, our government can work for the regular everyday person. Not understanding the inner workings of Congress before, I wasn’t able to see it but I knew that I needed to go inside of it to push for the change I wanted to see.“But mostly I’m changing Congress because I’ve been there less than two years and we have been able to bring about some change and, if nothing else, my colleagues know where I stand on issues. They don’t have to wonder what’s going to happen if a policing bill comes forward, if we talk about Israel-Palestine, if they relate to equity and inclusion, anything that has to do with incarceration rates. There is no question. People know that I stand on the side of equity and equality.”TopicsCori BushUS politicsUS midterm elections 2022Biden administrationAbortionRoe v WadeinterviewsReuse this content More

When McKinsey Comes to Town review: the book to consult on opioids, China and moreWalt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe of the New York Times have done their homework on the management giant McKinsey & Co is the biggest name in the consulting business. Established in 1926, it employs 30,000 people, maintains offices in more than 130 locations and counts Pete Buttigieg, the US transportation secretary, among its alumni. From vaping to non-profits, insurance to energy, government work to healthcare, the McKinsey thumbprint is there.Newsroom Confidential review: Margaret Sullivan’s timely tale of the Times and the PostRead moreTraditionally, McKinsey possessed the luxury of distance, watching from the sidelines as clients bore the brunt of scrutiny, lawsuits and risk. But the space between field and bleachers has narrowed. McKinsey finds itself under the microscope.When McKinsey Comes to Town is highly informed, a fascinating read. The authors, New York Times investigative reporters Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe, have done their homework. They name names, connect dots and unearth documents. Sources speak in Technicolor.Bogdanich is a three-time Pulitzer winner. Forsythe brings a keen eye to the intersection of money, politics and China. He was previously based in Hong Kong. As it happens, McKinsey has worked for both the US defense department and for Chinese state-owned companies that have aided Beijing’s military buildup.McKinsey says Bogdanich and Forsythe “fundamentally misrepresent our firm and our work”. It issued a similar statement when the Times and ProPublica highlighted its remit on behalf of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US Customs and Border Protection. ProPublica said: “McKinsey Called Our Story About Its ICE Contract False. It’s Not.” The contract with Ice was reportedly worth $18m.McKinsey has advised more than 40 US agencies. It played an outsized role in Jared Kushner’s attempts to cope with Covid, which originated in China. At the same time, it maintained a presence in China. The apparent conflict of interest triggered congressional concern. A group of Republicans claimed McKinsey’s work “on behalf of Chinese … firms, is tantamount to work on behalf of the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] and could lead to direct or indirect support for the CCP’s armed wing, the People’s Liberation Army”.Amid rising tension between Washington and Beijing, McKinsey’s connections, contracts and loyalties will probably continue to draw attention.The firm remains in the news. In February 2021, McKinsey entered into nearly $600m of legal settlements with state attorneys general. Why? The platinum-plated powerhouse purportedly helped Perdue Pharma “turbocharge” opioid sales. Plaintiffs alleged that “McKinsey sold its ideas to … Purdue Pharma …from 2004 to 2019, including before and after Purdue’s 2007 guilty plea for felony misbranding.”McKinsey also counts the US Food and Drug Administration as a client. But that’s just the beginning. To quote members of Congress, on at least four occasions the company may “have passed along non-public information based on its relationship with the FDA or discussed its willingness to do so” with Purdue Pharma.Bogdanich asks: “What does that mean when you have an opioid manufacturer who’s pushing opioids in the middle of an epidemic?”Since 1999, opioid-related deaths have risen more than fivefold. In two decades, opioids have killed more than 450,000 in the US. Life expectancy is down and it’s not just because of Covid. Death by despair is rising.In 2020, McKinsey apologized for its involvement with Purdue Pharma, “recogniz[ing] that we did not adequately acknowledge the epidemic unfolding in our communities or the terrible impact of opioid misuse”.McKinsey also counted as a client Juul Labs – the vaping company and scourge of teachers, moms and dads – billing it between $15m and $17m. Its most important work for Juul involved responding to an FDA crackdown on youth vaping.Youthful addiction can be profitable – until it isn’t. In September, Juul and more than 30 state attorneys general reached a $438.5m settlement. The e-cigarette manufacture did not admit culpability. McKinsey was not involved in the settlement. Juul hovers on the cusp of bankruptcy.Bogdanich and Forsythe focus on another “long-standing” McKinsey policy – simultaneously serving competing clients with “conflicting interests” as well as “counter-parties in merger, acquisition and alliance opportunities”. In plain English, McKinsey can find itself on both sides of transactions.Self-policing works – until it doesn’t. Unlike the strictures that govern lawyers, the rules that pertain to consultants, if any, are porous and less rigid. Last month, South African prosecutors indicted McKinsey on unspecified charges related to the alleged looting of Transnet, the state freight rail monopoly.‘A nutso proposition’: Robert Draper on Trump, Republicans and January 6 Read more“We believe the charges filed against our South Africa office are meritless and we will defend against them,” a McKinsey spokesman responded.Regardless of the outcome of the case, McKinsey’s experience in South Africa stands as a study in the perils posed when governments offload government functions to non-state actors.McKinsey will face continued scrutiny. Then again, it is unclear if such work as that of Bogdanich and Forsythe can or will lead to change. McKinsey services remain in demand. Eager college and graduate business school students line up for a shot at snagging the brass ring.Speaking to Bogdanich and Forsythe, one former McKinsey consultant put the reach of the firm into some perspective. Forget secret cabals, “illuminati, lizard people, or globalists” he said. Instead, “there is … McKinsey”.
When McKinsey Comes to Town: The Hidden Influence of the World’s Most Powerful Consulting Firm is published in the USby Penguin Random House
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Attack on Pelosi’s husband heightens fears of increasing US political violenceHammer assault on Paul Pelosi is latest in series of violent and threatening acts as midterm elections loom The bloody hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has sparked increased fears over political violence in America just weeks before the country’s crucial midterm elections.Paul Pelosi, husband of Nancy Pelosi, in hospital after being attacked at homeRead moreThe assault – by someone who reportedly entered the Democratic leader’s home specifically in search of her – comes amid an alarming rise in violent rhetoric and threats targeting US lawmakers.As Americans prepare to go to the polls on 8 November, many experts and observers have warned of the danger of acts of political violence. The election has played out in an atmosphere of conspiracy and intimidation amid widespread rightwing claims of voter fraud and persistent evidence-free accusations that the 2020 election was stolen.Paul Pelosi’s assailant reportedly posted on social media numerous far-right conspiracy theories around the election, as well as other issues such as big tech and the Covid-19 pandemic.According to police, a suspect identified as 42-year-old David DePape broke into Pelosi’s San Francisco home and beat her husband with a hammer until officers disarmed him. The suspect is now facing a number of charges, including attempted homicide and assault with a deadly weapon. Pelosi was taken to a nearby hospital, and the speaker’s office said he was expected to make a full recovery.CNN has reported that the assailant appeared to have targeted the speaker, who was not in San Francisco at the time of the attack. The suspect reportedly entered her home shouting, “Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?”The assault marked the latest in a string of incidents involving threats of violence against American lawmakers, judges and political candidates.In June, a man carrying a gun was arrested outside the home of the supreme court justice Brett Kavanaugh after threatening to kill him. A month later, Seattle police responded to a call about a man standing outside the home of Pramila Jayapal and shouting death threats and racial slurs against the progressive congresswoman. Days after that, New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin was attacked at a campaign event, when a man with a sharp weapon charged at him.Jayapal weighed in on the assault against Pelosi’s husband, saying on Twitter, “My heart breaks for @SpeakerPelosi and Paul Pelosi, and for our entire country. This violence is horrific. Our prayers are with them both and their family.”My heart breaks for @SpeakerPelosi and Paul Pelosi, and for our entire country. This violence is horrific. Our prayers are with them both and their family. ❤️ https://t.co/og5ZUVSAhW— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) October 28, 2022
The US Capitol police has reported an overall rise in the number of threats against members of Congress since the deadly January 6 insurrection last year.According to USCP data, officers tracked 9,625 threats and directions of interest (meaning concerning actions or statements) against members of Congress in 2021, compared with 3,939 such instances in 2017. The House sergeant at arms has responded to this worrisome trend by giving lawmakers up to $10,000 to upgrade security at their homes.Although both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have faced a number of threats in recent months, the increase is not evenly distributed along the political spectrum. According to a study conducted by the Anti-Defamation League, rightwing extremists have committed about 75% of the 450 political murders that occurred in the US over the past decade, compared with 4% attributed to leftwing extremists.The January 6 insurrection, which was carried out by a group of Donald Trump’s supporters attempting to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory, provided a vivid example of the danger of rightwing extremism. A bipartisan Senate report released in June concluded that seven people died in connection with the insurrection.The words of the man who assaulted Pelosi’s husband on Friday echoed those of the January 6 insurrectionists. One man who participated in the Capitol attack was recorded saying, “Where are you, Nancy? We’re looking for you.”The attack against Pelosi’s husband prompted calls for Republican lawmakers to condemn the use of threats and violence against political opponents. One of those calls came from Adam Kinzinger, a Republican member of the the House select committee investigating January 6 whose family has received death threats over his work with the panel.“This morning’s terrifying attack on Paul Pelosi by a man obsessed with election conspiracies is a dangerous reality encouraged by some members of my own party,” Kinzinger said on Twitter. “This must be condemned by every Member of Congress [and] candidate. Now.”TopicsUS politicsNancy PelosiDemocratsRepublicansnewsReuse this content More

What we know so far about the man who attacked Nancy Pelosi’s husbandDavid DePape, 42, was a hemp jewellery maker who posted conspiracy theories on Facebook The man accused of breaking into US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home in San Francisco and beating her husband with a hammer grew up in Canada, became a nudist activist in the Bay Area, and spread far-right conspiracy theories before being linked to the attack Friday, according to relatives and various media reports.David DePape, the 42-year-old suspect booked with attempting to murder Paul Pelosi, grew up in Powell River, British Colombia, but left about two decades ago to maintain a romantic relationship that led him to California, his stepfather Gene DePape told CNN.Paul Pelosi, husband of Nancy Pelosi, in hospital with skull fracture after attackRead moreHe had since become estranged from his family, Gene DePape and an uncle named Mark DePape said to CNN. But David DePape’s name and photo surfaced in San Francisco Chronicle news coverage for his living in a three-bedroom Victorian flat in Berkeley with a known nudist activist named Oxane “Gypsy” Taub, her three children and her fiance, Jaymz Smith.Smith and Taub had asked DePape, described as a hemp jewellery maker, to be the best man at a wedding they planned to hold on the steps of San Francisco’s city hall.Taub was convicted last year of various criminal charges, including stalking and attempted child abduction.Listed years ago in voting records as a Green Party supporter, DePape said he also took to the streets with activists who opposed a successful push to ban public nudity in San Francisco, the Chronicle also reported.More recently, Gene DePape and Mark DePape said, David maintained a Facebook account containing multiple conspiracy-laden posts.The account, which was taken down by Facebook’s owner Meta on Friday, included links to videos produced by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell which falsely claimed that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Republican incumbent Donald Trump in favor of his Democratic rival Joe Biden.Other posts mentioned videos falsely proclaiming that the congressional committee investigating the US Capitol attack staged by Trump supporters on January 6 had collapsed, and another was titled: “Global Elites Plan To Take Control Of YOUR Money! (Revealed)”.Additionally, he purportedly managed a blog under the domain godisloving.wordpress.com – also deactivated Friday – on which he regularly posted rants concerning the “ruling class”.The blog also had a banner reading “Weclome (sic) to Big Brothers Censorship Hell” above numerous posts rambling about government, media, tech and alien conspiracies, among other topics.Speaking to CNN, a DePape acquaintance named Linda Schneider said that she met him about eight years ago. He was living in a storage unit in Berkeley and described him as struggling with hard drugs at the time.Schneider said she later began receiving “really disturbing” emails from him, adding that he was “using biblical justification to do harm”.Another acquaintance, Laura Hayes, told CNN that she worked with DePape about 10 years ago and helped him make the hemp bracelets that he sold as part of a business he ran.“He was very odd – he didn’t make eye contact very well,” Hayes said, adding that he told her that “he talks to angels and there will be a hard time coming”.On Friday, San Francisco police alleged that DePape broke into the home of the 82-year-old Pelosis in a targeted act. Wielding a hammer, he allegedly attacked Paul Pelosi and asked, “Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?”The speaker was not at home at the time – she was in Washington DC with a security detail which accompanies her at all times, as standard.Pelosi dialed 911 himself and got police to check on him after telling the burglar that he had to use the bathroom and then calling on his phone, which had been charging there, Politico reported.Police then went to the Pelosis’ place at about 2.30am on Friday, and they found both Paul Pelosi and DePape both grasping at the hammer. Officers immediately arrested DePape, who had apparently planned to tie up Paul Pelosi until the speaker of the House returned home.First responders took Paul Pelosi to a hospital to be treated for blunt force trauma to his head and body. A spokesperson for Nancy Pelosi said her businessman husband had undergone “successful surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands” and was expected to make a full physical recovery.Authorities on Friday were expecting to charge DePape with attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, burglary and other felonies.TopicsNancy PelosiUS politicsSan FrancisconewsReuse this content More

Bill Scott, chief of the San Francisco police department, said the suspect in the attack on Paul Pelosi will face charges of attempted homicide and assault with a deadly weapon, among others.In a brief press conference where he took no questions, Scott recounted what officers saw when they arrived at the Pelosi residence around 2.27am today to respond to a welfare call.“When the officers arrived on scene, they encountered an adult male and [M] Pelosi’s husband, Paul. Our officers observed Mr Pelosi and the suspect both holding a hammer. The suspect pulled the hammer away from Mr Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it. Our officers immediately tackled the suspect, disarmed him, took him into custody, requested emergency backup and rendered medical aid,” Scott said.The chief identified the suspect as 42-year-old David Depape. In addition to attempted homicide, he’ll also face charges of “elder abuse, burglary, and several other additional felonies”, Scott said.Julián Castro, the former Democratic presidential candidate and housing secretary, is calling for more security for Nancy Pelosi after the attack on the speaker’s husband.Protection is provided to family members of the President and VP but not to family of the Speaker of the House. That’s not good enough at a time when too many people, moved by hatred and paranoia stoked by Trump and right-wing media, embrace violence as a means to achieve power.— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) October 28, 2022
Paul Pelosi has undergone a successful surgery for a skull fracture and “serious injuries” to his arm and hands, a spokesperson for Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.“Earlier this morning, Paul Pelosi was attacked at home by an assailant who acted with force, and threatened his life while demanding to see the Speaker,” Drew Hammill said. “Mr Pelosi was admitted to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital where he underwent successful surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands. His doctors expect a full recovery. “The Speaker and her family are thankful for the outpouring of support and prayers from friends, constituents and people around the country. The Pelosi family is immensely grateful to Mr Pelosi’s entire medical team and the law enforcement officers who responded to the assault. The family appreciates respect for their privacy during this time.”A relative of David DePape, the suspect in the attack against Paul Pelosi, said the 42-year-old has mental health issues and refused contact with family, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.Ron DePape, who said David DePape is a stepson of his brother’s from a previous marriage, told the newspaper: “We don’t have any contact with him and just feeling sad and sorry for the Pelosi family.” “It’s just a sad event. It has to be mental health issues that he’s been carrying around I would think.” The British Columbia resident told the San Francisco Chronicle that David DePape lived there but left “at an early age” to move to the US with a girlfriend: “He refused contact with any family. He just kind of disappeared.”David DePape appears to have an online blog filled with conspiracy theories about the government, media and tech companies, and appeared to be a follower of the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to the newspaper. Republican Adam Kinzinger, a January 6 committee member, on the attack on Paul Pelosi:This morning’s terrifying attack on Paul Pelosi by a man obsessed with election conspiracies is a dangerous reality encouraged by some members of my own party.I’m thankful he will be okay. This must be condemned by every Member of Congress & candidate. Now. @SpeakerPelosi— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) October 28, 2022
Congressman Bill Pascrell has described the attack on Paul Pelosi as an assassination attempt and blamed “big lies from many Republicans” for the violence.The congressman said in a statement Friday:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“This assassination attempt never should have happened. This guy has a background that shows he’s been moved, instigated, and influenced by those people who seek to divide us. Turn on rightwing media on any given day or night. You will see frothing hosts shrieking unspeakable lies and unfounded conspiracy theories about women, religious and ethnic minorities, city residents, young people and scores of others Americans. That some are radicalized to commit unspeakable violence against their perceived enemies cannot be a surprise. This terrorism is growing and threatens every community in America.”Early reports found that Pelosi’s attacker, David Depape, had embraced conspiracy theories about January 6, the 2020 election and Covid in online posts.I’m Dani Anguiano and I’ll be taking over our live blog for the remainder of the day.House speaker Nancy Pelosi is heading to San Francisco following the attack on her husband Paul Pelosi, Punchbowl News reports:Also: PELOSI is en route to SF. https://t.co/NalnyAiChv— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 28, 2022
While the Capitol police are scrambling to provide extra security to family members of congressional leadership after the attack, CBS News says the agency has been facing a months-long deluge of threats to lawmakers:There were nearly 10,000 investigations into threats against Members of Congress …. last year alonePer our @CBSNews reporting— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) October 28, 2022
The Guardian’s Dani Anguiano is now taking over this blog, and will cover the latest developments in this breaking story over the remainder of the day.NBC Bay Area reports Paul Pelosi is recovering from surgery on his head at a hospital in San Francisco.Previously, hospital sources had said he was undergoing brain surgery.Years before he reportedly embraced conspiracy theories and was accused of attacking House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, David DePape was associated with a uniquely San Francisco cause, according to Mission Local.The news site reports he was involved in protests against San Francisco’s anti-nudity ordinance, held about a decade ago in the Castro neighborhood:My sources also name the suspect in this morning’s hammer attack on Paul Pelosi as David DePape, born 1980, of Berkeley. He would appear to be a former Castro nudist protester. Things appear set to be bizarre for a while.— Joe Eskenazi (@EskSF) October 28, 2022
His name is mentioned in some coverage from that episode. The San Francisco Chronicle has someone they identify as “David Depape” pictured alongside pro-nudity activist Gypsy Taub in 2013.In coverage of the protests from the same year, the San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center names DePape as a photographer, spelling his surname “dePape”.The United States will next week put the United Nations spotlight on protests in Iran sparked by the death of a young woman in police custody and look for ways to promote credible, independent investigations into Iranian human rights abuses.The US and Albania will hold an informal UN security council gathering on Wednesday, according to a note outlining the event, seen by Reuters.Iranian Nobel peace prize laureate Shirin Ebadi and Iranian-born actress and activist Nazanin Boniadi are set to brief..css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}The meeting will highlight the ongoing repression of women and girls and members of religious and ethnic minority groups in Iran.
It will identify opportunities to promote credible, independent investigations into the Iranian government’s human rights violations and abuses,” the note said.An independent UN investigator on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, is also due to address the meeting, which can be attended by other UN member states and rights groups.Iran has been gripped by protests since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in police custody last month. The unrest has turned into a popular revolt by Iranians from all layers of society, posing one of the boldest challenges to the clerical leadership since the 1979 revolution.Iran has blamed its foreign enemies and their agents for the unrest..css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}The meeting will underscore ongoing unlawful use of force against protesters and the Iranian regime’s pursuit of human rights defenders and dissidents abroad to abduct or assassinate them in contravention of international law,” read the note about the planned meeting.Rights groups have said at least 250 protesters have been killed and thousands arrested across the country. Women have played a prominent part in the protests, removing and burning veils.The deaths of several teenage girls reportedly killed during protests have fuelled more anger.UN secretary general António Guterres has called on Iranian security forces to refrain from unnecessary or disproportionate force against protesters and appealed to all to exercise restraint and avoid further escalation.Iran: deaths reported as security forces open fire on protesters in ZahedanRead moreTop House Democrat Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi is recovering from an assault by a hammer-wielding intruder who broke into their home and shouted “where is Nancy?” Coming less than two years after the deadly January 6 attack on the Capitol, the incident underscores the continued threat of political violence in the United States as voters prepare to cast ballots in the 8 November midterm elections.Here’s what else has happened today:
Elon Musk completed his purchase of Twitter, but there are no signs that he has lifted the ban on Donald Trump – yet.
Big name Democrats are out campaigning today to revive the party’s chances ahead of the midterms, including Barack Obama in Georgia, and Bernie Sanders in Nevada.
Joe Biden stuck to his usual talking points in an interview yesterday, but sounded skeptical of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s insistence that he wasn’t planning to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
David DePape, the 42-year-old man accused of attempted homicide and other charges for allegedly assaulting Paul Pelosi, has embraced conspiracy theories in online posts, CNN reports:.@SFPD identified the alleged attacker as 42-year-old David DePape. @CNN reached two of the man’s relatives who told CNN he is estranged from his family. A review of his FB page shows he posted memes and conspiracy theories about Covid, the 2020 election, and the 1/6 attack.— Whitney Wild (@WhitneyWReports) October 28, 2022
Here’s more from the network:CNN looked through the attackers social media. He posted YouTube videos concerned about the 2020 election and January 6th committee. Posted a lot of theories COVID origins and January 6th pic.twitter.com/JnhD8wPJmr— Acyn (@Acyn) October 28, 2022
Bill Scott, chief of the San Francisco police department, said the suspect in the attack on Paul Pelosi will face charges of attempted homicide and assault with a deadly weapon, among others.In a brief press conference where he took no questions, Scott recounted what officers saw when they arrived at the Pelosi residence around 2.27am today to respond to a welfare call.“When the officers arrived on scene, they encountered an adult male and [M] Pelosi’s husband, Paul. Our officers observed Mr Pelosi and the suspect both holding a hammer. The suspect pulled the hammer away from Mr Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it. Our officers immediately tackled the suspect, disarmed him, took him into custody, requested emergency backup and rendered medical aid,” Scott said.The chief identified the suspect as 42-year-old David Depape. In addition to attempted homicide, he’ll also face charges of “elder abuse, burglary, and several other additional felonies”, Scott said.The San Francisco police department is beginning its press conference on the attack on Paul Pelosi.Follow along here for updates.House Republican Whip Steve Scalise has joined in condemning the attack on Paul Pelosi:Disgusted to hear about the horrific assault on Speaker Pelosi’s husband Paul. Grateful for law enforcement’s actions to respond.Let’s be clear: Violence has no place in this country. I’m praying for Paul Pelosi’s full recovery.— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) October 28, 2022
In 2017, Scalise was shot when a gunman opened fire at a congressional baseball team practice in Virginia.Virginia shooting: gunman was leftwing activist with record of domestic violenceRead moreCNN is reporting more violent details of the attack on Paul Pelosi:More from @jamiegangel: The man who assaulted Paul Pelosi tried to tie him up “until Nancy got home,” according to two sources familiar with the situation.  When the police arrived, the assailant said he was “waiting for Nancy.” https://t.co/yAZdHrM7Hk— Kristin Wilson (@kristin__wilson) October 28, 2022
The San Francisco police department is expected to soon hold a press conference on the attack. More

Democrats and Republicans condemn attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husbandReactions pour in after Paul Pelosi was violently attacked by a hammer-wielding intruder Politicians from across the political aisle are reacting to the news that US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was injured during a break-in and attack at their California home.The White House released a statement on behalf of Joe Biden, confirming that the president had spoken to Pelosi, his fellow Democrat, and expressed his support for Paul Pelosi’s recovery.Biden also denounced the violence and called for the couple’s privacy to be respected.“The President continues to condemn all violence, and asks that the family’s desire for privacy be respected”, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said in part.Paul Pelosi, husband of Nancy Pelosi, in hospital after being attacked at homeRead moreThe US Senate’s Democratic majority leader, Chuck Schumer, similarly decried Friday’s violence, calling the attack against Pelosi and her husband a “a dastardly act”.“I spoke with speaker Pelosi earlier this morning and conveyed my deepest concern and heartfelt wishes to her husband and their family, and I wish him a speedy recovery,” Schumer said on Twitter.Amid Republicans, many wished Paul a steady recovery and denounced the violence.The Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell wished Pelosi a full recovery and shared his shock at the attack on Twitter: “Horrified and disgusted by the reports that Paul Pelosi was assaulted in his and speaker Pelosi’s home last night. Grateful to hear that Paul is on track to make a full recovery and that law enforcement including our stellar Capitol police are on the case.”The House Republican whip Steve Scalise condemned the attack on Twitter and shared gratitude for investigators’ involvement.Scalise, who was shot in an attempted assassination in 2017, added, “Let’s be clear: Violence has no place in this country. I’m praying for Paul Pelosi’s full recovery.”Meanwhile, Kentucky senator Rand Paul shared a message of recovery for Pelosi’s husband. But he also expressed bitterness at a 2020 tweet from Pelosi’s daughter about an attack Rand Paul suffered from a neighbor in 2017.“No one deserves to be assaulted. Unlike Nancy Pelosi’s daughter who celebrated my assault, I condemn this attack and wish Mr Pelosi a speedy recovery,” Paul tweeted on Friday.Paul Pelosi was attacked on Friday at the Pelosi’s San Fransisco residence while the California representative was in Washington DC.The hammer-wielding intruder broke into the Pelosi home, allegedly shouting, “Where is Nancy?” in search of the top House Democrat.The attack was not random, the Associated Press reported, and the attacker, who is in custody, allegedly targeted the Pelosi family residence.Pelosi is currently in an area hospital after the violent attack and is expected to make a full physical recovery.TopicsNancy PelosiUS politicsSan FrancisconewsReuse this content More

Paul Pelosi, husband of Nancy Pelosi, in hospital after being attacked at homeDemocratic House speaker’s office says husband ‘violently assaulted’ early on Friday by suspect who is now in police custody Paul Pelosi, husband of the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, was taken to hospital early on Friday after he was attacked at the couple’s home in California with a hammer by an assailant who was reported to have shouted “Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?”San Francisco police said that they were called to the Pelosi house in the city on a “wellbeing check” at about 2.27am local time on Friday morning. They found an adult male confronting Paul Pelosi, and a hammer was being grasped by both men.“The suspect pulled the hammer away from Mr Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it. Our officers immediately tackled the suspect, disarmed him, took him into custody,” said Bill Scott, chief of the San Francisco police department.Scott named the suspect as David DePape, 42, adding that any motive was still being determined. Charges are to be brought at the San Francisco county jail, including attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, burglary and other felonies.It was reported by CNN that the suspect intended to tie the victim up “until Nancy got home” and that he had posted rightwing and conspiracy theories online, including content promoting the lie that Donald Trump was deprived of victory in the 2020 election because of voter fraud.In a statement to CNN, an acquaintance of DePape’s said he appeared to be “out of touch with reality”. Two of the suspect’s relatives also told the network that DePape, who grew up in British Columbia, Canada, was estranged from his family.In addition to multiple conspiracy posts on his Facebook account, which was reviewed by CNN and later taken down by Meta on Friday, DePape is also believed to have managed a blog to which he regularly posted screeds concerning the “ruling class”. The blog, which the San Francisco Chronicle reviewed and was later taken down, had a banner that said “Welcome to Big Brothers Censorship Hell”, along with numerous conspiracy posts about the government, media outlets and tech companies.According to the Associated Press, the attacker had specifically targeted the Pelosi family home. Video footage of the house showed glass shattered in a side entrance, indicating where the break-in may have occurred. A person briefed on the situation told AP that the intruder had confronted Paul Pelosi while demanding to know where his wife was. A similar chant of “Where’s Nancy?” was made by insurrectionists during the assault on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.The speaker was not at home at the time of the attack, but was in Washington DC with security protection that accompanies her at all times as standard.Her husband suffered blunt force trauma to the head and body in the attack. He was being treated in hospital for bruising, severe swelling and other injuries.In a statement, Pelosi’s spokesperson Drew Hammill said the speaker’s husband, 82, was “receiving excellent medical care and is expected to make a full recovery”. “The speaker and her family are grateful to the first responders and medical professionals involved, and request privacy at this time,” Hammill said.MSNBC on Friday afternoon reported that Pelosi was traveling to San Francisco to be with her husband, who was still undergoing surgery at the time. A Pelosi spokesperson wouldn’t comment on that report.While the exact motivation for the attack was unclear on Friday morning, it raised fears about the safety of members of Congress and their families.Concerns have been rising, particularly since the insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, by extremist supporters of Donald Trump intent on overturning his supposed loss to Joe Biden in the presidential election, about a new era of violent threats against US lawmakers and their families and staff, and their security.In July, members of Congress were given $10,000 each to upgrade security at their homes in the face of rising threats. Some have pushed for even more protection, pointing to people turning up at their homes and an increasing amount of threatening communications.Joe Biden called Nancy Pelosi about the incident on Friday morning.“The president is praying for Paul Pelosi and for Speaker Pelosi’s whole family. This morning he called Speaker Pelosi to express his support after this horrible attack. He is also very glad that a full recovery is expected,” the White House said in a statement.US faces new era of political violence as threats against lawmakers riseRead moreChuck Schumer, the Democratic majority leader in the US Senate, called Friday’s attack “a dastardly act”. He said he had conveyed his “deepest concern and heartfelt wishes” to Nancy Pelosi.Top Republicans also expressed their horror at the attack. Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader in the House who is poised to take over as speaker should the Democrats lose control of the chamber in next month’s midterm elections, reached out to “check in on Paul” according to a spokesperson.The Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, said he was “horrified and disgusted” by the assault.Paul Pelosi is a businessman who runs his own real estate and venture capital investment firm, Financial Leasing Services, based in San Francisco. He met Nancy D’Alesandro when they were both students in Washington DC, and they married in 1963. They have five children and many grandchildren.Nancy Pelosi has had two stints as speaker of the US House, between 2007 to 2011 and since January 2019. She represents California’s 12th congressional district.The investigation into Friday’s attack is being handled jointly by the FBI, the US Capitol police (USCP) and local San Francisco officers.The statement said that special agents with the USCP’s California field office “quickly arrived on scene”. A team of threat assessment investigators from the east coast was also sent to assist the FBI and the San Francisco police department with a joint investigation.Nancy Pelosi had just returned to Washington this week from a security conference in Europe and is due to make a keynote speech at an advocacy event on Saturday evening with vice-president, Kamala Harris.In addition to the rising threats on members of Congress, state and local politicians have also been confronted by increased threat levels. This week the campaign office of Katie Hobbs, Arizona’s secretary of state who is running for governor of the state in next month’s midterm elections, was broken into.A suspect, Daniel Mota Dos Reis, has been charged with third-degree burglary.Often at Pelosi’s side during formal events in Washington, Paul Pelosi largely remains on the west coast.Guardian reporter Maya Yang and the Associated Press and contributed reportingTopicsNancy PelosiDemocratsUS politicsnewsReuse this content More