US Politics

‘Nancy, I’ll go with you’: Trump allies back Pelosi’s proposed Taiwan visitMike Pompeo and Mark Esper support visit to ‘freedom-loving Taiwan’ but Biden concerned any trip would antagonise Beijing Plans for Nancy Pelosi, the US House speaker, to visit Taiwan have prompted opposition from China and the American military but support from Republicans in Washington, including former members of the Trump administration.Trump’s second secretary of defense, Mark Esper, told CNN: “I think if the speaker wants to go, she should go.”Japan sees increasing threat to Taiwan amid Russia’s invasion of UkraineRead moreMike Pompeo, Trump’s second secretary of state, tweeted: “Nancy, I’ll go with you. I’m banned in China, but not freedom-loving Taiwan. See you there!”No date has been set for a Pelosi visit to Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that Beijing claims is a breakaway province. Many observers expect some form of military action by China some time soon, particularly in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.China has said a Pelosi visit would “severely undermine” its “sovereignty and territorial integrity, gravely impact the foundation of China-US relations, and send a seriously wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces”.Joe Biden said last week: “I think that the military thinks it’s not a good idea right now. But I don’t know what the status of it is.”The White House has not weighed in officially. On Monday, Biden’s press secretary, Karin Jean-Pierre, said: “The administration routinely provides members of Congress with information and context for potential travel, including geopolitical and security considerations.“Members of Congress will make their own decisions.”The state department spokesperson, Ned Price, said: “I will just restate our policy, and that is that we remain committed to maintaining cross-strait peace and stability and our ‘One China’ policy” – a reference to the US position that recognises Beijing as the government of China but allows for informal relations and defense ties with Taiwan.That was a policy Trump initially seemed to jeopardise, telling Fox News in December 2016, after he won the election: “I don’t know why we have to be bound by a ‘One China’ policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade.”In office, Trump agreed to follow the policy. But his administration was vociferous in its support of Taiwan and antagonism toward Beijing, with some observers suggesting officials wanted to force the Biden administration, which followed Trump’s, into confrontation with China.Pelosi has said it is “important for us to show support for Taiwan”. She also said she believed that when Biden referred to US military concerns, he meant “maybe the military was afraid our plane would get shot down or something like that by the Chinese”.Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican from Nebraska, said: “Speaker Pelosi should go to Taiwan, and President Biden should make it abundantly clear to Chairman Xi [Jinping] that there’s not a damn thing the Chinese Communist party can do about it.“No more feebleness and self-deterrence. This is very simple: Taiwan is an ally and the speaker of the House of Representatives should meet with the Taiwanese men and women who stare down the threat of Communist China.”Also on Monday, the New York Times reported that the Biden administration “has grown increasingly anxious … about China’s statements and actions regarding Taiwan, with some officials fearing that Chinese leaders might try to move against [it] … over the next year and a half – perhaps by trying to cut off access to all or part of the Taiwan Strait, through which US naval ships regularly pass”.The Democratic senator Chris Coons of Delaware, who is close to Biden, told the Times: “One school of thought is that the lesson is ‘go early and go strong’ before there is time to strengthen Taiwan’s defenses. And we may be heading to an earlier confrontation – more a squeeze than an invasion – than we thought.”The Times also said the White House was “quietly work[ing] to try to dissuade” Pelosi staging the first visit by a speaker to Taiwan since 1997.The Republican speaker who made that trip, Newt Gingrich, said: “What is the Pentagon thinking when it publicly warns against Speaker Pelosi going to Taiwan?“Timidity is dangerous.”TopicsUS foreign policyUS politicsNancy PelosiChinaTaiwanAsia PacificJoe BidennewsReuse this content More

He’s back: Trump returns to Washington for first time since leaving officeEx-president to give keynote address at rightwing thinktank, days after January 6 panel exposed his inaction during Capitol attack Mr Trump is going (back) to Washington. The former president will return to the nation’s capital on Tuesday, marking his first visit to the city since leaving office last year.Trump will deliver the keynote address at a summit held by the America First Policy Institute, a thinktank formed by some of his former White House advisers.AFPI’s leaders have said the America First Agenda Summit will focus on the Republican party’s plans to combat inflation and improve the US immigration system, but that agenda is unlikely to stop Trump from recirculating his lies about the 2020 election.Is Murdoch tiring of Trump? Mogul’s print titles dump the ex-presidentRead moreThe summit comes less than a week after the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection held its second primetime hearing, which focused on Trump’s inaction during the deadly Capitol attack. The committee outlined how Trump refused for hours to intervene and instead watched television coverage of the violence, even as some of his closest advisers pleaded with him to take action.Trump is expected to confront the committee’s accusations in his Tuesday speech, as he has remained determined to criticize those who did not support his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.Speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s “Road to Majority” conference in Nashville, Tennessee, last month, Trump again attacked Mike Pence, his former vice-president, for refusing to interfere with the congressional certification of Joe Biden’s victory on January 6.“Mike Pence had a chance to be great. He had a chance to be frankly historic,” Trump said. “But just like [former Attorney General] Bill Barr and the rest of these weak people, Mike – and I say it sadly because I like him – but Mike did not have the courage to act.”The select committee has shown how Trump’s pressure campaign on Pence incited his supporters, who chanted “Hang Mike Pence!” as they stormed the Capitol. According to the committee, Pence was just 40ft from the mob on January 6, as he was evacuated from the Senate chamber due to security concerns. A former Trump administration official told investigators that members of Pence’s security detail were so concerned for their safety they called family members to say goodbye.Pence was supposed to have his own opportunity to address the committee’s revelations on Monday, as he was scheduled to speak at an event for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative thinktank. The event was delayed because of bad weather in Washington, which impacted Pence’s flight.Trump’s speech comes as both he and Pence consider presidential campaigns in 2024. Trump has teased the idea of a Washington comeback since leaving office last year, and he has recently been dropping more hints that an announcement could come soon.Pence’s speech at the Heritage Foundation is the latest in a series of public appearances for the former vice-president, which have intensified speculation about his 2024 plans. In addition to his busier speech schedule, Pence has recently formed his own political advocacy group, and he has been visiting battleground states that could decide the next president.But both Trump and Pence will have their work cut out for them if they run for office in 2024. According to a New York Times/Siena College poll taken this month, nearly half of Republican primary voters said they would support someone other than Trump if he ran again in 2024. Only 6% of those voters said they would support Pence in the primary.Trump’s approval rating also remains alarmingly low if Republicans hope to regain control of the White House in 2024. A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 37% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Trump, while 55% have an unfavorable impression.The winner of the Republican primary in 2024 will (most likely) face off against Biden, who has seen his own approval rating drop in recent months, as high inflation and the war in Ukraine have soured the nation’s mood. A majority of Democrats now say they would prefer a different nominee for 2024.Trump will try to capitalize on Biden’s vulnerabilities with his speech on Tuesday – if he can avoid fixating too much on his election lies.TopicsDonald TrumpUS politicsWashington DCRepublicansUS elections 2024newsReuse this content More

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The approval ratings of the US president are at a record low. Washington DC bureau chief David Smith considers whether Joe Biden will stand for re-election in 2024

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After the chaos of Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s appointment as US president was supposed to bring a return to normal: a safe, competent politician who knows how to get things done. But more than two years since he came to office, the US is moving from one crisis to the next. With decades-high inflation, near-weekly mass shootings and failure to make progress on the climate crisis, Biden has reached record levels of unpopularity with voters. And some Democrats are now questioning whether he’s the best candidate to lead their party. The Guardian’s Washington DC bureau chief, David Smith, tells Michael Safi that November’s midterm elections may be pivotal in deciding the president’s future. More

Six staffers arrested after climate sit-in at Chuck Schumer’s officeOn Monday, 17 people sat in the Senate majority leader’s office to demand he reopen climate negotiations Six staffers were reportedly arrested in Congress on Monday afternoon for staging a sit-in at Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer’s office and protesting about a lack of legislative action on the environment.Biden under pressure to declare climate emergency after Manchin torpedoes billRead moreThe congressional staffers and activists had started the demonstration earlier Monday, with 17 staffers sitting in Schumer’s office to demand that he reopen climate negotiations, according to Saul Levin, a policy adviser for progressive congresswoman Cori Bush.“Right now, we Hill staffers are peacefully protesting Dem leaders INSIDE. To my knowledge, this has never been done,” he wrote.HAPPENING NOW: We’re asking Senator Schumer to negotiate like this is the coldest summer of the rest of our lives (it is). pic.twitter.com/wjXnHfTQqn— Saul (@saaaauuull) July 25, 2022
Some also protested outside the building.Schumer, Senate majority leader, had been under pressure to negotiate a climate deal, especially after the supreme court struck down a key protection of the Environmental Protection Agency.But Schumer, and Joe Biden’s, efforts to advance climate legislation have been thwarted largely because of the opposition of the Democratic West Virginia senator Joe Manchin, who has been called a “modern day villain” for his ties to the fossil fuel industry and killing off the president’s environmental proposals.Later in the day the sit-in at Schumer’s office seemed to turn more contentious.A tweet posted by NBC News reporter Julia Jester features a short video purporting to show one of the staff members in handcuffs, explaining why the group jeopardized their careers to take the action.The reporter asked the male staffer what they were demanding of the senior Democrat. He replied: “to reopen negotiations on the climate reconciliation package … and pass climate legislation”.Christian Hall, a congressional reporter for Punchbowl News, also tweeted that Philip Bennet, president of the Congressional Workers Union, had been taken away in handcuffs.Philip Bennet, President of the Congressional Workers Union is among one of the arrested protesters. pic.twitter.com/JG1oNKgHbg— Christian Hall (@christianjhall) July 25, 2022
The reporter asked why the group had chosen Schumer’s office, and not that of Manchin. (Earlier today, Manchin announced he had tested positive for Covid-19 and was working remotely).The staffer replied cryptically: “Because there’s always going to be a sheep that strays away from the herd.”TopicsChuck SchumerClimate crisisUS CongressUS politicsnewsReuse this content More

The criminal inquiry into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his election defeat by Joe Biden in Georgia has hit a speed bump. In what the Atlanta Journal Constitution calls “a surprise decision and a significant rebuke” of Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis, superior court judge Robert McBurney said Monday she cannot pursue her investigation of state senator Burt Jones.Jones was one of the 16 secretive “fake electors” who were lined up to fraudulently certify a Trump victory in the state he lost to Biden in 2020 by almost 12,000 votes.McBurney granted a motion by Jones, a Republican running for Georgia lieutenant governor, to remove Willis and her team from looking into his role in the scandal, citing the fact Willis hosted a campaign fundraiser last month for Jones’s now opponent, Democrat Charlie Bailey.McBurney wrote: .css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}An investigation of this significance, garnering the public attention it necessarily does and touching so many political nerves in our society, cannot be burdened by legitimate doubts about the district attorney’s motives.
The district attorney does not have to be apolitical, but her investigations do. As a consequence, an alternative prosecutor must now decide whether to continue treating Jones as “a target” of the investigation, as Willis designated the 16 “fake electors” last week, and whether to charge him with criminal misdeeds.The Georgia inquiry is widely seen as one of the best chances of holding Trump liable for his “big lie” that the election was stolen from him, and efforts to alter the result, which included the deadly 6 January Capitol insurrection.Earlier this month, the Georgia prosecutors issued subpoenas for several members of Trump’s legal team, including South Carolina’s Republican senator Lindsey Graham and former New York city mayor Rudy Giuliani to testify.On Monday, CNN reported, Georgia governor Brian Kemp, who has clashed frequently with Trump over the state’s certification of Biden’s victory, gave recorded testimony to a grand jury assisting the investigation.The inquiry has focused in part on an infamous phone call Trump made to Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger after the 2020 election urging him to “find” the number of votes the outgoing president needed to win the state. We’re closing the US politics blog now. It’s been a busy day, thanks for being with us, and please join us again tomorrow.Here’s what we’ve been following today:
Joe Biden appeared at a virtual White House roundtable on the semiconductor industry, sounding somewhat hoarse from his Covid-19 infection, coughing occasionally and sipping from a mug, but otherwise looking relatively healthy. White House physician Kevin O’Connor said the president was “almost completely” recovered after contracting the virus last week.
Six staffers were arrested in Congress for staging a sit-in at Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer’s office to protest a lack of legislative action on the environment. One male staffer said they were demanding renewed negotiations on the climate reconciliation package.
Elaine Luria, a member of the January 6 House panel looking into Donald Trump’s efforts to reverse his 2020 election defeat, posted to Twitter a video featuring handwritten changes he made to a speech the day after the deadly Capitol riot. The original script showed deletions and changes including the removal by Trump of a line saying the rioters “do not represent me”.
A Georgia judge has blocked Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis from investigating one of the 16 “fake electors” who falsely certified Donald Trump as the winner of the 2020 election in the state. Superior court judge Robert McBurney said Willis’s hosting of a fundraiser for a Democratic rival to Burt Jones, Republican candidate for Georgia lieutenant governor, precludes her from pursuing him.
Nancy Pelosi received rare praise from Republican former House speaker Newt Gingrich for her planned trip to Taiwan. Gingrich, the highest ranking American official ever to the island, said during a conservative conference in Washington DC that his Democratic successor should take a bipartisan delegation with her.
Joe Biden’s Covid-19 symptoms are “almost completely” resolved, the president’s physician Dr Kevin O’Connor said in a letter. O’Connor said Biden’s blood pressure and breathing are normal, and he will continue to take the antiviral drug Paxlovid.
Meanwhile, Joe Manchin, the Democratic senator for West Virginia, announced he had contracted the virus. Manchin said on Twitter he is experiencing only mild symptoms and is working remotely.
Kamala Harris met with state lawmakers in Indiana to discuss a push for legislation to secure abortion rights, one month after the supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade protections. Politico reports the vice-president is taking the lead in a push to promote action at state level, as Democrats’ efforts to codify federal abortion rights falter.
The White House is bracing for a slew of bad news in economic reports due this week, including the consumer confidence index and second quarter gross domestic product results, which could confirm the US is in recession. Biden administration officials have been talking up the strength of the economy, and low unemployment.
Joe Biden was asked at the conclusion of the meeting how he was feeling, and says he hopes to be back at work in person “by the end of this week”.Four days after testing positive for Covid-19, Biden said:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}I’m feeling great. I’ve had two full nights of sleep all the way through. My dog had to wake me up this morning, my wife’s not here. She’s takes him out in the morning while I’m upstairs working out, so I felt this nuzzle of my dog’s nose against my chest about five minutes to seven.
I’m feeling good. My voice is still raspy… I’m feeling better every day. I still have this little bit of a sore throat and a little bit of a cough.
But it’s changing significantly. It’s now up in the upper part of my my throat, actually around my nose and everywhere else, and they tell me that’s par for the course. And I think I’m on my way to full recovery, God willing.Joe Biden is appearing virtually at a White House roundtable with leaders of the US semiconductor industry, sounding somewhat hoarse from his Covid-19 infection, but otherwise appearing relatively healthy.White House physician Kevin O’Connor gave an update on the president’s condition earlier, saying he had “almost completely” recovered from symptoms after contracting the virus last week.He was seen occasionally coughing during the meeting, and regularly sipping from a mug on the desk beside him, but exhibited few other signs of his illness.Biden’s appearance at the summit, which also featured labor leaders, commerce secretary Gina Raimondo, and Brian Deese, the president’s senior economic adviser, was announced at short notice, an apparent indication of the strength of his recovery.Biden, wearing a blue suit and tie, and seated at his desk, gave brief opening remarks and listened attentively as the speakers laid out the importance of the US semiconductor industry to national security, healthcare and manufacturing.The Chips act moving through Congress this week seeks billions of dollars in subsidies and tax credits for the industry. A semiconductor shortage has disrupted production in industries from automobiles to electronics and high-tech weapons. “We are unable to get the components we need. Semiconductors are what makes everything happen in the industrial sector just as they do in the medical sector,” said Tom Linebarger, chief executive of Cummings Inc, a manufacturer of engines and power generation equipment.Biden asked Linebarger about the effect any increased availability of semiconductors would have, particularly in the electric car industry.“The exponential curve will keep growing,” Linebarger replied. “We solve the problems we need to solve in the US and use the same technology to export to the rest of the world. “We have a big opportunity here but we need to invest now.”Six staffers were reportedly arrested in Congress on Monday afternoon for staging a sit-in at Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer’s office and protesting about a lack of legislative action on the environment.A tweet posted by NBC News reporter Julia Jester features a short video purporting to show one of the staff members in handcuffs, explaining why the group jeopardized their careers to take the action.USCP arrested six House staffers this afternoon for protesting inside @SenSchumer’s office demanding the majority leader restart negotiations to pass climate legislation.“He’s giving up, but some of us are going to live through the climate crisis,” @saaaauuull told @NBCNews pic.twitter.com/YDHc0N1FFD— Julia Jester (@JulesJester) July 25, 2022
The reporter asked the male staffer what they were demanding of the senior Democrat. He replied: “to reopen negotiations on the climate reconciliation package … and pass climate legislation”.Joe Biden’s efforts to advance climate legislation have been thwarted largely because of the opposition of Democratic West Virginia senator Joe Manchin, who has been branded a “modern day villain” for his ties to the fossil fuel industry and killing off the president’s environmental proposals.The reporter asked why the group had chosen Schumer’s office, and not that of Manchin. (Earlier today, Manchin announced he had tested positive for Covid-19 and was working remotely).The staffer replied cryptically: “Because there’s always going to be a sheep that strays away from the herd.”Earlier today, a tweet from an activist named Saul, who identified himself as a staffer for Democratic Missouri congresswoman Cori Bush, said he was among the group.Right now, we Hill staffers are peacefully protesting Dem leaders INSIDE. To my knowledge, this has never been done. We’ve also never seen climate catastrophe, so we’re meeting the moment. Follow along as we fight with everything we have to jumpstart climate negotiations. pic.twitter.com/PwuWVFQoED— Saul (@saaaauuull) July 25, 2022
“Right now, we Hill staffers are peacefully protesting Dem leaders INSIDE. To my knowledge, this has never been done,” he wrote.“We’ve also never seen climate catastrophe, so we’re meeting the moment. Follow along as we fight with everything we have to jumpstart climate negotiations”.Elaine Luria, a member of the January 6 House panel looking into Donald Trump’s efforts to reverse his 2020 election defeat, has posted to Twitter a video featuring handwritten changes he made to a speech the day after the deadly Capitol riot.The committee showed last week during a public hearing outtakes of Trump’s speech on 7 January 2021 in which he refused to speak certain phrases critical of his supporters who violently ransacked the Capitol building.It took more than 24 hours for President Trump to address the nation again after his Rose Garden video on January 6th in which he affectionately told his followers to go home in peace. There were more things he was unwilling to say. pic.twitter.com/cJBIX5ROxs— Rep. Elaine Luria (@RepElaineLuria) July 25, 2022
The original script posted Monday by Luria, a Virginia Democrat, shows deletions and changes made by the outgoing president. Lines included in the original stating that the justice department would “ensure all lawbreakers are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law” and that the rioters “do not represent me” were struck through in black ink, presumably by Trump.The video also includes Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, confirming to the panel the document “looks like a copy of a draft of the remarks for that day” and the writing “looks like my father’s handwriting”, the Associated Press reported.In her tweet Monday, Luria said: “It took more than 24 hours for President Trump to address the nation again after his Rose Garden video on January 6th in which he affectionately told his followers to go home in peace. There were more things he was unwilling to say”.In other highlighted changes to the script, in the original line: “I am outraged and sickened by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem”, the word “sickened” is crossed out. So, AP reports, are the later lines, “I want to be very clear you do not represent me. You do not represent our movement.” But Trump left in, “You do not represent our country.” The line “you belong in jail” was replaced with “you will pay”.In its succession of public hearings, which has concluded for the time being, the panel was attempting to present to the American public substantial evidence of Trump’s illegal efforts to reverse his election loss to Joe Biden. The justice department is pursuing its own inquiry.Read more here:‘US democracy will not survive for long’: how January 6 hearings plot a roadmap to autocracyRead moreHere’s where things stand on a busy Monday in US politics:
A Georgia judge has blocked Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis from investigating one of the 16 “fake electors” who falsely certified Donald Trump as the winner of the 2020 election in the state. Superior court judge Robert McBurney said Willis’s hosting of a fundraiser for a Democratic rival to Burt Jones, Republican candidate for Georgia lieutenant governor, precludes her from pursuing him.
Nancy Pelosi received rare praise from Republican former House speaker Newt Gingrich for her planned trip to Taiwan. Gingrich, the highest ranking American official ever to the island, said during a conservative conference in Washington DC that his Democratic successor should take a bipartisan delegation with her.
Joe Biden’s Covid-19 symptoms are “almost completely” resolved, the president’s physician Dr Kevin O’Connor said in a letter. O’Connor said Biden’s blood pressure and breathing are normal, and he will continue to take the antiviral drug Paxlovid.
Meanwhile, Joe Manchin, the Democratic senator for West Virginia, announced he had contracted the virus. Manchin said on Twitter he is experiencing only mild symptoms and is working remotely.
Kamala Harris met with state lawmakers in Indiana to discuss a push for legislation to secure abortion rights, one month after the supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade protections. Politico reports the vice-president is taking the lead in a push to promote action at state level, as Democrats’ efforts to codify federal abortion rights falter.
The White House is bracing for a slew of bad news in economic reports due this week, including the consumer confidence index and second quarter gross domestic product results, which could confirm the US is in recession. Biden administration officials have been talking up the strength of the economy, and low unemployment.
There’s plenty more politics to come this afternoon, including the release by the January 6 committee of additional evidence detailing Trump’s efforts to reverse his election defeat. Please stick with us.Newt Gingrich, the last speaker of the House of Representatives to visit Taiwan, has backed current speaker Nancy Pelosi’s planned trip to the self-governing island.“I feel very strongly that Speaker Pelosi should go to Taiwan and she should take a bipartisan congressional delegation,” Gingrich told a conservative gathering in Washington on Monday. “And I say this with some authority as the highest ranking American official ever to visit Taiwan.”Gingrich, a Republican, went to the island in 1997. Pelosi’s planned visit has prompted China to threaten “forceful measures” and even a possible military response, the Financial Times reported, causing a headache for the White House.Joe Biden has said the US military assessed “it is not a good idea right now”.But Gingrich, addressing the America First Policy Institute – a thinktank comprising many Donald Trump administration alumni – accused the state department of “timidity covered by insecurity and an eagerness to appease” and claimed that the “woke” defence department’s own timidity is “dangerous”.Would it surprise you to learn that Nancy Pelosi got a round of applause at a meeting of the Trump-backed America First Policy Institute? Because that’s exactly what just happened, when Newt Gingrich declared support for her upcoming trip to Taiwan. “I commend Nancy,” said Newt pic.twitter.com/FJ1Xh8H0PK— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) July 25, 2022
He added: “If the Department of Defense is not certain that it can protect the American speaker of the House in a public visit, why would they think they could protect Taiwan? If you’re the Chinese communists and you watch us flinch after the total mess in Afghanistan and the total mess in Ukraine, you begin to think this is an administration that’s just begging to be bullied.”Gingrich added that he has “enormous disagreements” with Pelosi on many issues. “But on this one, I think her instinct is right and I hope she sticks to her guns. The only thing I would suggest is she should make it a bipartisan congressional delegation to show both parties are committed to the independence of China.” The criminal inquiry into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his election defeat by Joe Biden in Georgia has hit a speed bump. In what the Atlanta Journal Constitution calls “a surprise decision and a significant rebuke” of Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis, superior court judge Robert McBurney said Monday she cannot pursue her investigation of state senator Burt Jones.Jones was one of the 16 secretive “fake electors” who were lined up to fraudulently certify a Trump victory in the state he lost to Biden in 2020 by almost 12,000 votes.McBurney granted a motion by Jones, a Republican running for Georgia lieutenant governor, to remove Willis and her team from looking into his role in the scandal, citing the fact Willis hosted a campaign fundraiser last month for Jones’s now opponent, Democrat Charlie Bailey.McBurney wrote: .css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}An investigation of this significance, garnering the public attention it necessarily does and touching so many political nerves in our society, cannot be burdened by legitimate doubts about the district attorney’s motives.
The district attorney does not have to be apolitical, but her investigations do. As a consequence, an alternative prosecutor must now decide whether to continue treating Jones as “a target” of the investigation, as Willis designated the 16 “fake electors” last week, and whether to charge him with criminal misdeeds.The Georgia inquiry is widely seen as one of the best chances of holding Trump liable for his “big lie” that the election was stolen from him, and efforts to alter the result, which included the deadly 6 January Capitol insurrection.Earlier this month, the Georgia prosecutors issued subpoenas for several members of Trump’s legal team, including South Carolina’s Republican senator Lindsey Graham and former New York city mayor Rudy Giuliani to testify.On Monday, CNN reported, Georgia governor Brian Kemp, who has clashed frequently with Trump over the state’s certification of Biden’s victory, gave recorded testimony to a grand jury assisting the investigation.The inquiry has focused in part on an infamous phone call Trump made to Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger after the 2020 election urging him to “find” the number of votes the outgoing president needed to win the state. Dan Cox, an extremist pro-Trump Republican, won his party’s nomination for governor in Maryland last week thanks to “collusion between Trump and the national Democrats”, the current Republican governor said. “I don’t think there’s any chance that [Cox] can win,” Larry Hogan added, speaking to CNN’s State of the Union.Hogan previously called Cox “a QAnon whack job”.“Collusion” is a loaded word in US politics, in the long aftermath of the Russia investigation, in which the special counsel Robert Mueller scrutinised election interference by Moscow and links between Trump aides and Russia.The battle to succeed Hogan as governor of Maryland might seem small beer in comparison. But the race attracted national attention.Cox, endorsed by Donald Trump, surged past Kelly Schulz, a member of Hogan’s cabinet, to win the Republican nomination.In the Democratic race, Wes Moore, a bestselling author, beat candidates including Tom Perez, a former Democratic national committee chair and US labor secretary.In a midterm election year, Democrats have sought to boost pro-Trump Republicans in competitive states, placing the risky bet that as the January 6 committee remains in the headlines, extremists who support the former president’s lie about electoral fraud in his 2020 defeat will prove unpalatable to voters.Hogan said: “There’s no question this was a big win for the Democratic Governors Association that I think spent over $3m trying to promote this guy [Cox]. And it was basically collusion between Trump and the national Democrats, who propped this guy up and got him elected.“But he really is not a serious candidate.”Read the full story:How a Trump-backed ‘QAnon whack job’ won with Democratic ‘collusion’Read moreHere’s the letter from Joe Biden’s physician, Dr Kevin O’Connor, giving the president an (almost) clean bill of health as he recovers from Covid-19.Biden is apparently now feeling so robust he’s willing to take on a virtual meeting later today with chief executives of Lockheed Martin, Medtronic, Cummins Inc and labor leaders to discuss the US semiconductor industry.A bill moving through Congress this week seeks billions of dollars in subsidies and tax credits for the industry. A semiconductor shortage has disrupted production in industries from automobiles to electronics and high-tech weapons. Progressive Democrat Tom Nelson has dropped out of the race to challenge incumbent Republican Ron Johnson for his Wisconsin Senate seat in November, he announced on Monday.Nelson was trailing Lt Gov Mandela Barnes, businessman Alex Lasry, owner of basketball’s Milwaukee Bucks, and state treasurer Sarah Godlewski, in support and donations for the 9 August primary.Barnes and Lasry are in a close tussle for the nomination, with Nelson now opting to support Barnes. Toppling Johnson and flipping the Wisconsin seat is one of the Democratic Party’s top priorities in the midterms, with the most recent polling indicating the race is a toss-up.Joe Biden’s Covid-19 symptoms are “almost completely” resolved, his physician said in a memo on Monday, according to Reuters.Biden tested positive for the virus last Thursday, and carried on working remotely. He is scheduled shortly to address remotely a gathering of black law enforcement executives.In a White House memo released Monday morning, the president’s physician, Dr Kevin O’Connor, said: “When questioned, at this point he only notes some residual nasal congestion and minimal hoarseness”.Biden, the memo said, is experiencing no shortness of breath, his blood pressure is normal, and he is continuing to take the prescribed antiviral Paxlovid.First lady Jill Biden, who remained in Delaware while her husband was in Washington, tested negative for Covid-19 this morning, her office said.While we’re (briefly) discussing Trump’s apparently falling star, another bête noire, congressman Adam Kinzinger, says the former president’s waning popularity is extending even to his formerly “hard core” supporters.The Illinois Republican and 6 January committee member made the comment on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, warning that “Trumpism isn’t dying, even though Trump is becoming irrelevant”.Asked if he believed the 6 January panel’s revelations about Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden was having any impact on colleagues, Kinzinger said:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}Every day I ceased to be amazed at how much they’re willing to accept and not say anything. In terms of Republicans in general, you have kind of the bulk of Republican voters, this doesn’t appear to be having a ton of impact, maybe people are shifting more towards a potential for, I don’t know, a Ron DeSantis.
I’m hearing a lot of anecdotal stuff around the edges of people who have been hard core with Trump that now just can’t stand him… in like five years I still believe that it’s going to be hard to find somebody that will admit they were ever a Trump supporter. West Virginia’s Democratic senator Joe Manchin has Covid-19, he announced this morning on Twitter.Manchin, who is vaccinated and boosted, said he was experiencing “mild symptoms” of the infection and was continuing to work remotely.This morning I tested positive for COVID-19. I am fully vaccinated and boosted and am experiencing mild symptoms. I will isolate and follow CDC guidelines as I continue to work remotely to serve West Virginians.— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) July 25, 2022
The announcement comes as Joe Biden, whose agenda Manchin has blocked in recent months, continues his own recovery after the president tested positive for Covid last week.Biden is reportedly in much better condition this morning, and will address a gathering of black law enforcement executives at lunchtime remotely. It’s not been a good few days for Donald Trump in media circles. Two prominent newspapers owned by one-time cheerleader Rupert Murdoch have turned against him, and one of the former president’s favorite bugles, the far-right One America News (OAN), has lost its last major US television platform.My colleague Ed Helmore has this report on the New York Post issuing an excoriating editorial indictment of Trump’s failure to stop the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.The editorial, in a tabloid owned by Murdoch since 1976, began: “As his followers stormed the Capitol, calling for his vice-president to be hanged, President Donald Trump sat in his private dining room, watching TV, doing nothing. For three hours, seven minutes.”Trump’s only focus, the Post said, was to block the peaceful transfer of power.“As a matter of principle, as a matter of character, Trump has proven himself unworthy to be this country’s chief executive again.”Notable from the Murdoch-owned NY Post: “It’s up to the Justice Department to decide if this is a crime. But as a matter of principle, as a matter of character, Trump has proven himself unworthy to be this country’s chief executive again.” https://t.co/yiLjAVhDe6— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) July 23, 2022
The Wall Street Journal, another Murdoch paper, issued a similar critique in which it said evidence before the House January 6 committee was a reminder that “Trump betrayed his supporters”.Meanwhile, the Guardian’s Sam Levine reports Verizon Fios will no longer carry OAN from the end of this month, dealing a major blow to the network that has become a hotbed of misinformation.Verizon was the largest pay-TV provider still carrying the OAN, according to the Daily Beast, which first reported the network was getting dropped. Verizon and OAN were unable to reach an agreement to continue providing the network and customers will not be able to access the service after 30 July.The development means that OAN in effect will not have a major television platform in the US. DirecTV, a major revenue provider, announced it was dropping the network in April.OAN is facing billion-dollar lawsuits from voting equipment vendors Dominion and Smartmatic over its false claims the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.Read more:Is Murdoch tiring of Trump? Mogul’s print titles dump the ex-presidentRead moreKamala Harris is in Indianapolis this morning, talking to lawmakers in her new role as spearhead for the Biden administration’s push to codify abortion rights into law.According to Politico, the vice-president is taking the lead on what looks to be an uphill fight following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade abortion protections one month ago.She is planning an “aggressive bid to elevate Democratic state legislators and governors on the abortion rights frontlines”, Politico says, claiming Harris recently told staff:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}We need to make it a goal that we’re out in America three days a week. In a bleak assessment of the immediate aftermath of the Supreme Court decision, the Guardian’s Jessica Glenza reports today on the creation of a “dystopian American reality” and consequences “both chaotic and predictable”.Alarmingly, activists are promising even more draconian restrictions to come.Elizabeth Nash of the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights research organization, told the Guardian:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}Everything is super in flux right now. We’re looking at probably about 15m women living in a state with an abortion ban.
That number we expect to increase, because more states are looking to ban abortion – and we could see as much as half of the country without abortion access very soon. Democrats lost their first attempt to enshrine abortion rights into federal law in May, West Virginia senator Joe Manchin crossing the aisle to join Republicans in voting down the measure.A renewed effort passed the House of Representatives earlier this month, but was largely symbolic because of ongoing Republican resistance in the evenly-divided Senate, where it would need 60 votes to pass. Harris’s upcoming tour is, Politico says, aimed more at securing action at state level. A poll taken in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision showed 62% of Americans said abortion should be legal in all or most cases.Read more here:The dystopian American reality one month after the Roe v Wade reversalRead moreWhat some are calling Joe Biden’s “moment of truth” on the economy comes this week, with a number of key data indicators likely to paint a bleak picture for the president as Congress heads for summer recess and the midterm elections loom ever larger.That’s why treasury secretary Janet Yellen and other White House figures have been prominent, attempting to talk up the strengths and resilience of the US economy while inflation rages at four-decade highs.On Sunday, Yellen told NBC’s Meet the Press that, despite what she conceded were “threats on the horizons”, the US was not in recession: .css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}You don’t see any of the signs now – a recession is a broad-based contraction that affects many sectors of the economy – we just don’t have that. It’s a message Brian Deese, Biden’s senior economic adviser and director of the national economic council, was keen to reinforce in an appearance on CNN on Monday: .css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}We have seen extraordinary resilience in this economy due largely to the resilience of our businesses and our consumers, but we need to take more action right now to make things more affordable.In a tweet, Deese insisted that “hiring, spending and production data look solid”. Their comments are widely seen as efforts to get ahead of bad news on the economy coming this week, starting with the consumer confidence index report coming tomorrow, an expected steep interest rate hike on Wednesday, then second quarter gross domestic product results the following day.Analysts say the predicted interest rate rise by the Federal Reserve could help slow inflation, but fuel the recession risk at the same time. It’s a gamble that Biden, whose popularity ratings are at term lows, is likely to support. In a CNN poll last week, only 18% of Americans described the nation’s economy as in good shape, while 82% said economic conditions are poor.Tellingly, 75% said inflation and the cost of living were the most important economic problems facing their family, up from 43% last summer. Impt context ahead of this wk’s Q2 GDP release:The data will capture Apr-Jun economic conditions, ie backward lookingHiring, spending, and production data look solidCEA outlines why economists look broadly at data to assess the economy’s healthhttps://t.co/vzl38Z2g5E— Brian Deese (@BrianDeeseNEC) July 24, 2022
The conservative National Review on Monday accused Biden’s economic team of being in “recession denial”, and predicted that official confirmation the US was in recession could come as early as Thursday when the second quarter GDP figures are released.Good morning, politics blog readers. Joe Biden’s allies are scrambling to get ahead of what’s likely to be a troubling week of economic news for the White House, with Congress beginning to think about its August recess with little to no progress on the president’s economic agenda, and inflation at 40-year highs.Treasury secretary Janet Yellen has been talking up the resilience and “historical strengths” of the US economy, and low unemployment, while conceding “threats on the horizon” could nudge the country closer to recession, just as the midterm elections loom. We’ll get a snapshot of consumer confidence in a report tomorrow, while Wednesday is likely to bring a sharp hike in US interest rates that could help slow inflation, but fuel the recession risk. Biden, whose popularity ratings are slumping, has plenty else on his plate. Here’s what else we’re watching today.
We’ll get the chance to gauge the progress of the president’s recovery from Covid-19 when he addresses the national organization of black law enforcement executives at 12.30pm.
Covid-19 will feature heavily at the White House press briefing. Pandemic response coordinator Dr Ashish Jha will join WH press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at the podium.
It’s the last full week in Congress before the August recess. Today, senators will discuss healthcare benefits for veterans episode to toxins, and vote to progress a bill providing grants to the computer chip industry.
There’s also a push to get the same-sex marriage bill through the Senate this week, after it passed the House with supports from dozens of Republicans last week.
We’ll bring you all the developments as they happen. Please stay with us… More

Reality Winner says she leaked file on Russia election hacking because ‘public was being lied to’Former NSA contractor says in interview ‘I knew it was secret … but I also knew that I had pledged service to the American people’ A former intelligence contractor who was imprisoned for leaking a report about Russian interference in the US presidential election that Donald Trump won in 2016 has insisted she acted out of love for a nation that was “being lied to”.“I am not a traitor – I am not a spy,” Reality Winner said in an interview aired Sunday on CBS’ 60 Minutes. “I am somebody who only acted out of love for what this country stands for.”In some of her most extensive remarks about her case since she was freed from prison last year for good behavior, Winner portrayed herself living as normal a life as possible in Texas, teaching yoga and fitness while also being a pet owner, daughter and sister named after a pun of her family’s surname and her father’s wish to have a “real winner”.The 30-year-old also gave perhaps the most detailed account yet about the day she decided to leave her National Security Agency contractor’s office at the Fort Gordon army base in Georgia with an intelligence report about Russian attempts to meddle in the election that saw Trump beat Hillary Clinton for the White House.Working for NSA contractor Pluribus International Corporation, Winner printed the document – labeled “TOP SECRET” – that explained how Russian military intelligence officials hacked at least one supplier of voting software and tried to break into more than 100 local election systems before the polls closed in 2016.She tucked the report into the pantyhose underneath her dress and walked out of her office at the Fort Gordon army base in Georgia before the document became the basis of an article published on the Intercept news site.Federal authorities announced that Winner had been arrested about an hour after that article came out. The Trump administration had her charged under the Espionage Act, which was initially created during the first world war as a means to punish people spying on the US during times of foreign conflict.Winner pleaded guilty as part of a deal with prosecutors that called for her to be sentenced to five years in prison beginning in 2018. She earned the right to an early release in June of 2021.In Sunday’s interview, Winner said she broke her oath to protect classified material because Americans were being intentionally deceived about Russia’s efforts to sow chaos in the presidential election that vaulted Trump into the Oval Office. Winner hoped the report would end what some purported was confusion over whether or not Russia had meddled in the race that Clinton lost.“The truth wasn’t true any more,” said Winner, who also served in the US air force between 2010 and 2016. “The public was being lied to.”Winner said the leak “did not betray” the country’s “sources and methods” for obtaining sensitive intelligence.“I knew it was secret,” Winner added. “But I also knew that I had pledged service to the American people. And at that point in time, it felt like they were being led astray.”Her attorney, Alison Grinter Allen, also spoke to 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley.Allen told Pelley that her client indeed broke the law but argued that Winner’s prosecution – the first of its kind during the Trump presidency – was little more than political retribution. The lawyer also said that she would help Winner pursue a pardon because her receiving one would be “the right thing for the country”.Winner said her imprisonment was grueling, occurring during coronavirus lockdowns and the worldwide protests ignited by the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. She said she contemplated dying by suicide and stopped those thoughts solely because of her loved ones, particularly her mother, and that she’s tried to “have a sense of accomplishment in having survived prison”.“I try so hard not to frame things as being worth it or not worth it,” Winner said. “What I know is that I’m home with my parents. And we take our lives every day moving forward as being richer in knowing what to be grateful for.”TopicsReality WinnerUS politicsRussiaNSAnewsReuse this content More

Democratic senator Joe Manchin tests positive for CovidWest Virginia senator, 74, who has thwarted Joe Biden on key policy goals, is fully vaccinated and has only mild symptoms Senator Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who has thwarted many of Joe Biden’s most ambitious policy goals, has tested positive for Covid.The 74-year-old senator is fully vaccinated and said on Twitter on Monday he was experiencing mild symptoms.This morning I tested positive for COVID-19. I am fully vaccinated and boosted and am experiencing mild symptoms. I will isolate and follow CDC guidelines as I continue to work remotely to serve West Virginians.— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) July 25, 2022
Manchin’s positive diagnosis comes as Biden himself is recovering from Covid-19. After four days of taking the antiviral Paxlovid medication, the president’s symptoms from the virus “have now almost completely resolved”, his physician, Kevin O’Connor, said in a statement on Monday. “When questioned, at this point he only notes some residual nasal congestion and minimal hoarseness.”Both men tested positive amid a surge in Covid cases across the US in recent weeks. The highly contagious BA.5 subvariant, which can avoid immunity from vaccines better than its predecessors, is now the dominant strain of the virus in the US.Manchin’s diagnosis could affect an expected vote this week on increasing semiconductor chip production in the US, the Associated Press reported. While members of the US House of Representatives can vote remotely by proxy, members of the Senate cannot.Manchin dealt a significant blow to Democrats earlier this month when he said he would not support climate change and tax provisions in a bill Biden hoped would be a signature part of his domestic agenda.TopicsJoe ManchinUS politicsJoe BidenCoronavirusnewsReuse this content More

Sixth man linked to 1989 Central Park rape case is exoneratedSteven Lopez, now 48, pleaded guilty to lesser charge in case of attacked jogger then seen as emblematic of New York lawlessness A forgotten co-defendant of the so-called “Central Park Five”, whose convictions in a notorious 1989 rape in New York City were thrown out more than a decade later, is set have his conviction on a related charge overturned.A hearing was scheduled for Monday afternoon in the case of Steven Lopez, who was arrested along with five other Black and Latino teenagers in the rape and assault on Trisha Meili but reached a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to the lesser charge of robbing a male jogger.The painful lessons of the Central Park Five and the jogger rape case | Jill FilipovicRead moreThe brutal assault on Meili, a 28-year-old white investment banker who was in a coma for 12 days after the attack, was considered emblematic of New York City’s lawlessness in an era when the city recorded 2,000 murders a year.Five teenagers were convicted in the attack on Meili and served six to 13 years in prison. Their convictions were overturned in 2002 after evidence linked a convicted serial rapist and murderer, Matias Reyes, to the attack.The Central Park Five, now known as the “Exonerated Five”, went on to win a $40m settlement from the city and inspire books, movies and television shows.Lopez, now 48, has not received a settlement, and his case has been nearly forgotten in the years since he pleaded guilty to robbery in 1991 to avoid the more serious rape charge.Lopez’s expected exoneration was first reported in the New York Times.“We talk about the Central Park Five, the Exonerated Five, but there were six people on that indictment,” the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, told the Times. “And the other five who were charged, their convictions were vacated. And it’s now time to have Mr Lopez’s charge vacated.”The Associated Press does not usually identify victims of sexual assault, but Meili went public in 2003 and published a book titled I Am the Central Park Jogger.TopicsNew YorkUS politicsnewsReuse this content More