Democrats

Subterms

    More stories

    • 175 Shares139 Views

      in US Politics

      Steve Bannon vows ‘very vigorous appeal’ to four-month prison sentence – as it happened

      by

      Steve Bannon has been sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of Congress.Donald Trump’s former chief strategist was sentenced to serve four months on each of the two contempt counts for defying a congressional subpoena issued by the January 6 House panel investigating the former president’s efforts to reverse his defeat by Joe Biden.The prison terms will be served concurrently, district court judge Carl Nichols ruled. But the judge said he would stay the sentence pending an appeal by Bannon, as long as the legal paperwork is filed promptly.The statutory minimum was one month in prison on each count.BREAKING: Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon sentenced to four months of prison on each count of contempt of Congress concurrently and $6,500 in fines — and will stay the sentence pending appeal if that is filed in timely fashion— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) October 21, 2022
      We’ll have more details shortly…We’re closing our live blog now at the end of another tumultuous day, and week, in US politics. Thanks for joining us.
      The House panel investigating Donald Trump’s January 6 insurrection issued a subpoena to the former president for documents and testimony.
      Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, was sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of Congress, and fined, for defying his own subpoena. But he was allowed to remain free pending his appeal.
      The White House dismissed claims by Russia’s ambassador to the US that it had shut down communication with Moscow as the war in Ukraine continues. US defense secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu earlier.
      The Washington Post reported that documents seized by the FBI at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida contained secrets about Iran’s missile program, and China.
      Joe Biden touted a “record” reduction of the federal deficit, $1.4tn since last year and the largest one year drop in American history, the president said.
      A Miami judge dismissed one of the 19 voter fraud prosecutions loudly trumpeted by Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis. Former felon Robert Lee Wood, 56, voted after being sent a registration card by the state.
      Joe Biden is appealing to younger voters in a speech Friday afternoon touting his student debt relief program. The president is addressing students at the historically black Delaware state university in Dover.Ahead of his address, the supreme court gave Biden a lift on Thursday by refusing a request by a taxpayers’ group in Wisconsin to block the program, which cancels up to $20,000 in student debt for millions of borrowers.Biden addressed an enthusiastic crowd:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}You are an example of why I’m so optimistic about the future. You are the most involved, the most educated, the most engaged, least prejudiced generation in American history.Biden says the debt relief program is changing lives, and urged those qualified to sign up online:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}This is a game changer. We’re hearing from people all over the country. Over 10,000 students have written me letters so far. It’s as easy to sign up as hanging out with your friends or watching a movie.
      My commitment when I ran for president was if I was elected I’d make the government work and deliver for the people.And he attacked congressional Republicans for attempting to block the aid “to their own constituents”:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}As soon as I announced my administration’s plan on student debt they started attacking it and saying all kinds of things. Their outrage is wrong and it’s hypocritical.
      But we’re not letting them get away with it. They’ve been fighting us in the courts. But just yesterday, state courts and the supreme court said no, we’re on Biden’s side.Read more:Supreme court declines to stop Biden’s $400bn student debt relief planRead moreThe Biden administration’s strategic communications coordinator has dismissed claims by Russia’s ambassador to the US that Washington is blocking conversations with Moscow over the Ukraine war.Newsweek reported on Thursday the belief of Anatoly Antonov that no direct open lines of communication existed between the countries similar to the Kremlin-White House hotline credited with preventing nuclear war during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.“The attempts of Russian diplomats in Washington to re-establish such contacts have been futile,” he said. “The administration is unwilling to talk with us as equals.”But in an interview on CNN Friday, John Kirby, the national security council coordinator for strategic communications, said that was not true.He pointed to defense secretary Lloyd Austin’s conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu earlier today, their first known contact for more than four months, as evidence:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}There’s many channels open with Russia even down to the fairly low operational level. We still have a deconfliction line set up in Europe so that we can properly deconflict operations with respect to Nato’s eastern flank.
      You saw today the secretary of defense spoke with with his counterpart. The secretary of state has an open line of communication with foreign minister [Sergey] Lavrov if needed. There are many channels at various levels throughout our government to continue to communicate with Russia.
      That’s important, particularly now when when bellicose rhetoric by [Russian president Vladimir] Putin about the potential use of nuclear weapons only could lead to confusion and miscalculation.Maya Yang reports…The rightwing TV network Newsmax has said it had no plans to interview Lara Logan again, after the award-winning war correspondent turned rightwing pundit launched a QAnon-tinged tirade on air.Speaking to host Eric Bolling, Logan said “the open border is Satan’s way of taking control of the world” and claimed world leaders drank children’s blood.QAnon is a pro-Trump conspiracy theory which holds that leading liberal figures in US and world politics are, among other things, secretly murderous pedophiles.Logan told Bolling: “God believes in sovereignty and national identity and the sanctity of family, and all the things that we’ve lived with from the beginning of time.“And he knows that the open [southern US] border is Satan’s way of taking control of the world through all of these people who are his stooges and his servants.“And they may think that they’re going to become gods. That’s what they tell us … You know, the ones who want us eating insects, cockroaches and that while they dine on the blood of children? Those are the people, right? They’re not going to win. They’re not going to win.”Newsmax said in a statement it “condemns in the strongest terms the reprehensible statements made by Lara Logan” and had “no plans to interview her again”.Full story:Newsmax bans Lara Logan after QAnon-tinged on-air tiradeRead moreThe White House won’t comment specifically on the subpoena issued to Donald Trump by the January 6 House panel this afternoon. But it has thoughts on the direction of the inquiry.Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is addressing reporters aboard Air Force One as the Joe Biden makes his way to Delaware to speak on his student loan forgiveness program.Asked if she believed Trump would comply, Jean-Pierre said:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}I’m going to speak broadly, as we do not comment on any ongoing investigation, the department of justice is independent, but the president has spoken to this many times, it is important to get to the bottom of January 6.
      January 6 was one of the darkest days in our nation, and it’s important for the American people to know exactly what happened, so that it doesn’t happen again, so we don’t repeat that very dark day in our nation.The subpoena issued by the January 6 House panel this afternoon demands that Donald Trump provide documents and testimony under oath.It requires documents to be submitted to the committee by 4 November, and for Trump to appear for deposition testimony beginning on or about 14 November.“As demonstrated in our hearings, we have assembled overwhelming evidence, including from dozens of your former appointees and staff, that you personally orchestrated and oversaw a multi-part effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and to obstruct the peaceful transition of power”, a four-page letter accompanying the subpoena said.It was signed by panel chair Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, and vice-chair Liz Cheney, the Wyoming Republican.In a tweet, the panel says the vote to issue the subpoena was approved by a unanimous vote. The nine-member committee includes two Republican House members, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Cheney.In a letter to Mr. Trump, Chair @BennieGThompson and Vice Chair @RepLizCheney underscored Trump’s central role in a deliberate, orchestrated effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and block the transfer of presidential power. pic.twitter.com/rg7R37YE11— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) October 21, 2022
      Shortly before news broke that Donald Trump has been issued a subpoena by the House panel investigating his 6 January insurrection, the former president was lashing out over another episode.The Washington Post drew Trump’s ire for its story that classified papers seized by the FBI at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida allegedly included documents containing secrets about Iran and China.Predictably, in a statement, Trump claims it’s a hoax:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}The FBI and the department of ‘justice,’ which paid a man $200,000 to spy on me, and offered a $1 million ‘bounty’ to try and prove a totally made up and fake ‘dossier’ about me (they went down in flames!), are now leaking nonstop on the Document Hoax to the Fake News.
      Who could ever trust corrupt, weaponized agencies, and that includes Nara [the US national archives and records administration] who disrespects our constitution and Bill of Rights, to keep and safeguard any records, especially since they’ve lost millions and millions of pages of information from previous Presidents.
      Also, who knows what NARA and the FBI plant into documents, or subtract from documents – we will never know, will we?It’s safe to say Trump will have other things on his mind as the afternoon wears on.The House January 6 select committee has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump, compelling the former president to provide an accounting under oath about his potential foreknowledge of the Capitol attack and his broader efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.The subpoena of constitutional and investigative consequence made sweeping requests for testimony about some of the most key moments before January 6, as well as documents and communications about his role in multi-pronged schemes to return himself to office.BREAKING: Jan. 6 committee formally issues subpoena to Donald Trump — https://t.co/OzljsNT0oF— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) October 21, 2022
      It comes on the same day as Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, was sentenced to four months in prison for refusing to comply with his own subpoena.We’ll have more details soon …Our Washington bureau chief, David Smith, has filed a terrific interview with Maggie Haberman of the New York Times, the crack reporter and “Trump whisperer” whose new book seeks to explain the rise and fall and rise (and rise and fall and rise, ad infinitum) of the 45th president. It’s certainly worth your time this lunchtime. Here’s a taster, with a link at the bottom to follow:“He’s become something of a Charles Foster Kane-like character down in Mar-a-Lago these days,” observes Maggie Haberman, a Pulitzer-winning reporter for the New York Times, political analyst for CNN and author of Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America, which has a black-and-white photo of Trump on its cover.Her analogy raises the question: what is Trump’s Rosebud, the childhood sled that symbolised Kane’s lost innocence? “His father is Rosebud, and I don’t think it’s one particular moment,” Haberman replies. “There’s no single childhood memory that is the key. It’s a series of moments that interlock and they point back to his father.”Fred Trump was a property mogul who had been disappointed by his eldest son Fred Jr’s lack of commitment to the family business. Donald Trump, by contrast, impressed his father by cultivating a brash “killer” persona and became heir apparent. Decades later, in the first weeks of his presidency, Trump had one photo on the credenza behind him in the Oval Office: his father, still watching.Speaking by phone from her car in midtown Manhattan, Haberman reflects: “His father basically created this endless competition between Trump and his older brother Freddie, and pitted them against each other. Donald Trump spent a lot of time seeking his father’s approval and that became a style of dealing with people, which was certainly better suited for a business than for a household.”“But it became one that Trump recreated in all aspects of his life. It became how he dealt with his own children. It became how he dealt with people who worked for him and then, in the White House, you read a number of stories about these battles that his aides would have. A lot of it was predetermined by lessons from his father.”But if Trump is Kane, who is Haberman?Maggie Haberman on Trump: ‘He’s become a Charles Foster Kane character’Read moreThe Biden administration is taking steps to protect residents of nursing homes, promising what it calls “aggressive action… to keep American seniors safe”.A White House fact sheet released Friday lays out measures including financial penalties for failing nursing homes, improved safety standards and more and better technical support for homes in need.The labor department is providing $80m in grants for nursing training and development, while the department of health and human services providing a further $13m for education and training initiatives.“Covid-19 laid bare the challenges in America’s nursing homes,” Biden’s domestic policy adviser Susan Rice said in a tweet.“Today, we’re announcing new steps to improve nursing home quality and accountability”.COVID-19 has laid bare the challenges in America’s nursing homes. In his State of the Union, @POTUS laid out an action plan to address these challenges—and, today, we’re announcing new steps to improve nursing home quality and accountability. https://t.co/yNG6rLn757— Susan Rice (@AmbRice46) October 21, 2022
      Joe Biden may have coined a phrase earlier, or tried to coin one at this late stage in the midterms race, when he said Republican economic policy amounted to “Maga-mega trickle down”.Trickle down economics is the idea that slashed taxes on the wealthy mean benefits for all those below them. Liz Truss was a devotee. She was also British prime minister for all of 45 days before announcing her resignation yesterday, after crashing the markets and cratering the UK economy.Biden may have been seeking to remind any Americans even vaguely aware of events across the pond when he told reporters: “If Republicans get their way, the deficit is going to soar, the burden is going to fall on the middle-class … They’re not going to stop there. “It’s Maga-mega trickle down.”For the avoidance of doubt, here’s how Larry Elliott, the Guardian’s economics editor, defines “trickle down”:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}The theory is simple. Governments should cut taxes for the better off and for corporations because that is the key to securing faster growth. Entrepreneurs are more likely to start and expand businesses, companies are more inclined to invest and banks will tend to increase lending if they are paying less in tax.
      Initially, the beneficiaries are the rich, but gradually everyone gains because as the economy gets bigger well-paid jobs are created for working people. Governments should stop focusing on how the economic pie is distributed and focus on growing the pie instead.
      Supporters of trickle down often cite the work of the US economist Arthur Laffer as proof that the theory works. Laffer said tax cuts for the wealthy had a powerful multiplier effect and any revenues lost by governments from reducing tax rates would be more than compensated for by the fruits of higher growth.For the further avoidance of doubt, Maga, written like that here because of Guardian style rules on acronyms, stands for “Make America great again”, aka Donald Trump’s campaign slogan in 2016.Biden was speaking at the White House, about the US deficit and efforts to reduce it. He said: “The federal deficit went up every year in the Trump administration – every single year he was president. On my watch, things have been different. The deficit has come down both years I’ve been in office, and I’ve just signed legislation that will reduce it even more in the decades to come.”Republicans will counter that Biden has passed a lot of legislation increasing government spending. And so the dance toward election day goes on.It’s a busy Friday again…In a bombshell scoop launched just as Steve Bannon, Donald Trump’s former campaign chair and White House adviser, was handed a four-month jail sentence for contempt of Congress, the Washington Post reports that some of the classified documents recovered from Trump’s Florida home in August included “highly sensitive intelligence regarding Iran and China”.The Post cites anonymous sources who said that “if shared with others … such information” as found by the Department of Justice at Mar-a-Lago “could expose intelligence-gathering methods that the United States wants to keep hidden from the world”. Exposure of such information, the paper reports, could endanger people aiding US intelligence efforts or invite retaliation from the powers concerned.The Post also says at least one document described Iran’s missile programme while others described “highly sensitive intelligence work aimed at China”.Trump or his spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the paper said.The FBI search of Mar-a-Lago on 8 August set off a monumental tussle between the former president and the Department of Justice. The contest has gone back and forth in the courts ever since, lawyers for Trump fighting a delaying action, a watching nation wondering if Trump might yet be indicted.Trump claims to have done nothing wrong by taking records from the White House after he was beaten by Joe Biden in 2020. Most observers say otherwise.More:‘Where’s the beef?’: special master says Trump’s Mar-a-Lago records claims lack substanceRead moreJoe Biden is speaking at the White House about the achievements of his economic plans, and what he says is a “record” reduction of the federal deficit.“This year the deficit fell by $1.4tn, the largest one year drop in American history,” the president said.“We’re rebuilding the economy in a responsible way.”In an earlier treasury department statement, the Biden administration said the annual deficit plummeted from $2.8tn in 2021 to about $1.4tn this year, the Washington Post reported.Biden is touting a “historic” Covid-19 vaccination effort for saving lives and helping the economy recover from the pandemic, and hailing successes in passing bipartisan bills such as the inflation reduction act, the Chips act boosting semiconductor production, and last year’s infrastructure act.Today’s speech is, however, a thinly disguised party political broadcast on behalf of the Democrats barely two and a half weeks before midterm elections in which they are expected to cede control of at least one chamber of congress.Warming to that theme, Biden said:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}Congressional Republicans love to call Democrats big spenders. And they always claim to be for less federal spending. Let’s look at the facts. The federal deficit went up every single year in the Trump administration, every single year he was president, and went up before the pandemic, and went up during the pandemic.
      In three years before Covid hit, the deficit ballooned by another $400bn. One big reason for that is the Republicans voted for a $2tn Trump tax cut, which overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy and the biggest corporations. That racked up the deficit significantly.
      On my watch, things have been different. The deficit has come down in both years that I’ve been in office.Here’s Hugo Lowell’s report on the Steve Bannon sentencing hearing this morning:Donald Trump’s top former strategist Steve Bannon was sentenced Friday to four months in federal prison and $6,500 in fines after he was convicted with criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to comply last year with a subpoena issued by the House January 6 select committee.The punishment – suspended pending appeal – makes Bannon the first person to be incarcerated for contempt of Congress in more than half a century and sets a stringent standard for future contempt cases referred to the justice department by the select committee investigating the Capitol attack.The sentence handed down by the US district court judge Carl Nichols in Washington was lighter than recommended by prosecutors, who sought six months in jail and the maximum $200,000 in fines because Bannon refused to cooperate with court officials’ pre-sentencing inquiries.Bannon, 68, had asked the court for leniency and requested in court filings for his sentence to either be halted pending the appeal his lawyers filed briefs with the DC circuit court on Thursday or otherwise have the jail term reduced to home-confinement.But Nichols denied Bannon’s requests, saying he agreed with the justice department about the seriousness of his offense and noting that he had failed to show any remorse and was yet to demonstrate that he had any intention to comply with the subpoena.The far-right provocateur now faces a battle to overturn the conviction on appeal, which, the Guardian first reported, will contend the precedent that prevented his lawyers from disputing the definition of “wilful default” of a subpoena, and arguing he had acted on the advice of his lawyers, was inapplicable.Read the full story:Steve Bannon given four months in prison for contempt of CongressRead more More

    • 163 Shares169 Views

      in US Politics

      Ocasio-Cortez to Pence: ‘No one wants to hear your plan for their uterus’

      by

      Ocasio-Cortez to Pence: ‘No one wants to hear your plan for their uterus’Congresswoman makes remark after former vice-president says there will be ‘pro-life majorities’ in House and Senate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had a simple message for Mike Pence on abortion, after the former vice-president predicted “pro-life majorities” in both houses of Congress after the midterm elections.“I’ve got news for you,” the Democratic New York congresswoman wrote. “Absolutely no one wants to hear what your plan is for their uterus.”The ‘election-denier trifecta’: alarm over Trumpists’ efforts to win key postsRead morePence was speaking in response to Joe Biden, after the president announced that if Democrats hold Congress in the midterm elections next month, he will seek to establish the right to abortion in law.The right was removed in June by the conservative-dominated supreme court, when it struck down Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling that made abortion legal.Pence, once a conservative congressman and governor of Indiana, is maneuvering for a bid for the Republican presidential nomination.Asked this week if he would support his old boss, Donald Trump, should he mount a third White House campaign, Pence said: “Well, there might be somebody else I prefer more.”He added: “All my focus has been on the midterm elections and it’ll stay that way for the next 20 days. But after that, we’ll be thinking about the future, ours and the nation’s. And I’ll keep you posted, OK?”The tweet that stoked the ire of Ocasio-Cortez, a prominent House progressive, said: “I’ve got news for President Biden. Come January 22nd, we will have Pro-Life majorities in the House and Senate and we’ll be taking the cause of the right to Life to every state house in America!”According to most polling, Republicans are well placed to take the House and possibly the Senate.Boosted by results in special elections and ballot measures earlier this year, Democrats hope turnout among women angered by the supreme court decision on abortion can help them keep control of Congress and important state posts.TopicsUS midterm elections 2022Alexandria Ocasio-CortezMike PenceUS politicsAbortionDemocratsUS CongressnewsReuse this content More

    • 200 Shares109 Views

      in US Politics

      US says Iranian troops ‘directly engaged’ in Crimea supporting Russian drone strikes – as it happened

      by

      Iranian troops are “directly engaged on the ground” in Crimea supporting Russian drone strikes against Ukrainian forces, the White House said this afternoon.“The information we have is that the Iranians have put trainers and tech support in Crimea, but it’s the Russians who are doing the piloting,” said John Kirby, a spokesperson for the National Security Council.According to Kirby, a “relatively small number” of Iran’s troops are helping Russian forces launch the Iranian-made drones. The US said over the summer that Iran was selling its drones to Russia, but Tehran has denied the charge. That’s all from the US politics live blog today. Here’s how the day unfolded in Washington and across the pond:
      The White House said Iranian troops are assisting Russia’s drone operations against Ukraine. According to John Kirby, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, a “relatively small number” of Iran’s troops are helping Russian forces launch the Iranian-made drones. The US said over the summer that Iran was selling its drones to Russia, but Tehran has denied the charge.
      Republican leaders are clashing over sending additional military aid to Ukraine. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who could become speaker after the midterm elections next month, has expressed skepticism about approving more funding to assist Ukraine in its fight against Russia. But Mike Pence, former vice-president to Donald Trump, said yesterday, “There can be no room in the conservative movement for apologists to Putin.”
      Lawmakers of both parties are reportedly considering passing another Ukraine aid package during the lame-duck session. According to NBC News, the lawmakers are discussing passing a very substantial funding bill – potentially in the neighborhood of $50bn – to keep Ukraine well supplied even if Republicans refuse to approve more aid after January.
      British Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned after just 45 days in office. Becoming the shortest-serving prime minister in UK history, Truss was forced to step down after proposing (and then scrapping) a widely unpopular budget plan and losing the confidence of many fellow Tories.
      Joe Biden thanked Truss for her service and her partnership in helping to hold Russia accountable for its war against Ukraine. “We will continue our close cooperation with the UK government as we work together to meet the global challenges our nations face,” Biden said in a statement.
      Biden traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to tout the enactment of the bipartisan infrastructure law. The president spoke at the site of the Fern Hollow Bridge, which collapsed into a ravine earlier this year. A new section of the bridge is now being constructed, and Biden credited infrastructure law with helping to make the project possible. “For too long, we talked about building the best economy in the world and the best infrastructure in the world,” Biden said. “We’re finally getting to it.”
      The US politics blog will return tomorrow with more updates from Washington and the campaign trail, so make sure to tune back in.Lawmakers of both parties are considering trying to pass another Ukraine aid package during the lame-duck session, according to a new report from NBC News.The report comes days after House minority leader Kevin McCarthy suggested he would block additional military aid to Ukraine if Republicans regain control of the lower chamber in the midterm elections next month, as they are favored to do.NBC reports:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}With that threat to Ukraine aid looming, the bipartisan idea under consideration would use a government funding bill during the lame-duck session after the midterms to secure a much higher level of military and other assistance than prior aid packages for Ukraine, according to [one] lawmaker and [congressional] aides.
      Congress last month approved $12 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine, but the package being contemplated would be dramatically larger, the sources said.
      The amount would be enough ‘to make sure [Ukraine] can get through the year,’ a Republican senator with knowledge of the matter told NBC News. ‘It’ll make the $12 billion look like pocket change.’
      The new aid package, which most likely would be part of an omnibus spending bill, could be within the range of roughly $50 billion, congressional aides and a source close to the Ukraine government said.Some Republicans have signaled they would be open to approving additional funds for Ukraine, and Mike Pence, the former vice-president to Donald Trump, called on his party to stand up against Russia in a speech yesterday.“As Russia continues its unconscionable war of aggression to Ukraine, I believe that conservatives must make it clear that Putin must stop and Putin will pay,” Pence said. “There can be no room in the conservative movement for apologists to Putin.”Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a spokesperson for the defense department, said the drones that Iran is allegedly providing to Russia are being deployed as “psychological weapons used to create fear” in Ukraine.Ryder emphasized that Ukrainian forces are still notching some important victories against Russian troops, which “continue to lose territory or at best hold ground” in the war.The Pentagon spokesperson reiterated that Russia appears to be reaching out to countries like Iran and North Korea as its own munitions stockpile gets depleted because of the war in Ukraine.Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a spokesperson for the defense department, was asked what role Iranian troops are playing in Crimea as they assist Russia’s drone operations against Ukraine.“My understanding is, it’s the Russians who are flying the drones, and yes, [Iranians] are assisting the Russians in those operations,” Ryder said.Ryder declined to comment on press reports that US intelligence officials have assessed photos of drone strike sites in Ukraine to determine that Russia has been using Iranian-produced weapons in their attacks. The US said over the summer that Iran was providing Russia with drones, but Tehran has denied that allegation.The Pentagon echoed the White House’s assessment that Iranian troops have been on the ground in Crimea to assist Russia’s drone operations against Ukraine.“We continue to see Iran be complicit in terms of exporting terror, not only in the Middle East region, but now also to Ukraine. And so I think that speaks for itself,” Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a spokesperson for the defense department.When asked about potential sanctions against Iran for working with Russia, Ryder deferred those questions to the state department, but he reiterated America’s commitment to providing all available support to Ukrainians as they seek to defend their country.Iranian troops are “directly engaged on the ground” in Crimea supporting Russian drone strikes against Ukrainian forces, the White House said this afternoon.“The information we have is that the Iranians have put trainers and tech support in Crimea, but it’s the Russians who are doing the piloting,” said John Kirby, a spokesperson for the National Security Council.According to Kirby, a “relatively small number” of Iran’s troops are helping Russian forces launch the Iranian-made drones. The US said over the summer that Iran was selling its drones to Russia, but Tehran has denied the charge. Joe Biden closed his infrastructure remarks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his standard message of optimism about the future of the nation.“For most of the last century, we led the world by a significant margin because we invested in our people. We invested in ourselves, we invested in our land. But along the way, we stopped doing that – but not anymore. We’re back on track,” Biden said.“We’re proving our best days are ahead of us, not behind us. We just have to keep going, and we know we can. I have never been more optimistic about America’s future.”With that, Biden wrapped up his speech. He will soon start his trip to Philadelphia, where he will participate in a fundraiser with Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman.Joe Biden expressed pride that the bipartisan infrastructure bill he signed into law last year is helping to improve the roads and bridges of Pennsylvania, where the president was born in 1942.Biden said his staff informed him that he has visited Pittsburgh 19 times since he launched his presidential campaign there in 2019. After securing the Democratic nomination in 2020, Biden’s first campaign stop was in Pittsburgh.“Let me tell you, I’m a proud Delawarean, but Pennsylvania is my native state. It’s in my heart,” Biden said. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me to be part of rebuilding this beautiful state.”Joe Biden is now delivering remarks on strengthening America’s infrastructure in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the president seeks to tout Democrats’ legislative accomplishments ahead of the midterm elections next month.The president chose to speak at the site of the Fern Hollow Bridge, which collapsed into a ravine earlier this year. Democrats have cited the bridge collapse, which thankfully resulted in no deaths, as an alarming example of the country’s crumbling infrastructure.A new section of the bridge is now being constructed, and Biden credited the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law last year with helping to make the project possible.“For too long, we talked about building the best economy in the world and the best infrastructure in the world,” Biden said. “We’re finally getting to it.”A portion of the bridge is expected to be completed by December, and Biden joked in his speech, “I’m coming back to walk over this sucker.”Congressional Republicans introduced a measure Tuesday that would prohibit federal money from being used to teach children under 10 about LGBTQ issues.The bill would prohibit the use of federal funds to teach children about “sexually-oriented material” as well as “any topic involving gender identity, gender dysphoria, transgenderism, sexual orientation, or related subjects.” The effects of such a law, if enacted, would be far-reaching since a range of institutions – schools, libraries, among them – receive public money.The bill also gives parents the ability to sue in federal court if their child is exposed to the barred material that is funded “in whole or in part” by federal funds.The bill was introduced by Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, and 32 other GOP members of Congress.Read the Guardian’s full report:Republicans aim to pass national ‘don’t say gay’ law Read moreHere’s where the day stands so far:
      Republican leaders are clashing over sending additional military aid to Ukraine. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who could become speaker after the midterm elections next month, has expressed skepticism about approving more funding to assist Ukraine in its fight against Russia. But Mike Pence, former vice-president to Donald Trump, said yesterday, “There can be no room in the conservative movement for apologists to Putin.”
      British Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned after just 45 days in office. Becoming the shortest-serving prime minister in UK history, Truss was forced to step down after proposing (and then scrapping) a widely unpopular budget plan and losing the confidence of many fellow Tories.
      Joe Biden thanked Truss for her service and her partnership in helping to hold Russia accountable for its war against Ukraine. “We will continue our close cooperation with the UK government as we work together to meet the global challenges our nations face,” Biden said in a statement.
      The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.More Americans are getting the latest Covid-19 booster shot, but the White House warns that vaccination rates are still too low headed into the winter months when cases could surge again.Speaking to reporters on Air Force One moments ago, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said 4.5 million Americans received booster shots in the past week.A White House official told CNN that about 20 million Americans in total have now gotten their booster shots, but that number represents less than 10% of the country’s eligible population.“The work we’re doing to reach Americans through on the ground work with trusted organizations in communities across the country and paid media is helping drive the urgency for all Americans to get the protection they need ahead of the winter,” White House Covid-19 coordinator, Dr Ashish Jha, said in a statement to CNN.“But to be very clear: it’s going to take everyone talking to their family and friends to ensure the country is as protected as possible. Our message is simple: do not wait to get your updated vaccine.” More

    • 238 Shares149 Views

      in US Politics

      Biden to release 15m barrels from strategic reserve in effort to tamp down gas prices – as it happened

      by

      Here’s a quick summary of what happened today:
      Joe Biden announced the release of 15m barrels of petroleum from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a move he says will keep gas prices down. Biden pushed back on criticism that the timing of the announcement, which confirmed plans to release barrels from the reserve, was politically motivated by the looming midterms.
      John Fetterman, a key Democratic candidate in the US senate race in Pennsylvania, released a detailed doctor’s report that said he is fit to work and fully serve in office following a stroke in May. This was the first official medical report from Fetterman since June.
      At a speech at a conservative think tank, Mike Pence criticized the Republican party for straying from its values and said the party should be cautious of developing an isolationist mindset, particularly regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
      A district court judge said that emails from Donald Trump’s attorney, John Eastman – a key architect in his plan to overthrow the 2020 election – should be released to the House special committee investigating the insurrection. The judge said emails from Eastman prove Trump signed legal documents that contained information on election fraud that he knew was false.
      We’ll be closing the blog for today, but we will be back tomorrow with more live politics updates. A US district court judge said that Donald Trump signed legal documents that contained evidence of election fraud that he knew was false, Politico is reporting. Based on emails from Trump attorney John Eastman, “President Trump knew that the specific numbers of voter fraud were wrong but continued to tout those numbers, both in court and to the public,” wrote district court judge David Carter in an opinion. The opinion said that Eastman’s emails need to be turned over to the House select committee investigating the insurrection. Eastman refused to turn over their emails, citing attorney-client privilege. Carter wrote that while most of the emails may remain private, “the Court finds that these four documents are sufficiently related to and in furtherance of the obstruction crime”.A majority of Americans believe Donald Trump should testify over his involvement in the January 6 insurrection on the US Capitol, according to a Monmouth University poll released today. Six out of 10 Americans polled said that Trump should have to testify before the House committee investigating the attack. Unsurprisingly, Democrats and Republicans were split on whether Trump should have to testify, with 89% of Democrats saying he should and 67% of Republicans saying he shouldn’t. Most independents, 61%, said that he should have to testify, and only 34% said he should not have to appear at all. The American people: “We feel bad for the country, but this would be tremendous content.”60% of Americans want Trump to testify before the Jan. 6 committee, according to a new Monmouth poll; 77% say it should be public if he does. https://t.co/RBXB6IMo40 pic.twitter.com/WATj0owRcO— Kevin Robillard 🇺🇸 (@Robillard) October 19, 2022
      It is unclear whether Trump will testify before the House committee, which concluded its public hearings which it says proves Trump’s involvement in the attack by voting to subpoena Trump. A formal subpoena will likely be issued this week. Trump’s public response so far has been a rambling letter addressed to representative Bennie Thompson, who chairs the special committee. Sources close to Trump said last week that he is considering testifying in front of the committee. The committee said they do not expect to make criminal referrals to the department of justice, though they have laid out their findings to help federal investigators.A group of four members of Joe Biden’s Covid advisory board just published an op-ed in the New York Times saying that there needs to be more work to address the pandemic.“We are deeply dismayed by what has been left undone,” the group, which includes Ezekial Emanuel, David Michaels, Rick Bright and Michael Osterholm, wrote. “There were many opportunities that would have permanently improved American health and the public health system. They have not yet been pursued.”“There is no question other health crises lie ahead. We need to assess the opportunities squandered or missed in the Covid pandemic and seize them now.”The group wrote that rapid, low-cost at-home-testing could be used to detect multiple infections at once. But there is no comprehensive reporting system for individuals to submit their at-home test results to public health agencies, “rendering a broad swath of infections across the country invisible to officials trying to slow their spread.”The writers note that much of the blame for inaction can be put on the lack of funding from Congress, but “not all [are] attributable to financial limitations”.They write that one big missed opportunity was one to enhance indoor air quality, particularly in schools. They recommend improving national indoor air quality standards, with focuses on schools, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, jails and prisons and other high-risk settings.Better data collection, more paid sick leave, stronger vaccine outreach and better domestic production of medical supplies were also needed during the pandemic, they wrote.“The list could go on and on, including the poor response to long Covid.”In a speech at conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, Mike Pence criticized the direction of the Republican party saying, “I think we need to chart a course that doesn’t veer off too far in either direction.” “Our movement cannot forsake the foundational commitment that we have to security, to limited government, to liberty and to life,” Pence said. “But nor can we allow our movement to be led astray by the siren song of unprincipled populism that’s unmoored from our oldest traditions and most cherished values.” Pence seemed to criticize the “America First” mindset, particularly in the midst of Russia invasion of Ukraine. “As Russia continues its unconscionable war of aggression to Ukraine, I believe that conservatives must make ti clear that Putin must stop and Putin will pay,” he said. “There can be no room in the conservative movement for apologists to Putin. There is only room in this movement for champions of freedom.” Pence at Heritage Foundation making an impassioned plea to continue to help Ukraine. There are those in the movement that “would have us disengage with the wider world,” he says. “But appeasement has never worked.”— Caitlin Huey-Burns (@CHueyBurns) October 19, 2022
      Opposition to isolationist ideals has not stopped Pence from endorsing candidates who have ultimately voiced opposition to involvement in the conflict, including Blake Masters, who is running for an Arizona US senate seat and called the war a “European problem”.Mehmet Oz, who is running as the Republican candidate in a key senate race, responded to today’s announcement from his opponent, John Fetterman, that a doctor clear Fetterman to work after a stroke in May. “That’s good news that John Fetterman’s doctor gave him a clean bill of health… Now that he is apparently healthy, he can debate for 90 minutes, start taking live questions from voters and reporters, and do a second debate now too,” a campaign spokesperson said. Oz senior comms adviser Rachel Tripp responds: “That’s good news that John Fetterman’s doctor gave him a clean bill of health…now that he apparently is healthy, he can debate for 90 minutes, start taking live questions from voters and reporters, and do a second debate now too.”— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) October 19, 2022
      Oz and other Republicans have been using Fetterman’s stroke as an attack against him, saying that he is unfit to be in office. Fetterman’s campaign, on the other hand, has carefully been talking about his stroke as a way to gain empathy from voters. At a rally in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, Fetterman asked the audience if they or a loved one had ever dealt with a serious health issue, and nearly every hand went up. Until the doctor’s report that was released, the last official medical update from Fetterman’s campaign on his health was released in June. At his press conference moments ago announcing the release of petroleum from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Joe Biden was asked to comment on criticism that he was making the announcement for political reasons ahead of the midterms.“I’ve been doing this for how many months now? It’s not politically motivated at all. Its motivation is to make sure that I continue to push on what I’ve been pushing on. And that is making sure there’s enough oil being pumped by the companies so that we have the ability to produce enough gas that we need here at home,” Biden said. “The problem is these guys were asleep. I don’t know where they’ve been.’”Joe Biden spoke on the release of 15m barrels of petroleum from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a move to seemingly signal to voters ahead of the midterms the White House’s efforts to tamper gas prices. Biden announced earlier this year that the energy department will be released 180m barrels from the strategic reserve this year. The 15m barrels announced today will complete the 180m barrels promised by the White House. The administration says the release will add 500,000 barrels per day of supply to the market in December. In a speech, Biden pointed to the war in Ukraine as the main reason for increasing gas prices and said that he “acted decisively” over the summer, and gas prices in turn have dropped $1.50 per gallon since their peak over the summer. “That’s progress, but they’re not falling fast enough,” Biden said. Gas prices are felt in almost every family in this country. It squeezes family budgets when the price of gas goes up, and other expenses get cut. That’s why I’ve been doing everything in my power to reduce gas prices.” “With my announcement today, we’re going to continue to stabilize markets and decrease the price at a time when the actions of other countries have caused such volatility.” Biden said that he has instructed his team to look into further releases from the reserve in the months ahead if needed. He also defended his administration against “myths” that he has slowed gas production.“Quite the opposite. We’re producing 12m barrels of oil per day. And by the end of the year, we will be producing 1m barrels a day – more than the day in which I took office.” Biden also said that the administration will repurchase crude oil from the strategic reserve once prices fall to $67 to $72 a barrel, incentivizing production for the future, and called on oil and gas companies to pass lower energy costs to consumers.Donald Trump in 2021 asked a group of people whether a Jewish documentary filmmaker was “a good Jewish character”, according to a video of the former president that was released as part of footage that was subpoenaed by the House special committee investigating the January 6 insurrection, the New York Times reports. The interaction was recorded by documentary filmmaker Alex Holder at an event at Trump’s New Jersey golf club in May 2021. Trump, speaking to several people, was responding to a woman’s comment about “Jews who didn’t vote for you”. Trump reportedly started talking about how he signed an executive order in 2019 that recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, yet he still polled low with Jewish voters in the US. “In Israel, I’m at like 94 percent, but I got 27, 28 percent [in the US],” Trump said at the time. “In Israel, I’m the most popular. With Orthodox, I’m the most popular.” Trump points to Holder, who is Jewish, “is this a good Jewish character right here?” At the end of the clip, before it cuts off, Trump asks, “You Persian? Very smart. Be careful, they’re very good salesmen.” News of the clip comes on the heels of a post Trump made on his social media platform Truth Social in which he lamented the lack of Jewish support for him despite his pro-Israel policies. “No president has done more for Israel than I have. Somewhat surprisingly, however, our wonderful Evangelicals are far more appreciative of this than the people of Jewish faith, especially those living gin the US,” he wrote. “US Jews have to get their act together and appreciate what they have in Israel – before it is too late!”The Guardian’s voting rights reporter Sam Levine writes: Georgia has seen an “astounding” increase in turnout through the first two days of in person early voting, the state’s top election official said on Wednesday.Early voting began on Monday in the state, where there are closely watched gubernatorial and senate races. 268,050 people voted in person during the first two days. At the same point in the 2020 presidential election, 266,403 had voted in person. That differential is notable because presidential elections usually have higher turnout than midterms. At the same point in the 2018 midterms, 147,289 people had voted in person.Georgia has been at the center of high-stakes battles over voting access and this is the first general a new law with sweeping new voting restrictions is in effect. The law shortens the window in which voters can request a mail-in ballot and places new identification requirements on both the mail-in ballot application and ballot itself. Stacey Abrams, the gubernatorial candidate for governor, as well as voting rights groups are encouraging voters to cast their ballots as early as possible to avoid any issues.Republicans in the past have pointed to surging turnout to push back on accusations of voter suppression. But voting advocates say that is misleading and does not take into account the increased obstacles voters face in getting to the polls, even if they are able to navigate them successfully.John Fetterman’s primary care physician said the Democratic senate candidate for Pennsylvania has no restrictions “and can work full duty in public office” following a stroke in May. Fetterman’s campaign released a detailed medical report today based on an examination that took place on Friday. His doctor, Clifford Chen, said that Fetterman’s strength was normal and has no coordination deficits. He also noted that he “spoke intelligently without cognitive deficits”.Fetterman continues to show symptoms of auditory processing disorder (trouble understanding certain spoken words) but “his communication is significantly improved compared to his first visit, assisted by speech therapy, which he has attended on a regular basis since the stroke.” Currently the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, Fetterman is in a heated election for an open Senate seat against celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, who is running as a Trump-endorsed Republican. Fetterman’s campaign celebrated the doctor’s report on Wednesday. “Bad news for Dr. Oz, who has been rooting hard against my recovery: I’m doing great + remain fully ready to serve,” Fetterman tweeted. Bad news for Dr. Oz, who has been rooting hard against my recovery: I’m doing great + remain fully ready to serveSo grateful to all of you who’ve stood with me. I’ll be fighting for each and every one of you in D.C. ❤️ https://t.co/RMUCsGpOpG— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) October 19, 2022
      Polls have shown Fetterman with a slight lead over Oz, though Oz has been narrowing the gap over the last week as the GOP has been hitting voters hard with messaging about Democrats and the economy.The Texas state government is sending DNA and fingerprint identification kits to parents with kids in kindergarten through eight grade in case of an emergency. The law that established the kit distribution was passed in 2021 and was meant to “help locate and return a missing or trafficked child”, though the timing of the kits’ distribution has reminded parents of the Uvalde shooting, where 19 children and two adults were killed. In the aftermath of the shooting, parents were asked for DNA samples of their children to help medical examiners identify the victims. AR-15s, the type of gun that was used in the shooting, is a powerful weapon that can leave victims unrecognizable. Brett Cross, the father of a student who was killed in Uvalde, tweeted of the kits: “Yeah! Awesome! Let’s identify kids after they’ve been murdered instead of fixing issues that could ultimately prevent them from being murdered. It’s like wiping your ass before you take a shit.” Yeah! Awesome! Let’s identify kids after they’ve been murdered instead of fixing issues that could ultimately prevent them from being murdered. It’s like wiping your ass before you take a shit. https://t.co/1V3i1lIfTc— Brett Cross (@BCross052422) October 18, 2022
      Kits have started to be distributed this week. Parents are not obligated to send in DNA samples, though schools are obligated to inform parents about the kits.House speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview published today that Democrats need “to message [inflation] better in the next three weeks ahead” but ultimately expressed optimism over the election.“Inflation’s an issue, but it’s global,” she said. “What’s [Republicans’] plan? They ain’t go nothing.”.@PunchbowlNews AM: Our wide-ranging interview with @SpeakerPelosi. Here’s Pelosi on inflation: “We’ll have to message on it better.”Much more here: https://t.co/lhCIUjCrLg pic.twitter.com/AcbALvTV4K— Punchbowl News (@PunchbowlNews) October 19, 2022
      Pelosi also said that the key for Democrats will be turnout. “We know the public is with us. But it’s about turnout. So I’m excited. We’ve outraised them, except for their big, dark money, which is endless.”When asked whether she’s worried about House minority leader Kevin McCarthy becoming speaker after the elections, Pelosi said: “We’re going to win this election so I don’t even entertain that notion. But it should be of concern to the Republicans.”Polls are showing a more uncertain future for Democrats, who have been slammed by Republicans over the economy and inflation over the last few weeks. A recent CBS News/YouGov survey found Democrats were two points behind Republicans on the congressional ballot.Democrats are using these next three weeks to try to electrify their base, sending out some of their prominent members to stump for candidates and encourage voters to head to the polls. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is heading west to speak to young voters at the University of California Irvine this Sunday. Irvine is in US representative Katie Porter’s swing district. .@AOC is heading to UC Irvine this Sunday to rally young voters: pic.twitter.com/nVXJMgx3Xc— Nicholas Wu (@nicholaswu12) October 18, 2022
      Meanwhile senator Bernie Sanders is heading to eight states for at least 19 events over the next two weeks, including California, Nevada, Texas and Florida. “It’s about energizing our base and increasing voter turnout up and down the ballot,” Sanders told the New York Times. “I am a little bit concerned [about] energy level for young people, working-class people… And I want to see what I can do about that.” Last week, Barack Obama’s team announced that the former president will be heading to Milkwaukee to rally for Mandela Barnes, who is looking to unseat Republican incumbent Ron Johnson in a seat that Democrats see as vulnerable.Herschel Walker, the Republican candidate in a heated Georgia senate race against Democrat Raphael Warnock, is planning to hand out fake law enforcement badges that say “I’m with Herschel” as part of his campaign. During a debate with Warnock last week, Walker held up an honorary deputy sheriff’s badge after Warnock attacked him on his claims of being a law enforcement officer. Walker has never been a trained officer, though he has received the endorsement of law enforcement groups. In the debate, the moderator told Walker that props are not allowed on the debate stage.“Let’s talk about the truth,” Walker said while holding his honorary badge. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D): “One thing I have not done — I have never pretended to be a police officer, and I’ve never threatened a shootout with the police.”In response, Herschel Walker (R) pulled out a prop badge: “I am work with many police officers.” pic.twitter.com/Wyh6oYD9zB— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) October 14, 2022
      Now, Walker’s campaign told NBC News that it has ordered 1,000 imitation badges as part of his campaign. “Herschel Walker has been a friend to law enforcement and has a record of honoring police, said Gail Gitcho, Walker’s campaign strategist. “If Senator Warnock wants to highlight this, then bring it on.”Steve Bannon, the former chief strategist in the Trump White House who is at the forefront of the Republican march toward hard-right populism, is throwing his weight behind a movement to radically rewrite the US constitution.Bannon has devoted recent episodes of his online show the War Room to a well-funded operation which has stealthily gained ground over the past two years. Backed by billionaire donors and corporate interests, it aims to persuade state legislatures to call a constitutional convention in the hope of baking far-right conservative values into the supreme law of the land.The goal is, in essence, to turn the country into a permanent conservative nation irrespective of the will of the American people. The convention would promote policies that would limit the size and scope of the federal government, set ceilings on or even abolish taxes, free corporations from regulations, and impose restrictions on government action in areas such as abortion, guns and immigration.“This is another line of attack strategically,” Bannon told his viewers last month. “You now have a political movement that understands we need to go after the administrative state.”By “administrative state”, Bannon was referring to the involvement of the federal government and Congress in central aspects of modern American life. That includes combating the climate crisis, setting educational standards and fighting health inequities.Mark Meckler, a founder of the Tea Party who now leads one of the largest groups advocating for the tactic, the Convention of States Action (Cosa), spelled out some of the prime objectives on Bannon’s show. “We need to say constitutionally, ‘No, the federal government cannot be involved in education, or healthcare, or energy, or the environment’,” he said.Meckler went on to divulge the anti-democratic nature of the state convention movement when he said a main aim was to prevent progressive policies being advanced through presidential elections. “The problem is, any time the administration swings back to Democrat – or radical progressive, or Marxist which is what they are – we are going to lose the gains. So you do the structural fix.”The “structural fix” involves Republican state legislatures pushing conservative amendments to America’s foundational document. By cementing the policies into the US constitution, they would become largely immune to electoral challenge.Inside Steve Bannon’s ‘disturbing’ quest to radically rewrite the US constitutionRead moreFlorida senator Marco Rubio had an intense debate last night with his opponent, Val Demings, currently a US representative. Demings, who is trying to be Florida’s first Black senator, pushed Rubio on issues ranging from abortion to gun control. Rubio, who is running for a third term, would not confirm whether he would support a federal ban on abortion that has no exceptions for rape on incest but sai, “every bill I have ever sponsored on abortion and every bill I’ve ever voted for has exceptions.” Demings responded by saying, “What we know is that the senator supports no exceptions. He can make his mouth say anything today. He is good at that, by the way. What day is it and what is Marco Rubio saying?” On gun control, Demings asked Rubio, “How long will you watch people being gunned down in first grade, fourth grade, school, college, church, synagogue, grocery store, movie theater, a mall and a nightclub and do nothing,” she asked. Demings is in an uphill battle trying to unseat Rubio in a state that has gone further to the right in recent years. Earlier this month, a poll showed Demings six points behind Rubio.Good morning, and welcome to the politics live blog. Joe Biden is set to announce the release of 15m barrels of gas from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve later today as the administration attempts to tamp down gas prices.The national average for gas prices stands at $3.85 a gallon today, according to AAA, slightly higher than the $3.34 a gallon that was seen this time last year. But it’s still lower than this summer, when gas peaked at over $5 a gallon.The move is Biden’s attempt to mitigate growing concerns over the economy as the midterms approach. Democratic candidates in heated races across the country have been facing attacks from their Republican candidates over inflation, which stood at 8.2% in September. Biden will make the announcement around 1 pm today.Here’s what else we’re watching:
      Donald Trump is heading to DC court today for a deposition in the lawsuit brought by former magazine columnist E Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of sexual assault. Carroll is suing Trump for defamation.
      A Politico/Morning consult poll shows that Republicans may have an edge over Democrats in the midterms due to the economy: 81% say the economy will play a major role in their vote, and 80% said the same about inflation.
      Stay tuned for more live updates. More

    • 125 Shares199 Views

      in US Politics

      Are Democrats messing up their midterm messaging? Our panel responds

      by

      Are Democrats messing up their midterm messaging? Our panel respondsCas Mudde, Ilyse Hogue, David Sirota, LaTosha Brown and Liza FeatherstoneDemocrats have come under fire from critics like Bernie Sanders, who say the party isn’t focusing enough on the economy. Is that right? Cas Mudde: Democrats are right not to focus on the economyIt is true that the economy and inflation are seen as the top problems by most Americans, but that does not necessarily mean that Democrats should run their midterm campaigns on economic issues. The country has been dealing with continued inflation, the possibility of a recession, and the prospect of an even worse energy crisis for months now.The vast majority of Americans say they personally feel the pain of inflation and believe that the US economy is getting worse, not better. Running on the economy will make these feelings even more salient, while centering President Biden, whose approval ratings are near their lowest level during his presidency, and the Republican party, which is still more trusted on the economy than the Democratic party.So how about running on the economic accomplishments of the Biden administration, like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)?Turns out, while the individual policies of the bill are popular, only about one-third of Americans have heard of the IRA. That’s why, in this particular economic and political context, running primarily on abortion and the extremity and incompetence of Republican candidates like Doug Mastriano and Herschel Walker makes more sense.Clear majorities of Americans, including independents, oppose the overturning of Roe v Wade, while there has been a “surge” in voter registration of women, including in battleground states like Arizona and Georgia. Although they mainly offset earlier increases in registration of Republicans, it is crucial for Democrats to get these newly mobilized voters to the voting booths in November. Will it be enough? I doubt it. But I am pretty certain it gives Democrats a better chance than a mainly socioeconomic campaign.
      Cas Mudde is a Guardian US columnist and the Stanley Wade Shelton UGAF professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia
      David Sirota: ‘It’s the economy, stupid’Eight years ago amid the wreckage of the financial crisis, Democrats lost a key US Senate race in Colorado when their candidate focused almost exclusively on abortion rights and did not have a compelling economic message. The episode served as a cautionary tale warning Democrats that they may lose winnable elections if they are not willing to break with their big donors and offer a populist economic message. Without that kind of message, they may lose even if they’re right about conservatives’ social-issue extremism.And yet, that 2014 cautionary tale now seems like a preview of Democrats’ 2022 election strategy. Polls show voters’ top two issues in the election are the economy and inflation – and yet Democrats have decided to spend much of their advertising resources on abortion-related messages, not inflation-related messages.There is still time for a turnaround – and there is plenty for Democrats to say. They could be blaming Republicans for blocking the extension of the expanded child tax credit. They could pledge more direct economic help if they win the midterms. They could hammer Republicans for protecting their oil donors from price-gouging legislation.In short, Democrats could be vilifying the entire plague of greedflation, whereby corporate oligopolies are using their market power to hike prices.Doing that would require Democratic leaders to do the one thing they always seem most reluctant to do: offend their big donors.But if they don’t do that – if they don’t remember their own “it’s the economy, stupid” mantra – then the national election could turn out like the Colorado election of 2014, and everything they purport to stand for could be lost: reproductive rights, democracy, everything.
      David Sirota is a Guardian US columnist and an award-winning investigative journalist. He is an editor-at-large at Jacobin, and the founder of the Lever
      LaTosha Brown: ‘The abortion message needs to be layered with other messages’For Democrats to win, it’s all about three things: money, message and mobilization. And when it comes to the message, the message needs to be more layered.Democrats should lead with a trifecta of messages focused on the economy, voting rights and racial justice.They need to speak about the economy from a worker’s perspective. They need to humanize the issue and focus on the struggles of ordinary people, like wage stagnation and rising costs. They need to ditch the jargon. They need to lay the blame for the mess we’re in on Republicans and their corporate tax cuts, which only benefit the ultra-wealthy.We also need to hear more on white nationalism, white supremacy and the continuing attack on voting rights. Democrats are side-stepping one of the biggest threats to our democracy, which voters, especially voters of color, want to hear about.If Republicans are using racial fear as weapon, we need to lean into racial justice as a tool. There is an organizing opportunity in racial justice. That’s what will activate young people and voters of color, who are the fastest-growing electorate in the country.We have to stop repeating this mantra that Republicans are good on message. It’s easier to have an elite message than an inclusive message. Republicans are just focused on the consolidation of white power and control by any means. The Democrats have a much more diverse and nuanced base, so the message needs to be layered.Finally, Democrats should stay on the abortion message. Democrats didn’t have a fighting chance to win in the midterms, and that only changed thanks to Roe v Wade being overturned. It’s a message that’s important, but it needs to be layered with other messages in order to have most impact.
      LaTosha Brown is the co-founder of Black Voters Matter
      Ilyse Hogue: ‘Democrats need to go on the offensive’Democrats have solid policy wins under their belts and even better ones in the pipeline if they can expand their margins in the Senate and hold the House. So why aren’t they polling better?Simply put, because the national information landscape is a nightmare. Die-hard Republicans have a monolithic information system in Fox News. This machine puts Democratic candidates at a disadvantage out of the gate, which is too often compounded by an instinct to let the right trip themselves up instead of forcing the questions in the eyes of the voters. Only one party wants to cut social security, keep drug prices high, and criminalize pregnancy. Don’t make the voters guess. Lean into it.Obama admits Democrats can be a ‘buzzkill’ and urges better messagingRead morePolls are like snapshots of moods on any given day, but in aggregate, the polls show that women are motivated right now and being pulled in many directions. They are deeply affected by the fall of Roe and understand the Republican position on criminalizing abortion as a cascading crisis of autonomy, economic viability and health care access – all issues on which the Republican party has abandoned the mainstream. Women – especially women of color – who bear the brunt of these compounding crises, are highly energized to vote, as is evidenced by voter registration numbers around the country. The trick for Dems in the closing weeks of this consequential election is a one-two punch: go on offense and lift up the messengers that already have social currency in your electoral coalition. Invest in your community leaders, your PTA chairs, your TikTok influencers, your clergy, your warehouse workers.There’s so much to tout: life-changing money to replace lead pipes in the infrastructure bill? Check! Get that to parents in unserved parts of Michigan. Incentives to bring clean-energy, high wage manufacturing jobs in the Inflation Reduction Act? Check! Get that to economically distressed families in the south-east. One more Senate seat and Biden promises to suspend the filibuster and codify Roe? Check! Get that to, well, women everywhere.
      Ilye Hogue is the president of Purpose. She was formerly the president of Naral
      Liza Featherstone: ‘Abortion alone can’t deliver the midterms’When the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade, a yard sign appeared around the corner from my home: “This is what happens when you don’t vote.”By the next day, someone had fixed it, using a Sharpie to cross out the word “don’t”.The quiet dispute in a reliably blue neighborhood seemed to underscore the perils of assuming that attacks on abortion rights will scare voters into voting Democratic.Granted, most Americans disagree with the supreme court’s decision, and many are more motivated to vote this year as a result. But abortion alone can’t deliver the midterms to the Democrats.Some wonder, with my Sharpie-wielding neighbor, how voting for Democrats has helped protect abortion rights lately. Besides, inflation is an even higher priority for more than eight out of 10 voters, and only 30% approve of Biden’s leadership on that issue.Democratic leaders have sometimes seemed dismissive of inflation. The White House has repeatedly shrugged it off, and this summer, the Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman mocked a campaign video featuring his opponent in a grocery store discussing high food prices.Worse, national Democratic leaders have been partying with wealthy donors, from the billionaire James Murdoch in Manhattan to real estate moguls in Los Angeles. No wonder they seem out of touch with people visiting food pantries or struggling to make rent.If the Democrats can’t deliver a better economic message, many Americans may conclude that like the repeal of Roe v Wade, inflation is what happens when you vote.
      Liza Featherstone is a columnist for Jacobin and the New Republic. She is the author of Divining Desire: Focus Groups and the Culture of Consultation (OR Books), among other titles
      TopicsUS midterm elections 2022OpinionUS politicsDemocratscommentReuse this content More

    • 238 Shares109 Views

      in US Politics

      Biden pledges to codify abortion rights if Democrats win midterms: ‘I’ll sign it in January’ – as it happened

      by

      There it is. Biden has officially announced that if Democrats gain control of Congress, his first move will be to send a bill codifying Roe v Wade and sign such legislation ahead of the 50th anniversary of the 1973 decision.“I believe Congress should codify Roe, once and for all,” said Biden as the crowd cheered.Biden added: “The first bill that I will send to the Congress will be to codify Roe v Wade … and if Congress passes it, I’ll sign it in January.“Together, we’ll restore the right to choose to every woman, in every state in America,” said Biden, emphasizing that the crowd needed to vote to ensure such protections.That’s it for the US live politics blog today! Here’s a summary of what we covered today:
      Biden promised to codify Roe v wade in his first post-midterms legislation if Democrats keep control of Congress, saying “I’ll sign it in January” during a speech at a DNC event in Washington DC.
      Biden also promised to veto any federal abortion ban that comes across his desk, as Republicans push for a federal ban following the overturn of Roe v wade in June.
      Biden pledged to ban assault weapons during the DNC speech. Biden said, “I did it once, I’ll do it again”, in reference to a ban he helped negotiate as a senator.
      Candidates across key races in Utah, Georgia, and Ohio had heated debates yesterday, with November midterms less than a month away.
      Thank you for reading; see you tomorrow!Could Kathy Hochul be in trouble in New YorkNew York is not a state that too many Democrats have been worried about in recent years. But a couple of recent polls have shown governor Kathy Hochul with only a relatively narrow lead over her Republican opponent. Politico has the details: Two polls Tuesday showed the race for New York governor getting closer than perhaps many had initially expected in the deep-blue state.A Siena College Research Institute poll early Tuesday found Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul held an 11-percentage-point edge over Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin in a state where Democrats have won every statewide race over the past two decades. That was down from a 17-point lead a month ago.Then an even closer poll came out in the afternoon: A Quinnipiac University survey found Hochul with a razor-thin 50 percent to 46 percent lead over Zeldin — putting Zeldin within striking distance of a potentially major upset.“In the blue state of New York, the race for governor is competitive,” Quinnipiac polling analyst Mary Snow said in a statement.Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward announced today that he will be releasing a new audiobook entitled “The Trump Tapes,” which features eight hours of raw interviews with former president Donald Trump. Here’s more background on the book from CNN: .css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}The interviews offer unvarnished insights into the former president’s worldview and are the most extensive recordings of Trump speaking about his presidency — including explaining his rationale for meeting Kim, his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Trump’s detailed views of the US nuclear arsenal. The audio also shows how Trump decided to share with Woodward the letters Kim wrote to him – the letters that helped spark the DOJ investigation into classified documents Trump took to Mar-a-Lago…
      Woodward said in the book’s introduction that he is releasing the recordings in part because “hearing Trump speak is a completely different experience to reading the transcripts or listening to snatches of interviews on television or the internet.”
      He describes Trump as “raw, profane, divisive and deceptive. His language is often retaliatory.”
      “Yet, you will also hear him engaging and entertaining, laughing, ever the host. He is trying to win me over, sell his presidency to me. The full-time salesman,” Woodward said. “I wanted to put as much of Trump’s voice, his own words, out there for the historical record and so people could hear and judge and make their own assessments.”Jean-Pierre also mentioned student loan forgiveness applications that opened on Monday, as lawsuits are still being waged against Biden’s proposal. Jean-Pierre on student debt relief: The president wanted to keep a campaign promise. We’re talking about 40 million borrowers who are going to benefit from this policy.— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) October 18, 2022
      Jean-Pierre has been asked several questions about the economy, specifically about gas prices and inflation. One question centered on the strength of the economy, as Bloomberg economists predict a “100% chance” of a recession, but Jean-Pierre contended that the economy is resilient given economic policies put forth by Biden. Jean-Pierre: “Let’s not forget what the president has done the past 19 months. He has made the economy his top priority.”— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) October 18, 2022
      On oil, Jean-Pierre said that the oil production under Biden has increased, a seeming conflict given Biden’s past comments about transitioning towards cleaner energy options. Jean-Pierre: “There is no shortage of opportunity or incentive for oil companies to ramp up production… The United States has produced more oil in President Biden’s first year than under President Trump’s first year.”— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) October 18, 2022
      A reporter asked a question about Brittney Griner, who turned 32 years old today. Jean-Pierre has said that it is a priority of Biden to get Griner home, as well as Paul Whelan, a former US marine who has been incarcerated in Russia since 2018. Jean-Pierre on Brittney Griner: “Getting Brittney home, getting Paul Whelan home is a priority for this administration… We’re going to continue working through our channels that we have with Russia.”— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) October 18, 2022
      Jean-Pierre would not provide information on Griner’s condition, what access to the WNBA star looks like, or other questions. Jean-Pierre was just asked what Biden’s plan is if Democrats do not keep control in the midterm elections come November. Jean-Pierre responded with: “The way that we make Roe into law is to make sure we have legislation and we codify it. That is the best way to protect women’s rights.”Jean-Pierre: “The way that we make Roe into law is to make sure we have legislation and we codify it. That is the best way to protect women’s rights.”— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) October 18, 2022
      Jean-Pierre added that the president believes that it’s important for people to “make their voices heard”. Jean-Pierre: “He’s always said that what people need to do is make their voices heard.”— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) October 18, 2022
      Jean-Pierre also refused to give a specific number of how many more votes would be enough for Biden to codify Roe. Press briefing is now underway.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre opened up the conference about the overturning of Roe v wade.Jean-Pierre confirmed again that Biden plans on making Roe v wade the “law of the land” around the 50th anniversary of the Roe v wade’s decision next year.At White House briefing. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre: “President Biden is continuing to fight to restore reproductive rights for millions of American women… President Biden believes that Roe was rightly decided nearly 50 years ago.” pic.twitter.com/fRXJeH6XnU— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) October 18, 2022
      The White house press briefing should be happening shortly, scheduled for 1:45 pm eastern time. Stay tuned!Biden will be speaking on gas prices tomorrow, said White house chief of staff on Twitter. In a response to comments from Hill reporter Hanna Trudo about Biden’s speech on abortion, Ronald Klain responded that Biden will be speaking about gas prices tomorrow. Abortion as a closing pitch was always going to be a really risky proposition. But up against the economy? It makes it look almost fringe. Of course many people will disagree with this, but the cost of gas is *extremely* important to nearly everyone, abortion is simply not— Hanna Trudo (@HCTrudo) October 18, 2022
      Not an either / or. @POTUS spoke about abortion today, will speak about gas prices tomorrow. https://t.co/pPg6TLGdUX— Ronald Klain (@WHCOS) October 18, 2022
      Biden also pledged to veto any federal abortion ban, warning that Republicans have made efforts to push such legislation. Biden claims Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy would push a national abortion ban if the GOP wins the House:“If Republicans get their way with a national ban, it won’t matter where you live … If such a bill were to pass in the next several years, *whispers* I’ll veto it.” pic.twitter.com/n3dd1FXsNz— The Recount (@therecount) October 18, 2022
      Biden also touched on gun control, promising that if Democrats kept control of Congress in January, he would sign a ban on assault weapons. “And by the way if you give me a Democratic congress we’re going to ban assault weapons again”, said Biden. Biden added: “I did it once, I’ll do it again”, referring to a 10-year ban he negotiated as a senator in 1994. There it is. Biden has officially announced that if Democrats gain control of Congress, his first move will be to send a bill codifying Roe v Wade and sign such legislation ahead of the 50th anniversary of the 1973 decision.“I believe Congress should codify Roe, once and for all,” said Biden as the crowd cheered.Biden added: “The first bill that I will send to the Congress will be to codify Roe v Wade … and if Congress passes it, I’ll sign it in January.“Together, we’ll restore the right to choose to every woman, in every state in America,” said Biden, emphasizing that the crowd needed to vote to ensure such protections.Biden is currently speaking at a DNC event at Howard Theatre. So far, Biden has mentioned that 16 states have passed bans on abortions since the overturning of Roe v Wade in June. .@POTUS says 16 states have enacted abortion bans since Dobbs. “There is so much confusion and uncertainty” for doctors and nurses who just want to do their jobs pic.twitter.com/QuCL1Gkmwo— Mike Memoli (@mikememoli) October 18, 2022
      Biden also warned about the decision having consequences on other issues, calling out justice Clarence Thomas’ opinion that same-sex marriage, contraception, and other issues should be re-examined.The DNC event has started, with abortion rights remaining in the spotlight. From journalist Kellie Meyer:Biden’s backdrop at the DC event today. Keeping abortion in the spotlight ahead of the midterms. The issue energized the base, esp. women voters, after SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade in June. New polling showing that energy faded in the fall. We discuss tonight on @NewsNation pic.twitter.com/VsdAtF7fKr— Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) October 18, 2022 More

    • 138 Shares129 Views

      in US Politics

      Obama admits Democrats can be a ‘buzzkill’ and urges better messaging

      by

      Obama admits Democrats can be a ‘buzzkill’ and urges better messagingPresident says he ‘used to get into trouble’ by being too policy-focused as Democrats brace for losing House majority Barack Obama acknowledged Democrats can be “a buzzkill” with their abstract campaign messaging and could better connect with voters by emphasizing what constituents feel in their day to day lives.During an interview on Pod Save America, released Friday, Obama acknowledged that he “used to get into trouble” when he appeared too professorial, including by standing behind a lectern and talking about policy in theoretical ways that didn’t directly connect with voters.‘Desperate and disgraceful’: candidates spar in heated debates as US midterms near – liveRead more“That’s not how people think about these issues,” Obama said, less than a month before his party tries to hang on to control of both congressional chambers during the 8 November midterms. “They think about them in terms of, you know, the life I’m leading day to day. How does politics … how is it even relevant to the things that I care most deeply about?“My family, my kids, work that gives me satisfaction, having fun, not being a buzzkill, right?”He added: “And sometimes Democrats are, right? You know, sometimes, people just want to not feel as if they are walking on eggshells. And they want some acknowledgment that life is messy and that all of us at any given moment can say things the wrong way, make mistakes.”Obama went on to talk about his 86-year-old mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, whom he said was trying to learn “the right phraseology” to talk about issues. The former first lady Michelle Obama had said that was like “trying to learn Spanish” for her mother.“It doesn’t mean she shouldn’t try to learn Spanish, but it means that sometimes she’s not gonna get the words right,” the former president said. “And that’s OK, right?“And that attitude, I think, of just being a little more real and a little more grounded is something that I think goes a long way in counteracting what is the systematic propaganda that I think is being pumped out by Fox News and all these other outlets all the time.”Facing a slew of culture-war attack lines from Republicans, Democrats have sometimes become embroiled in their own debates over proper terminology, including the use of the term “Latinx” and “defund the police”. Democratic research from February found that voters could find the party “preachy”, “judgmental”, and “focused on the culture wars”, Politico reported.“Wokeness is a problem and everyone knows it,” Democratic pundit James Carville, the former strategist for Bill Clinton, told Vox last year. “There’s nothing inherently wrong with these phrases. But this is not how people talk.“This stuff is harmless in one sense, but in another sense it’s not.”Obama’s comments came as Democrats are bracing to likely lose their majority in the US House while hoping that they can retain the Senate.A recent New York Times/Siena poll found that 49% of likely voters said they would cast their ballot for a Republican candidate, compared to 45% for Democrats in congressional races. One of the most alarming findings for Democrats in the poll was the swing to Republicans among women who identified as independents. Last month, independent women backed Democrats by 14%, but the October poll found they now backed Republicans by 18%.Overall, women were split 47% to 47% on whether they would support Democrats or Republican congressional candidates. Democrats had an 11-point advantage last month in the poll.“I’m shifting more towards Republican because I feel like they’re more geared towards business,” Robin Ackerman, a 37-year-old Democrat in New Castle, Delaware, told the New York Times.TopicsBarack ObamaUS midterm elections 2022US politicsDemocratsRepublicansReuse this content More

    • 188 Shares159 Views

      in US Politics

      White House calls Trump’s remarks on American Jews ‘antisemitic and insulting’ – as it happened

      by

      The White House press briefing is underway, and press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre began with a question about Donald Trump’s attack on American Jews.She called the former president’s comments “antisemitic, as you all know, and insulting both to Jews and to our Israeli allies.”“But let’s be clear, for years, for years now, Donald Trump has aligned with extremists and antisemitic figures and it should be called out,” she added. “We need to root out antisemitism everywhere it rears its ugly head. … With respect to Israel, our relationship is iron clad and it’s rooted in shared values and interests. Donald Trump clearly doesn’t understand that either.”She also condemned Ye’s antisemitic posts, but said she was not able to comment on the announcement this morning that he intends to purchase the far-right social media site, Parler.Good afternoon. We’re closing the liveblog for the day. Here’s a look back at what’s happened so far today.
      Georgia Republican senate candidate Herschel Walker admitted to writing $700 check to his ex-girlfriend but denies it was for abortion. Walker, who is running in one of the most competitive Senate races in the country, has spent weeks dogged by reports that he sent the unnamed woman money to end her pregnancy. Running as a staunch conservative with Trump’s backing, Walker has publicly argued that abortion should be illegal nationwide without exceptions.
      The US Secret Service was made to pay as much as $1,185 a night to stay at properties belonging to former president Donald Trump, a congressional committee said on Monday as it released documents that appeared to show the former president profiting from his protection details in and out of office.
      Steve Bannon should be sentenced to six months in prison and a $200,000 fine for “his sustained, bad-faith contempt of Congress”, the justice department said in a legal filing on Monday. Bannon was found guilty on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress in July for ignoring a subpoena from the US House committee investigating the January 6 attack.
      White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned remarks by Donald Trump about American Jews as “antisemitic” and “insulting” to both Jewish people and Israelis. She also announced that Biden will host president Isaac Herzog of Israel at the White House on 26 October.
      The White House formally unveiled its website for student loan forgiveness applications. “This is a game-changer for millions of Americans,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. He added that “it took an incredible amount of effort to get this website done in such a short time.”JUST IN: Pres. Biden unveils website for federal student loan debt relief application. “It takes less than five minutes…This is a game-changer for millions of Americans.” https://t.co/1SlS2LJ69i pic.twitter.com/zWAe1RUCjT— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 17, 2022
      A beta version of the website, studentaid.gov, launched on Friday. Biden said 8 million Americans used the website over the weekend to apply for student-loan forgiveness. This summer, under immense pressure from progressives, Biden announced that he would cancel up to $10,000 in student loan debt for individuals making less than $125,000 a year or more for Pell grant recipients. Asked if Biden regretted his comment that British Prime Minister Liz Truss’ tax -cut plan was a mistake, Jean-Pierre responded simply: “No.”Commenting on another world leader’s domestic policies, especially those of a close ally, is usually seen as taboo. Biden, an institutionalist who usually adheres to the norms and codes of foreign relations, is also prone to blunt admissions that often send his aides scrambling to clarify.Pressed further about the remark – Biden said he wasn’t the only one who thought her economic policies were a mistake – Jean-Pierre said she had no further comment on who the president might have been referring to. The reporter said he was curious if Biden was referring to discussions with world leaders or if it was a reference to a staff member who viewed the move as a “mistake”.Liz Truss admits ‘mistakes have been made’ as Jeremy Hunt says ‘eye-watering’ decisions on tax and spending need to be made – liveRead moreThe plan, which sent financial markets into a tailspin and caused a sharp drop in the value of the pound, was widely criticized by economists and experts.Jean-Pierre also wouldn’t weigh in on the UK’s new finance minister, Jeremy Hunt nor his plans to drop much of Truss’ tax plan.“The UK is a close ally … and we work with them on a range of issues, including on strengthening the global economy,” she said.Joe Biden calls Liz Truss tax cuts a ‘mistake’ as political fallout continuesRead moreOn Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, Jean-Pierre said: “The United States strongly condemns Russia’s missile strikes today which continues to demonstrate Russia’s brutality.” She said the administration is in touch with Ukraine across the administration and noted that Biden spoke to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week when he addressed the leaders of the Group of 7 nations.Russia attacked Kyiv with nearly 30 “kamikaze” drones on Monday morning, killing at least four people, including a pregnant woman and her partner, the Guardian is reporting.“We are going to continue to work with our allies and partners, continue to impose costs on Russia to hold them accountable for their war crimes,” Jean-Pierre said. Jean-Pierre has fielded a few questions on the midterms and Biden’s travel schedule in the final weeks of the election cycle, particularly why he isn’t appearing at more campaign events.Jean-Pierre, caveating her response by saying she is prohibited from talking about politics from the podium, pushed back. She argued that he has been “traveling nonstop,” noting his recent swing through Colorado, Oregon and California. This week he’ll travel to the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Florida.Reporters kept pressing. The subtext of their questions is that Biden is unpopular and his presence in some states could do more harm than good for Democrats in contested races. Biden has long joked that he would campaign for or against a Democrat – whatever would help them more.She would not say whether Democrats in states like Arizona and Georgia are asking the White House for help, saying only: “He is going to go where he is needed the most.”In Pennsylvania, Biden will appear alongside the Democratic candidate for Senate, John Fetterman, whose health has been under scrutiny since he suffered a stroke earlier this summer. Asked whether Biden has any concerns about Fetterman’s health, Jean-Pierre said: “The president has found him to be an impressive individual who is just as capable as always.”The White House press briefing is underway, and press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre began with a question about Donald Trump’s attack on American Jews.She called the former president’s comments “antisemitic, as you all know, and insulting both to Jews and to our Israeli allies.”“But let’s be clear, for years, for years now, Donald Trump has aligned with extremists and antisemitic figures and it should be called out,” she added. “We need to root out antisemitism everywhere it rears its ugly head. … With respect to Israel, our relationship is iron clad and it’s rooted in shared values and interests. Donald Trump clearly doesn’t understand that either.”She also condemned Ye’s antisemitic posts, but said she was not able to comment on the announcement this morning that he intends to purchase the far-right social media site, Parler.During Donald Trump’s presidency, hotels and properties owned by the former president charged the Secret Service “exorbitant” rates – as much as $1,185 per night at the Trump International Hotel in DC – according to new documents released on Monday by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.The secret service was tasked with protecting the safety of Trump and his family during his presidency, and therefore followed them on their travels.“The exorbitant rates charged to the Secret Service and agents’ frequent stays at Trump-owned properties raise significant concerns about the former president’s self-dealing and may have resulted in a taxpayer-funded windfall for former president Trump’s struggling businesses,” the committee chair, the New York representative Carolyn Maloney, said in a statement.According to the Washington Post, which first reported on the payments, the new documents reveal, based on the committee’s review, that US taxpayers paid the president’s company at least $1.4m for Secret Service agents’ stays at Trump properties for his and his family’s protection.The analysis shows that the Secret Service received more than 40 waivers from the Secret Service to let the agency spend more than the recommended rates.In a new interview, Fiona Hill says Putin is adapting, not giving up and is using messengers like Elon Musk to propose an end to the conflict on his terms.“Putin plays the egos of big men, gives them a sense that they can play a role. But in reality, they’re just direct transmitters of messages from Vladimir Putin,” Hill told Politico.Hill, one of the nation’s foremost experts on Russia and Putin, argues that the west has been slow to realize that Putin is waging a world war, what she describes as a “great power conflict over territory which overturns the existing international order and where other states find themselves on different sides of the conflict.”“This is a great power conflict, the third great power conflict in the European space in a little over a century,” Hill said. “It’s the end of the existing world order. Our world is not going to be the same as it was before.”Read the full interview here.Donald Trump attacked US Jews on his social media platform last night, saying that they should “get their act together” and show more appreciation to Israel “before it’s too late.”“No President has done more for Israel than I have. Somewhat surprisingly, however, our wonderful Evangelicals are far more appreciative of this than the people of the Jewish faith, especially those living in the U.S.,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.“Those living in Israel, though, are a different story — Highest approval rating in the World, could easily be P.M.!” he added.It is not the first time Trump has flirted with the antisemitic trope that Jews hold “dual loyalty” or are more loyal to Israel than the US. As in this post, he suggested that American Jews, who traditionally favor Democrats, should be more supportive of him because of his policies toward Israel.Former US president warns US Jews to get their “act together,” be more like Israelis, and appreciate him more pic.twitter.com/taRYa53d74— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) October 16, 2022
      In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Dr Anthony Fauci warned about the dangers of long Covid, which he called an “insidious” if hard-to-diagnose public health emergency for millions of people.Speaking to the Guardian’s David Smith, the nation’s top infectious disease expert explained that the rates of long Covid are worrying, even if they receive far less attention than death and hospitalization rates.“It isn’t that you have people who are hospitalized or dying, but their function is being considerably impaired,” he said.One of the major challenges to diagnosing and treating long Covid is that relatively little is known about it. There is no test for long Covid, Smith writes, and its precise causes remain mysterious. Fauci said long Covid is likely more prominent among those with existing psychological issues, but he adds: “The one thing you don’t want to fall into the trap of saying is well, it’s all psychological, because it’s not, it’s real.”Fauci urged Congress to continue investing in efforts to combat the virus and long Covid..css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“We’ve hit a wall when it comes to further resources for Covid, including long Covid. There doesn’t appear to be a lot of resources that are waiting for us right now,” he said. “I hope that changes. If you declare victory, you’re declaring an imaginary victory because we haven’t won the battle yet.”Read the full interview here:Dr Anthony Fauci: long Covid is an ‘insidious’ public health emergency Read moreMajor retailers will begin selling hearing aids over the counter without a prescription and at a much lower cost, as part of a new Biden administration rule that take effect today.“Starting today, hearings aids are now on store shelves across the country — for thousands of dollars less than they previously cost,” the White House said in a fact sheet on Monday.The move comes as Democrats tout their efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs and ease the economic burden of high inflation and rising cost of living ahead of the midterms. According to the White House, several major retailers, Walgreens, CVS and Walmart among them, will begin selling the devices today. It estimates that the rule could lower average costs by as much as $3,000 per pair of hearing aids. Nearly 30 million Americans have hearing loss, according to the fact sheet, including nearly 10 million adults under age 60.Today the Guardian launched a four-part series on Latino voters – a fast-growing, incredibly diverse voting bloc with the collective power to sway the 2022 midterm elections. Though Latino voters have historically favored Democrats – and recent polling suggests that they still do – the party’s grip on these voters is slipping as economic forces provide an opening for Republicans. This year, due in part to population growth and redistricting, Latino voters make up a significant slice of the electorate in several of the most competitive House and Senate races. The stakes for both parties could not be higher. In the first installment, yours truly provides a very broad overview of the well-financed fight to engage and mobilize Latino voters this cycle. But look out for the rest of the series, with reports from Florida, Texas and the mountain west. Other pieces coming through Thursday look at why hopes that the south FL Latino vote would eventually turn aren’t materializing, what drives Latino voter turnout and changing patterns in south TX, and a profile of a Mtn. West community where Latino voters are unexpectedly mighty. https://t.co/F3Sf2VasDN— Ramon Antonio Vargas (@RVargasAdvocate) October 17, 2022
      Read more:Democrats and Republicans fight to make inroads with Latinos ahead of midtermsRead moreMy colleague Joan Greve recently published this report from Maine, where she assessed the state of Paul LePage’s political comeback. The state’s famously belligerent former governor – Trump before Trump, as he once claimed – announced his retirement from politics in 2018 and decamped to Florida. But now he’s back, challenging the state’s Democratic governor, Janet Mills. Now, in his campaign to return to the governor’s mansion, LePage is distancing himself from the former president. He believes Biden won the 2020 election, a fact few Republicans are willing to accept publicly. But has he really changed?Read the full report here.Paul LePage: is Maine ready to welcome back the ‘Trump before Trump’?Read moreKevin McCarthy expects to be the next speaker of the US House of Representatives.That is the takeaway from a frenetic two days on the campaign trail with the Republican leader, according to a new report in Punchbowl news. Along the way, McCarthy spoke candidly about his path to the speakership, how difficult it is for Republicans to keep the job and offered his view of why he thinks his party is on track to wrest the majority from Democrats.McCarthy tells donors and supporters that Republicans’ chances are improving by the day. He is blunt that August was a bad month for Republicans, but says the tide is turning and the election is increasingly being fought on issues that advantage Republicans, such as the economy, immigration and crime..css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}“What happened was all the issues came back on the front page. The cost of living continued to rise. Kids are going back to school and you’re concerned about what type of education you’re getting. And if you question your school board, somehow you’re a terrorist. The price of gas was up seven cents last week with no hope of America being energy independent. We watch crime rise every single day,” McCarthy said at a fundraising event in Chicago.Interestingly, McCarthy believes the tide began to turn sharply against Democrats after Biden’s Philadelphia speech, in which the president warned that Trumpism posed an acute threat to American democracy.“It all stops Sept. 1, the night that President Biden gave a speech in Philadelphia – an angry speech,” McCarthy added.He also believes he’ll be speaker no matter how big – or small – Republicans’ winning majority is, meaning he thinks he can unite his fractious party behind him.“If I’m even up for speaker, that means we won seats. I’ve been [the top House Republican for] two cycles. I’ve never lost seats, I’ve only won,” he tells Punchbowl.I was shocked by McCarthy’s candor about just how hard it is for Republicans to stay speaker. pic.twitter.com/4c1PLjtqnT— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 17, 2022
      McCarthy is also open about how hard it is for a Republican to keep the job, noting that his most recent predecessors left after only a few years. By contrast, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has led her party for decades.First lady Jill Biden sat down for an interview this weekend with Newsmax, the far-right news network that cast doubt on her husband’s election victory in 2020. According to a press release touting the 20-minute interview, Biden discussed her efforts to combat cancer and her meeting with Ukraine’s first lady. “There are things Americans disagree with, but fighting cancer is one thing that unites Americans; and we’re honored to have Dr. Biden talk of her efforts and President Biden’s to combat this deadly condition,” Newsmax Media CEO Christopher Ruddy said.The Newsmax host, Nancy Brinker, is the founder of the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The interview airs at 9pm. A new NYT/Siena poll looks glum for Democrats. After their fortunes appeared to reverse this summer, Republicans have regained their edge with voters just weeks left before election day.NEW: NYT/Siena poll shows Republicans opening up a 49-45 lead in race for Congress as the economy becomes dominant concern of 2022.The swing toward the GOP among women voters who identified as independent in the last month is striking.https://t.co/JPRgHo55iZ— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) October 17, 2022
      According to the poll, Republicans hold a 49-45 lead in the race for Congress, with the economy being a top priority for voters in 2022. The shift was driven by women who identified as independent voters.“In September, they favored Democrats by 14 points. Now, independent women backed Republicans by 18 points.”The poll found the share of voters who ranked the economy or inflation as a top issue climbed nearly 10%. Republicans have long held an advantage on the economy, a trend that is even more pronounced with inflation at a 40-year-high and Democrats in control in Washington. A far smaller share of voters prioritize issues that favor Democrats, such as abortion and guns. Moreover, voters are extremely dissatisfied with the president, a factor that further hurts Democrats. Read more here and play with the crosstabs here. Steve Bannon should be sentenced to six months in prison and a $200,000 fine for “his sustained, bad-faith contempt of Congress,” the justice department said in a legal filing on Monday..css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}Bannon, the former Donald Trump White House strategist, was found guilty on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress in July for ignoring a subpoena from the committee investigating the January 6 attack.
      The department submitted its recommendation for his punishment on Monday ahead of his scheduled sentencing on Friday.Steve Bannon: justice department urges six-month prison term in contempt caseRead moreSome early-breaking news: Ye, formerly Kanye West, is buying the rightwing social media network Parler for an undisclosed sum, the platform announced on Monday.The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year, the Guardian reports. News of the purchase comes a week after Twitter and Instagram locked the rapper’s accounts over antisemitic posts.“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” Ye said in a statement.Last year, Parler was effectively forced offline for allowing violent videos of the January 6 Capitol attack to circulate on its platform.Kanye West to buy rightwing social network Parler Read moreThis is only the latest in a series of controversial moves by the artist. Over the weekend, Ye claimed in a podcast appearance that George Floyd died from a drug overdose. Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of Floyd’s murder in May 2020. Floyd’s family is considering taking legal action.Family of George Floyd considers legal action over Kanye West commentsRead moreAnd that was after Ye appeared wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt at Paris Fashion Week.Good morning, US politics blog readers. I hope everyone had a nice weekend. We’re in the heat of election season, with just a handful of weeks left before Americans go to the polls.Hours ago, Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv with “kamikaze” drones, killing at least three people. For the latest, we encourage you to follow our Ukraine live blog.Here’s a look at what else is happening today in US politics:
      Last night, Georgia Senate GOP candidate Herschel Walker was a no-show for his second and final debate with Democratic senator Raphael Warnock, hosted by the Atlanta Press Club debate on Sunday. The race is among the most competitive in the country and polling suggests the candidates are effectively tied.
      We’re also watching an NBC interview with Walker set to air tonight. In a preview, Walker admits giving his ex-girlfriend a $700 check, but denies it was for an abortion after being “confronted with a receipt from an abortion clinic and a check dated days later and bearing his name”.
      ‘That’s my check’: Walker acknowledges giving $700 to his ex, but denies her claim he knew it was for an abortion https://t.co/uS1svxsGQI— Kristen Welker (@kwelkernbc) October 17, 2022

      This evening, candidates in battleground states will square off in a series of crucial debates. In Georgia, Republican Governor Brian Kemp will debate Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams. In Utah, Republican senator Mike Lee debates his independent challenger, Evan McMullin. The candidates for Ohio’s open senate seat – Democratic congressman Tim Ryan and Republican JD Vance – will hold their second debate this evening. While in Iowa, Republican governor Kim Reynolds faces her Democratic challenger, Deidre DeJear, in a debate.
      Meanwhile, Joe Biden is returning to the White House after spending the weekend in his home state of Delaware. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will brief reporters at 1.30pm.
      The January 6 committee is expected to formally subpoena Donald Trump this week, in an attempt to compel the former president to answer questions about his role in the deadly insurrection at the Capitol. More