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      Republican and Trump critic Liz Cheney to campaign for Michigan Democrat

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      Republican and Trump critic Liz Cheney to campaign for Michigan DemocratWyoming congresswoman, who lost her Republican primary, endorses Elissa Slotkin in seventh congressional district Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney on Thursday endorsed Democratic congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and plans to campaign for her.It is the first time that Cheney, a critic of Donald Trump who lost her Republican primary, has crossed party lines to formally support a Democrat.John Fetterman’s TV debate was disastrous – but he can still beat Dr Oz | Ross BarkanRead moreCheney, of Wyoming, announced her support for the two-term House member from Holly, Michigan, in a statement by the Slotkin campaign that notes she plans to headline a campaign event with Slotkin in the Lansing-area district next Tuesday.Slotkin is competing against Republican state senator Tom Barrett in Michigan’s seventh congressional district. Their race is considered a toss-up by both sides and one of the Republicans’ chief targets in their campaign to win the House majority on 8 November.Cheney and Slotkin serve on the House armed services committee, but their shared background in the federal government goes back further. Cheney worked in the state department before launching her political career, as did Slotkin, who worked in the CIA and the defense department as well.Both have been vocal critics of House Republicans who have sought to downplay the siege of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021. Cheney is vice-chair of the House January 6 committee, which recently issued a subpoena for Trump to testify.“I have come to know Elissa as a good and honorable public servant,” Cheney said in a statement included in the Slotkin campaign’s announcement.“While Elissa and I have our policy disagreements, at a time when our nation is facing threats at home and abroad, we need serious, responsible, substantive members like Elissa in Congress.”As of two weeks ago, Michigan’s seventh district was the most expensive House race in the country, according to AdImpact, a non-partisan political media tracking company. The two campaigns and outside groups had combined to spend $27m.Biden received more votes than Trump in the district in 2020 by less than 1 percentage point.TopicsRepublicansHouse of RepresentativesUS CongressUS midterm elections 2022US politicsnewsReuse this content More

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      DeSantis’s old law firm received millions in Florida state funds, investigation finds

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      DeSantis’s old law firm received millions in state funds, investigation findsDaily Beast reports that Holland & Knight, where governor once worked, made nearly $3m in state contracts from 2018 to 2020 The old law firm of Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, has received millions in state funds during his tenure, according to a new investigation.Biden to scrap Trump missile project but critics attack US ‘nuclear overkill’Read moreThe Daily Beast reported that two law firms, Holland & Knight and Holtzman Vogel, received millions of dollars in state business in recent years from DeSantis’s administration.According to data the Beast reviewed, Holland & Knight – where DeSantis previously worked as a civil litigator before his 2012 congressional campaign – pocketed “only $2,750 in contracts with the state of Florida” up until 2018.However, from 2018 to 2020, the law firm made nearly $3m from representing the state in various lawsuits, including on mail-in voter restrictions, foster-home care inadequacies and a major case on felons’ voting rights.All the work was reportedly assigned to one lawyer from the firm, George Meros, who counseled the Florida state government as an outside adviser.Meros’s son, Nick Meros, is currently DeSantis’s deputy general counsel.In August 2020, George Meros left the firm. Since then, it has not signed any new contracts with state agencies, according to state data reviewed by the outlet.That year, Meros became the center of a public records lawsuit after he allegedly pressured his law firm into dropping a case from its client, the Miami Herald, asking the state to hand over Covid-19 data on its senior care facilities.In the past year, Holtzman Vogel also received an uptick in contracts from state agencies, with the Daily Beast reporting that it has done more than $4m in business with the Florida government. The firm, which represented Donald Trump in his 2020 election lawsuits, had previously not received any contracts from state agencies, according to state data.According to state records reviewed by the Daily Beast, the firm’s first contracts in October 2021 were worth $550,000 and $2.2m, both dealing with “two controversial election laws”.In September, DeSantis appointed partners from both Holland & Knight and Holtzman Vogel to the first district court of appeals judicial nominating commission.TopicsFloridaRon DeSantisUS politicsUS midterm elections 2022newsReuse this content More

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      US economy bounces back to growth despite surging inflation

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      US economy bounces back to growth despite surging inflationCommerce department estimates show 2.6% annual growth rate for third quarter, snapping two straight quarters of contraction The US economy grew at a 2.6% annual rate from July through September, snapping two straight quarters of economic contraction and overcoming punishingly high inflation and interest rates.Thursday’s estimate from the commerce department showed that the nation’s gross domestic product – the broadest gauge of economic output – grew in the third quarter after having shrunk in the first half of 2022. Stronger exports and steady consumer spending, backed by a healthy job market, helped restore growth to the world’s biggest economy.Still, the outlook for the economy has darkened. The Federal Reserve has aggressively raised interest rates five times this year to fight chronic inflation and is set to do so again next week and in December.Fed chair Jerome Powell has warned that the Fed’s hikes will bring “pain” in the form of higher unemployment and possibly a recession.The government’s latest GDP report comes as Americans, worried about inflation and the risk of recession, have begun to vote in midterm elections that will determine whether Joe Biden’s Democratic party retains control of Congress. Inflation has become a signature issue for Republican attacks on the Democrats’ stewardship of the economy.With inflation still near a 40-year high, steady price spikes have been pressuring households across the country. At the same time, rising interest rates have derailed the housing market and are likely to inflict broader damage over time. The outlook for the world economy, too, grows bleaker the longer that Russia’s war against Ukraine drags on.Last quarter’s US economic growth reversed annual declines of 1.6% from January through March and 0.6% from April through June. Consecutive quarters of declining economic output are one informal definition of a recession. But most economists have said they believe the economy skirted a recession, noting the still-resilient job market and steady spending by consumers. Most of them have expressed concern, though, that a recession is likely next year as the Fed steadily tightens credit.Preston Caldwell, head of US economics for the financial services firm Morningstar, noted that the economy’s contraction in the first half of the year was caused largely by factors that don’t reflect its underlying health and so “very likely did not constitute a genuine economic slowdown.” He pointed, for example, to a drop in business inventories, a cyclical event that tends to reverse itself over time.Higher borrowing costs have weakened the home market, in particular. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, just 3.09% a year ago, is approaching 7%. Sales of existing homes have fallen for eight straight months. Construction of new homes is down nearly 8% from a year ago.Still, the economy retains pockets of strength. One is the vitally important job market. Employers have added an average of 420,000 jobs a month this year, putting 2022 on track to be the second-best year for job creation (behind 2021) in labor department records going back to 1940. The unemployment rate was 3.5% last month, matching a half-century low.Hiring has been decelerating, though. In September, the economy added 263,000 jobs – solid but the lowest total since April 2021.International events are causing further concerns. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has disrupted trade and raised prices of energy and food, creating a crisis for poor countries. The International Monetary Fund, citing the war, this month downgraded its outlook for the world economy in 2023.TopicsUS economyEconomicsBiden administrationUS politicsnewsReuse this content More

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      Afghanistan Is Losing Faith in the Taliban

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      The Fair Observer website uses digital cookies so it can collect statistics on how many visitors come to the site, what content is viewed and for how long, and the general location of the computer network of the visitor. These statistics are collected and processed using the Google Analytics service. Fair Observer uses these aggregate statistics from website visits to help improve the content of the website and to provide regular reports to our current and future donors and funding organizations. The type of digital cookie information collected during your visit and any derived data cannot be used or combined with other information to personally identify you. Fair Observer does not use personal data collected from its website for advertising purposes or to market to you.As a convenience to you, Fair Observer provides buttons that link to popular social media sites, called social sharing buttons, to help you share Fair Observer content and your comments and opinions about it on these social media sites. These social sharing buttons are provided by and are part of these social media sites. They may collect and use personal data as described in their respective policies. Fair Observer does not receive personal data from your use of these social sharing buttons. It is not necessary that you use these buttons to read Fair Observer content or to share on social media. More

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      Abortion rights take centre stage as Oz and Fetterman clash in Pennsylvania Senate debate

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      Abortion rights take centre stage as Oz and Fetterman clash in Pennsylvania Senate debateThe two candidates for the competitive Senate seat argued over the economy, crime and the tone of Republican attacks on the Democrat candidates health

      US midterms 2022: the key races
      Abortion rights took centre stage during the debate for Pennsylvania’s US Senate seat on Tuesday night, as Mehmet Oz, a celebrity doctor and the Republican candidate, said decisions over abortion should be left to “women, doctors, local political leaders”, while John Fetterman, the Democrat candidate, criticised the GOP’s hardline stance.The debate in Harrisburg started with Oz, a former surgeon and long-time host of the Dr Oz television show, discussing his desire to make “Washington civil again”. The Trump-backed Republican said he wanted to “unify, not divide”.But Oz was soon reverting to a 2022 Republican playbook that has been characterised by pugnacity in races across the US, as he referred to Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, as a “left-wing extremist” who had “radical positions”.Are Democrats messing up their midterm messaging? Our panel respondsRead moreIt set the tone for a contentious evening as the pair clashed over abortion, Pennsylvania’s minimum wage – which at $7.25 is lower than each of its six bordering states – and the economy, in what has become one of the closest-watched elections in the US.Fetterman and Oz are vying to replace Pat Toomey, a retiring Republican, and with the Senate evenly divided between the two parties, both are desperate to win in a state that Joe Biden picked up by 80,000 votes in 2020.This was Fetterman’s highest-profile appearance of the campaign, since he suffered a stroke in mid-May, which has left him with auditory processing issues, where the brain struggles to understand the spoken word.To accommodate Fetterman’s condition, which he said is improving daily, two 70-inch monitors were placed above the heads of the moderators, which showed the transcribed text of their questions, and the text of Oz’s responses.“Let’s also talk about the elephant in the room,” Fetterman said in his opening remarks. “I had a stroke. He [Oz] never let me forget that.”The Democrat was referring to the Republican’s campaign which has launched unsavory attacks against Fetterman, with one Oz aide, Rachel Tripp, claiming Fetterman might not have had a stroke if he “had ever eaten a vegetable in his life”. In August Oz’s campaign released what it said were “concessions” it was prepared to make during a debate with Fetterman, which included a promise to “pay for any additional medical personnel he might need to have on standby”.Oz has since tried to distance himself from the tone of his campaign, but said on Fox Business recently: “I don’t think there’s closed captioning on the floor of the Senate.”Fetterman, 53, released a report from his doctor last week that said he “has no work restrictions and can work full duty in public office”, but the doctor noted that Fetterman has difficulty processing some words.In a TV interview in early October, Fetterman said he will sometimes miss words, or “mush” words together when speaking, and there were times when his issues with speech were noticeable during the debate. The Democrat appeared to struggle to find certain words and took longer than Oz to reply to questions as he read captioning on screen.“It knocked me down but I’m going to keep coming back up,” Fetterman said of the stroke on Tuesday. “And this campaign is all about, to me is about fighting for everyone in Pennsylvania that ever got knocked down that needs to get back up.”The pair were asked about abortion early in the debate. Nationally, Democrats have drawn attention to Republicans’ role in the landmark Roe v Wade decision being overturned in June this year. Republicans, particularly in politically moderate states like Pennsylvania, have sought to avoid the issue.Oz was asked: “Should abortion be banned in America”, but declined to answer directly, suggesting instead that “there should not be involvement from the federal government”, and that states should be able to decide their own abortion law.“I want women, doctors, local political leaders, letting the democracy that’s always allowed our nation to thrive, to put the best ideas forward so states can decide for themselves,” Oz said, in remarks that were immediately derided online.Fetterman said he would “fight to re-establish” Roe v Wade, which he said “should be the law”.“If you believe that the choice of your reproductive freedom belongs with Dr Oz, then you have a choice. But if you believe that the choice for abortion belongs with you and your doctor, that’s what I fight for,” the Democrat said.Fetterman, who spent 13 years as mayor of Braddock, a small borough outside Pittsburgh, rose to national fame in the aftermath of the 2020 election, when as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor he vigorously rebuffed Trump’s claims of voter fraud, at one point referring to the then president as “no different than any other random internet troll”.He has also attracted attention for his atypical – for a politician – appearance. At 6ft 8in tall, Fetterman is usually seen wearing hoodies at campaign events, and has tattoos on his forearms, including nine on his right arm which mark the dates that people were killed “through violence” in Braddock while he was mayor.Oz is best known for hosting the Dr Oz Show, a daytime tv program about medical issues which, he said on Tuesday, “ruffled a lot of feathers”.The show also promoted fad treatments and ineffective products and Oz has been repeatedly dubbed a “snake oil salesman”. In 2014 he was asked to appear before a Senate committee, where he was berated by senators over his promotion of “miracle” diet pills that the medical community agreed do not work.The Fetterman campaign had tried to temper expectations ahead of the debate, and released a memo on Monday saying that debate “isn’t John’s format”, pointing out that some had been underwhelmed by Fetterman’s performance in debates during the Democratic primary this spring.“John is five months post-stroke and Oz has spent the last two decades literally in a TV studio; if there’s a home-field advantage, it’s definitely his,’’ Rebecca Katz, Fetterman’s communications adviser, told the New York Times.At times Fetterman’s speaking did hold him back, but he rebutted Republicans’ suggestions – repeated through countless tv ads in the state – that he was “soft on crime”, pointing to successes in bringing down gun crime in Braddock.Oz, Fetterman said: “Has never made any attempt to try to address crime during his entire career except showing up for photo ops here in Philadelphia.”On the minimum wage, Oz said “market forces” would raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage of $7.25 – the lowest amount allowed under federal law and an amount, when adjusted for inflation, which is the lowest minimum wage in decades.Fetterman said he “absolutely” supports the proposal to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, adding: “I think it’s a disgrace at $7.25 an hour.”As the debate drew to a close, both candidates were asked about their party’s potential candidates for the 2024 presidential election. Fetterman said he would support Biden if the president ran again.In a tacit acknowledgement of Trump’s divisiveness and deep unpopularity in parts of the country, Oz was initially less equivocal, saying only that he would “support whoever the Republican party puts up”.A moderator reminded viewers that Trump had endorsed Oz – an action Trump rarely bestows on those likely to disappoint him – and asked Oz why he wouldn’t return that support.That prompted Oz, perhaps mindful of the notoriously emotional and combustible nature of his backer, to clarify his position.“Oh I do,” Oz said. “I would support Donald Trump if he decided to run for president.”TopicsUS midterm elections 2022US politicsPennsylvanianewsReuse this content More

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      Florida governor debate: DeSantis defends abortion ban with false claims

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      Florida governor debate: DeSantis defends abortion ban with false claimsCharlie Crist, former Republican who switched parties, puts governor on defensive during Florida’s sole gubernatorial debate In the sole debate of the Florida governor’s race, the Republican incumbent, Ron DeSantis, was put on the defensive by his Democratic challenger, Charlie Crist, on subjects including abortion and DeSantis’s presidential ambitions.Crist called Florida’s 15-week abortion ban, which does not include exceptions for rape or incest, “callous and barbaric”.Samuel Alito assured Ted Kennedy in 2005 of respect for Roe, diary revealsRead moreDeSantis said he was proud of the ban but would not say if he supported further restrictions. He also made a string of false claims.“I would like to see everybody have a shot,” DeSantis said. “I’m proud of the 15 weeks that we did. I know Charlie Crist opposes that even though the baby is fully formed, has a heartbeat, can feel pain and can suck their thumb.”A fetus can suck its thumb at 12 weeks but is not fully formed at 15.Regarding pain, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says: “The science conclusively establishes that a human fetus does not have the capacity to experience pain until after at least 24–25 weeks.“Every major medical organization that has examined this issue and peer-reviewed studies on the matter have consistently reached the conclusion that abortion before this point does not result in the perception of pain in a fetus.”DeSantis also claimed Crist supported abortion “until the moment of birth”, a procedure that does not exist, and “dismemberment abortions”, which the New York Times called “a pejorative term for procedures performed later in pregnancy that, when they do happen, are often prompted by medical emergencies or severe fetal abnormalities”.Democrats hope the supreme court’s removal of the right to abortion will fuel success in November. More than 60% of Americans say abortion should be legal and in elections this summer, the threat to abortion rights appeared to drive increased turnout among women and produce notable Democratic victories.But with midterms election day now two weeks away, the signs are less promising for Democrats.In Florida, Fivethirtyeight.com puts DeSantis more than eight points up. Tuesday’s debate was therefore something of a last chance for Crist, a former Republican governor who switched parties and now sits in the US House.DeSantis is the strongest challenger to Donald Trump in polls regarding Republican presidential candidates in 2024. Crist tried to get him to commit to serving a second four-year term in Tallahassee if he wins the 8 November election. DeSantis would not bite.What a moment that tells you where Ron DeSantis’ priorities are.CRIST: Ron, will you serve a full 4-year term? Yes or no?DESANTIS: *awkwardly stands there* pic.twitter.com/Hp6pwOFHfW— Ammar Moussa (@ammarmufasa) October 24, 2022
      Crist said: “Why don’t you look in the eyes of the people of the state of Florida and say to them if you’re re-elected, you will serve a full four-year term as governor? Yes or no?”DeSantis did not respond.Crist said: “It’s not a tough question. It’s a fair question. He won’t tell you.”Crist also hit DeSantis on his management of the response to Hurricane Ian; his culture wars-inspired attacks on businesses including Walt Disney; the cost of living; and immigration, including a September stunt in which the governor used state funds to fly undocumented migrants to Massachusetts.Crist called that flight to Martha’s Vineyard, which has spawned lawsuits and investigations, “a horrible political stunt”.DeSantis said the flight “put this issue front and center” and claimed: “We have elites in this country who want to impose policies on” ordinary Americans.The governor repeatedly linked Crist to Joe Biden – the president’s approval ratings are low – as the two men sparred over who had done most to stoke political division.DeSantis said: “The day after Charlie Crist won his primary, he said anyone that supports the governor, you have hate in your heart and I don’t want your vote. Well, think what that means.”Crist said: “You love dividing our state, you know, whether it’s Blacks against whites, whether it’s gay against straight, whether it’s young versus old. You’re making it harder for people to vote.”TopicsFloridaUS politicsAbortionUS midterm elections 2022newsReuse this content More

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      Progressive Democrats retract Biden Ukraine letter after furious debate

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      Progressive Democrats retract Biden Ukraine letter after furious debateDramatic U-turn from progressive caucus, withdrawing letter sent to US president urging talks to end war in Ukraine The chair of the progressive caucus of the US House of Representatives, Pramila Jayapal, has retracted a letter sent by 30 of the members urging Joe Biden to engage in direct talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine following a heated debate within the Democratic party about future strategy over the conflict.We need direct talks with Russia and a negotiated settlement | Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, Barbara Lee, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and othersRead moreIn a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, Jayapal made a dramatic U-turn, scrapping the letter that had been sent to the White House the previous day and implying it had all been a mistake. “The letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting,” she said.Jayapal went on to regret what she said was conflation of the progressive Democratic call for a diplomatic end to the Ukraine war with a recent statement by the Republican leader in the House, Kevin McCarthy, which threatened an end to aid for the stricken country should the Republican party take back the House in next month’s midterm elections.Jayapal said: “The letter sent yesterday has been conflated with GOP opposition to support for the Ukrainians’ just defense of their national sovereignty. As such, it is a distraction at this time and we withdraw the letter.”Jayapal’s retraction is the latest twist in a strange 24 hours of Democratic politics, which has seen the progressive caucus apparently lend its name to a call for direct talks with Moscow to end the war in Ukraine, followed by a fierce backlash and then staged walking back of the position.In the original letter, sent to the White House on Monday and first reported by the Washington Post, the progressive Democrats called on Biden to make “vigorous diplomatic efforts” towards a “negotiated settlement and ceasefire”. They highlighted the global hunger and poverty that could ensue from Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine as well as “elevated gas and food prices at home”, concluding that America’s top priority should be to seek “a rapid end to the conflict”.Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the letter was the proposal that Biden should explore “incentives to end hostilities, including some form of sanctions relief” for Russia.The letter provoked fierce pushback from several Democratic lawmakers – including one of its own signatories – and elicited a frosty White House response. It was interpreted as the first sign of friction over Ukraine within the Democratic party, which has until now stood firm behind Biden’s unconditional backing of Kyiv in its battle to defend and retrieve its sovereign territory from Moscow.The timing of the correspondence was also criticised, coming at a crucial stage in the war and just a week after Kevin McCarthy, the top Republican in the House, said that Congress was “not going to write a blank check to Ukraine”.The blowback from Democrats was so intense that within hours of the letter being dispatched, Jayapal was forced to issue a “clarification”.“Let me be clear: we are united as Democrats in our unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in their fight for their democracy and freedom in the face of the illegal and outrageous Russian invasion, and nothing in the letter advocates for a change in that support,” she said.The original letter was signed by several of the most prominent leftwing Democrats in the House, including the so-called “Squad” of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib. Jamie Raskin, a member of the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, was also among the 30.The White House responded by repeating Biden’s central approach – that Ukraine will decide for itself when and how to negotiate with Russia. The press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, reiterated that there would be “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine”.Individual Democratic lawmakers were more pointed in their reaction – including signatories. Mark Pocan, a congressman from Wisconsin who signed the letter, said it had first been drafted in July and indicated that he had been caught off guard by its publication.“I have no idea why it went out now. Bad timing,” he said.A second signatory, Mark Takano of California, put out a statement after the letter was revealed saying he remained “steadfast in support of the Ukrainian people”.Ruben Gallego of Arizona, a member of the progressive caucus who declined to sign the letter, posted an acerbic response on Twitter. He wrote: “The way to end a war? Win it quickly. How is it won quickly? By giving Ukraine the weapons to defeat Russia.”The sharpest comment from any Democrat came from the former marine and representative from Massachusetts, Jake Auchincloss. He condemned the letter as “an olive branch to a war criminal who’s losing his war. Ukraine is on the march. Congress should be standing firmly behind [Biden’s] effective strategy, including tighter – not weaker! – sanctions.”After the initial eruption of criticism, some of the progressive signatories defended their action. Ro Khanna of California, who pointed out that he had voted for each of the aid packages to Ukraine, said: “Our nation should never silence or shout down debate.”House Republicans divided over aid to Ukraine ahead of midtermsRead moreCongress has so far approved about $66bn for Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February, including military, humanitarian and economic help. With Ukraine stepping up its advance on Russian positions as a potentially punishing winter approaching, and with the US midterm elections looming on 8 November, the progressives’ letter could not have landed at a more sensitive time.Russia specialists warned that the intervention could embolden Putin and loosen US commitment to lead the international coalition in support of Ukraine. Yoshiko Herrera, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said, “The biggest problem in the letter is that it may weaken US support for Ukraine by fostering the appearance of divisions among those who support Ukraine.”Cracks, albeit fine ones, are already clearly visible on the Republican side. The largest aid package for Ukraine, amounting to $40bn, was passed in May with 57 Republicans in the House and 11 in the Senate voting against.Supporters of the letter said that it reflected a desire to end the war through diplomacy – an aspiration which Biden himself has championed. He was explicit about that goal in a speech he made in Delaware in June.Biden said: “It appears to me that, at some point along the line, there’s going to have to be a negotiated settlement here. And what that entails, I don’t know.”TopicsDemocratsUS politicsRussiaUkraineJoe BidenUS foreign policyVladimir PutinnewsReuse this content More

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      Samuel Alito assured Ted Kennedy in 2005 of respect for Roe, diary reveals

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      Samuel Alito assured Ted Kennedy in 2005 of respect for Roe, diary revealsExcerpts reported by biographer show Alito, who wrote June ruling that outlawed abortion, said he was ‘big believer in precedents’ In a private meeting in 2005, Samuel Alito, who would become the US supreme court justice who wrote the ruling removing the federal right to abortion, assured Ted Kennedy of his respect for Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 court decision which made the procedure legal in the US.“I am a believer in precedents,” Alito said, according to diary excerpts reported by the Massachusetts senator’s biographer, John A Farrell, on Monday. “People would find I adhere to that.”Alito and Kennedy met regarding Alito’s nomination by George W Bush. The nominee also said: “I recognise there is a right to privacy. I think it’s settled.”Seventeen years later, in his ruling removing the right to abortion, via the Mississippi case Dobbs v Jackson, Alito said the entitlement had wrongly been held to be protected as part of the right to privacy.“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” he wrote this June.The late Kennedy, a younger brother of US president John F Kennedy, who spent 47 years in the Senate, also questioned Alito about a memo he wrote as a justice department clerk in 1985, outlining his opposition to Roe. Alito told Kennedy he had been trying to impress his bosses.“I was a younger person,” Alito said. “I’ve matured a lot.”According to Farrell, Alito told Kennedy his views on abortion were “personal” but said: “I’ve got constitutional responsibilities and those are going to be the determining views”.Alito was confirmed to the supreme court by the senate, 58 votes to 42. Kennedy voted no.Farrell reported the excerpts from Kennedy’s diary in the New York Times. A spokesperson for Alito “said he had no comment on the conversation”.Kennedy died in 2009, aged 77. His Senate seat was filled by a Republican, Scott Brown, who was subsequently defeated by Elizabeth Warren, who quickly emerged as a leading progressive. In June, after Alito’s ruling removed the right to abortion, Warren was a leading voice of liberal anger.“After decades of scheming,” she said, “Republican politicians have finally forced their unpopular agenda on the rest of America.”01:54Susan Collins, a Maine Republican but a supporter of abortion rights, said she had been misled in a meeting similar to that between Kennedy and Alito.Collins said that in the 2018 meeting, when asked about Roe, Brett Kavanaugh told her to “start with my record, my respect for precedent, my belief that it is rooted in the constitution and my commitment to the rule of law” and added: “I understand precedent and I understand the importance of overturning it.”In 2022, Kavanaugh sided with Alito and three other conservatives in removing the right to abortion.Collins said: “I feel misled.”Discussing Alito’s meeting with Kennedy, Stephen Gillers, a New York University law professor and legal ethics specialist, told the Times: “No serious court watcher can doubt that what Alito said in Dobbs he deeply believed in 2005. And long before then.”Farrell’s previous books include a biography of Richard Nixon. On Monday, reviewing Ted Kennedy: A Life, the Associated Press wrote: “Teddy lived long enough for his flaws to be fully exposed. All are laid bare in this book – the drinking, the infidelity, the selfishness, the casual cruelty, the emotional isolation.“The central riddle of Kennedy is how these weaknesses existed alongside the benevolence, loyalty, perseverance and wisdom that made him one of the most influential senators in modern American history.”The AP review noted Kennedy’s silence during another supreme court nomination, that of Clarence Thomas in 1991, writing: “When Anita Hill accused Thomas of sexual harassment, Kennedy was in no position to help lead the fight against him. He passed his time at the confirmation hearings by doodling sailboats, and Thomas was confirmed.”In June this year, Thomas joined with Alito to overturn Roe v Wade. In a concurring opinion, he suggested other privacy based rights could be next, including the rights to contraception and same-sex marriage.TopicsRoe v WadeAbortionUS supreme courtUS constitution and civil libertiesLaw (US)US politicsEdward KennedynewsReuse this content More