Trump news – live: Third Georgia call from Trump emerges, as Stormy Daniels questioned over pay-off

Porn actor Stormy Daniels met with prosecutors at the request of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on Monday, her attorney confirmed on Wednesday afternoon. She responded to questions relating to Donald Trump’s role in hush money payments made to her during the 2016 election campaign. Ms Daniels has agreed to make herself available as a witness.

Mr Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen also concluded his testimony as investigators continue to ramp up the probe.

The former president’s lawyer Joseph Tacopina reached for MSNBC host Ari Melber’s papers live on air as they argued over the case against the former president on Tuesday night. Mr Melber was reading from a transcript of Mr Trump saying that he didn’t know of the payment to Ms Daniels to prevent her from going public with her claim about their 2006 affair.

Meanwhile, exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, an ally of far-right activist and former Trump aide Steve Bannon, was arrested and charged by federal prosecutors in connection with a sprawling fraud case.

He owned the 152-foot-long yacht on which Bannon was arrested in August 2020 and helped found a media group that also is under a separate federal investigation.

Key Points

• FBI pushes back on Trump’s claims he ‘sent’ feds to help DeSantis stop election fraud in 2018

• Steve Bannon’s billionaire Chinese ally Guo Wengui arrested by FBI in sprawling fraud case

• Republicans quietly drop probe into Trump’s finances

• Michael Cohen to testify today in hush money probe

• Trump says criminal charges won’t derail his 2024 bid

What is a lie? What is truth?

05:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s lawyer Joe Tacopina told Ari Melber that a lie is only one when said under oath...

Trump lawyer says ex-president ‘did not say the truth’ about Stormy Daniels payoff

How the 2008 financial crisis still fuels today’s populist politics

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Mike Pence and Bernie Sanders are hardly political allies.

But in the aftermath of two large bank failures, the conservative former vice president and the democratic socialist senator are striking remarkably similar tones. Pence, a Republican, bemoaned that “we live in a world where certain politically favored businesses are propped up, backstopped and bailed out by government.” Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said “we cannot continue down the road of more socialism for the rich and rugged individualism for everyone else.”

Their sentiment reflects the populism that has coursed through both political parties in the 15 years since shaky financial institutions last spurred anxiety about the broader economy. The 2008 financial crisis unleashed a political realignment that rejected perceived elites and establishment figures, often with unpredictable results for Democrats and Republicans alike.

How the last banking tumult fuels today's populist politics

Paris Hilton admits she ‘pretended’ to vote for Trump in 2016

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Paris Hilton has addressed her controversial fib about having voted for former US President Donald Trump in the 2016 election.

During an interview with an Australian TV station days after Trump won the election, the American media personality said that she had voted for the Republican nominee, who she said she’s known “since she was a little girl”.

Now she has admitted the full truth, as Inga Parkel reports.

Paris Hilton admits she ‘pretended’ to vote for Donald Trump in 2016 election

Early GOP 2024 field divided by Ukraine support

01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are emerging as leading rivals for the Republican presidential nomination. But when it comes to Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine, they are united in arguing that stopping the aggression isn’t a vital US strategic interest.

This puts them at odds with many others in the Republican Party.

Divide on Ukraine support emerges in early 2024 GOP field

How the Stormy Daniels hush money payment that could lead to first Trump charges

00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump has been out of office for two years, and is already itching to go back.

But one figure from his first run for president has refused to go away, and may end up being a major headache for him as he pursues a third White House bid.

We’re talking, of course, about adult film star Stormy Daniels, also known by her real name, Stephanie Clifford. Ms Daniels made headlines in 2018 when she came forward with an allegation that she had been in a romantic extramarital relationship with the president in 2006, and had been threatened and later bribed to keep her mouth shut.

At the time, the basis of her claim took on an interesting angle thanks to a lawsuit she filed against then-President Donald Trump. Alleging that the hush agreement was invalid because Mr Trump had not signed it, she sued him and triggered what would become a years-long investigation into whether the scheme was legal at all points. That question remains unanswered today, as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is reportedly considering charges against the former president and possibly others as part of the long-running probe into the 2016 payment.

Let’s go back to the beginning, and look at the major milestones of the Trump-Stormy relationship:

Inside the Stormy Daniels hush money payment that could lead to first Trump charges

Study shows Fox News now referencing DeSantis more than Trump

Wednesday 15 March 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is being mentioned more on Fox News than former President Donald Trump as they move closer to their expected battle for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Hosts and guests appearing on air on the right-wing network mentioned Mr Trump more than Mr DeSantis every week until last week when the Florida governor was mentioned 177 times and Mr Trump 142 times, according to Media Matters, which noted that the shift may reveal a change in focus towards the 44-year-old governor as he gears up to announce his expected run for president.

Gustaf Kilander has the details.

Fox News now referencing DeSantis more than Trump, study reveals

Another recording surfaces of Trump’s 2020 pressure campaign in Georgia

Wednesday 15 March 2023 23:45 , Josh Marcus

A special grand jury in Georgia reportedly heard a recording of Donald Trump attempting to get then-state House Speak David Ralston to convene a special session of the legislature to overturn Joe Biden’s narrow 2020 election win in the state.

Ralston, who has since passed away, reportedly deflected the outgoing president’s request, allegedly telling Mr Trump, “I will do everything in my power that I think is appropriate,” according to jurors who spoke with the Altanta Journal-Constitution, which first reported the news of the call.

A special session was never called, though Republicans in the state did organise a plan to serve as unauthorised fake electors and cast their votes in the Electoral College for Donald Trump, even though Mr Biden won the state’s vote.

More details in our full story.

Trump-appointed judge presides over high-stakes abortion drug case

Wednesday 15 March 2023 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A federal judge in Texas appointed by Donald Trump is considering whether to reverse the US Food and Drug Administration’s long-standing approval of a commonly used abortion drug used for more than half of all abortions.

An imminent decision from US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk to potentially block access to mifepristone, even temporarily, could upend access to medication abortion nationwide, even in states where access to care is legally protected. Abortion rights advocates are protesting the challenge in a series of demonstrations in Texas.

Alex Woodward is following the case.

Trump-appointed judge holds high-stakes hearing on abortion drug case

Asked to define ‘woke’, conservative author left speechless

Wednesday 15 March 2023 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Conservative author Bethany Mandel was widely mocked after she appeared on the Rising morning show broadcast by The Hill and was seemingly unable to define “wokeness” – the slogan some on the right have used as a cudgel against liberals.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Conservative author mocked as ‘completely speechless’ when asked to define ‘woke’

When is a lie not a lie?

Wednesday 15 March 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s lawyer has defended the former president and said he lied about payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to avoid breaking a confidentiality agreement.

In an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday, Mr Trump’s lawyer Joe Tacopina was asked to address the former president denying a $130,000 payment made to Ms Daniels during the 2016 presidential election to buy her silence over an alleged affair.

“He lied about it,” said MSNBC host Ari Melber, referring to the hush payment allegedly made to Ms Daniels.

Mr Tacopina responded that a lie is only one when said under oath.

Sravasti Dasgupta reports:

Trump lawyer says ex-president ‘did not say the truth’ about Stormy Daniels payoff

Voices: Ron DeSantis feels the heat of the 2024 spotlight

Wednesday 15 March 2023 21:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is now feeling the heat – both from former president Donald Trump and over the governor’s remarks about Ukraine’s war with Russia as he prepares his run for the White House...

...It amounts to Mr DeSantis’ first time facing serious scrutiny both nationally on the world stage as he prepares an impending presidential bid.

Read more:

Ron DeSantis feels the heat of the 2024 spotlight

Michael Cohen finishes testifying to Manhattan prosecutors

Wednesday 15 March 2023 21:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Michael Cohen has finished testifying again before the Manhattan grand jury, saying that he complied with everything prosecutors asked of him.

In total, the former fixer for Donald Trump testified for more than five hours over two days this week

DeSantis secures endorsement from conservative Texas Rep Chip Roy

Wednesday 15 March 2023 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Rep Chip Roy of Texas, an outspoken member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, preemptively endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president on Wednesday, pushing his fellow Republican House members to look beyond former President Donald Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination.

The public showing of support appears to be DeSantis’ first endorsement from a member of Congress and comes as the governor has been courting conservative lawmakers ahead of a formal announcement expected after the end of the state legislative session in May.

Read more:

DeSantis nabs presidential endorsement from GOP House member

Heckler appears to use Trump’s new lewd nickname for DeSantis

Wednesday 15 March 2023 20:40 , Oliver O'Connell

An attendee at The Players Championship golf tournament in Jacksonville, Florida seemingly hurled one of former President Donald Trump’s new nicknames at Governor Ron DeSantis.

Footage from the tournament shared on Twitter by lawyer Ron Filipkowski shows Mr DeSantis walking through the crowd at the event when someone can be heard yelling “Tiny D!” from off-camera.

Gustaf Kilander investigates.

Heckler appears to attack Ron DeSantis with Trump’s new lewd nickname

Psaki says Tucker Carlson is not ‘one of us’

Wednesday 15 March 2023 20:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki – now a host on MSNBC – took a shot at Fox News‘ Tucker Carlson in light of court filings suggesting he doesn’t believe some of the things he feeds his viewers.

“I had about 20 seconds where I thought … Tucker Carlson, maybe he’s one of us,” she said during an episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “And then, by second 21, I thought, wait, he is intentionally sharing disinformation with his audiences and treating them like they are stupid, frankly, so that he can save his job, save viewers and make money.”

Graig Graziosi has the story.

Jen Psaki says Tucker Carlson is not ‘one of us’

Stormy Daniels thanks her attorney

Wednesday 15 March 2023 19:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Stormy Daniels thanks her attorney “for helping me in our continuing fight for truth and justice”.

Federal prosecutors probed Trump Media for $8m money laundering, report says

Wednesday 15 March 2023 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A social media company backed by Donald Trump has reportedly been under investigation by federal prosecutors in New York for potential money laundering.

In late 2021 and early 2022, the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which owns Truth Social, received a combined $8m in loans with potentially dubious origins, The Guardian reports, citing multiple unnamed sources with knowledge of the investigation and a bank receipt showing the transfer.

The funds came from a trust and passed through Paxum Bank, registered on the Caribbean island of Dominica, which is partly owned by Anton Postolnikov, who appears related to Vladimir Putin ally Aleksandr Smirnov, a Russian connection that raised the interested of the US attorney’s office for the southern district of New York, according to the report.

Josh Marcus has the details.

Federal officials probed Trump social media company for $8m money laundering: report

Ukraine support begins to split 2024 GOP field

Wednesday 15 March 2023 19:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are emerging as leading rivals for the Republican presidential nomination. But when it comes to Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine, they are united in arguing that stopping the aggression isn’t a vital US strategic interest.

This puts them at odds with many in their party.

Divide on Ukraine support emerges in early 2024 GOP field

Wednesday 15 March 2023 19:17 , Oliver O'Connell

Stormy Daniels’ lawyer, Clark Brewster, tweeted:

“At the request of the Manhattan DA’s office Stormy Daniels and I met with prosecutors today. Stormy responded to questions and has agreed to make herself available as a witness, or for further inquiry if needed.”

Stormy Daniels confirms she met with Manhattan prosecutors

Wednesday 15 March 2023 19:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Could the Stormy Daniels hush money payment lead to first Trump charges?

Wednesday 15 March 2023 19:10 , Oliver O'Connell

John Bowden explains how the five-year saga finally looks to be nearing some kind of conclusion.

Inside the Stormy Daniels hush money payment that could lead to first Trump charges

GOP quietly drop House investigation into Trump finances

Wednesday 15 March 2023 18:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives has quietly dropped an investigation into whether former president Donald Trump profited improperly during his presidency.

The House Oversight & Accountability declined to enforce a court-supervised settlement agreement that demanded that Mazars USA, the fomer president’s accounting firm, produce his financial records to Congress, The New York Times reported.

“I honestly didn’t even know who or what Mazars was,” Representative James Comer of Kentucky, who serves as chairman of the committee, told The Times. Rather, Mr Comer said he would focus more on investigating President Joe Biden’s family.

Eric Garcia reports from Capitol Hill.

Republicans quietly drop House investigation into Trump finances

Steve Bannon’s billionaire Chinese ally Guo Wengui arrested by FBI

Wednesday 15 March 2023 18:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, an ally of far-right activist and former Donald Trump aide Steve Bannon, was arrested and charged by federal prosecutors in connection with a sprawling fraud case.

He owned the 152-foot-long yacht on which Bannon was arrested in August 2020 and helped found a media group which also is under a separate federal investigation.

Alex Woodward has the latest from New York.

Steve Bannon’s billionaire Chinese ally arrested by FBI in sprawling fraud case

Latest poll has Biden besting both Trump and DeSantis

Wednesday 15 March 2023 18:08 , Oliver O'Connell

The latest poll from Quinnipiac University shows former president Donald Trump pulling ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a potential GOP primary, but when either is matched up against President Joe Biden, the incumbent has the best of them

Biden has a 49-45 lead over Trump, and a narrow margin, verging on a dead-heat against DeSantis 47-46.

Read the full poll results here.

DeSantis camp says ‘inappropriate to use state ethics for partisan purposes'

Wednesday 15 March 2023 18:02 , Oliver O'Connell

Ethics allegations against DeSantis show Trumpworld is ‘nervous'

Wednesday 15 March 2023 18:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Trump official Ken Cuccinelli, who now runs a PAC for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, says the ethic allegations filed against the governor are a sign that Trumpworld is “nervous” of him running against the former president.

“The President Trump I knew would never have played these types of establishment games. I’m shocked, but not surprised,” says Mr Cuccinelli.

“DeSantis leads the fight against the Woke Left, but Trump wants him removed from office because DeSantis’ book outsold Trump’s book. In the words of President Trump: SAD!”

John Bowden has the full story here:

Trump super PAC files ethics complaint against DeSantis over ‘shadow campaign’

Michael Cohen expected to complete testimony today

Wednesday 15 March 2023 17:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Donald Trump fixer Michael Cohen is expected to finish testifying before a Manhattan grand jury hearing evidence against the former president later today.

Mr Cohen, who first appeared before the panel on Monday, is thought to be among the final witnesses whom prosecutors have summoned in their investigation.

Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen insists he’s not seeking ‘revenge’ in hush money probe

Trump lawyer pounces at MSNBC host in on-air spat over hush money case papers

Wednesday 15 March 2023 17:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump lawyer Joseph Tacopina reached for MSNBC host Ari Melber’s papers live on air as they argued over the former president’s hush money case involving porn actor Stormy Daniels.

Mr Melber was reading from a transcript of Mr Trump saying that he didn’t know of the hush money payment to Ms Daniels made during the 2016 campaign to prevent her from going public with her claim that she had an affair with Mr Trump in 2006.

Gustaf Kilander reports on the testy encounter.

Trump lawyer pounces at MSNBC host in on-air spat over hush money case papers

FBI denies Trump claim he ‘sent’ feds to help DeSantis stop election fraud in 2018

Wednesday 15 March 2023 17:05 , Oliver O'Connell

The FBI has officially denied a claim made by former President Donald Trump last year about supposedly utilising the law enforcement agency to aid Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the weeks after his election victory in 2018.

The bureau’s response came as a result of a FOIA request from NBC News, which asked for any information about the supposed scheme to use US attorneys and FBI agents to halt the “theft” of ballots that was supposedly taking place in Florida’s Broward County.

John Bowden reports.

FBI pushes back on Trump’s claims he ‘sent’ feds to help DeSantis in 2018

Chip Roy endorses Ron DeSantis for president

Wednesday 15 March 2023 16:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Republican Rep Chip Roy of Texas has sent out an email endorsing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for president.

Governor DeSantis has not formally announced his candidacy.

Say Mr Roy in the email: “The next President of the United States must be a vibrant and energetic leader with the faith, vision, and courage to chart a new course. America needs a leader who will truly defend her and empower the people against the destructive force of unrestrained government and corporate excess, profligate spending, and woke cultural indoctrination.”

Trump-appointed judge presiding over high-stakes abortion drug case

Wednesday 15 March 2023 16:40 , Oliver O'Connell

A federal judge in Texas appointed by Donald Trump is considering whether to reverse the US Food and Drug Administration’s long-standing approval of a commonly used abortion drug used for more than half of all abortions.

An imminent decision from US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk to potentially block access to mifepristone, even temporarily, could upend access to medication abortion nationwide, even in states where access to care is legally protected. Abortion rights advocates are protesting the challenge in a series of demonstrations in Texas.

Alex Woodward is following the story.

Trump-appointed judge holds high-stakes hearing on abortion drug case

When is a lie not a lie?

Wednesday 15 March 2023 16:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s lawyer has defended the former president and said he lied about payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to avoid breaking a confidentiality agreement.

In an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday, Mr Trump’s lawyer Joe Tacopina was asked to address the former president denying a $130,000 payment made to Ms Daniels during the 2016 presidential election to buy her silence over an alleged affair.

“He lied about it,” said MSNBC host Ari Melber, referring to the hush payment allegedly made to Ms Daniels.

Mr Tacopina responded that a lie is only one when said under oath.

Sravasti Dasgupta reports:

Trump lawyer says ex-president ‘did not say the truth’ about Stormy Daniels payoff

All 20 major lawsuits and investigations Trump is facing

Wednesday 15 March 2023 15:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Since leaving the White House, Donald Trump has continued to face a cloud of lawsuits and investigations, which could frustrate his hopes to win back the presidency in 2024.

Most recently, New York prosecutors are reportedly closing in on an indictment against the former president for hush money payments to an adult film star during the 2016 election.

Of course, this is nothing new for the real estate billionaire.

Read more:

Here are all 20 major lawsuits and investigations Trump is facing

Steve Bannon business associate Guo Wengui arrested on $1bn fraud charge

Wednesday 15 March 2023 15:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Guo Wengui, an exiled Chinese billionaire with ties to former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, was arrested on federal fraud charges in New York this morning.

He was the owner of the Lady May, the 152-foot-long yacht on which Bannon was arrested in August 2020. Bannon is not subject to today’s charges. He helped Guo found GTV Media Group and the pair are under investigation in connection with that entity.

Guo, who goes by several aliases including Miles Guo and Ho Wan Kwok, is charged alongside Kin Ming Je, his financier, with various wire fraud, securities fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering charges. Je is still at large.

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael Driscoll, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the unsealing of the twelve-count indictment this morning.

The charges in the Indictment arise from an alleged sprawling and complex scheme by the defendants, and others, to solicit investments in various entities and programs through false statements and representations to hundreds of thousands of Kwok’s online followers. As alleged, Kwok and Je misappropriated hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulently obtained funds during the course of their conspiracy.

Mr Williams said: “As alleged, Ho Wan Kwok, known to many as ‘Miles Guo’, led a complex conspiracy to defraud thousands of his online followers out of over $1bn dollars. Kwok is charged with lining his pockets with the money he stole, including buying himself, and his close relatives, a 50,000 square foot mansion, a $3.5 million Ferrari, and even two $36,000 mattresses, and financing a $37 million luxury yacht.

“As alleged, Kwok lied to his victims and promised them outsized returns if they invested, or provided money to, GTV, his so-called Himalaya Farm Alliance, G|CLUBS, and the Himalaya Exchange.

“Kwok is further charged with laundering hundreds of millions of stolen funds to conceal the conspiracy’s illegal activities and continue the fraud’s operations.”

Mr Driscoll said: “The indictment today alleges the defendants were behind an elaborate scheme that defrauded thousands of individuals of over one billion dollars. Fraudulent investment scams make victims out of innocent people, ultimately harming the public’s confidence in the integrity of financial systems. The FBI continues to make investigating complex financial crimes a top priority, and anyone attempting these crimes will be made to face the consequences in the criminal justice system.”

Full details here via the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York

Tucker Carlson sparks hacking speculation with uncharacteristic Twitter bio

Wednesday 15 March 2023 14:55 , Rachel Sharp

Tucker Carlson’s Twitter bio has undergone an unusual alteration and sparked rumours that his account was hacked.

The Fox News host’s Twitter bio says he is a person of colour and a climate activist who identifies as non-binary. It also described him as a “visionary tech founder” and an informal adviser to Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, who he has often criticised on his show.

“Non-binary climate change activist of color. Visionary tech founder. CNBC market analyst. Informal Zelensky advisor,” read the new bio that also has two transgender pride flag emojis on it.

Read the full story:

Tucker Carlson changes Twitter bio to ‘non-binary climate change activist of colour’

Trump allies files ethics complaint against DeSantis

Wednesday 15 March 2023 14:23 , Oliver O'Connell

A pro-Trump super PAC has filed a 15-page complaint against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis formally accusing him of violating state ethics and election laws with his “shadow presidential campaign”, NBC News reports.

The network obtained a draft copy of the complaint filed by MAGA Inc on Wednesday with the Florida Commission on Ethics asking for an investigation into whether pro-DeSantis super PACs, his “personally lucrative book tour” and a continued wave of state-level campaign contributions, among other things, “are unlawful because they serve his personal political objectives, are in furtherance of his personal financial gain at the expense of Florida taxpayers, and are intended to influence his official decision to resign from office”.

They want the commission to “impose” the “most severe penalties permitted” on DeSantis — including impeachment and removal from office.

The filing marks the latest development in the increasingly bitter sniping between the Florida governor and former president Donald Trump as they both vie for the Republican Party nomination for the 2024 election.

DeSantis appointed five of the nine members of the state’s ethics commission.

Trump issues scathing attack at DeSantis, says he regrets endorsement

Wednesday 15 March 2023 13:55 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump went even further on his warpath against Ron DeSantis on Monday during private comments to reporters, according to Politico, which revealed that the former president trashed the governor during a flight to Iowa in preparation for a campaign rally.

“He was dead as a dog, he was a dead politician. He would have been working perhaps for a law firm or doing something else,” the ex-president reportedly said on Monday.

He was then asked if he regretted endorsing Mr DeSantis in 2022, and responded: “Yeah maybe, this guy was dead. He was dead as a doornail…I might say that.”

Read more at Politico.

Nikki Haley rips DeSantis apart for ‘copying’ Trump

Wednesday 15 March 2023 13:25 , John Bowden

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is running for the 2024 GOP nomination, released a scathing statement on Tuesday referring to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as merely an “echo” of Donald Trump after the latter accused the governor of copying his political positions.

“President Trump is right when he says Governor DeSantis is copying him — first in his style, then on entitlement reform, and now on Ukraine,” said Ms Haley, a former governor herself.

Mr Trump previously went in on the Florida governor a night earlier at his rally in Iowa, where he made clear that he views Mr DeSantis as his top competition for the GOP nomination.

Tucker Carlson producer describes his audience as ‘dumb’ and ‘terrorists’

Wednesday 15 March 2023 12:55 , John Bowden

More than a million pages of internal Fox messages have revealed that a producer for Fox News host Tucker Carlson described the show’s audience as “especially dumb” and “terrorists” who sleep with their cousins.

The files were released in connection to the $1.6bn defamation lawsuit against the company by Dominion Voting Systems.

After Carlson had publically rebuked some of the outlandish claims pushed by Donald Trump’s lawyer Sydney Powell, which prompted pushback from her and other rightwing figures, a Fox executive texted a producer for Carlson about finding a middle ground and possibly taking time on the show to address her baseless claim that she had an affidavit linking Dominion and Venezuela.

Read more about the exchange that followed:

Tucker Carlson producer called Trump election deniers ‘cousin f***** terrorists’

Inside the Stormy Daniels hush money payment that could lead to first Trump charges

Wednesday 15 March 2023 12:25 , John Bowden

One figure from Donald Trump’s first run for president has refused to go away, and may end up being a major headache for him as he pursues a third White House bid.

We’re talking, of course, about adult film star Stormy Daniels, also known by her real name, Stephanie Clifford. Ms Daniels made headlines in 2018 when she came forward with an allegation that she had been in a romantic extramarital relationship with the president in 2006, and had been threatened and later bribed to keep her mouth shut.

Let’s go back to the beginning, and look at the major milestones of the Trump-Stormy relationship:

Inside the Stormy Daniels hush money payment that could lead to first Trump charges

Trump would make aides call Fox to get them to ‘fix’ poor coverage

Wednesday 15 March 2023 11:55 , John Bowden

A former official in the Trump administration said the one-term president kept such close ties with Fox News that he would sometimes have aides call the network to pressure employees to turn whatever was irking him into news stories.

Stephanie Grisham, the former White House Communications Director under Donald Trump, recalled her interactions with Fox News during an interview with CNN’s Jim Acosta.

During the discussion, Acosta said he recalled seeing Fox News personalities like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham being openly invited in to meet with White House officials despite the fact they were ostensibly members of the press.

Read the full story here:

Ex-Trump staffer says former president was ‘very cozy’ with Fox News

Truth Social business investigated for money laundering

Wednesday 15 March 2023 11:25 , Rachel Sharp

New details about another probe involving Donald Trump have come to light.

Sources told The Guardian that the former president’s social media company Trump Media – which runs his Truth Social platform – was investigated for money laundering last year.

The SEC first launched the probe into Trump Media over its proposed merger with Digital World which raised concerns it the arrangement broke regulations.

As part of a criminal investigation, New York federal prosecutors were examining two loans worth $8m which appeared to have been tied to an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the sources said.

The two payments were wired through the Caribbean.

The first $2m payment came in December 2021 when the planned merger was put on hold and Trump Media was close to collapse.

Republicans quietly drop probe into Trump’s finances

Wednesday 15 March 2023 10:55 , Rachel Sharp

Republicans have quietly dropped a yearslong investigation into Donald Trump’s finances and whether his businesses profited improperly from his presidency.

The House Oversight Committee – now led by the GOP after the party took control of the House – is no longer enforcing a court order that Mr Trump’s former accounting firm Mazars USA turn over its financial records to Congress, revealed The New York Times.

Committee chairman Rep James Comer told the paper he “honestly didn’t even know who or what Mazars was” as he made it clear he is now steering the committee to investigate the business dealings of President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden.

“What exactly are they looking for?” he said in a statement.

“They’ve been ‘investigating’ Trump for six years. I know exactly what I’m investigating: money the Bidens received from China.”

His apparent ignorance about the yearslong Democrat-led probe comes despite the fact he was the senior Republican on the committee during the last Congress, while the investigation was under way.

The admission of the dropping of the probe comes Rep Jamie Raskin wrote to Mr Comer accusing him of coordinating with Mr Trump’s lawyers to kill the investigation and block the committee from gaining access to the financial records.

“It has come to my attention that you may have acted in league with attorneys for former President Donald Trump to block the committee from receiving documents subpoenaed in its investigation of unauthorized, unreported and unlawful payments by foreign governments and others to then-President Trump,” Mr Raskin wrote to Mr Comer.

The Democrat accused the Republican of hypocrisy as he plowed ahead with a probe into Hunter Biden.

Heckler appears to attack Ron DeSantis with Trump’s new lewd nickname

Wednesday 15 March 2023 10:25 , John Bowden

An attendee at The Players Championship golf tournament in Jacksonville, Florida seemingly hurled one of former President Donald Trump’s new nicknames at Governor Ron DeSantis.

Footage from the tournament shared on Twitter by lawyer Ron Filipkowski shows Mr DeSantis walking through the crowd at the event when someone can be heard yelling “Tiny D!” from off-camera.

Watch below:

Heckler appears to attack Ron DeSantis with Trump’s new lewd nickname

Trump takes aim at recovering Mitch McConnell

Wednesday 15 March 2023 09:24 , John Bowden

Donald Trump said at his Iowa rally that it should be a priority for Republicans to depose Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, prompting cheers from the audience.

He made the remark Monday night, just hours after news broke that the senator had been discharged from the hospital after a concussion.

“We do have to do something about Mitch McConnell. He’s a disaster. He gets his ten guys and they give Biden whatever they want. There’s something going on, it doesn’t make sense,” he said in response to an audience questions.

Mr Trump and the Kentucky senator have a long-running feud. The former president has sought Mr McConnell’s ouster ever since the latter refused to sign on (and whipped his caucus against) Mr Trump’s objections to certifying the 2020 election’s results.

Trump claims he could end Ukraine war in 24 hours

Wednesday 15 March 2023 08:25 , John Bowden

Donald Trump has claimed once again that he will end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of becoming president.

“Shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the disastrous war between Russia and Ukraine settled. That will take 24 hours, if it’s not done before,” he claimed Monday evening at his rally in Iowa.

“It’s a horrible thing taking place. I could get that thing settled. It would have never happened if I were president – zero chance.”

But one of his biggest boosters in conservative media, Fox News’s Tucker Carlson, disagrees.

Read more from John Bowden:

Tucker Carlson mocks ‘autistic’ Trump’s claim he could end Ukraine war

George Santos files statement of 2024 candidacy

Wednesday 15 March 2023 07:25 , John Bowden

George Santos, the US House representative who is facing a myriad of criminal and ethics investigations into his conduct, has filed a statement of candidacy for 2024.

As CNN’s Melanie Zanona points out, that doesn’t mean he has decided for sure to run for reelection — but it means he has the ability to do so if he desires to seek the seat again.

Pence trashes Trump at Gridiron Dinner

Wednesday 15 March 2023 06:24 , John Bowden

Mike Pence says he knows history will hold Donald Trump accountable over the Jan 6 insurrection and also made jokes at the expense of his former boss about the secret documents found at Mar-a-Lago.

The former vice president and Trump loyalist’s comments are some of the harshest he has made about the one-time president. Mr Pence, who once seemed reluctant to confront Mr Trump, made the remarks on Saturday evening during the white-tie annual Gridiron Club Dinner in Washington, DC.

“President Trump was wrong,” he said at the event attended by politicians and journalists.

“I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”

Read more:

‘History will hold Trump accountable,’ Mike Pence says in sharpest rebuke yet

Nikki Haley rips DeSantis apart for ‘copying’ Trump

Wednesday 15 March 2023 05:23 , John Bowden

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is running for the 2024 GOP nomination, released a scathing statement on Tuesday referring to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as merely an “echo” of Donald Trump after the latter accused the governor of copying his political positions.

“ President Trump is right when he says Governor DeSantis is copying him — first in his style, then on entitlement reform, and now on Ukraine,” said Ms Haley, a former governor herself.

Read the full statement below:

Trump attacks testimony of Michael Cohen

Wednesday 15 March 2023 04:25 , John Bowden

Donald Trump issued a furious response on Monday when asked by reporters about his former fixer, Michael Cohen, testifying to a New York grand jury about a hush payment he made to Stormy Daniels on Mr Trump’s behalf in 2016.

“ He’s a sick person. He’s a convicted felon. He’s a convicted liar. Lied before Congress said the greatest things about me too, by the way, you know, then all of a sudden one day he went crazy because he wanted to make a deal for him,” said Mr Trump, according to CBS News.

Mr Cohen is set to testify to the grand jury again on Wednesday after spending three hours behind closed doors offering his take on Monday.

Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen insists he’s not seeking ‘revenge’ before testifying in hush money probe

Wednesday 15 March 2023 03:25 , John Bowden

Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen testified yesterday before a grand jury in Manhattan looking into the hush money payments he made on behalf of Mr Trump. He is slated to return for another round on Wednesday.

Mr Cohen is set to testify regarding Mr Trump’s involvement in payments made during the 2016 campaign to women who alleged he had had affairs with them.

“My goal is to tell the truth,” he told the assembled press outside the courthouse, according to the Associated Press.

“This is not revenge,” he added. “This is all about accountability. He needs to be held accountable for his dirty deeds.”

Gustaf Kilander has more:

Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen insists he’s not seeking ‘revenge’ in hush money probe

Trump blames Pence for January 6 violence

Wednesday 15 March 2023 02:25 , John Bowden

Donald Trump attacked his former vice president while traveling to an Iowa campaign event on Monday, saying that Mike Pence can be blamed in “many ways” for the January 6 riots at the US Capitol.

“Had he sent the votes back to the legislatures, they wouldn’t have had a problem with January 6, so in many ways you can blame him for January 6,” the former president told reporters on his private plane.

Pointing to the former vice-president’s refusal to outlaw the electoral college votes in Congress as sought by him, Mr Trump said: “Had he sent them back to Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, the states, I believe, number one, you would have a different outcome. But I also believe you wouldn’t have had ‘January 6’ as we call it.”

This comes just two days after Mr Pence took an aim at his former boss and said that he knows history will hold Mr Trump accountable over the January 6 insurrection, amping up the tussle between them as they prepare to battle over the Republican nomination in next year’s election.

The Independent’s Arpan Rai has more:

Donald Trump blames Mike Pence for January 6 violence

Donald Trump’s lawyer says he has ‘no plans’ to testify in Stormy Daniels hush money probe

Wednesday 15 March 2023 01:25 , John Bowden

Donald Trump will not testify before a grand jury investigating the hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election, according to his attorney.

Joe Tacopina told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday that Mr Trump has “no plans” to participate in the probe – as possible criminal charges against the former president loom.

“We have no plans on participating in that proceeding,” he said.

“Decision needs to be made still. There’s been no deadline set, so we’ll wait and see.”

Rachel Sharp has more:

Donald Trump has ‘no plans’ to testify in Stormy Daniels hush money probe

Inside the Stormy Daniels hush money payment that could lead to first Trump charges

Wednesday 15 March 2023 00:25 , John Bowden

Prosecutors in New York have indicated, according to The New York Times, that Donald Trump is expected to face criminal charges over a 2016 scheme to pay a hush payment to Stormy Daniels, a porn star who claims that she had an extramarital affair with him in 2006.

Let’s take a look back to the beginning of this issue that has dogged Mr Trump in the courts for half a decade:

Inside the Stormy Daniels hush money payment that could lead to first Trump charges

Trump aims sexist attack at Morning Joe co-host

Tuesday 14 March 2023 23:25 , John Bowden

Donald Trump returned to one of his favourite punching bags on Monday: MSNBC’s flagship morning newscast, Morning Joe.

And in doing so, he ventured into the realm of sexism with a bizarre mispelling of co-host Mika Brzezinski’s name.

“MSNBC can barely float, it is a ratings disaster. Morning Joe and his sidekick, ‘Mike,’ are getting pummeled. All of these Fake News Cable shows are. My CPAC speech was just announced as #1 on all of Cable. That’s because it was not Fake News!” wrote the former president on Truth Social.

Justice Department shoots down claims that Tucker Carlson footage of QAnon Shaman exonerates Jan 6 rioters

Tuesday 14 March 2023 22:55 , John Bowden

Federal prosecutors have shot down any suggestion that footage aired on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News programme has in any way exonerated the so-called QAnon Shaman who joined a mob that stormed the halls of the US Capitol on January 6.

Jacob Chansley was sentenced to 41 months in prison after he was convicted of a felony count of obstructing an official proceeding before Congress. An attorney for another rioter charged with seditious conspiracy argued in court filings that the footage showing Chansley interacting with officers directing him to leave the building was “exculpatory”.

“Chansley was not some passive, chaperoned observer of events for the roughly hour that he was unlawfully inside the Capitol,” prosecutors replied.

“He was part of the initial breach of the building; he confronted law enforcement for roughly 30 minutes just outside the Senate Chamber; he gained access to the gallery of the Senate along with other members of the mob … and he gained access to and later left the Senate floor only after law enforcement was able to arrive en masse to remove him,” they continued.

Read more:

Prosecutors hit back at claims that Tucker Carlson footage exonerates Jan 6 rioters

Elon Musk calls Trump adviser Steve Bannon ‘evil'

Tuesday 14 March 2023 22:25 , John Bowden

Although Twitter CEO Elon Musk and former Donald Trump strategist Steve Bannon tend to sit on the same side of the political aisle, the two men don’t seem to like each other very much.

Tim Pool, a right-wing podcaster, recently asked Bannon to comment on the CEO of Razer, Min-Liang Tan, encouraging Mr Musk to buy the collapsed Silicon Valley Bank. The tech-focused lender crumbled on Friday, making it the second-largest bank failure in US history.

Mr Bannon’s response evoked a sharp-tongued attack lobbed by Mr Musk, who called him “evil” and not especially smart.

Read more:

Steve Bannon says ‘phony’ Elon Musk ‘owned’ by Chinese government

Nikki Haley rips DeSantis apart for ‘copying’ Trump

Tuesday 14 March 2023 21:55 , John Bowden

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is running for the 2024 GOP nomination, released a scathing statement on Tuesday referring to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as merely an “echo” of Donald Trump after the latter accused the governor of copying his political positions.

" President Trump is right when he says Governor DeSantis is copying him — first in his style, then on entitlement reform, and now on Ukraine,” said Ms Haley, a former governor herself.

Read the full statement below:

Trump issues scathing attack at DeSantis, says he regrets endorsement

Tuesday 14 March 2023 21:30 , John Bowden

Donald Trump went even further on his warpath against Ron DeSantis on Monday during private comments to reporters, according to Politico, which revealed that the former president trashed the governor during a flight to Iowa in preparation for a campaign rally.

“He was dead as a dog, he was a dead politician. He would have been working perhaps for a law firm or doing something else,” the ex-president reportedly said on Monday.

He was then asked if he regretted endorsing Mr DeSantis in 2022, and responded: “Yeah maybe, this guy was dead. He was dead as a doornail…I might say that.”

Read more at Politico.

Pence trashes Trump at Gridiron Dinner

Tuesday 14 March 2023 20:30 , John Bowden

Mike Pence says he knows history will hold Donald Trump accountable over the Jan 6 insurrection and also made jokes at the expense of his former boss about the secret documents found at Mar-a-Lago.

The former vice president and Trump loyalist’s comments are some of the harshest he has made about the one-time president. Mr Pence, who once seemed reluctant to confront Mr Trump, made the remarks on Saturday evening during the white-tie annual Gridiron Club Dinner in Washington, DC.

“President Trump was wrong,” he said at the event attended by politicians and journalists.

“I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”

Read more:

‘History will hold Trump accountable,’ Mike Pence says in sharpest rebuke yet

Video shows Trump signing young girl’s hand at Mar-a-Lago

Tuesday 14 March 2023 19:30 , John Bowden

A video of Donald Trump signing a young girl’s hand attracted some off-colour comments on Twitter overnight Monday.

Posted Sunday evening by the account Patriot Takes, part of a Democratic-leaning political group, the video shows Mr Trump signing the youngster’s hand with one of his signature black markers.

The girl’s mom then jokes that her daughter can never wash the hand again, to which the former president responds: “You have no idea.”

Video shows Trump signing girl’s hand at Mar-a-Lago

Trump blamed over Silicon Valley Bank collapse

Tuesday 14 March 2023 17:29 , John Bowden

Critics looking to assign blame for the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank have found possible culprits in Donald Trump and Republican senators.

Though little known outside of Silicon Valley, the SVB was the leading lender to tech firms and startups before it crumbled on Friday.

SVB announced on Wednesday that it had sold a number of securities at a loss, and that it planned to sell $2.25bn in new shares to help right its balance sheet.

Read the full story:

Trump blamed over Silicon Valley Bank collapse for cutting down financial regulations

Trump claims he could end Ukraine war in 24 hours

Tuesday 14 March 2023 16:29 , John Bowden

Donald Trump has claimed once again that he will end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of becoming president.

“Shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the disastrous war between Russia and Ukraine settled. That will take 24 hours, if it’s not done before,” he claimed Monday evening at his rally in Iowa.

“It’s a horrible thing taking place. I could get that thing settled. It would have never happened if I were president – zero chance.”

But one of his biggest boosters in conservative media, Fox News’s Tucker Carlson, disagrees.

Read more from John Bowden:

Tucker Carlson mocks ‘autistic’ Trump’s claim he could end Ukraine war

George Santos files statement of 2024 candidacy

Tuesday 14 March 2023 15:29 , John Bowden

George Santos, the US House representative who is facing a myriad of criminal and ethics investigations into his conduct, has filed a statement of candidacy for 2024.

As CNN’s Melanie Zanona points out, that doesn’t mean he has decided for sure to run for reelection — but it means he has the ability to do so if he desires to seek the seat again.

Trump takes aim at recovering Mitch McConnell

Tuesday 14 March 2023 14:16 , John Bowden

Donald Trump said at his Iowa rally that it should be a priority for Republicans to depose Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, prompting cheers from the audience.

He made the remark Monday night, just hours after news broke that the senator had been discharged from the hospital after a concussion.

“We do have to do something about Mitch McConnell. He’s a disaster. He gets his ten guys and they give Biden whatever they want. There’s something going on, it doesn’t make sense,” he said in response to an audience questions.

Mr Trump and the Kentucky senator have a long-running feud. The former president has sought Mr McConnell’s ouster ever since the latter refused to sign on (and whipped his caucus against) Mr Trump’s objections to certifying the 2020 election’s results.

Trump attacks testimony of Michael Cohen

Tuesday 14 March 2023 13:15 , John Bowden

Donald Trump issued a furious response on Monday when asked by reporters about his former fixer, Michael Cohen, testifying to a New York grand jury about a hush payment he made to Stormy Daniels on Mr Trump’s behalf in 2016.

“ He’s a sick person. He’s a convicted felon. He’s a convicted liar. Lied before Congress said the greatest things about me too, by the way, you know, then all of a sudden one day he went crazy because he wanted to make a deal for him,” said Mr Trump, according to CBS News.

Mr Cohen is set to testify to the grand jury again on Tuesday after spending three hours behind closed doors offering his take the day prior.

Mitch McConnell discharged from the hospital

Tuesday 14 March 2023 12:45 , John Bowden

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was discharged from the hospital on Monday after suffering a fall and a concussion. He is set to return to the Senate in the coming days, after returning from inpatient physical therapy.

The top-ranking Senate Republican also suffered a fractured rib, according to his office’s statement Monday afternoon.

Donald Trump is a long-running critic of the GOP Senate leader, who whipped his caucus against supporting Mr Trump’s objections to the certification of the 2020 election. But the former president has wished his rival a speedy recovery.

Elon Musk calls Trump adviser Steve Bannon ‘evil'

Tuesday 14 March 2023 12:15 , John Bowden

Although Twitter CEO Elon Musk and former Donald Trump strategist Steve Bannon tend to sit on the same side of the political aisle, the two men don’t seem to like each other very much.

Tim Pool, a right-wing podcaster, recently asked Bannon to comment on the CEO of Razer, Min-Liang Tan, encouraging Mr Musk to buy the collapsed Silicon Valley Bank. The tech-focused lender crumbled on Friday, making it the second-largest bank failure in US history.

Mr Bannon’s response evoked a sharp-tongued attack lobbed by Mr Musk, who called him “evil” and not especially smart.

Read more:

Steve Bannon says ‘phony’ Elon Musk ‘owned’ by Chinese government

Trump aims sexist attack at Morning Joe co-host

Tuesday 14 March 2023 11:45 , John Bowden

Donald Trump returned to one of his favourite punching bags on Monday: MSNBC’s flagship morning newscast, Morning Joe.

And in doing so, he ventured into the realm of sexism with a bizarre mispelling of co-host Mika Brzezinski’s name.

“MSNBC can barely float, it is a ratings disaster. Morning Joe and his sidekick, ‘Mike,’ are getting pummeled. All of these Fake News Cable shows are. My CPAC speech was just announced as #1 on all of Cable. That’s because it was not Fake News!” wrote the former president on Truth Social.

Tucker Carlson calls Trump ‘a little bit autistic’ and knocks ex-president’s claim he would end Ukraine war

Tuesday 14 March 2023 11:15 , John Bowden

Fox host Tucker Carlson could have picked a better time to go on the podcast circuit.

The primetime conservative commentator was already facing mockery and open scorn for newly released text messages which revealed that he had privately derided Donald Trump’s attorney as a liar while letting her spread false conspiracies about the 2020 election on his show. Those texts were released as part of Dominion Voting Systems’s $1.6bn lawsuit targeting Carlson’s network.

Now, Carlson is back in the headlines again for comments he made not in private but publicly, to the hosts of the Full Send podcast.

John Bowden has more in The Independent:

Tucker Carlson mocks ‘autistic’ Trump’s claim he could end Ukraine war

Trump blames Pence for January 6 violence

Tuesday 14 March 2023 10:19 , Megan Sheets

Donald Trump attacked his former vice president while traveling to an Iowa campaign event on Monday, saying that Mike Pence can be blamed in “many ways” for the January 6 riots at the US Capitol.

“Had he sent the votes back to the legislatures, they wouldn’t have had a problem with January 6, so in many ways you can blame him for January 6,” the former president told reporters on his private plane.

Pointing to the former vice-president’s refusal to outlaw the electoral college votes in Congress as sought by him, Mr Trump said: “Had he sent them back to Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, the states, I believe, number one, you would have a different outcome. But I also believe you wouldn’t have had ‘January 6’ as we call it.”

This comes just two days after Mr Pence took an aim at his former boss and said that he knows history will hold Mr Trump accountable over the January 6 insurrection, amping up the tussle between them as they prepare to battle over the Republican nomination in next year’s election.

The Independent’s Arpan Rai has more:

Donald Trump blames Mike Pence for January 6 violence

Trump issues scathing attack at DeSantis, says he regrets endorsement

Tuesday 14 March 2023 10:15 , John Bowden

Donald Trump went even further on his warpath against Ron DeSantis on Monday, according to Politico, which reports that the former president trashed the governor to a small group of reporters during a flight to Iowa in preparation for a campaign rally.

“He was dead as a dog, he was a dead politician. He would have been working perhaps for a law firm or doing something else,” the ex-president reportedly said on Monday.

He was then asked if he regretted endorsing Mr DeSantis in 2022, and responded: “Yeah maybe, this guy was dead. He was dead as a doornail…I might say that.”

Read more at Politico.

Trump reveals a spatter of mini campaign videos

Tuesday 14 March 2023 09:15 , John Bowden

Donald Trump went on the offensive against Florida Gov Ron DeSantis on Monday with a new video in which the former president, talking directly to camera, denies that people are moving to Florida out of any love for the governor or his policies.

It was an odd line of attack that seemed to reveal Mr Trump’s own worries about his likely 2024 rival’s ability to run on the success of his term in office.

Watch below:

Donald Trump’s lawyer says he has ‘no plans’ to testify in Stormy Daniels hush money probe

Tuesday 14 March 2023 08:15 , John Bowden

Donald Trump will not testify before a grand jury investigating the hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election, according to his attorney.

Joe Tacopina told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday that Mr Trump has “no plans” to participate in the probe – as possible criminal charges against the former president loom.

“We have no plans on participating in that proceeding,” he said.

“Decision needs to be made still. There’s been no deadline set, so we’ll wait and see.”

Rachel Sharp has more:

Donald Trump has ‘no plans’ to testify in Stormy Daniels hush money probe

Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen insists he’s not seeking ‘revenge’ before testifying in hush money probe

Tuesday 14 March 2023 07:15 , John Bowden

Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen is set to testify before a grand jury in Manhattan looking into the hush money payments he made on behalf of Mr Trump.

Mr Cohen is set to testify regarding Mr Trump’s involvement in payments made during the 2016 campaign to women who alleged he had had affairs with them.

“My goal is to tell the truth,” he told the assembled press outside the courthouse, according to the Associated Press.

“This is not revenge,” he added. “This is all about accountability. He needs to be held accountable for his dirty deeds.”

Gustaf Kilander has more:

Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen insists he’s not seeking ‘revenge’ in hush money probe

Justice Department shoots down claims that Tucker Carlson footage of QAnon Shaman exonerates Jan 6 rioters

Tuesday 14 March 2023 06:15 , John Bowden

Federal prosecutors have shot down any suggestion that footage aired on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News programme has in any way exonerated the so-called QAnon Shaman who joined a mob that stormed the halls of the US Capitol on January 6.

Jacob Chansley was sentenced to 41 months in prison after he was convicted of a felony count of obstructing an official proceeding before Congress. An attorney for another rioter charged with seditious conspiracy argued in court filings that the footage showing Chansley interacting with officers directing him to leave the building was “exculpatory”.

“Chansley was not some passive, chaperoned observer of events for the roughly hour that he was unlawfully inside the Capitol,” prosecutors replied.

“He was part of the initial breach of the building; he confronted law enforcement for roughly 30 minutes just outside the Senate Chamber; he gained access to the gallery of the Senate along with other members of the mob … and he gained access to and later left the Senate floor only after law enforcement was able to arrive en masse to remove him,” they continued.

Read more:

Prosecutors hit back at claims that Tucker Carlson footage exonerates Jan 6 rioters

Trump blamed over Silicon Valley Bank collapse

Tuesday 14 March 2023 05:15 , John Bowden

Critics looking to assign blame for the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank have found possible culprits in Donald Trump and Republican senators.

Though little known outside of Silicon Valley, the SVB was the leading lender to tech firms and startups before it crumbled on Friday.

SVB announced on Wednesday that it had sold a number of securities at a loss, and that it planned to sell $2.25bn in new shares to help right its balance sheet.

Read the full story:

Trump blamed over Silicon Valley Bank collapse for cutting down financial regulations

Mitch McConnell discharged from the hospital

Tuesday 14 March 2023 04:15 , John Bowden

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was discharged from the hospital on Monday after suffering a fall and a concussion. He is set to return to the Senate in the coming days, after returning from inpatient physical therapy.

The top-ranking Senate Republican also suffered a fractured rib, according to his office’s statement Monday afternoon.

Donald Trump is a long-running critic of the GOP Senate leader, who whipped his caucus against supporting Mr Trump’s objections to the certification of the 2020 election. But the former president has wished his rival a speedy recovery.

Trump attacks testimony of Michael Cohen

Tuesday 14 March 2023 03:16 , John Bowden

Donald Trump issued a furious response on Monday when asked by reporters about his former fixer, Michael Cohen, testifying to a New York grand jury about a hush payment he made to Stormy Daniels on Mr Trump’s behalf in 2016.

“ He's a sick person. He's a convicted felon. He's a convicted liar. Lied before Congress said the greatest things about me too, by the way, you know, then all of a sudden one day he went crazy because he wanted to make a deal for him,” said Mr Trump, according to CBS News.

Mr Cohen is set to testify to the grand jury again on Tuesday after spending three hours behind closed doors offering his take on Monday.

Mike Pence says ‘history will hold Trump accountable’

Tuesday 14 March 2023 02:15 , John Bowden

Mike Pence said he knows history will hold Donald Trump accountable over the Jan 6 insurrection and also made jokes at the expense of his former boss about the secret documents found at Mar-a-Lago.

The former vice president and Trump loyalist’s comments are some of the harshest he has made about the one-time president.

Mr Pence, who once seemed reluctant to confront Mr Trump, made the remarks on Saturday evening during the white-tie annual Gridiron Club Dinner in Washington, DC.

“President Trump was wrong,” he said at the event attended by politicians and journalists.

“I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”

Read more:

‘History will hold Trump accountable,’ Mike Pence says in sharpest rebuke yet

Trump would make aides call Fox to get them to ‘fix’ poor coverage

Tuesday 14 March 2023 01:15 , John Bowden

A former official in the Trump administration said the one-term president kept such close ties with Fox News that he would sometimes have aides call the network to pressure employees to turn whatever was irking him into news stories.

Stephanie Grisham, the former White House Communications Director under Donald Trump, recalled her interactions with Fox News during an interview with CNN’s Jim Acosta.

During the discussion, Acosta said he recalled seeing Fox News personalities like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham being openly invited in to meet with White House officials despite the fact they were ostensibly members of the press.

Read the full story here:

Ex-Trump staffer says former president was ‘very cozy’ with Fox News

Rally is over

Tuesday 14 March 2023 00:56 , Io Dodds

Mr Trump's rally has now concluded.

Trump refers to trans swimmer as a 'monster' in extended mockery routine

Tuesday 14 March 2023 00:54 , Io Dodds

A second audience question about trans rights gave Mr Trump the perfect opportunity to engage in his trademark cruel mockery.

The former president's derisive impressions of rivals and disabled people have adapted pretty well to trans people. Here he targeted an unnamed swimmer who is presumably a trans woman, though Mr Trump simply referred to her as a man throughout.

"[She's] a monster," he said, mocking various features of her body such as her supposed height.

He didn't name whoever he was talking about, though it's possible he was referring to trans swimming champion Lia Thomas. An analysis by The Independent last year found little evidence that she had any unfair advantage.

'We have to do something about Mitch McConnell'

Tuesday 14 March 2023 00:45 , Io Dodds

Mr Trump says it should be a priority for Republicans to depose Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, prompting cheers from the audience.

"We do have to do something about Mitch McConnell. He's a disaster. He gets his ten guys and they give Biden whatever they want. There's something going on, it doesn't make sense," he says in response to an audience questions.

Other questions have stuck largely to Mr Trump's key talking points from his speech (perhaps because they were selected by aides on that basis).

A member of the conservative lobby group Moms For Liberty, which has sought to ban certain books about Black civil rights and LGBT+ life from schools, asked how he would stop schools "sexualising our children" and go "back to basics".

Another question was about the rising price of fuel and fertiliser, as well as the "activist" Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and climate activists who have "demonised" farmers. Mr Trump said he would bring the prices down and rein in the EPA "so fast your head will spin".

‘We will end woke. We will crush the deep state'

Tuesday 14 March 2023 00:36 , Io Dodds

Mr Trump has now finished the main section of his speech, and is taking questions.

“We will end woke. We will crush the deep state. We will save our economy. We will defend our farmers. We will evict Joe Biden from the White House, and we will make America great again.”

Obligatory attacks on trans healthcare

Tuesday 14 March 2023 00:35 , Io Dodds

It wouldn't be a modern GOP rally without a section on transgender rights, and Mr Trump has embraced the topic with gusto this year.

Vowing to cut all federal funding for schools that teach "critical race theory" or trans rights, he vilified consensual transition healthcare for minors as "mutilation" and said he would "keep men out of women's sports".

"If I was a basketball coach, I'd be the greatest coach in history. I'd have a woman's team but I'd have all men," he said. "I'm not a fan of LeBron James, I don't like LeBron, but I'd say, 'hey LeBron, you ever think of becoming a woman?'"

Since announcing his 2024 run, Mr Trump has positioned himself to the right of even many red states on trans children, claiming he would push Congress to pass a nationwide ban on all transition treatments for under-18s.

Vows to crack down on 'Marxist' prosecutors

Tuesday 14 March 2023 00:25 , Io Dodds

Mr Trump promises to direct the Department of Justice to "go after Marxist prosecutors to make them pay for their illegal race-based enforcement of the law".

That seems to be a reference to left-wing prosecutors that he sees as soft on crime, whom he has previously accused of "abolishing cash bail and refusing to charge criminals".

It could also be a nod to the various investigations against him and the January 6 rioters, which he has often criticised.

‘I will prevent World War 3'

Tuesday 14 March 2023 00:16 , Io Dodds

Trump declares that he will "prevent World War 3" – something he’s said before at previous rallies.

That, at least, is a campaign promise anyone can get behind (or at least most people).

All 20 major lawsuits and investigations Trump is facing

Tuesday 14 March 2023 00:15 , John Bowden

Since leaving the White House, Donald Trump has continued to face a cloud of lawsuits and investigations, which could frustrate his hopes to win back the presidency in 2024.

Most recently, New York prosecutors are reportedly closing in on an indictment against the former president for hush money payments to an adult film star during the 2016 election.

Of course, this is nothing new for the real estate billionaire.

Read more:

Here are all 20 major lawsuits and investigations Trump is facing

'Inflation destroys countries like cancer'

Tuesday 14 March 2023 00:14 , Io Dodds

Inflation time. Mr Trump claims that we could be on the brink of a recession due to "rampant" price hikes and the general "shambles" Joe Biden has made of the US economy.

"If you look at what inflation over 200 years has done to countries that have suffered, it destroys the country like cancer," he says.

He then tells a story about a voter who told him that he'd always gotten stick from his wife for being an awful investor, but that under Trump she gave him the biggest kiss in years because their 401k plan was up by 59 per cent during the remarkable bull market of 2020 and 2021.

Trump claims he could end Ukraine war in 24 hours

Tuesday 14 March 2023 00:07 , Io Dodds

Donald Trump has claimed once again that he will end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of becoming president.

"Shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the disastrous war between Russia and Ukraine settled. That will take 24 hours, if it's not done before," he claimed.

"It's a horrible thing taking place. I could get that thing settled. It would have never happened if I were president – zero chance."

He claims that he used to talk about it with Russian president Vladimir Putin, who was "never going to do that, until I left".

Mr Trump then pivoted to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which he called a "horror show".

Trump turns to the Mexico border

Monday 13 March 2023 23:50 , Io Dodds

Mr Trump promises to end the supposed "invasion" of the US via its southern border, referring to people attempting to claim asylum.

A woman shouts out something from the crowd. "Thank you," he laughs. "I don't know what she said, but whatever she said sounded good."

He apraises Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, saying: "I really like the president of Mexico. He's a socialist, but he's a great guy. He's a friend of mine... it's not an easy country, it's a very, very tough country, Mexico."

He also claims, dubiously, that "we took MS-13 out by the tens of thousands". The sprawling cross-national street gang is was last estimated to have up to 10,000 members in the entire US, though that was back in 2009. Is he just referring to all undocumented immigrants?

Trump tears into his rival Ron DeSantis

Monday 13 March 2023 23:48 , Io Dodds

Now MrTrump is getting into the real spicy material: tearing into his Republican rival Ron DeSantis.

Catching himself as he mispronounced the Florida governor's name, Mr Trump joked: "Ron DeSanctis? Ron DeSanctimonious!"

He claimed that Mr DeSantis "strongly opposed ethanol" in the past, "wanted to decimate social security" (Mr Trump promised not to cut it), and was "a disciple of Paul Ryan – who is a RINO loser who is currently destroying Fox".

Then he added a withering coup de grace: "To be honest with you, Ron reminds me of Mitt Romney." Me-ow.

‘I will stop Biden brutalising farmers'

Monday 13 March 2023 23:44 , Io Dodds

Absolutely huge cheers and chants of "USA! USA!" as Trump promises to prioritise Iowa farmers if he gets a second term.

"We are laying out a bold, forward-looking vision for what we will do when we take the oath of office and we get back into that beautiful, beautiful white house, and we become the 47th president of the United States," he said.

"Within hours of my inauguration I will cancel every Biden policy that’s brutalising our farmers."

Prosecutors investigating him are ‘crooked’ and ‘maniacs’, Trump says

Monday 13 March 2023 23:36 , Io Dodds

Trump has attacked the prosecutors who are closing in on him in various Democratic states as "crooked" and "maniacs".

Vowing to oppose "all the evil and sinister forces trying to destroy America's future", he said: "We stand up to the crooked Democrat prosecutors all over the country...

"Nobody's ever weaponised like this, group of people. They're maniacs. We stand up to the RINOS [Republicans In Name Only], the Communists, and the anti energy extremists."

The "group of people" in this case appeared to mean the New York grand jury that is investigating hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2017 residential election.

Trump has so far refused to testify before that jury, with his layer saying on Monday: "We have no plans on participating in that proceeding... we'll wait and see".

'I stood up to China like no administration has done before'

Monday 13 March 2023 23:28 , Io Dodds

Trump is bigging up his legacy on foreign policy, saying he delivered dividends for Iowa farmers and factories by standing up to China and other nations.

He cites the tariffs he imposed on Chinese imports, an enormous amount of which were paid out directly to US farmers. The Trump administration paid out $28 billion in 2018 and 2019, with another $33 billion in 2020, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

"Did anybody get a check in this room?" he asked, apparently prompting some hands up. "Yes, good. Not as many as I would have thought."

But that money did not actually come from China. It came from US companies who imported goods from China, making it more of a redistribution of US wealth. Trump aides at the time argued that China was paying for this indirectly, such as by having to offer US firms discounts to offset the new duties.

Trump begins speaking in Iowa

Monday 13 March 2023 23:18 , Io Dodds

Donald Trump has now begun speaking.

“Does anybody here not like their children?” he asks the audience to widespread laughter. It’s part of a warm-up routine he’s doing about inheritance taxes and farmers.

Trump gears up for Iowa rally

Monday 13 March 2023 23:15 , John Bowden

Donald Trump will speak Monday evening at his first campaign-style rally since his faction’s disappointing 2022 midterm performance.

The rally will take place in Iowa, site of the first 2024 GOP primary contest. Mr Trump is set to speak at 7:15 pm eastern.

Watch below on YouTube:

Trump issues scathing attack at DeSantis, says he regrets endorsement

Monday 13 March 2023 22:45 , John Bowden

Donald Trump went even further on his warpath against Ron DeSantis on Monday, according to Politico, which reports that the former president trashed the governor to a small group of reporters during a flight to Iowa in preparation for a campaign rally.

“He was dead as a dog, he was a dead politician. He would have been working perhaps for a law firm or doing something else,” the ex-president reportedly said on Monday.

He was then asked if he regretted endorsing Mr DeSantis in 2022, and responded: “Yeah maybe, this guy was dead. He was dead as a doornail…I might say that.”

Read more at Politico.

Nikki Haley, Trump have dueling rallies on Monday

Monday 13 March 2023 21:59 , John Bowden

While Donald Trump is set to speak in Iowa, his only prominent announced challenger Nikki Haley will speak in her home state of South Carolina.

It kicks off at 6pm. Watch here:

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website