Trump news – live: Trump claims DeSantis’s ‘magic is gone’ as attorney quits legal team

Donald Trump has flooded his Truth Social platform with posts attacking Florida governor Ron DeSantis – likely to become his biggest rival for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 – gloating that “Ron’s magic is GONE!” after two of the latter’s endorsements lost key races in Kentucky and Jacksonville on Tuesday evening.

A lawyer for Mr Trump meanwhile announced on Wednesday that he would be leaving the legal team representing the former president in the investigation being carried out by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith into classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.

Timothy Paraltore told the Associated Press his departure had nothing to do with Mr Trump nor was it a reflection on the investigation, which he has long called misguided and overly-aggressive.

Elsewhere, Mr Trump has been seeking to take “credit” for the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, claiming that, without his three nominees to the court, abortion bans would not be possible – while also suggesting that Mr DeSantis’s six-week abortion ban was “too harsh” and eating into his popularity with female voters.

Key points

• ‘Ron’s magic is GONE!’: Trump floods Truth Social with negative DeSantis posts

• Trump lawyer exits legal team as Mar-a-Lago classified documents probe heats up

• Trump takes ‘credit’ for overturning of Roe v Wade and questions DeSantis’s six-week ban

• Florida governor expected to enter US presidential race next week

• Trump lashes out at DC ‘cockroaches’ following release of Durham report

Jim Jordan blocks Democrats from seeing evidence in chaotic ‘weaponization of government’ hearing

10:45 , Rachel Sharp

A hearing of the House Judiciary Committee descended into chaos on Thursday morning when Ohio representative and chair Jim Jordan asserted that the Republicans on the committee do not have to turn over key evidence to their Democratic colleagues because it came from a “whistleblower.”

Mr Jordan convened the committee on Thursday for a hearing on the “weaponisation of government,” calling witnesses to testify to alleged biases in federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI.

Shortly after the hearing began, however, Democrats began raising an issue: Mr Jordan’s refusal to turn over evidence, including witness testimony, to the Democrat members of the committee.

Read the full story:

Jim Jordan blocks Democrats from seeing evidence in chaotic hearing

Disney cancels $1bn Florida theme park extension amid war with DeSantis

10:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

The Walt Disney Company has pulled the plug on a $1bn office complex in Orlando, following a warning from Disney leadership that billions of dollars in projects were on the line after Florida governor Ron DeSantis escalated his feud with the company.

The development scheduled for construction in the Orlando area was set to bring 2,000 jobs to the region, with 1,000 employees expected to be relocated from southern California.

Alex Woodward has more:

Disney cancels $1bn Florida theme park extension amid war with DeSantis

Trump takes credit for overturning of Roe v Wade while raising questions about DeSantis’ six-week ban

10:00 , Ariana Baio

Former president Donald Trump is taking credit for the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade last year by claiming he nominated the justices who did not agree with the 1973 precedent.

On Tuesday night’s episode of Rob Schmitt Tonight on Newsmax, Mr Trump compared his action against abortion to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’, saying he has done more for pro-life people.

“First of all, I’m the one that got rid of Roe v. Wade and everybody said that was an impossible thing to do,” Mr Trump boasted.

The Independent reports:

Trump takes credit for overturning Roe v Wade while questioning DeSantis’ 6-week ban

Damning evidence surfaces in classified documents probe

09:48 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump’s legal troubles could be hotting up after the National Archives found a trove of records proving the former president knew he was breaking rules by taking classified documents to Mar-a-Lago, according to a report.

The National Archives sent a letter, obtained by CNN, to Mr Trump this week revealing it had found 16 records showing he and his top advisers were aware of the correct declassification process when he was president.

“The 16 records in question all reflect communications involving close presidential advisers, some of them directed to you personally, concerning whether, why, and how you should declassify certain classified records,” wrote archivist Debra Steidel Wall.

These records will be turned over to Special Counsel Jack Smith as part of the criminal investigation into Mr Trump’s handling of classified documents.

Ron DeSantis mocked over bizarre video of roaring laughter: ‘A faulty robot’

09:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Ron DeSantis has been mocked for a bizarre video that shows him roaring with laughter at an Iowa car show.

The Florida governor, who is expected to soon announce he is taking on Donald Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, was caught on video cracking up at the Feenstra Family Picnic event last weekend.

During the appearance in Sioux Center, Iowa, Mr DeSantis asked a man how much a 1955 Porsche at the event was worth.

“Ugh, we won’t even talk about that,” the man replied, which saw the Republican hopeful throw back his head and howl with apparent amusement.

Mr DeSantis’s seemingly over-the-top reaction in the viral clip saw him widely ridiculed online.

Graeme Massie reports:

Ron DeSantis mocked over bizarre video of roaring laughter: ‘A faulty robot’

Georgia prosecutor fights back against Trump attempt to remove her from election probe

09:00 , Ariana Baio

The Georgia prosecutor who’s investigating whether Donald Trump and his allies broke any laws as they tried to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state fought back Monday against the former president’s attempt to remove her from the case and exclude certain evidence.

Trump’s Georgia legal team in March asked the court to toss out the report of a special grand jury that had been seated in the case and to prevent prosecutors from using any evidence or testimony stemming from the panel’s investigation. They also asked that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her office be barred from continuing to investigate or prosecute the case.

Willis responded in a filing Monday that Trump’s motion is “procedurally flawed” and advances “arguments that lack merit.”

Former FBI employees testify on GOP politicisation claims after losing clearances

08:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Former FBI employees accused the bureau of politicisation in congressional testimony on Thursday, a day after the agency disclosed that two of the men had seen their security clearances revoked over concerns about how their views of the Capitol attack on 6 January 2021 affected their work.

The three men alleged overreach and retaliation by the FBI in testimony to a special House committee investigating what Republicans assert is the “weaponisation” of the federal government against conservatives.

Read more:

Former FBI employees testify on GOP politicization claims after losing clearances

Jim Jordan blocks Democrats from seeing evidence in chaotic ‘weaponisation of government’ hearing

08:00 , Ariana Baio

A hearing of the House Judiciary Committee descended into chaos on Thursday morning when Ohio representative and chair Jim Jordan asserted that the Republicans on the committee do not have to turn over key evidence to their Democratic colleagues because it came from a “whistleblower.”

Mr Jordan convened the committee on Thursday for a hearing on the “weaponisation of government,” calling witnesses to testify to alleged biases in federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI.

Shortly after the hearing began, however, Democrats began raising an issue: Mr Jordan’s refusal to turn over evidence, including witness testimony, to the Democrat members of the committee.

Abe Asher reports:

Jim Jordan blocks Democrats from seeing evidence in chaotic hearing

Bill Barr calls Trump's classified documents case his biggest legal risk

07:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Donald Trump’s former attorney general Bill Barr has said that he believes the former president will be “very exposed” legally if he was playing “any games” with the documents marked as classified that were kept at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

In an interview with CBS News’ senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge on Thursday, Mr Barr said: “It doesn’t go a lot on intent or anything like that. It’s very clear that he had no business having those documents.

“He was given a long time to send them back. And they were subpoenaed. And I’ve said all along that he wouldn’t get in trouble, probably, just for taking them, just as Biden I don’t think is going to get in trouble or Pence is not going to get in trouble.

“The problem is what did he do after the government asked for them back and subpoenaed them? And if there’s any games being played there, he’s going to be very exposed.”

He added that he also thinks Mr Trump’s claim in a recent CNN town hall that he was declassifying records as they left the White House isn’t going to satisfy the special counsel.

“I don’t think that argument’s gonna fly,” Mr Barr said.

“I don’t think the idea that you know, he automatically — that they were somehow automatically declassified when they were put in the boxes. I don’t think that will fly.”

Top White House aides reveal Trump’s alleged inappropriate conduct towards female staffers

07:00 , Ariana Baio

Just one week after a Manhattan jury found former president Donald Trump liable for sexually assaulting and defaming writer E Jean Carroll, no fewer than three women who had senior roles in his administration have come forward to allege inappropriate behaviour on Mr Trump’s part towards women on his White House staff.

Top aides reveal Trump’s alleged inappropriate conduct towards female staffers

Trump on House ‘weaponisation’ hearing: ‘I am a victim also’

06:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Donald Trump has responded to the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee hearing on the “weaponisation of the federal government” and claimed that he too is a “victim” of this “weaponisation”.

The former president wrote on Truth Social: “Very sad watching what took place today in Congress regarding Whistleblowers and the FBI. There has never been a time like this in our Country, the complete weaponisation of Justice.

“I am a victim also, but the real victim is the United States of America. Congress must use its purse strings to straighten it out, before it is too late!” he added.

Earlier on Thursday the House panel met for a tense hearing over three FBI agents that Republicans say faced retaliation for their conservative views.

Trial over Kari Lake’s last challenge to loss in Arizona governor’s race enters 2nd day

06:00 , Ariana Baio

Attorneys for Kari Lake entered a second day Thursday of trying to build a case for the only remaining legal claim in her challenge to the Arizona governor’s race.

A judge in suburban Phoenix is allowing Lake a three-day trial to prove county election officials failed to perform higher level signature verifications on mail-in ballots that had been flagged.

Maricopa County has a failed process for verifying thousands of ballot signatures that even some of its own workers question, her attorneys argued in court Wednesday.

Trial over Kari Lake’s last challenge to loss in Arizona governor’s race enters 2nd day

DeSantis privately tells donors Trump can’t win

05:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Florida governor Ron DeSantis who is planning to launch his officially announce his 2024 presidential bid next week has privately said to donors that Donald Trump cannot win.

“You have basically three people at this point that are credible in this whole thing,” Mr DeSantis told donors on a call, organized by the super PAC supporting him, Never Back Down according to a report in The New York Times.

“Biden, Trump and me. And I think of those three, two have a chance to get elected president — Biden and me, based on all the data in the swing states, which is not great for the former president and probably insurmountable because people aren’t going to change their view of him.”

At another point in the call which a New York Times reporter listened in to, Mr DeSantis said: “I think the voters want to move on from Biden.

“They just want a vehicle they can get behind” but “there’s just too many voters that don’t view Trump as that vehicle.”

CNN journalists reportedly angry about Trump town hall

05:00 , Ariana Baio

The Lincoln Project tweeted on Thursday indicated that journalists from CNN were angry at CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht for allowing former president Donald Trump to host a town hall.

“ CNN’s professional journalists have leaked to both The Lincoln Project and the news media how outraged they are about CNN Chairman and CEO, Chris Licht’s decision to enable Donald Trump,” The Lincoln Project wrote.

Trump campaign knocks DeSantis over Disney’s cancelled Florida expansion

04:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign wasted no time in knocking Florida governor Ron DeSantis over the news that Disney is cancelling a $1bn plan to expand its business in Florida.

The campaign for the former president to return to the White House sent out a fundraising email on 18 May after the news broke about the shelving of the planned relocation of some thousands of staff to the Orlando area.

Headlined: “President Trump is always right”, the email included a Truth Social post from Mr Trump dated 18 April.

Oliver O’Connell and Alex Woodward report:

Trump campaign knocks DeSantis over Disney’s cancelled Florida expansion plan

ICYMI: Ron DeSantis expected to launch 2024 presidential bid next week, reports say

04:00 , Ariana Baio

Ron DeSantis is reportedly preparing to announce his official campaign for 2024 president next week, after months of anticipation.

Two people with knowledge of Mr DeSantis’ plans told The Wall Street Journal the Florida governor plans to file formal paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Thursday, 25 May.

The filing date will correspond with a donor meeting in Miami, according to the report.

Ariana Baio reports:

Ron DeSantis expected to launch 2024 presidential bid next week, reports say

Supreme Court dismisses Trump-era immigration policy case

03:00 , Ariana Baio

The Supreme Court announced on Thursday it will remove the case surrounding the Trump-era immigration policy Title 42 from its calendar, likely because the Biden Administration ended the public health emergency which Title 42 fell under.

‘I would have dropped the mic’: CNN’s Christiane Amanpour criticises network over Trump town hall

02:00 , Ariana Baio

CNN’s town hall with Donald Trump proved so divisive that even its own staff have taken issue with the event - with Christiane Amanpour the latest of the network’s high-profile names to voice their dissatisfaction.

The New Hampshire event drew 3.3 million viewers, who watched as the former president sparred with CNN moderator Kaitlan Collins, whom Mr Trump referred to as a “nasty person”.

Speaking in an address to Columbia Journalism School on Wednesday, Amanpour said if she were Collins, she would have “dropped the mic” as soon as Mr Trump called her nasty, adding that she had spoken with the network’s CEO Chris Licht and told him the ex-president should not have been able “to appear in that particular format”.

‘I would have dropped the mic’: CNN’s Christiane Amanpour hits out at Trump town hall

Trump claimed the Durham report would uncover the ‘crime of the century.’ Here’s what it really found

01:00 , Ariana Baio

After a two-year investigation by a Trump administration prosecutor charged with undermining and discrediting the FBI’s probe into alleged ties between former president Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Russian government has ended after four years and just a single criminal conviction, a report on the findings of that investigation found that the FBI was justified to open a preliminary probe into the matter.

The Independent reports:

What did the Durham probe uncover?

VOICES: Don’t look now, but Ron DeSantis just suffered some big losses

00:00 , Ariana Baio

VOICES: “So far, Governor Ron DeSantis has yet to actually announce his candidacy for president, despite the fact he all but certainly will jump in the ring. But his decision to wait until the conclusion of Florida’s legislative session and to not directly attack former president Donald Trump has made him uniquely vulnerable to the former president’s barbs.”

“But Mr DeSantis took two kicks to the chin on Tuesday evening. First in Jacksonville, the 12th largest city in America, Mr DeSantis had endorsed the Republican candidate Daniel Davis for mayor.”

Eric Garcia writes:

Don’t look now, but Ron DeSantis just suffered some big losses

Trump boasts about predicting Disney pulling investment

23:30 , Ariana Baio

Donald Trump released a press release bragging about correctly predicting Disney pulling their $1bn investment in Florida.

“President Trump is always right,” the press release was titled.

Attached was a Truth Social post from Mr Trump, dated 18 April, in which he warned Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that if he continued to attack Disney, they would withdraw investments in Florida.

Disney announced on Thursday, 18 March, that they would pull the plug on a nearly $1bn office complex that was supposed to be in Orlando. The announcement comes after a months-long battle between Mr DeSantis and Disney.

The project would have brought more than 2,00 jobs with $120,000 as the average salary, as reported by The New York Times.

Trump lawyer exits legal team

23:00 , Ariana Baio

Former president Donald Trump’s attorney Timothy Parlatore is leaving the former president’s legal team, CNN reported on Wednesday.

Mr Parlatore played a key role in the investigation into Mr Trump keeping classified documents at his private Mar-a-Lago estate, and Mr Parlatore even testified before the grand jury in the case. The departure comes as Special Counsel Jack Smith reaches the end of his investigation into Mr Trump’s possible mishandling of classified documents.

“It’s been an incredible honor to serve and work through interesting legal issues. My departure was a personal choice and does not reflect upon the case, as I believe strongly the (Justice Department) team is engaging in misconduct to pursue an investigation of conduct that is not criminal,” Mr Parlatore told CNN in a statement.

Ron DeSantis mocked over bizarre video of roaring laughter: ‘A faulty robot’

22:30 , Ariana Baio

Ron DeSantis has been mocked for a bizarre video that shows him roaring with laughter at an Iowa car show.

The Florida governor, who is expected to soon announce he is taking on Donald Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, was caught on video cracking up at the Feenstra Family Picnic event last weekend.

Graeme Massie reports:

Ron DeSantis mocked over bizarre video of roaring laughter: ‘A faulty robot’

False claims of a stolen election thrive unchecked on Twitter

22:00 , Ariana Baio

In an interview this week, Twitter owner Elon Musk said users making false claims of stolen elections “will be corrected” on the platform.

Prompted by a CNBC reporter for extra assurance that would happen, Musk responded, “Oh yeah, 100%.”

Yet many such claims have thrived on Twitter in the week since former President Donald Trump spent much of a CNN town hall digging in on his lie that the 2020 election was “rigged” against him. Twitter posts that amplified those false claims have thousands of shares with no visible enforcement, a review of posts on the platform shows.

WATCH: Trump takes credit for overturning of Roe v Wade

21:30 , Ariana Baio

VOICES: What if it’s neither Biden nor Trump?

21:00 , Ariana Baio

Voices: “It is not exactly breaking news that Donald Trump faces an exhaustive list of legal troubles. Yet new reporting by CNN reveals that the National Archives is handing over damning documents to special counsel Jack Smith.

In a letter to the twice-impeached former president, acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall claims these documents “all reflect communications involving close presidential advisers, some of them directed to you personally, concerning whether, why, and how you should declassify certain classified records.”

Skylar Baker-Jordan writes:

What if it’s neither Biden nor Trump?

Biden's reelection campaign sees 'viable pathways' to 2024 election win

20:30 , Ariana Baio

President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is vowing to hold the states that won him the White House in 2020 but also compete in places it lost like North Carolina and Florida, providing what it says are “a number of viable pathways” to victory.

Marjorie Taylor Greene files Biden impeachment, unlikely to pass

20:00 , Ariana Baio

Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) filed articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden on Thursday, but the articles are unlikely to pass in a House that is deeply divided and with a thin Republican majority.

Ms Greene, the right-wing firebrand who has promoted numerous conspiracy theories both before and during her tenure in Congress, announced her articles of impeachment against Mr Biden in a news conference on Thursday.

“Joe Biden has deliberately compromised our national security by refusing to enforce immigration laws and secure our border allowed approximately 6 million illegals from over 170 countries to invade our country, deprived Border Patrol have the necessary resources and policies sufficient to protect our country and his administration has willfully refused to maintain operational control as required by the law,” she said in her opening remarks.

Eric Garica reports:

Marjorie Taylor Greene files impeachment against Biden, unlikely to pass

Village People slap Trump with cease-and-desist order after his viral ‘Macho Man’ dance at Mar-a-Lago

19:30 , Ariana Baio

Seventies disco band Village People has asked Donald Trump to stop using impersonators while playing their music without consent.

The wife of one of the band members on Monday sent a cease-and-desist letter to the former president, according to reports.

Mr Trump has been using the band’s songs such as “YMCA” and “Macho Man” at his events and rallies for years now.

Maroosha Muzaffar reports:

Village People slap Trump with cease-and-desist order ‘Macho Man’ dance

Ron DeSantis expected to launch 2024 presidential bid next week, reports say

19:00 , Ariana Baio

Ron DeSantis is reportedly preparing to announce his official campaign for 2024 president next week, after months of anticipation.

Two people with knowledge of Mr DeSantis’ plans told The Wall Street Journal the Florida governor plans to file formal paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Thursday, 25 May.

The filing date will correspond with a donor meeting in Miami, according to the report.

Ariana Baio reports:

Ron DeSantis expected to launch 2024 presidential bid next week, reports say

Trump boasts that Rupert Murdoch used to like him

18:30 , Ariana Baio

On Donald Trump’s social media platform Truth Social, the former president boasted that FOX Corporation founder Rupert Murdoch used to like him while he was president.

The former president posted a photo of himself hugging Mr Murdoch and wrote, “Gee, Rupert Murdoch used to like me a lot when I was President!”

Mr Trump’s comment may be in reference to the recent defamation lawsuit between FOX and Dominion Voting Systems over airing Mr Trump’s false allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Trump’s document declassification claim could be proven false

18:00 , ariana.baio

The investigation into classified documents found at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home could prove that Mr Trump knew classification protocols but ignored them.

According to a report from CNN, the National Archives has 16 records that show Mr Trump had knowledge of the proper classification process despite publicly stating he could declassify things just by “thinking about it”.

In a letter from Archivist Debra Steidel Wall to Mr Trump, obtained by CNN, she writes, “The 16 records in question all reflect communications involving close presidential advisers, some of them directed to you personally, concerning whether, why, and how you should declassify certain classified records.”

Should the investigation from Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith prove this, Mr Trump could potentially be in violation of the Espionage Act.

‘Ron’s magic is GONE!’: Trump floods Truth Social with negative DeSantis posts

17:30 , Ariana Baio

Donald Trump has been up late again “retruthing” bad news for the Florida governor wherever he can find it, posting stories from the likes of Newsweek and The New York Times to undermine his likely rival for the Republican presidential nomination – a sure sign that he is rattled by the threat Ron “DeSanctimonious” represents.

Trump was gloating after his pick for the Republican nomination to be Kentucky’s next governor, Daniel Cameron, won the race on Tuesday night while DeSantis’s choice, Kelly Craft, finished third in the GOP primary.

DeSantis’s pick for Jacksonville mayor also lost that same evening when Democrat Donna Deegan defeated Republican Daniel Davis.

“Ron’s magic is GONE!” he declared confidently in one post.

‘I would have dropped the mic’: CNN’s Christiane Amanpour criticises network over Trump town hall

17:15 , Ariana Baio

CNN’s town hall with Donald Trump proved so divisive that even its own staff have taken issue with the event - with Christiane Amanpour the latest of the network’s high-profile names to voice their dissatisfaction.

The Independent reports:

‘I would have dropped the mic’: CNN’s Christiane Amanpour hits out at Trump town hall

Ron DeSantis expected to announce presidential bid next week

16:18 , Ariana Baio

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is reportedly gearing up to announce his campaign for president next week, according to reports.

People familiar with Mr DeSantis’ campaign told The Wall Street Journal under the condition of anonymity that the Florida Governor will file official paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on 24 May.

According to the sources, this will correspond with a donor event at the Four Seasons hotel in Miami Florida from 24 May to 26 May to start raising money for the campaign.

The development comes after months of speculation that Mr DeSantis will challenge former president Donald Trump.

Lachlan Murdoch asks why CNN hasn’t been sued over Trump town hall

16:00 , Ariana Baio

FOX Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch made a sarcastic comment toward CNN following the Donald Trump town hall - which saw the former president once again lie that the 2020 election was stolen by Democrats.

Mr Murdoch said the former president made “a lot of allegations about the 2020 election” during CNN’s town hall.

“And I haven’t seen a lawsuit yet,” Mr Murdoch said.

The reference was to the recent defamation lawsuit between FOX and Dominion Voting Systems regarding Mr Trump’s lies about election fraud.

Dominion claimed Fox News damaged its reputation by airing Mr Trump’s lies that the election was stolen and Dominion’s voting machines were partially to blame.

Fox News agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787.5m in a settlement.

Sarcastic Lachlan Murdoch asks why CNN hasn’t been sued over Trump town hall

‘Yes, creeps like Trump and the allegations against Giuliani really, really matter'

15:30 , Joe Sommerlad

For Indy Voices, Holly Baxter writes: “In news that will surprise no one, it turns out Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani are – allegedly – absolute creeps. I know, of course, that you might’ve expected more from the president who started his first campaign with a video about grabbing women by the p***y, or who recently kicked off his second run with a legal ruling against him for sexual assault.

“But apparently, even when Donald was in the White House, he developed obsessions with certain staffers and asked a female worker to stick around so he could ‘look at her ass’. Number 45’s tendency to walk the halls of power behind ’very young’ staffers with his tongue hanging out was apparently an ‘open secret’. It happened in meetings, it happened at work events, it happened in front of other people.

“And it turns out that birds of a feather — ALLEGEDLY — flock together! Noelle Dunphy, a former aide to Giuliani, just filed a lawsuit claiming that everyone’s favorite Four Seasons Landscaping orator forced her to perform oral sex on him while he was on the phone to Trump. Apparently, Rudy had a penchant for sex acts while taking calls because it ‘made him feel like Bill Clinton’. And who among us hasn’t dreamed of feeling like legitimate Marvel superhero Bill Clinton at least once in our lives?”

Read more:

Yes, creeps like Trump and the allegations against Giuliani really matter | Opinion

Philadelphia’s likely next mayor could offer model for how Democrats talk about crime

15:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The Democrat who will almost certainly become Philadelphia’s next mayor wants to hire hundreds of additional police officers to walk their beats and get to know residents.

She wants to devote resources to recruiting more police and says officers should be able to stop and search pedestrians if they have a legitimate reason to do so.

Those positions, particularly the search policies that have been criticised for wrongly targeting people of colour, would seem out of step in a progressive bastion like Philadelphia.

But Cherelle Parker trounced her rivals in this week’s mayoral primary with a message that centred on tougher law enforcement to combat rising crime and violence.

Read more:

Philadelphia's likely next mayor could offer model for how Democrats talk about crime

Lincoln Project attacks CNN over Trump

14:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The anti-Trump Republican outfit take aim at the network over last week’s town hall, which continues to be a subject of controversy well over a week after it aired.