Trump news live: Trump loses bid to drop Georgia case, as ex-intel officials say his re-election would hurt US

Oliver O'Connell and Alex Woodward

Donald Trump has lost a bid to have the Georgia election interference case thrown out after the state’s supreme court ruled against him. The ex-president is accused of trying to bully state officials to change the results in the wake of his 2020 defeat, telling them to “find” him enough votes to win the state.

A decision on charges is expected next month.

A former Trump White House official has written a new book which quotes a senior former intelligence official warning that a second Trump term poses such a danger that it could mean the country barely exists in its current form by the time of America’s tricentennial in 2076.

Meanwhile, the ex-president is considering his Republican 2024 rivals as potential running mates should he win the GOP nomination.

The former president told Fox News on Sunday that his running mate could “possibly” be among those in the 2024 field.

He said Vivek Ramaswamy had “done a very good job” and Senator Tim Scott is a “very good guy” but stopped short of saying who he might pick.

Key points

Bartiromo shocks by pushing back on Trump: ‘You didn’t drain the swamp’

04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A Fox News host pressed former President Donald Trump on how he hired staffers, saying he didn’t “drain the swamp like you said you would”.

Maria Bartiromo asked Mr Trump on Sunday Morning Futures whether he would do things differently if he were re-elected.

“The mistake would be people,” Mr Trump said. He called out a few individuals in particular.

Kelly Rissman has the story.

Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo pushes back on Trump: ‘You didn’t drain the swamp’

ICYMI: Trump brands US a ‘third-world hellhole’ run by ‘perverts’ and ‘thugs’

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump branded the US a “third-world hellhole” run by “perverts” and “thugs” in his latest 2024 campaign speech, a rambling, nearly two-hour long set of remarks to close out a right-wing conference in Florida.

The one-term president told the Turning Point Action Conference on 15 July that the American dream was “dead” under Joe Biden as he relentlessly mocked his successor and painted a bleak picture of a nation in decline.

“The election will decide whether your generation will inherit a fascist country or a free country,” Mr Trump told the right-wing activist conference.

Read on...

Donald Trump brands US a ‘third -world hellhole’ run by ‘perverts’ and ‘thugs’

Tension between Boebert and Greene could lead to ‘fistfight’ lawmakers warn

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

After an ongoing feud between Republican Reps Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, a Republican lawmaker said the standoff between the two Congress members could result in a fistfight.

“A fistfight could break out at any moment,” Republican Tennessee Rep Tim Burchett told The Daily Beast.

Kelly Rissman reports.

GOP lawmakers predict ‘fistfight’ between Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert

Georgia Supreme Court tosses Trump attempt to challenge 2020 election investigation over vote call

02:09 , Phil Thomas

Georgia's Supreme Court on Monday dismissed an attempt from Donald Trump to shut down key parts of a probe from state officials investigating him for potential interference in the 2020 election.

The high court found in a unanimous ruling that the former president hadn't shown the kind of "extraordinary circumstances" that would require the Georgia Supreme Court to intervene in the case and toss out key portions of evidence.

"(Trump) has not shown that this case presents one of those extremely rare circumstances in which this Court's original jurisdiction should be invoked, and therefore, the petition is dismissed," the ruling states.

Josh Marcus has the full story:

Georgia Supreme Court tosses Trump attempt to challenge 2020 election investigation

Kim Reynolds embraces role as a key player in Republican presidential race

01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

When Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds seized the spotlight from a half dozen Republican presidential contenders on Friday by signing a restrictive abortion measure into law at an event meant to showcase the candidates, she embraced her front-and-center role in the 2024 presidential election.

The standing ovation she received from some 2,000 conservative Christians gathered in Des Moines only reinforced the influence she wields, not just in Iowa but increasingly on a national stage.

Read more...

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds embraces role as a key player in Republican presidential race

A GOP campaign to stop a new FBI headquarters is revving up after Trump probes

Tuesday 18 July 2023 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

When Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested recently he might stop the FBI from relocating its downtown headquarters to a new facility planned for the Washington suburbs, it was more than idle thinking about an office renovation.

The nod from the Republican speaker is elevating a once-fringe proposal to upend the FBI in the aftermath of the federal indictment of Donald Trump over classified documents and the Justice Department’s prosecution of his allies, including some of the nearly 1,000 people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

Moving from far-right corners into the mainstream, the emerging effort to overhaul the nation’s premier law enforcement agency is rooted in increasingly forceful conservative complaints about an overly biased FBI that they claim is being weaponized against them.

Read more...

GOP vs. FBI: A Republican campaign to stop a new FBI headquarters is revving up after Trump probes

Christie: Trump knows he lost 2020 election but ‘ego’ won’t let him admit it

Monday 17 July 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump knew he was losing the 2020 presidential election while asserting a baseless narrative that the results were rigged against him, according to former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Mr Christie, who is running against Mr Trump for the Republican nomination for president in 2024, told ABC News host George Stephanopoulos on 16 July that Mr Trump told him “directly” that he had lost in 2020.

Alex Woodward has the story.

Trump knows he lost 2020 but ‘ego’ won’t let him admit it, Chris Christie says

White House condemns RFK Jr’s ‘vile’ anti-semitic Covid conspiracy claim

Monday 17 July 2023 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The White House on Monday condemned anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr’s claim that the virus which causes Covid-19 was somehow engineered to target white and Black people while sparing Asians and Jews of Eastern European descent as an example of anti-semitism that puts Americans at risk.

During a press event in New York City on 11 July, Mr Kennedy baselessly stated that “there is an argument to be made” that the disease is “ethnically targeted” and claimed that the Sars-CoV-2 virus was “targeted to attack Cucasians and Black people” even as “those who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese”.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

White House condemns RFK Jr’s ‘vile’ antisemitic Covid conspiracy claim

Democratic PAC unveils ‘steamy and horrifying’ ad with GOP lawmaker interrupting couple in bedroom

Monday 17 July 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Progressive Action Fund launched a new ad attacking crackdowns on reproductive rights ahead of an Ohio ballot measure, featuring an elderly Republican congressman in a couple’s bedroom.

Democratic PAC shows ‘steamy and horrifying’ ad with GOP lawmaker in couple’s bedroom

Voices: Is DeSantis campaign dead in the water? The money says yes

Monday 17 July 2023 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

Republican presidential candidates had to release their quarterly finance reports on Friday. Given that there will be no real contests until February of 2024, fundraising and polling tend to be the most accurate barometers for how a candidate is doing in this early stage. In the same token, a strong first fundraising quarter tends to show that a candidate can last for the long haul.

Read more:

Is DeSantis campaign dead in the water? The money says yes

Watch: Pence says he and Carlson ‘had a good joust’ at Blaze Media summit

Monday 17 July 2023 22:08 , Oliver O'Connell

In-depth: Patriot Front planned to disrupt a Pride event in Idaho. One year later, members are on trial

Monday 17 July 2023 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

More than one year later after their arrest on 11 June, 2022 – a disruption that prevented possible violent chaos on the last day of Coeur d’Alene’s annual Pride in the Park – several members of Patriot Front will face trial on charges of conspiracy to riot.

Alex Woodward reports.

Patriot Front planned to disrupt Pride in Idaho. One year later, members are on trial

Watch: White House condemns RFK Jr’s racist comments

Monday 17 July 2023 21:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Yellen reportedly ate hallucinogenic mushrooms at restaurant during China visit

Monday 17 July 2023 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reportedly ate an order of potentially hallucinogenic mushrooms at a restaurant during a visit last week to Beijing.

Josh Marcus has the story.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reportedly ate magic mushrooms during China visit

Flynn and Bannon subpoenaed in Smartmatic lawsuit against Fox News and Newsmax

Monday 17 July 2023 21:19 , Oliver O'Connell

Per CNN:

Trump allies Michael Flynn and Steve Bannon have been subpoenaed by Smartmatic as part of the voting technology company’s massive defamation lawsuits against Fox News and Newsmax over their promotion of 2020 election lies.

Court filings made public last week in New York and Delaware indicate that Flynn and Bannon were hit with subpoenas, demanding that they sit for depositions and answer questions under oath. The depositions were initially scheduled for this week, though timing can change based on negotiations and other developments in the lawsuits.

Bannon is also required to turn over subpoenaed documents to Smartmatic, including any communications with top officials from Fox News, the Trump campaign and the Trump administration about the 2020 presidential election, according to court filings.

Don Jr says he wouldn’t have got away with having cocaine at White House

Monday 17 July 2023 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Former White House resident Donald Trump Jr has weighed in after the Secret Service closed its investigation into the discovery of cocaine in the building - suggesting he would not have “gotten away with that”.

The eldest son of former president Donald Trump made the comments at the Turning Point Action Conference on Sunday, when he assured the crowd that snorting cocaine was not his “thing”.

Read on...

Donald Trump Jr says he wouldn’t have gotten away with cocaine at White House

Watch: Megyn Kelly says ‘nonsense’ between her and Trump is ‘under the bridge'

Monday 17 July 2023 20:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump finally reveals how he thinks he could end Russia’s war on Ukraine

Monday 17 July 2023 20:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Months after claiming he could end Russia’s war on Ukraine in 24 hours, former president Donald Trump has finally offered an explanation for why he thinks it’d be so simple for him.

Mr Trump was asked for his specific plan to bring the war to an end in an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo over the weekend.

His asserted that it would boil down to his established relationships with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kelly Rissman reports.

Trump finally reveals how he thinks he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine in a day

GOP lawmakers says ‘fistfight’ possible between Boebert and Greene

Monday 17 July 2023 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The ongoing feud between Republican Reps Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert appears to be reaching new heights (or depths?) as a Republican lawmaker said the standoff between the two members of Congress could result in a fistfight.

Kelly Rissman has the details.

GOP lawmakers predict ‘fistfight’ between Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert

Governor Kim Reynolds to hold “fair-side chats” with 2024 GOP candidates at Iowa State Fair

Monday 17 July 2023 19:41 , Oliver O'Connell

White House claps back at Marjorie Taylor Greene

Monday 17 July 2023 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Although Georgia Republican Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene tried to criticize President Joe Biden by comparing his programs to those of Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson, the White House took it as a compliment.

“Caught us. President Biden is working to make life easier for hardworking families,” the official White House account tweeted.

Kelly Rissman has the story.

White House blasts Marjorie Taylor Greene’s criticism of efforts to aid US families

Exclusive: Senior ex-intelligence official says second Trump term could fatally destabilise US

Monday 17 July 2023 19:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The former number two official in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has offered a dire prediction about America’s future should Donald Trump or another like-minded Republican succeed in winning next year’s presidential election, according to a new book by a former Trump administration homeland security aide.

In Blowback, author Miles Taylor recounts an October 2020 conversation he had with Sue Gordon, a 25-year US intelligence community veteran who served as the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence from 2017 to 2019, shortly after news broke that the FBI had disrupted a plot by Michigan-based right-wing extremists to kidnap Wolverine State governor Gretchen Whitmer.

According to a copy of the book obtained by The Independent ahead of its Tuesday release, Taylor recalls how the news of the kidnapping plot prompted him to telephone Ms Gordon, who he says spent “decades” at the CIA monitoring foreign governments for signs of instability, and ask the former deputy DNI how America’s “democratic stability” would be impacted by a second term in the White House for Mr Trump or a “Maga successor”.

Andrew Feinberg spoke with Miles Taylor.

Senior ex-intelligence official says second Trump term could fatally destabilise US

Watch: Fox News host hits out at Trump for not wanting to debate other GOP candidates

Monday 17 July 2023 18:44 , Oliver O'Connell

Manchin fuels speculation around third-party 2024 run with No Labels event

Monday 17 July 2023 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Sen Joe Manchin is continuing to feed speculation about his political future by appearing at an event with No Labels as he weighs whether to make a third-party run for president.

The West Virginia Democrat will appear at the event on Monday night in New Hampshire, which holds one of the first presidential nominating contests and is a crucial swing state in the general election. No Labels, a centrist organisation, has pushed for a third-party candidate for president.

But some Democrats have feared that a No Labels-backed candidacy would siphon votes away from President Joe Biden and enable former president Donald Trump to win another term as president.

Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.

Joe Manchin fuels speculation around third-party 2024 run with No Labels event

Watch: Former Governor Jon Hunstman denies No Labels event is campaign

Monday 17 July 2023 18:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Iowa governor embraces role as a key player in GOP 2024 presidential race

Monday 17 July 2023 18:00 , Oliver O'Connell

When Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds seized the spotlight from a half dozen Republican presidential contenders on Friday by signing a restrictive abortion measure into law at an event meant to showcase the candidates, she embraced her front-and-center role in the 2024 presidential election.

The standing ovation she received from some 2,000 conservative Christians gathered in Des Moines only reinforced the influence she wields, not just in Iowa but increasingly on a national stage.

Read on...

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds embraces role as a key player in Republican presidential race

Watch: Trump confronted that he ‘didn’t drain the swamp'

Monday 17 July 2023 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

‘Stoned’ DeSantis canvasser’s lewd rant caught on doorbell camera

Monday 17 July 2023 17:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis’ campaign is facing a number of obstacles just months into the Florida governor’s efforts to make himself stand out among the crowded 2024 GOP field.

Over the last week, Mr DeSantis’ campaign has dismissed a number of staffers in an effort to trim costs just as a canvasser, working on behalf of a super PAC, has come under fire.

On Friday, a canvasser advocating for Mr DeSantis’ campaign through Never Back Down was captured on a Ring doorbell using vulgar language while claiming they were under the influence of drugs.

Read on...

Ron DeSantis campaign fires staff as Florida governor trails Trump in the polls

RNC chair asked if she has problem with party nominating convicted felon

Monday 17 July 2023 17:22 , Oliver O'Connell

Anchor Chris Wallace bluntly asked RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel if she’s comfortable with the Republican Party nominating a convicted felon on this week’s episode of the Max/CNN series Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace.

The veteran interviewer pushed the leading Republican on the prospect of Donald Trump winning the GOP 2024 primary at the same time as possibly being convicted of federal or state charges.

Ms McDaniel said it remained a hypothetical and quickly deflected to talking about Hillary Clinton and Hunter Biden.

Here’s the transcript of their exchange via Mediaite.

CHRIS WALLACE: Let me ask you a question. Do you have any problem with the Republican Party nominating somebody who’s under federal indictment?

RONNA MCDANIEL: I think the presumption of innocence stands. And I think there’s a lot of Republicans who are very troubled.

At the end of the day, Chris, though, it’s not up to me. It’s up to the voters. They’re going to make their decision. They’re going to hear this and they’re going to decide if this is an issue for them come November or come the primary process.

I’m not seeing this in the polling right now creating an issue.

CHRIS WALLACE: Do you have any problem with the Republican Party nominating a convicted felon?

RONNA MCDANIEL: That’s hypothetical. We’re not even close to that. So I don’t think we’re even there…

CHRIS WALLACE: Well, I understand that.

RONNA MCDANIEL: I get the, I understand this trap of, well, what if this happens? I think a lot of people are very concerned. Republicans especially, I hear this every day. Why is there one side of justice for Hillary Clinton, a different one from Donald Trump, different for Hunter Biden?

Republican campaign to stop a new FBI headquarters is revving up after Trump probes

Monday 17 July 2023 17:00 , Oliver O'Connell

When Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested recently he might stop the FBI from relocating its downtown headquarters to a new facility planned for the Washington suburbs, it was more than idle thinking about an office renovation.

The nod from the Republican speaker is elevating a once-fringe proposal to upend the FBI in the aftermath of the federal indictment of Donald Trump over classified documents and the Justice Department’s prosecution of his allies, including some of the nearly 1,000 people charged in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

Moving from far-right corners into the mainstream, the emerging effort to overhaul the nation’s premier law enforcement agency is rooted in increasingly forceful conservative complaints about an overly biased FBI that they claim is being weaponised against them.

GOP vs. FBI: A Republican campaign to stop a new FBI headquarters is revving up after Trump probes

Ohio’s Republican secretary of state launches his campaign for US Senate

Monday 17 July 2023 16:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Ohio‘s Republican secretary of state, Frank LaRose, launched a bid for the U.S. Senate on Monday, joining GOP efforts to try to unseat Democrat Sherrod Brown next year.

LaRose, 44, is in his second term as Ohio’s elections chief, one of the state’s highest-profile jobs. He managed to walk a delicate line between GOP factions divided by falsehoods sewn by former President Donald Trump over election integrity to score a convincing 59% of the statewide vote in his 2022 reelection bid.

He first took office in 2019, with just over 50% of the vote, and previously spent eight years as a state senator and did a turn as a US Army Green Beret.

Ohio's Republican secretary of state, Frank LaRose, launches his campaign for US Senate

Watch: Christie says Trump being indicted for conduct not on behalf of supporters

Monday 17 July 2023 16:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Ramaswamy lists Senators Cruz, Lee as possible Supreme Court picks if he were to win in 2024

Monday 17 July 2023 16:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Biotech entrepreneur and Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy on Monday released a list of 16 people he’d nominate to the U.S. Supreme Court or federal appellate courts if he becomes president, making him the first in the party’s field to itemize his possible top judicial appointments.

Ramaswamy’s list includes Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah as possible nominees for the nation’s top court, as well as elevating federal judges who struck down President Joe Biden‘s airplane mask mandate and the FDA’s two-decade-long approval of the abortion pill.

GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy lists Senators Cruz, Lee as possible Supreme Court picks

Watch: Marjorie Taylor Greene accidentally films ad for Biden reelection

Monday 17 July 2023 15:44 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump brands US a ‘third-world hellhole’ run by ‘perverts’ and ‘thugs’

Monday 17 July 2023 15:27 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump branded the US a “third-world hellhole” run by “perverts” and “thugs” in his latest 2024 campaign speech, a rambling, nearly two-hour long set of remarks to close out a right-wing conference in Florida.

The one-term president told the Turning Point Action Conference on 15 July that the American dream was “dead” under Joe Biden as he relentlessly mocked his successor and painted a bleak picture of a nation in decline.

“The election will decide whether your generation will inherit a fascist country or a free country,” Mr Trump told the right-wing activist conference.

Graeme Massie and Alex Woodward report.

Donald Trump brands US a ‘third -world hellhole’ run by ‘perverts’ and ‘thugs’

Trump praises the federal judge he appointed who is now overseeing the Mar-a-Lago case

Monday 17 July 2023 14:00 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump appointed US District Judge Aileen Cannon to the southern district in Florida in 2020.

Now, she is overseeing the federal case against him on charges of illegally retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property after leaving the White House.

His legal team has also pressed the judge to issue a continuance in the trial as he seeks to indefinitely delay the case. The filing is awaiting a decision from Judge Cannon.

Asked on Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News whether he believes the judge will grant the motion, the former president said he didn’t know.

“I know it’s a very highly respected judge. A very smart judge, and a very strong judge,” he said.

“I’m very proud to have appointed her,” he added. “But she’s very smart and very strong, and loves our country. We need judges that love our country so they do the right thing.”

Asa Hutchinson met with jeers at Turning Point

Monday 17 July 2023 13:30 , Alex Woodward

Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2024, was met with boos and “Trump” chants at the Turning Point Action Conference in Florida, where the crowd has effectively coronated the former president in his run for the White House.

The ex-president’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr later said on the stage that at least Mr Hutchsinson “had the b****” to show up to the conference, unlike the “absentee” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is not appearing at the event.

Notably, Trump did not attend a Tucker Carlson-led evengelical summit on Friday, where the former Fox News pundit grilled the other candidates. Carlson later appeared at the Turning Point event, where there is unanimous support for the former president.

Unsurprisingly, Trump dominates Turning Point Action’s straw poll

Monday 17 July 2023 13:00 , Alex Woodward

With the exception of the candidates running against him (except for Vivek Ramaswamy, a Trump booster who said he is not running “against” anyone), speaker after speaker at the Turning Point Action conference pledged their loyalty to Donald Trump.

The results of a straw poll are no surprise, then, with the former presdent getting 85.7 per cent of attendees’ votes.

Ron DeSantis, considered his main rival for the 2024 nomination, received 4.3 per cent.

The top picks for Mr Trump’s running mate include failed candidate for Arizona governor Kari Lake (30.8 per cent), US Rep Byron Donalds (24 per cent), and Mr Ramaswamy (22 per cent).

Trump suggests he won’t participate in first GOP debate: ‘It’s actually not fair’

Monday 17 July 2023 12:30 , Alex Woodward

Trump has suggested he will not participate in the first debate among candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, telling Fox News host Maria Bartiromo that it’s “not fair” for candidates who are polling well to be asked questions alongside lower-polling candidates.

He added: “Why would you be doing a debate? It’s actually not fair. Why would you let someone that’s [polling] at zero, or one, or two, or three, you know, be popping you with questions.”

Trump suggests he won’t participate in first GOP debate

Trump knows he lost 2020 election but ‘ego’ won’t let him admit it, Chris Christie says

Monday 17 July 2023 12:00 , Alex Woodward

Trump knew he was losing the 2020 presidential election while asserting a baseless narrative that the results were rigged against him, according to former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Mr Christie, who is running against Mr Trump for the Republican nomination for president in 2024, told ABC News host George Stephanopouls on 16 July that Mr Trump told him “directly” that he had lost in 2020.

His comments follow reports that federal prosecutors investigating the former president’s attempts to upend the results of a democratic election have questioned several witnesses in recent weeks to determine whether he privately acknowledged losing the election he continues to publicly insist otherwise.

Trump knows he lost 2020 but ‘ego’ won’t let him admit it, Chris Christie says

Far-right pundits and lawmakers evangelise and crown Trump and Tucker at Turning Point’s Florida conference

Monday 17 July 2023 11:30 , Alex Woodward

On the stage of an influential activist group’s two-day conference, far-right conspiracy theorists, Republican presidential candidates and members of Congress veered into Christian nationalist evangelising, QAnon-adjacent conspiracy mongering and a bleak picture of an America in rapid decline under Democratic leadership.

The guest speakers at Turning Point USA’s inaugural Turning Point Action Conference in Florida repeatedly denied the existence of transgender people, claimed that support for Ukraine is built on a lie, and characterised President Joe Biden as both a frail and incapable stooge and the most corrupt politician of all time.

And they professed their loyalty to both Donald Trump, who delivered rambling remarks in primetime on 15 July, and to Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News pundit celebrated by Turning Point guests as the key figure who can articulate their long list of grievances.

More from this weekend’s conference:

Far-right pundits and lawmakers crown Trump and Tucker at Turning Point conference

After starring in a Fox News conspiracy, Ray Epps is now suing the network

Monday 17 July 2023 10:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Ray Epps says his life was ruined by a conspiracy theory amplified on Fox News. He’s now suing the network for defamation

Alex Woodward has more:

He was a loyal Fox viewer before he starred in a conspiracy theory. Now he’s suing

Trump considers Republican 2024 rivals as potential running mates

Monday 17 July 2023 10:26 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump is considering his Republican 2024 rivals as potential running mates should he win the GOP nomination.

The former president told Fox News on Sunday that his running mate could “possibly” be among those in the 2024 field saying there are “some very talented people” in the race.

“You have some good people on the stage actually. I think you have some very talented people. I’ve been impressed by some of them. Some of them I’m very friendly with, actually,” he said, adding: “I think you have good potential Cabinet members, too.”

He said that Vivek Ramaswamy has “done a very good job” and Senator Tim Scott is a “very good guy” but stopped short of saying who he would pick if the time came.

Donald Trump brands US a ‘third-world hellhole’ run by ‘perverts’ and ‘thugs’ in grim, rambling Turning Point speech

Monday 17 July 2023 10:00 , Alex Woodward

In his nearly two-hour-long headlining remarks to the Turning Point Action Conference on 15 July, Trump said that the American dream was “dead” under Joe Biden as he relentlessly mocked his predecessor and painted a bleak picture of a nation in decline.

Donald Trump brands US a ‘third -world hellhole’ run by ‘perverts’ and ‘thugs’

Biden 2024 campaign raised twice as much as Trump 2Q 2023

Monday 17 July 2023 09:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The $72m brought in by the president’s re-election campaign is more than double the $35m raised by former president Donald Trump’s campaign during the full 90-day period running from 1 April to 30 June, and more than triple the $25m which Mr Trump’s closest primary rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, raised during the second quarter.

Andrew Feinberg has the details.

Biden campaign raised twice as much as Trump in 2nd quarter of 2023

Why Casey DeSantis matters to the 2024 race

Monday 17 July 2023 08:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Kelly Rissman writes:

Casey DeSantis has quickly become the face of Gov Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign. The Florida first lady has been credited for everything from her fashion sense, local celebrity, and ability to baby proof the governor’s mansion, to serving as a humanizing contrast to her husband.

But is her rising profile enough to turn her husband’s campaign around? Some have criticized her up to her eyebrows — literally — while others think she is a vital asset to the DeSantis campaign.

Read on...

‘Walmart Melania’, ‘America’s Karen’: Why Casey DeSantis matters to the 2024 race

Order limiting Biden administration contact with social media companies paused by court

Monday 17 July 2023 06:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A federal appeals court Friday temporarily paused a lower court’s order limiting executive branch officials’ communications with social media companies about controversial online posts.

Biden administration lawyers had asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to stay the preliminary injunction issued on July 4 by U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty. Doughty himself had rejected a request to put his order on hold pending appeal.

Friday’s brief 5th Circuit order put Doughty’s order on hold “until further orders of the court.” It called for arguments in the case to be scheduled on an expedited basis.

Read on...

Appeals court pauses order limiting Biden administration contact with social media companies

Tucker Carlson and Pence clash over Ukraine

Monday 17 July 2023 04:45 , Alex Woodward

Tucker Carlson on Friday appeared to lose his patience with Mike Pence after the 2024 presidential candidate refused to back down from his support for arming Ukraine’s defence forces.

Andrew Feinberg has more:

Tucker Carlson and Mike Pence clash in heated exchange over Ukraine at GOP 2024 forum

They spent roughly half of their discussion sparring over Mr Pence’s view of the nearly 18-month-old war, which the ex-vice president described in stark terms based on his two visits to the region.

When he addressed the Turning Point conference on Saturday night, Carlson continued his attacks on the former president and boosted a narrative of Ukraine that has shaped an element of the Republican Party and its base while earning accolades from Russian state media.

“If you’re a Christian leader and Christians are going to jail for their views, you are required to say something,” said Carlson, reviving a misleading narrative that accuses Ukraine’s Jewish leader Volodymyr Zelensky of persecuting Christian priests. “And if you don’t, you’re not much of a Christian leader.”

“How thankful are we for Tucker Carlson revealing true snakes … who do not have our best interests in mind,” said right-wing commentator Benny Johnson, between cackling over viral clips of President Biden and “boos” directed at Mr Pence.

Tim Scott agrees with Tucker Carlson’s dismissal of Russia threat

Monday 17 July 2023 02:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Republican Senator Tim Scott or South Carolina appeared to agree with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s assertion that Mexico poses a bigger threat to the US than Russia in a chummy 2024 campaign trail forum.

Eric Garcia has more:

Tim Scott agrees with Tucker Carlson comments dismissing threat posed by Russia

Ex-Secret Service agent ‘not surprised’ by White House cocaine find

Monday 17 July 2023 00:45 , Oliver O’Connell

A day after the Secret Service reached an end to its investigation into the presence of cocaine in the White House, former Secret Service agent Evy Poumpouras said she wasn’t shocked that the drug was able to get in.

Kelly Rissman reports:

Ex-Secret Service agent says she’s ‘not surprised’ by White House cocaine scandal

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