Trump rails against ‘TRASH’ Fox News poll ahead of Mar-a-Lago classified documents hearing: Live updates

The judge in former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case, Judge Aileen Cannon, declined private requests from federal judges that she step aside from the case after she was assigned to it last year.

The New York Times reports that two more experienced South Florida judges told her it would be best if she passed the case on, but Cannon chose to remain.

Her assignment prompted concerns regarding her limited trial experience and that she had previously intervened in the criminal investigation that led to Trump’s indictment in a way that appeared to favor him.

A series of hearings on motions to dismiss the case, including an attempt to invalidate the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith, will take place on Friday.

Meanwhile, Trump has fallen two points behind Joe Biden in the latest Fox News national presidential election poll, the first time the president has led the survey since October.

A furious Trump has lashed out at the conservative network on Truth Social, calling the poll “TRASH” and complaining that “nobody can ever trust Fox News”, and telling the Murdoch family “all you need is Trump”.

Key Points

• Trump calls latest Fox News poll ‘TRASH'

• Trump falls behind Biden in latest Fox News poll as he insists ‘nobody can ever trust’ network

• Trump-appointed judge in classified documents proceedings declined requests to leave case

• Republican ‘backtracks’ on plan to stay in Chicago during RNC after Milwaukee furore

• Former president ‘still believed he had foreign policy powers after leaving White House’

• RFK Jr fails to qualify for CNN debate

Trump campaign reports having more cash than Biden’s

05:43 , Namita Singh

For the first time, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign reported having more cash in its main account than Joe Biden’s re-election campaign had in its account, financial disclosures showed on Thursday, as both sides built their war chests ahead of the presidential election.

Trump’s campaign had about $116 in them bank at the end of May, more than double what it had a month earlier, while Mr Biden’s campaign told the Federal Election Commission it had about $91m in the bank, just above what it had at the end of April.

The full financial picture for the two camps isn’t clear because while both campaigns had a Thursday deadline to report their finances to the federal regulator, several of their associated fundraising committees won’t report on recent activity until July.

Mr Biden’s campaign and his party had earlier released unofficial figures touting $212m in cash holdings, but did not detail which committees held that money.

The figures disclosed to the Federal Election Commission appear to represent a dramatic financial turnaround for the Trump campaign, which had lagged behind Biden earlier in the year. The two candidates are neck-and-neck in national public opinion polls, while Trump leads in several battleground states.

Trump to speak at Road to Majority conference on Saturday

04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump will be back in Washington, DC on Saturday to speak at the conservative Christian activist group Faith & Freedom Coalition’s 2024 Road to Majority Conference.

The former president is set to speak at the event at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, June 22 at 1.30pm — we’ll be covering it live.

“We are honored to welcome President Trump back to the largest gathering of conservative Christian activists in the nation,” said Ralph Reed, Founder and Chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition. “This will be his ninth appearance at the Road to Majority Policy Conference. I am confident President Trump will receive the enthusiastic response from our grassroots activists that he has earned for being such a solid champion for our shared values of faith and freedom.”

Post-presidency, Trump claimed he ‘needed to go upstairs to deal with Afghanistan’ author says

04:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The author of a new book about Donald Trump’s background in reality television has recounted a disturbing anecdote alleging that the former president still believed he had foreign policy powers long after he had left the White House.

That doesn’t sound good.

Joe Sommerlad has the story.

Trump ‘still believed he had foreign policy powers after leaving White House’

Trump calls latest Fox News poll ‘TRASH’

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump is far from done complaining about Fox News. Here’s what he just wrote on Truth Social:

The latest Fox News poll is TRASH! They used a biased, Democrat-leaning sample of voters, polling more Biden 2020 voters than Trump 2020 voters to skew the results in favor of Crooked Joe. I am leading BIG in virtually every other poll, including in all of the key battleground states, like Wisconsin, where I just held a massive rally, and Pennsylvania, where I will be on Saturday.

Also, the #1 issue in this Country is not protecting democracy. It is INFLATION and IMMIGRATION! If it is protecting democracy, Trump is your best choice, because Crooked Joe Biden is the greatest threat to democracy in history with his Open Border and weaponization of our justice system against his political opponent, ME! Fox News polls have never treated me, or MAGA, fairly! Don’t worry, we will WIN!!! Fox News should get rid of Paul Ryan, and get a new Pollster, but they won’t….

….Real Clear Politics just came out and has me leading by a lot, especially in the all important Swing States. My best numbers yet, despite the Biden “Weaponization of Justice.”

He’s not happy.

Roger Stone’s plan to help Trump challenge 2024 election results revealed by secret recording

03:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A secret recording has revealed the plan of Trump political consultant Roger Stone to help the former president challenge the 2024 election results.

Liberal journalist Lauren Windsor provided Rolling Stone magazine with a recording in which the self-described “dirty trickster” says Donald Trump and his allies are on an “offensive footing” and that they’re better prepared than they were during 2020.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Recording reveals Roger Stone’s plan to help Trump challenge 2024 election results

Fauci talks about his relationship with Trump on ‘The View’

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Dr Anthony Fauci told talked about his complicated relationship with Donald Trump during the Covid-19 pandemic in an appearance on The View this morning.

“We kind of had that New York — he calls it ‘swagger’ — with each other... That was really good in the beginning until he wished and hoped that the outbreak would disappear,” he said.

“We did have a good relationship, but he was really very upset about the fact that I had to get up and say, you know, no, it’s not going to disappear like magic, and, no, hydroxychloroquine doesn’t work no matter what Laura Ingraham is telling you.”

RFK Jr’s presidential campaign raised just $2.6m in May

02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Uh oh...

Robert F Kennedy Jr took in just $2.6 million for his presidential campaign in May, a very distinct difference from the two top players in the presidential race, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

The figure was released in a new Federal Election Commission filing on Wednesday, revealing that his campaign spent around $6.3m last month, with a lot of those funds sent through a limited liability company focusing on ballot access, CNN reported.

Eric Garcia and Amelia Neath report.

RFK Jr’s presidential campaign raised just $2.6m in May

RFK Jr fails to qualify for CNN presidential debate

01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Robert F Kennedy Jr has failed to qualify for the first presidential debate hosted by CNN next week.

The independent presidential candidate will not join President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on the stage in Atlanta on June 27.

Only Biden and Trump have met “the constitutional, ballot qualification and polling thresholds”, the network said in an article published on Thursday morning saying only the 45th and 46th presidents had met those targets.

Kennedy failed to meet CNN’s polling threshold of 15 per cent in at least four approved national polls, only hitting the mark in three ahead of the deadline of midnight Eastern time last night.

He also did not meet the requirement of being on the ballot in enough states to potentially win 270 electoral college votes. Kennedy is believed to be on the ballot in 10 states and attempts to get on the ballot in others are held up by the verification and application process.

Kennedy filed a Federal Election Commission complaint in May against CNN and the Biden and Trump campaigns complaining about how the debate was set up.

It is possible that he could still qualify for the September 10 debate hosted by ABC News.

A statement from RFK Jr reads: “Presidents Biden and Trump do not want me on the debate stage and CNN illegally agreed to their demand.”

“My exclusion by Presidents Biden and Trump from the debate is undemocratic, un-American, and cowardly. Americans want an independent leader who will break apart the two-party duopoly. They want a President who will heal the divide, restore the middle class, unwind the war machine, and end the chronic disease epidemic.”

Trump will get the final word at next week’s first presidential debate

01:15 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden won a coin toss ahead of next’s week presidential debate and chose where he will stand on the stage, instead of speaking last, when he squares off with Donald Trump.

That means Trump will now get the final word during closing statements at the first debate on CNN.

Biden and his campaign elected to stand on the right side of the stage instead of reserving a speaking slot. It’s unclear why the president viewed the speaking location as the most important decision.

Alex Woodward reports.

Trump will get the final word at first presidential debate

Trump could see an easy win in the polls after the first debate — but not because of Biden’s age

Friday 21 June 2024 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump may see a bump in the polls after the first debate because of a long-running trend: Incumbents tend to do worse in the first debate of the presidential election season.

Presidential debate historian Alan Schroeder explained to NBC News that a president’s life exists in a “protected bubble.” The first debate takes them outside of that bubble, where they’re forced to face off against a pumped up opponent who’s been itching for a showdown.

Read more from Gustaf Kilander:

Trump could see an easy win in the polls after the first debate

Lincoln Project rips Trump over his ‘hollow and baseless’ faith

Friday 21 June 2024 00:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project has released another scathing takedown of Donald Trump, this time centered on his faith, contrasting some of the Ten Commandments with a selection of his statements and recent scandals and comments including his hush money trial, alleged affair with Stormy Daniels, threat to shoot someone on Fifth Avenue, and civil fraud trial.

The ad states: “He’s not a Christian. He’s not a leader. He’s a con man. Don’t get conned.”

Watch below:

Trump ready to accept Republican nomination even if he’s in prison

Friday 21 June 2024 00:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump could be sentenced to prison just days before the Republican National Convention — but the RNC co-chair says that won’t stop him from accepting the party’s nomination.

Lara Trump, who is also Trump’s daughter-in-law, discussed the possibility that hush money trial judge Juan Merchan could jail the former president days before the GOP convention during an interview with Real America’s Voice host Terrance Bates.

Kelly Rissman has the story.

Lara Trump: Don’s ready to accept Republican nomination even if he’s in prison

Watch: Maggie Haberman explains how Trump is preparing for CNN debate

Friday 21 June 2024 00:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Biden allies raising $10m to challenge Trump social media machine

Thursday 20 June 2024 23:45 , Oliver O’Connell

US President Joe Biden's main re-election SuperPAC is raising millions of dollars to try to solve a problem vexing Democrats: how to compete with Donald Trump's social media machine as it spits out viral videos.

The previously unreported effort by the highly-secretive Future Forward USA Action underscores broad concerns among Democrats and Biden donors that he and his campaign are losing a viral-video war with the Republican Party, which relentlessly portrays him as too old and out of touch.

Democrats say they are playing catch-up in a battlefield with few rules or ways to police manipulated or misleading content before it reaches tens of millions of Americans on their smartphones.

The Palo-Alto-based SuperPAC, backed by tech giants like Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and LinkedIn founder Reed Hoffman, is raising at least $10 million to help better understand the algorithms that help Trump and his allies dominate vertical video platforms.

It also plans to collaborate with left-leaning influencers to help generate and disseminate new content, according to two sources familiar with the plans.

Many popular social media platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram have embraced short, vertical videos as their primary format. They've given birth to a network of "influencers" who use the platforms to reach millions of Americans with content on what they are eating, wearing and thinking.

Future Forward joined with Democratic groups Way to Win and Hub Project last month at an upscale hotel in Washington DC to host 140 influencers for a three-day event called "Trending Up," organizers say.

The current effort by Future Forward is focused on Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and TikTok, the sources said.

Reuters

‘Prove Mike wrong’: MyPillow founder Mike Lindell’s THIRD lawyer deserts him in $5m dispute

Thursday 20 June 2024 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

MyPillow founder Mike Lindell has lost yet another lawyer involved in a civil lawsuit he hopes will avoid him paying out $5m in award money he offered in an election fraud evidence competition.

Lindell, an avid Donald Trump supporter, launched the ‘Prove Mike Wrong’ challenge in 2021 and promised to pay the huge prize to anyone who could prove alleged evidence of 2020 election fraud false.

Computer forensics expert Robert Zeidman did just that, but Lindell refused to pay and tried to renege on his offer.

Amelia Neath explains what happened next.

MyPillow founder THIRD lawyer deserts him in $5m ‘prove Mike wrong’ dispute

Listen: New audio includes Trump admitting he lost 2020 election

Thursday 20 June 2024 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump campaign pushes back on Fox News poll with swing state numbers

Thursday 20 June 2024 22:32 , Oliver O'Connell

Roger Stone’s plan to help Trump challenge 2024 election results revealed in secret recording

Thursday 20 June 2024 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A secret recording has revealed the plan of Trump political consultant Roger Stone to help the former president challenge the 2024 election results.

Liberal journalist Lauren Windsor provided Rolling Stone magazine with a recording in which the self-described “dirty trickster” says Donald Trump and his allies are on an “offensive footing” and that they’re better prepared than they were during 2020.

Gustaf Kilander has the details.

Recording reveals Roger Stone’s plan to help Trump challenge 2024 election results

Trump seals policy flip on crypto with Winkelvoss donation

Thursday 20 June 2024 22:04 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s complete U-turn on TikTok and cryptocurrency is being rewarded with a $1m donation of bitcoin from Tyler Winkelvoss, founder of crypto trading platform Gemini with his twin brother Cameron.

In the opening paragraphs of a lengthy statement attacking the Biden administration over the regulation of cryptocurrency, Winkelvoss said: “I just donated $1 million in bitcoin (15.47 BTC) to @realDonaldTrump and will be voting for him in November. Here’s why:

“Over the past few years, the Biden Administration has openly declared war against crypto. It has weaponized multiple government agencies to bully, harass, and sue the good actors in our industry in an effort to destroy it. This Administration's actions have been nothing short of an unprecedented abuse of power wielded entirely for twisted political gain at the complete expense of innovation, the American taxpayer, and the American economy. There is nothing the Biden Administration can do or say at this point to pretend otherwise.”

Trump has previously made anti-cryptocurrency statements and threatened to ban TikTok.

You can read the full statement here:

Missouri Republican tells Black Americans to ‘kindly’ leave US if they don’t like country

Thursday 20 June 2024 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A Missouri Republican told Black Americans to “kindly” leave the US if they “don’t like” the country in a message posted before the Juneteenth national holiday celebrating the end of slavery.

Trump supporter Valentina Gomez has become well-known for her controversial and attention-grabbing stunts, such as when she told followers not to be “weak and gay” while running in a bulletproof vest.

On Tuesday, she called Juneteenth the “most [wretched]” of holidays as she argued against reparations for slavery.

Gustaf Kilander reports on her comments.

Missouri Republican tells Black Americans to ‘kindly’ leave US in Juneteenth message

George Santos launches OnlyFans account

Thursday 20 June 2024 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

At this point, why not?

Gustaf Kilander reports.

George Santos launches OnlyFans account to share ‘full behind the scenes access’

Trump to speak at Road to Majority conference on Saturday

Thursday 20 June 2024 21:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump will be back in Washington, DC on Saturday to speak at the conservative Christian activist group Faith & Freedom Coalition’s 2024 Road to Majority Conference.

The former president is set to speak at the event at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, June 22 at 1.30pm — we’ll be covering it live.

“We are honored to welcome President Trump back to the largest gathering of conservative Christian activists in the nation,” said Ralph Reed, Founder and Chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition. “This will be his ninth appearance at the Road to Majority Policy Conference. I am confident President Trump will receive the enthusiastic response from our grassroots activists that he has earned for being such a solid champion for our shared values of faith and freedom.”

ICYMI: Biden takes lead over Trump in latest Fox News poll

Thursday 20 June 2024 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has fallen behind Joe Biden in the latest election poll from Fox News.

The Republican candidate is two points behind President Biden in the latest national presidential election poll by Fox News, which is the first time Biden has taken the lead in a Fox poll since October.

Amelia Neath and Joe Sommerlad report on the latest survey.

Biden takes lead over Trump in latest Fox News poll

Trump team moves to have judge recused from civil fraud trial (four months post-verdict)

Thursday 20 June 2024 20:33 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s legal team has moved to have Judge Arthur Engoron recuse himself from the civil fraud case against the Trump Organization, four months after the trial resulted in a verdict against the former president and his co-defendants, including his two eldest sons.

Legal adviser Alina Habba posted on X: “The New York Code of Judicial Conduct exists to ensure that litigants are afforded a fair and impartial trial. Justice Engoron's communications with Attorney Adam Leitman Bailey regarding the merits of this case, however, directly violate that code and demonstrate that Judge Engoron cannot serve as a fair arbiter. It is clear that Judge Engoron should recuse himself immediately.”

Justice Engoron and Mr Bailey spoke in the courthouse before the judge delivered his verdict.

Bailey is a real estate litigator who had previously appeared before the court and subsequently publicly discussed the conversation he had with Judge Engoron and conveyed the impression he had influenced the proceedings, the Trump legal team argues.

You can read their motion for recusal here and the supporting documents are linked above.

Trump legal team files response to opposition of appeal to Fani Willis ruling

Thursday 20 June 2024 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s legal team has filed a response regarding the opposition of the state of Georgia’s opposition to their appeal of the Fani Willis disqualification ruling.

The Fulton County District Attorney was permitted to remain on the sprawling racketeering and election interference case against the former president and his alleged co-conspirators after an extensive and embarrassing hearing about her relationship with chief prosecutor Nathan Wade.

Wade subsequently resigned from the case but the defendants appealed, still wanting to remove Willis and thereby likely jeopardize the whole prosecution.

The filing with the State of Georgia’s Court of Appeals reads:

Without citation to any applicable authority, the State filed this “Hail Mary” motion to dismiss these meritorious appeals, accusing this Court of “improvidently” granting interlocutory review. There is no proper procedural vehicle for the State to relitigate this Court’s sound decision to hear the merits. The State’s attempt to do so conflicts with applicable statutes and this Court’s Rules.

In its desperate bid to avoid disqualification of a deeply conflicted District Attorney who has engaged in – and continues to unapologetically engage in – extrajudicial forensic misconduct, the State argues that the trial court’s factual findings were not clearly erroneous. According to the State, then, this Court is powerless to overturn the trial court’s order denying the dismissal of the case and the disqualification of District Attorney Willis and her office. Of course, as this Court well knows, that has never been, and is not now, the law.

Read the full filing here.

Fox News host says Trump’s gaffes and rambling speeches are him ‘having fun’

Thursday 20 June 2024 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Fox News anchor Brian Kilmeade has made the curious argument that when Donald Trump delivers bizarre, rambling speeches that include fictional serial killers, he’s merely “having fun” and not “losing it”.

OK.

Judging by his latest angry Truth Social rant about Fox News polling, he doesn’t sound like he’s having fun...

Watch Kilmeade’s remarks here:

Full story: Trump will get the final word at next week’s first presidential debate

Thursday 20 June 2024 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden won a coin toss ahead of next’s week presidential debate and chose where he will stand on the stage, instead of speaking last, when he squares off with Donald Trump.

That means Trump will now get the final word during closing statements at the first debate on CNN.

Biden and his campaign elected to stand on the right side of the stage instead of reserving a speaking slot. It’s unclear why the president viewed the speaking spot as the most important decision.

Alex Woodward has the full story.

Trump will get the final word at first presidential debate

Biden’s student loan forgiveness is a ‘vile’ publicity stunt according to Trump

Thursday 20 June 2024 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump slammed President Joe Biden’s plans to cancel student loan debt as “vile” and suggested that the program will be “rebuked” if he is elected.

He probably meant “revoked”, right?

Alex Woodward reports.

Trump calls Biden’s student loan forgiveness a ‘vile’ publicity stunt

Trump-appointed judge in classified documents proceedings declined requests to leave case

Thursday 20 June 2024 19:06 , Oliver O'Connell

The judge in former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case, Judge Aileen Cannon, declined private requests from two federal judges that she step aside from the case after she was assigned to it last year.

Two more experienced South Florida judges told her it would be best if she passed the case on, but Cannon chose to remain in charge of the proceedings, according to The New York Times.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Trump classified documents case judge Aileen Cannon was privately urged to pass it up

Trump claimed he ‘needed to go upstairs to deal with Afghanistan’ during post-presidency interview

Thursday 20 June 2024 18:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The author of a new book about Donald Trump’s background in reality television has recounted a disturbing anecdote alleging that the former president still believed he had foreign policy powers long after he had left the White House.

Joe Sommerlad has the bizarre details.

Trump ‘still believed he had foreign policy powers after leaving White House’

Trump attacks ‘Tonight Show’ host Jimmy Fallon

Thursday 20 June 2024 18:35 , Oliver O'Connell

...and slips in an attack on “counterparts” Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel too for good measure.

The former president writes:

Can anyone imagine being critiqued by ratings starved Jimmy Fallon, the bumbling/stumbling host(ess!) that single handidly reduced the Tonight Show to ashes. It all makes you realize how great Johnny Carson was! The good news is that his CBS & ABC “counterparts” are worse than him, if that’s even possible. They are all RATINGS DISASTERS!!!

Republicans want to see Trump’s face on the $500 bill

Thursday 20 June 2024 18:25 , Oliver O'Connell

...which hasn’t been in print for 79 years, which might be an obstacle.

Gustaf Kilander reports:

Republicans want to see Trump’s face on the $500 bill

Trump calls latest Fox News poll ‘TRASH'

Thursday 20 June 2024 18:08 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump is far from done complaining about Fox News. Here’s what he just wrote on Truth Social:

The latest Fox News poll is TRASH! They used a biased, Democrat-leaning sample of voters, polling more Biden 2020 voters than Trump 2020 voters to skew the results in favor of Crooked Joe. I am leading BIG in virtually every other poll, including in all of the key battleground states, like Wisconsin, where I just held a massive rally, and Pennsylvania, where I will be on Saturday.

Also, the #1 issue in this Country is not protecting democracy. It is INFLATION and IMMIGRATION! If it is protecting democracy, Trump is your best choice, because Crooked Joe Biden is the greatest threat to democracy in history with his Open Border and weaponization of our justice system against his political opponent, ME! Fox News polls have never treated me, or MAGA, fairly! Don't worry, we will WIN!!! Fox News should get rid of Paul Ryan, and get a new Pollster, but they won’t….

….Real Clear Politics just came out and has me leading by a lot, especially in the all important Swing States. My best numbers yet, despite the Biden “Weaponization of Justice.”

He’s not happy.

Fauci talks about his relationship with Trump on ‘The View'

Thursday 20 June 2024 18:03 , Oliver O'Connell

Dr Anthony Fauci told talked about his complicated relationship with Donald Trump during the Covid-19 pandemic in an appearance on The View this morning.

“We kind of had that New York — he calls it 'swagger' — with each other... That was really good in the beginning until he wished and hoped that the outbreak would disappear,” he said.

“We did have a good relationship, but he was really very upset about the fact that I had to get up and say, you know, no, it's not going to disappear like magic, and, no, hydroxychloroquine doesn't work no matter what Laura Ingraham is telling you.”

Trump says he was ‘always planning on staying’ in Milwaukee for RNC despite reports of Chicago hotel plans

Thursday 20 June 2024 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump says he was “always planning on staying” in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention despite reports he eyed a Chicago hotel 95 miles away.

In a local television interview, Trump said he never wavered on plans to stay in the RNC host city for the July event. He made his comments as he prepared to take the stage in Racine, Wisconsin, on Tuesday for his first visit to the state after he reportedly called Milwaukee a “horrible city.” On stage, Trump declared he “loves” Milwaukee, as reports began to emerge he planned to stay in Chicago during the convention.

Continue reading...

Trump backtracks on plan to stay in Chicago not Milwaukee during RNC, reports say

Trump to have final say at CNN debate

Thursday 20 June 2024 17:26 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump will get the final word at the CNN presidential debate next week following a coin flip to decide on podium placement and the order of closing statements, the host network reports.

Joe Biden won the coin toss — his team chose tails — and chose the right podium position, with the former president positioned on the left of the screen when the debate airs on June 27.

The Trump campaign then opted for the Republican candidate to deliver his closing statement last when the 90-minute debate concludes next Thursday.

Trump fumed at his criminal hush money trial when the prosecution had the final word during closing arguments, which is common practice in New York’s court system. He ranted on Truth Social: “WHY CAN’T THE DEFENSE GO LAST? BIG ADVANTAGE, VERY UNFAIR. WITCH HUNT.”

The debate is the first time an incumbent president and former president have faced off in a debate. Neither has debated since 2020 when they last ran for office as Biden faced no primary challenge, and Trump refused to debate his Republican rivals for the party’s nomination this year.

Watch: Fox Business tries to explain latest poll showing Biden ahead of Trump

Thursday 20 June 2024 17:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump once insisted US wouldn’t ‘be second in line’ to press nuclear button

Thursday 20 June 2024 16:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Today in... huh?

Then-Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello was stunned by what he heard then-President Donald Trump say in 2017 as they toured storm damage from Hurricane Maria, which killed thousands of people and inflicted major damage on the island’s infrastructure.

“If nuclear war happens, we won’t be second in line pressing the button,” Trump reportedly mused during a helicopter tour of the devastation.

Gustaf Kilander reports on the terrifying statement:

Trump once insisted US wouldn’t ‘be second in line’ to press nuclear button

Lincoln Project rips Trump over his ‘hollow and baseless’ faith

Thursday 20 June 2024 16:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project has released another scathing takedown of Donald Trump, this time centered on his faith, contrasting some of the Ten Commandments with a selection of his statements and recent scandals and comments including his hush money trial, alleged affair with Stormy Daniels, threat to shoot someone on Fifth Avenue, and civil fraud trial.

The ad states: “He’s not a Christian. He’s not a leader. He’s a con man. Don’t get conned.”

Watch below:

Watch: Maggie Haberman explains how Trump is preparing for CNN debate

Thursday 20 June 2024 16:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump weighs in on latest Fox News poll

Thursday 20 June 2024 15:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has weighed in on the latest Fox News poll showing President Joe Biden beating him by two per cent nationally (thought within the margin of error).

“FoxNews Polls are always the worst for me. They have been from the beginning, and always will be!” the former president wrote on Truth Social.

Biden is up five points since March and Trump is down two points.

No Supreme Court decision today on Trump immunity or Jan 6 case

Thursday 20 June 2024 15:27 , Oliver O'Connell

The Supreme Court published four decisions this morning, though not the two cases relating to Donald Trump’s claims of presidential immunity nor those concerning whether January 6 rioters can be charged with obstruction of an official proceeding.

More decisions will be published tomorrow morning at 10am...

RFK Jr fails to qualify for CNN debate

Thursday 20 June 2024 15:12 , Oliver O'Connell

Robert F Kennedy Jr has failed to qualify for the first presidential debate hosted by CNN next week.

The independent presidential candidate will not join President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on the stage in Atlanta on June 27.

Only Biden and Trump have met “the constitutional, ballot qualification and polling thresholds”, the network said in an article published on Thursday morning saying only the 45th and 46th presidents had met those targets.

Kennedy failed to meet CNN’s polling threshold of 15 per cent in at least four approved national polls, only hitting the mark in three ahead of the deadline of midnight Eastern time last night.

He also did not meet the requirement of being on the ballot in enough states to potentially win 270 electoral college votes. Kennedy is believed to be on the ballot in 10 states and attempts to get on the ballot in others are held up by the verification and application process.

Kennedy filed a Federal Election Commission complaint in May against CNN and the Biden and Trump campaigns complaining about how the debate was set up.

It is possible that he could still qualify for the September 10 debate hosted by ABC News.

Recap: Biden takes lead over Trump in latest Fox News poll

Thursday 20 June 2024 15:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s more on our top story this morning from Amelia Neath.

Biden takes lead over Trump in latest Fox News poll

Hannity alleges Biden will rely on ‘caffeine pills’ during presidential debate

Thursday 20 June 2024 14:30 , Joe Sommerlad

This sort of groundless, pre-emptive smear does not exactly bespeak overwhelming confidence in Trump does it?

Also, I see self-awareness continues to be in short supply over there.

Tim Scott appears to think Alvin Bragg is a woman

Thursday 20 June 2024 14:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The South Carolina senator seems to be no longer regarded as a serious contender to be Trump’s veep, despite his tireless campaigning for the gig.

He was at it again on Sean Hannity’s Fox show last night, apparently assuming that Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the hush money indictment against Trump, is a woman.

What’s going on there? Is he thinking of New York attorney general Letitia James? Either way, no points for attention to detail.

He also baselessly claimed that urban crime would just magically go away if Trump was elected, speaking at a time when FBI data suggests it is way down anyway in the first quarter of this year.

They’re not sending their best people, are they?

Brutal supercut of Trump gaffes circulates

Thursday 20 June 2024 13:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s a compilation of Trump glitching, mixing up names and generally talking gibberish on the campaign trail as the 78-year-old continues to busily insist that it is Joe Biden who is in cognitive decline and he that routinely “aces” every psychological test going.

Republicans want to see Trump’s face on the $500 bill

Thursday 20 June 2024 13:00 , Joe Sommerlad

House Republicans are doing everything they can to get noticed by the former president, no matter how craven and desperate it makes them look.

Earlier this month, Florida boot-licker Greg Steube introduced legislation to change the name of parts of the oceans surrounding the continental United States after Trump.

Now, another GOP groveller says they want to see his mug on the $500 bill.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Republicans want to see Trump’s face on the $500 bill

Roger Stone plans to help Trump challenge 2024 election results

Thursday 20 June 2024 12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

A secret recording has revealed a plan by Trump political consultant Roger Stone to help the former president challenge the 2024 election results in the event that he loses again.

Liberal journalist Lauren Windsor provided Rolling Stone magazine with a recording in which the self-described “dirty trickster” says Trump and his allies are on an “offensive footing” and that they’re better prepared than they were during 2020.

“At least this time when they do it, you have a lawyer and a judge – his home phone number standing by – so you can stop it,” Stone says on the recording.

Gustaf Kilander has the full story.

Recording reveals Roger Stone’s plan to help Trump challenge 2024 election results

Lara Trump: Don’s ready to accept GOP nomination even from prison

Thursday 20 June 2024 12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Surely, surely, even the most rabid MAGA Republican can see this would not be a good look.

And yet here we are.

Here’s Kelly Rissman on the RNC co-chair’s latest comments, with her father-in-law set to be sentenced on July 11, four days before the party convention kicks off.

Lara Trump: Don’s ready to accept Republican nomination even if he’s in prison

Trump red-faced in Virginia as candidate fails to grab decisive win

Thursday 20 June 2024 11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The former president’s revenge tour hit a snag in Virginia on Tuesday night during the state’s primaries.

Trump had endorsed retired Navy SEAL John McGuire, a GOP state senator, and challenger to incumbent Bob Good after he committed the irredeemable sin of backing Florida governor Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential primaries.

Both Virginians had jostled for Trump’s approval and, in a scene worthy of sitcom, showed up to Trump’s hush money trial on the same day in New York last month in an attempt to gain it.

Right now, things aren’t looking great for the MAGA candidate, with the race still too close to call.

Here’s the latest from Eric Garcia.

Trump left red-faced in Virginia after MAGA candidate fails to grab decisive win

Trump ‘still believed he had foreign policy powers after White House’

Thursday 20 June 2024 11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The author of a new book about Trump’s background in reality television has recounted a disturbing anecdote alleging that the former president still believed he had foreign policy powers long after he had left the White House.

Interviewed by Kaitlan Collins on CNN’s The Source on Tuesday evening, Ramin Setoodeh, the co-editor-in-chief of Variety, was asked to sum up the six interviews he conducted with the Republican at Trump Tower in New York while researching his book Apprentice in Wonderland in the aftermath of Trump’s accrimonious departure from Washington DC.

“He was very deflated, he was conflicted, he was angry about the way in which the press had treated him,” Setoodeh answered.

“He still believed that he won the election and he was happiest when he talked to me about hosting The Apprentice. It was the thing that brought him the most joy. We watched clips of the show together, we watched the theme song and he really lit up. We watched the firing of Omarosa [Manigault Newman].

“And then we would talk about what he did at the White House and he would become gloomy and resentful and unhappy and refer to Afghanistan and Joe Biden but he also seemed to think he still had some foreign policy powers and there was one day where he told me he needed to go upstairs to deal with Afghanistan.”

Here’s more.

Trump ‘still believed he had foreign policy powers after leaving White House’

Trump-endorsed Bible missing amendment abolishing slavery and other key inclusions

Thursday 20 June 2024 10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

A report from mid-May resurfaced yesterday on Juneteenth, the federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States, noting that the Trump-endorsed God Bless the USA Bible, which includes some of the foundational documents setting out America’s essential laws and rights, is missing some pretty key inclusions.

Trump’s Bible features the King James text, as well as the lyrics to Lee Greenwood’s 1984 patriotic anthem so beloved of the candidate and copies of the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Pledge of Allegiance.

However, MeidasTouch notes that all 17 of the constitutional amendments that come after the first ten making up the Bill of Rights are missing.

Awkwardly (or disturbingly), missing from the God Bless the USA Bible are the amendments abolishing slavery (“Party of Lincoln” anyone?) and granting women and Black Americans the right to vote.

Also conspicuous by their absence are the amendments setting up the Electoral College, limiting presidents to two terms and lowering the voting age to 18.

You can see the relevant pages in this review of the Bible (no idea why those pages are sticking together – and where was it printed?), which also reveals that there is plenty of space available that would have allowed for their inclusion, given that the Good Book ends with several blank note pages adorned only with a picture of the Statue of Liberty.

Curiouser and curiouser.

Trump ‘backtracks' on plan to stay in Chicago during RNC

Thursday 20 June 2024 10:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Speaking of the convention, Trump has been forced to insist he was “always planning on staying” in Milwaukee for the GOP gathering, despite reports alleging he was eyeing a Chicago hotel 95 miles away, his true feelings about the host city having come to light in the last week.

Ben Wikler, the chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, was on CNN last night, incidentally, and had plenty to say about the Republican in light of his gripes.

Here’s more on Trump’s accommodation plans from Oliver O’Connell.

Trump backtracks on plan to stay in Chicago not Milwaukee during RNC, reports say

Trump veep contender Burgum claims US is a dictatorship under Biden

Thursday 20 June 2024 09:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The battle to be the Republican’s running mate continues to heat up, with North Dakota governor Doug Burgum raising eyebrows on Wednesday by claiming that America is a “dictatorship” under Biden.

The meaning of words appears to no longer matter to these people.

Trump is expected to announce his deputy at next month’s Republican National Convention in “horrible” Milwaukee.

Trump falls behind Biden in latest Fox News poll as he insists ‘nobody can ever trust’ network

Thursday 20 June 2024 09:08 , Joe Sommerlad

The Republican challenger has fallen two points behind Joe Biden in the latest national presidential election poll from Fox News, the first time the president has been in the lead in that survey since last October.

Biden is on 50 per cent and Trump on 48 per cent in the head-to-head poll, a slim majority that nevertheless appears to suggest the Republican’s guilty conviction at his New York hush money trial last month is beginning to have an impact.

Trump wasted no time in lashing out at the conservative network on Truth Social, complaining that “nobody can ever trust Fox News” so long as former GOP House speaker Paul Ryan serves on its board of directors, calling the executive “lightweight”, “pathetic” and “a very disloyal person”.

Here’s Ryan recently attacking Trump on Fox, which will no doubt have annoyed him bigly.

Addressing the Murdochs directly, Trump wrote: “Rupert and Lachlan, get that dog off your board - You don’t need him. ALL YOU NEED IS TRUMP.”

Altogether now: “All you need is Trump, Trump... Trump is all you need…”

Biden’s student loan forgiveness a ‘vile’ publicity stunt, says Trump

Thursday 20 June 2024 08:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump slammed President Joe Biden’s plans to cancel student loan debt as “vile” and suggested that the program will be “rebuked” if he is elected.

The Biden administration has canceled loan balances for nearly 4.8 million people by relying on a mix of existing programs and new policies after the Supreme Court struck down his campaign trail promise for sweeping relief last year.

Alex Woodward has the details:

Trump calls Biden’s student loan forgiveness a ‘vile’ publicity stunt

Eugene Vindman, star of Trump’s first impeachment, wins Democratic House primary in Virginia

Thursday 20 June 2024 06:15 , Oliver O'Connell

John Bowden reports:

Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman has won the Democratic primary in Virginia’s seventh congressional district and will go on to represent his party in November as Democrats hope to keep the seat held by retiring Representative Abigail Spanberger.

Vindman, 49, is a native of Ukraine and moved with his family to the United States in 1979. He joined the Army, and it was his military service that led to him and his brother working with the White House National Security Council during the Trump administration in 2020.

Read on for a refresher on what happened next...

Star of Trump’s first impeachment, Eugene Vindman, wins House primary in Virginia

Country star Rosanne Cash says she’s ‘terrified’ about US election

Thursday 20 June 2024 04:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Aren’t we all?

“It’s just gotten worse and worse,” Cash says of Trumpism in modern America.

“It frightens me – I have little granddaughters. I’m terrified. My country doesn’t make any sense to me right now, I’m only hoping we can pull ourselves out.”

Here’s Roisin O’Connor’s interview with a legend.

Country star Rosanne Cash says she’s ‘terrified’ about US election

Jon Stewart takes aim at Republicans’ gun crime narrative

Thursday 20 June 2024 02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Jon Stewart used his Monday night slot on The Daily Show to take aim at conservative claims that gun crime is on the rise in American cities - when FBI statistics prove the exact opposite.

Responding to Republican presidential contender Donald Trump reportedly saying last week that Milwaukee was “horrible” a month before the GOP convention is set to take place there, Stewart launched into a savage broadside against cable news fear-mongering.

Joe Sommerlad reports:

Jon Stewart attacks Republicans’ gun crime narrative: ‘Only kind of true’

Juneteenth: Trump has history of insulting Black history and communities, says senior Democrat

Thursday 20 June 2024 01:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has been attacked over his record of insulting Black America and Black-majority cities by Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Harrison launched his broadside against the Republican presidential contender on Juneteenth, the federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States after the Civil War.

“Trump is a lot of things but he certainly isn’t subtle – all of the cities he denigrates have one important thing in common: they all have significant Black populations,” he said in a statement to The Daily Beast.

Joe Sommerlad has the story:

Trump has history of insulting Black history and communities, says senior Democrat

Thursday 20 June 2024 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump still believed he had foreign policy powers after leaving White House

Thursday 20 June 2024 00:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The author of a new book about Donald Trump’s background in reality television has recounted a disturbing anecdote alleging that the former president still believed he had foreign policy powers long after he had left the White House.

Interviewed by Kaitlan Collins on CNN’s The Source on Tuesday evening, Ramin Setoodeh, the co-editor-in-chief of Variety, was asked to sum up the six interviews he conducted with the Republican at Trump Tower in New York while researching his book Apprentice in Wonderland in the aftermath of Trump’s acrimonious departure from Washington DC.

Joe Sommerlad has the full story:

Trump ‘still believed he had foreign policy powers after leaving White House’

Republicans want to see Trump’s face on the $500 bill

Wednesday 19 June 2024 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

House Republicans are doing everything they can to get noticed by former President Donald Trump.

Earlier this month, Florida Representative Greg Steube introduced legislation to change the name of parts of the oceans surrounding the US after Trump. Now, another Republican wants to see Trump on the $500 bill.

Gustaf Kilander has the story:

Republicans want to see Trump’s face on the $500 bill

A quarter of voters admit their Biden-Trump choice could change

Wednesday 19 June 2024 23:20 , Oliver O'Connell

More than a quarter of American voters may still change their minds on who to back in November, a new poll shows.

Nine percent said in an NPR/Marist poll that they have yet to make up their minds and an additional 25 per cent said that while they have a “good idea” of who they will back, they could still change their mind.

Gustaf Kilander takes a closer look at the data.

A quarter of voters admit their Biden-Trump choice could change by November

Trump ready to accept GOP nomination even if he’s in prison says Lara Trump

Wednesday 19 June 2024 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump could be sentenced to prison just days before the Republican National Convention — but the RNC co-chair says that won’t stop him from accepting the party’s nomination.

Lara Trump, who is also Trump’s daughter-in-law, discussed the possibility that hush money trial judge Juan Merchan could jail the former president days before the GOP convention during an interview with Real America’s Voice host Terrance Bates.

Kelly Rissman reports:

Lara Trump: Don’s ready to accept Republican nomination even if he’s in prison

ICYMI: Trump’s gag order appeal is shot down by New York’s top court

Wednesday 19 June 2024 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

New York’s highest court has rejected Trump’s demand for a swift appeal of a court ruling that shot down his claims that a gag order in his hush money trial violates his First Amendment rights.

A decision from the New York Court of Appeals on Tuesday said that “no substantial constitutional question is directly involved” in his challenge to the gag order.

Alex Woodward reports.

Trump’s gag order appeal is shot down by New York’s top court

Trump said Joan Rivers voted for him in 2016. She died in 2014

Wednesday 19 June 2024 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump claimed that Joan Rivers voted for him in 2016, despite the comedian having died two years earlier.

The former US president and recently convicted felon was interviewed by Variety editor Ramin Setoodeh last November for a new book about his time hosting The Apprentice, Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass, which is set to be published on June 18.

In the book, Trump discusses Rivers, who won the second season of Celebrity Apprentice in 2009.

Kevin E G Perry has the story:

Donald Trump said Joan Rivers voted for him in 2016. She died in 2014

Veepstakes: Burgum claims US is under Biden dictatorship as his Trump surrogate blitz continues

Wednesday 19 June 2024 22:17 , Oliver O'Connell

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, one of the many Republicans vying to be Donald Trump’s running mate, has become one of his busiest surrogates.

Axios notes that Burgum has been sent to at least 10 different states by the Trump campaign to appear on behalf of the former president.

This week, he will be in Michigan and Wisconsin, and has already appeared at events in Florida, Nevada, Virginia, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Minnesota, Vermont, and North Carolina, and accompanied Trump to fundraisers across California.

Some of these states are big targets for the Trump campaign as blue states with the potential to flip red, or purple states that may need shoring up.

Other than crisscrossing the country on behalf of Trump, in an appearance today on Fox News, he even went as far as claiming that the US is currently a dictatorship under President Joe Biden.

Watch below:

Wednesday 19 June 2024 22:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump left red-faced in Virginia after MAGA candidate fails to grab decisive win

Wednesday 19 June 2024 21:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia reports:

Donald Trump’s revenge tour hit a snag in Virginia on Tuesday night during the state’s primaries.

The former president had endorsed retired Navy SEAL John McGuire, a GOP state senator, and challenger to incumbent Bob Good after he committed the irredeemable sin of backing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential primary.

Both Virginians had jostled for Trump’s approval and in a scene worthy of sitcom, showed up to Trump’s hush money trial on the same day in New York last month in an attempt to gain it.

As of Wednesday morning, things weren’t looking great for the MAGA candidate.

Continue reading...

Trump left red-faced in Virginia after MAGA candidate fails to grab decisive win

Trump’s last conversation with Fauci revealed in new memoir

Wednesday 19 June 2024 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Dr Anthony Fauci, who led the US response to Covid, has been on a media blitz in recent days to promote his new book, revealing some decidedly worrying details about Trump’s failure to understand the science behind the international crisis.

Here’s Gustaf Kilander with more.

Trump’s last conversation with Fauci revealed in new memoir: ‘That f****r Biden’

Watch: Fox News called out over ‘cheap fake’ clip of Biden

Wednesday 19 June 2024 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

“...because they are being presented with the truth.”

Yikes.

‘Bunch of BS': Trump reacts angrily to claims he was ‘meandering’ at meeting with CEOs

Wednesday 19 June 2024 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has rejected claims that he delivered a “meandering” address to a gathering of top CEOs in Washington DC last week, citing a more supportive account of his speech on Truth Social that quotes an attendee branding the criticism a “bunch of BS”.

The GOP presidential candidate spoke to the Business Roundtable event on Thursday, the same day he met with congressional Republicans in private on Capitol Hill to rally the troops ahead of November’s election.

Joe Sommerlad reports on what was said:

Trump reacts angrily to claims he was ‘meandering’ at CEO meeting: ‘Bunch of BS’

Roger Stone responds to secret recording

Wednesday 19 June 2024 20:56 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump ally Roger Stone has responded to the secret recording of a conversation by the journalist Lauren Windsor at Mar-a-Lago in which he talked about a plan to help Donald Trump challenge 2024 election results.

Needless to say, he’s not happy with Windsor or Rolling Stone in which her story was published.

Here’s what Stone had to say on X:

I don’t fear you in fact, I’m going to sue you. Both the recording of your video is illegal as is publishing it so you can get sued with your pals at the Rolling Stone and daily beast. See you in court.!

Good. Since publishing, the fruits of an illegal recording is also a crime they [Rolling Stone] can get sued too. No you do not have reasonable expectation of privacy.

And in another flourish in response to a reply about the legality of such recordings, he posted:

I will sue Lauren and appeal as many times as may be necessary. Get out your checkbook bitch.

Louisiana governor ‘can’t wait to be sued’ over posting Ten Commandments in classrooms

Wednesday 19 June 2024 20:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Prepare for this to start appearing in Trump speeches...

Louisiana’s Republican Governor Jeff Landry is looking for a legal fight after mandating the Ten Commandments in every classroom in the state.

“I’m going home to sign a bill that places the Ten Commandments in public classrooms,” he said during a recent GOP fundraiser in Tennessee. “I can’t wait to be sued.”

Alex Woodward has more:

Louisiana governor ‘can’t wait to be sued’ after forcing Ten Commandments in schools

Roger Stone’s plan to help Trump challenge 2024 election results revealed in secret recording

Wednesday 19 June 2024 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A secret recording has revealed the plan of Trump political consultant Roger Stone to help the former president challenge the 2024 election results.

Liberal journalist Lauren Windsor provided Rolling Stone magazine with a recording in which the self-described “dirty trickster” says Donald Trump and his allies are on an “offensive footing” and that they’re better prepared than they were during 2020.

“At least this time when they do it, you have a lawyer and a judge — his home phone number standing by — so you can stop it,” Stone says on the recording.

Gustaf Kilander has the full story:

Recording reveals Roger Stone’s plan to help Trump challenge 2024 election results

‘Trump seemed to think he still had some foreign policy powers’

Wednesday 19 June 2024 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Ramin Setoodeh – the author of a new book entitled Apprentice in Wonderland, for which he interviewed Trump on six occasions post-presidency – has already used his experiences to warn of the former president’s failing memory and offered this further frightening insight last night in conversation with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.

Trump says he was ‘always planning on staying’ in Milwaukee for RNC

Wednesday 19 June 2024 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump says he was “always planning on staying” in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention despite reports he eyed a Chicago hotel 95 miles away.

In a local television interview, Trump said he never wavered on plans to stay in the RNC host city for the July event. He made his comments as he prepared to take the stage in Racine, Wisconsin, on Tuesday for his first visit to the state after he reportedly called Milwaukee a “horrible city.” On stage, Trump declared he “loves” Milwaukee, as reports began to emerge he planned to stay in Chicago during the convention.

Continue reading...

Trump backtracks on plan to stay in Chicago not Milwaukee during RNC, reports say

Report: Informant tells House Ethics Committee Matt Gaetz paid her for sex

Wednesday 19 June 2024 19:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A witness has told the House Ethics Committee that Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz paid her for sex, a report alleges.

Investigators with the committee have conducted a number of interviews behind closed doors with women who were witnesses in the sex trafficking investigation conducted by the Department of Justice, according to ABC News.

The investigators have spoken to at least half a dozen women who are alleged to have attended parties also frequented by Gaetz.

Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, DC:

Matt Gaetz paid for sex, witness tells House Ethics Committee, report says

Trump endorsed Bible missing amendment abolishing slavery... and others

Wednesday 19 June 2024 18:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A report from mid-May has resurfaced on Juneteenth, the federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the US, noting that the Donald Trump-endorsed Bible which includes key historical political documents setting out laws and rights in the United States is missing some key parts.

The God Bless the USA Bible features the King James biblical text, the lyrics to Lee Greenwood’s 1984 patriotic anthem so-loved by Trump, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Pledge of Allegiance.

However, MeidasTouch notes that not included are any of the constitutional amendments after the first ten that make up the Bill of Rights — 17 of them.

Awkwardly (or disturbingly), missing from the text are the amendments abolishing slavery (Party of Lincoln, anyone?) and granting women and Black people the right to vote. Also missing are the amendments setting up the Electoral College, limiting presidents to two terms, and lowering the voting age to 18... 😒

You can see the relevant pages in this review of the Bible (no idea why those pages are sticking together, and where was it printed?) and there appears to be space available for the missing amendments given that it ends with several note pages adorned with a picture of the State of Liberty.

Curious.

CNN fact-checker spots 30 false claims in Trump’s Racine rally speech

Wednesday 19 June 2024 18:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Here’s Daniel Dale of CNN breaking down the many lies amid the bluster in conversation with Abby Phillip.

Here’s more on that from Greg Evans of Indy100.

30 false statements from Trump's Wisconsin rally debunked in 3 minutes

Trump tells Murdochs ‘All you need is Trump’ as he hits out at Fox News and Paul Ryan

Wednesday 19 June 2024 17:58 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has hit out at Fox News for continuing to have one-time Republican Speaker of the House and Trump nemesis Paul Ryan on its board.

The former president implored News Corp owners Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch: “Get that dog off your Board - You don’t need him. ALL YOU NEED IS TRUMP. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Here’s Trump’s full Truth Social post:

Nobody can ever trust Fox News, and I am one of them, with the weak and ineffective RINO, Paul Ryan, on its Board of Directors. He’s a total lightweight, a failed and pathetic Speaker of the House, and a very disloyal person. Romney was bad, but Paul Ryan made him look worse. As a team, they never had a chance. Rupert and Lachlan, get that dog off your Board - You don’t need him. ALL YOU NEED IS TRUMP. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

Most House reps who voted against Juneteenth holiday kept Trump’s support

Wednesday 19 June 2024 17:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Juneteenth has been a federal holiday in the US for three years now after legislation passed Congress in June 2021 before being signed into law by President Joe Biden.

While the bill was unanimously passed by the Senate, the same was not true in the House of Representatives where, although overwhelmingly supported by both Republicans and Democrats, 14 GOP representatives voted against the new holiday to mark the end of slavery after the American Civil War.

Who were they?

The Republicans who voted against it were Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, Doug LaMalfa of California, Tom McClintock of California, Mike Rogers of Alabama, Matt Rosendale of Montana, Ronny Jackson of Texas, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Chip Roy of Texas and Paul Gosar of Arizona.

MeidasTouch notes that of these 14, 12 were endorsed by Donald Trump after the historic vote in either the 2022 or 2024 election cycles.

Neither Chip Roy nor Mo Brooks were endorsed again by Trump as they didn’t support his false claims about the 2020 election results.

You can read more about the passing of the Juneteenth bill here:

House passes bill to create federal holiday for Juneteenth

Judge slams bankrupt Giuliani for not being able to keep an accountant

Wednesday 19 June 2024 17:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The judge in former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani’s bankruptcy case yesterday slammed his failure to comply with deadlines and his inability to keep bookkeepers on top of his messy financial records.

Kelly Rissman has this on Rudy’s latest disaster.

Judge slams bankrupt Giuliani for ‘troubling fact’ that he can’t keep an accountant

Biden’s student loan forgiveness a ‘vile’ publicity stunt, says Trump

Wednesday 19 June 2024 16:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump slammed President Joe Biden’s plans to cancel student loan debt as “vile” and suggested that the program will be “rebuked” if he is elected.

The Biden administration has canceled loan balances for nearly 4.8 million people by relying on a mix of existing programs and new policies after the Supreme Court struck down his campaign trail promise for sweeping relief last year.

Alex Woodward has the details:

Trump calls Biden’s student loan forgiveness a ‘vile’ publicity stunt

Eugene Vindman, star of Trump’s first impeachment, wins Democratic House primary in Virginia

Wednesday 19 June 2024 16:15 , Oliver O'Connell

John Bowden reports:

Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman has won the Democratic primary in Virginia’s seventh congressional district and will go on to represent his party in November as Democrats hope to keep the seat held by retiring Representative Abigail Spanberger.

Vindman, 49, is a native of Ukraine and moved with his family to the United States in 1979. He joined the Army, and it was his military service that led to him and his brother working with the White House National Security Council during the Trump administration in 2020.

Read on for a refresher on what happened next...

Star of Trump’s first impeachment, Eugene Vindman, wins House primary in Virginia

Watch: Romney says he didn’t attend Trump GOP meeting in support, sexual assault case crossed line

Wednesday 19 June 2024 15:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump campaign commemorates Juneteenth

Wednesday 19 June 2024 15:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has commemorated the Juneteenth federal holiday with a statement from Janiyah Thomas, Team Trump Black media director.

“All slaves are free!” This was the cry that rang out on June 19th, 1865. The principle of freedom has always been at the foundation of the Republican party. Today, we reflect on how far we have come as a nation and remember that light will always triumph over darkness. With President Trump’s leadership, our party will continue to advance the American dream for all people.

Biden and Harris celebrate Juneteenth national holiday

Wednesday 19 June 2024 15:27 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are celebrating the Juneteenth holiday marking the freedom of the last slaves following the American Civil War.

The president wrote: “Today, we honor the tireless work of abolitionists who made it their mission to deliver the promise of America for all Americans. Happy Juneteenth!”

Vice President Harris posted: “On Juneteenth, we join generations of loved ones to celebrate Black excellence, resilience and resistance, and to remember our nation's history in full.

“As we celebrate together, we are reminded of America's promise: freedom, liberty, and opportunity not for some but for all.”

Country star Rosanne Cash says she’s ‘terrified’ about US election

Wednesday 19 June 2024 15:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Aren’t we all?

“It’s just gotten worse and worse,” Cash says of Trumpism in modern America.

“It frightens me – I have little granddaughters. I’m terrified. My country doesn’t make any sense to me right now, I’m only hoping we can pull ourselves out.”

Here’s Roisin O’Connor’s interview with a legend.

Country star Rosanne Cash says she’s ‘terrified’ about US election

Juneteenth: Trump has history of insulting Black history and communities, says senior Democrat

Wednesday 19 June 2024 14:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has been attacked over his record of insulting Black America and Black-majority cities by Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Harrison launched his broadside against the Republican presidential contender on Juneteenth, the federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States after the Civil War.

“Trump is a lot of things but he certainly isn’t subtle – all of the cities he denigrates have one important thing in common: they all have significant Black populations,” he said in a statement to The Daily Beast.

Joe Sommerlad has the story:

Trump has history of insulting Black history and communities, says senior Democrat

Jon Stewart attacks Republicans’ gun crime narrative

Wednesday 19 June 2024 14:15 , Joe Sommerlad

The Daily Show host rebuked conservative media for scare-mongering over crime on Monday night at a time when the FBI statistics are pointing downwards and GOP lawmakers “fight every attempt to bring some kind of order” anyway.

Jon Stewart attacks Republicans’ gun crime narrative: ‘Only kind of true’

Melania’s marriage to Trump is just a ‘mirage’, former aide insists

Wednesday 19 June 2024 13:45 , Joe Sommerlad

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former senior adviser to Melania Trump, has claimed in a social media thread that the ex-first lady’s marriage is a facade.

Kelly Rissman takes a look at her evidence.

Former aide insists Melania’s marriage to Trump is just a ‘mirage’

Crypto scammers are going after Trump supporters

Wednesday 19 June 2024 13:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Scammers are going after Trump supporters after the former president announced last month that his campaign would take donations in cryptocurrency.

Cybercrime detection firm Netcraft found dozens of websites trying to trick the Republican’s supporters into handing over their crypto, Wired reported.

Netcraft found that scammers registered domains with common misspellings just before the announcement was made in order to entrap Trump loyalists intending to visit donaldjtrump.com.

For instance, donalbjtrump.com is an almost complete copy of the former president’s website.

The Trump campaign takes donations via the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase but a number of the scam sites seem to use exchanges intended to look like the blockchain and crypto payment processor Coingate.

Their hope is that people donate to the fake sites, believing they are giving money to the GOP candidate.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Crypto scammers are going after Trump supporters

A quarter of voters admit their Biden-Trump choice could change

Wednesday 19 June 2024 12:45 , Joe Sommerlad

More than a quarter of American voters may still change their minds on who to back in November, a new poll shows.

Nine percent said in an NPR/Marist poll that they have yet to make up their minds and an additional 25 per cent said that while they have a “good idea” of who they will back, they could still change their mind.

Gustaf Kilander takes a closer look at the data.

A quarter of voters admit their Biden-Trump choice could change by November

‘Trump seemed to think he still had some foreign policy powers’

Wednesday 19 June 2024 12:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Ramin Setoodeh – the author of a new book entitled Apprentice in Wonderland, for which he interviewed Trump on six occasions post-presidency – has already used his experiences to warn of the former president’s failing memory and offered this further frightening insight last night in conversation with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.

Here’s Kevin EG Perry on what Setoodeh had to say about Trump’s claims regarding the late Joan Rivers.

Donald Trump said Joan Rivers voted for him in 2016. She died in 2014

Trump’s last conversation with Fauci revealed in new memoir

Wednesday 19 June 2024 11:45 , Joe Sommerlad

Dr Anthony Fauci, who led the US response to Covid, has been on a media blitz in recent days to promote his new book, revealing some decidedly worrying details about Trump’s failure to understand the science behind the international crisis.

Here’s Gustaf Kilander with more.

Trump’s last conversation with Fauci revealed in new memoir: ‘That f****r Biden’