List of All Articles with Tag 'americas'

Nikki Haley is once again pressing Washington’s greying political establishment to step aside after a pair of concerning moments involving two of the Senate’s oldest members grabbed headlines in recent days. The former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador spoke to CBS’s Margaret Brennan in an interview that aired on Sunday; she is currently campaigning in early primary states as she seeks the GOP nomination for president. A central tenet of her campaign’s message since its onset has been a call for a new generation of leaders to take the helm in both parties. As such, Brennan asked her about the moment that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell froze and appeared unable to speak at a press conference on Wednesday, after which he was led away by a colleauge. It was later revealed that the Senate GOP leader had suffered an undisclosed fall earlier in July while still recovering from a concussion suffered in the spring. “I think Mitch McConnell did an amazing job when it comes to our judiciary. When we look at the judges, when we look at the Supreme Court, he's been a great leader. But I do think that this is one – you know, we've got to stop electing people because they look good in the picture or they hold a baby well,” she told CBS News. “We've got to stop electing people because we like them and they've been there a long time. That's actually the problem. You need to have term limits, because we need new ideas, new solutions. We've got to have a new generation.” Ms Haley added when pressed by Brennan on whether she had confidence in Mr McConnell remaining leader of the Senate Republican caucus: “What I am saying about Mitch McConnell, Dianne Feinstein, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, all of them: know when to walk away, know when to walk away. We have huge issues that need new solutions. We need new generational leaders. We appreciate your service. We appreciate what you've done. But this is why we will fight for term limits. We've got to get it done in America.” Her remark naming Senator Feinstein was an apparent reference to another moment that drew the attention of reporers this past week when the senior senator from California appeared confused during a committee hearing and launched into a speech calling for a vote which was already in progress. And persistent concerns about Joe Biden’s age have followed him doggedly throughout his first term. The 80-year-old Mr Biden was already the oldest US president to be sworn into office in 2021, and is now facing some calls from progressives and others concerned about criticisms focused on his mental acuity to step aside and allow a younger politician to be the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer. Ms Pelosi’s inclusion on the list is only notable given that she is the sole named party leader to have already given up her leadership position, willingly, earlier this year. The 83-year-old California congresswoman handed over command of the Democratic caucus to Hakeem Jeffries at the beginning of the year while Republicans struggled to annoint their own leader in a chaotic speakership election. Ms Haley was less certain in her interview with CBS whether Donald Trump, 77, would be included in her call for ageing politicians to step aside. But she maintained that he should take a mental acuity test, as she argues all presidential contenders should. And she relented after pressing from Brennan that Mr Trump was “of course” not who she had in mind when she made her call for leaders with new ideas, age notwithstanding. “I just said we need a new generational leader,” she noted. “I mean, that goes ... for all of them. You can look across DC ... Of course, I'm talking about Trump. I've said that all throughout this campaign that it is time for us to have a new generation. We've lost – Republicans have lost the last seven out of eight popular votes for president. That's nothing to be proud of, we should want to win the majority of Americans, we've got to start going with a new generation so that we can do that. “ Read More Mitch McConnell vows to serve out full Senate term following questions over his health Sen Dianne Feinstein appears confused and is instructed to vote ‘aye’ by fellow senator at meeting Mitch McConnell leaves press conference abruptly after appearing unable to speak Joe Biden, America's oldest sitting president, needs young voters to win again. Will his age matter? Trump, amid legal perils, calls on GOP to rally around him as he threatens primary challenges Biden acknowledges Hunter’s daughter Navy in public for first time

Donald Trump returned to the roots of his first impeachment when he suggested that aid to Ukraine should be conditioned on congressional investigations of President Joe Biden. The former president called for Republicans in Congress to hold back on more support for Ukraine until the White House cooperates with their probes into the business dealings of Mr Biden and his son Hunter Biden. The Saturday night tirade at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania echoed the conduct that led to Mr Trump’s first of his two impeachments when he used military aid to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to open an investigation into then-candidate Biden in 2019. “Congress should refuse to authorize a single additional shipment of our depleted weapons stockpiles … to Ukraine until the FBI, DOJ and IRS hand over every scrap of evidence they have on the Biden Crime Family’s corrupt business dealings,” Mr Trump said on Saturday. Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s Super PAC Save America spent $40m on legal fees in the first six months of this year, according to The Washington Post. Read More Who's in, who's out: A look at which candidates have qualified for the 1st GOP presidential debate Trump, amid legal perils, calls on GOP to rally around him as he threatens primary challenges Trump rehearses defence over possible election lies charges at Pennsylvania rally Donald Trump’s $475m ‘Hitler’ defamation lawsuit against CNN thrown out by federal judge ‘Poetic’: Trump takes stage in Iowa to song about going to prison

Only four out of dozens of former Trump cabinet members say he should be re-elected in 2024. NBC News contacted 44 of those who served in then-President Donald Trump’s cabinet between 2017 and 2021. While many declined to comment or didn’t answer, only four have publicly endorsed Mr Trump for the office he once held. Several of them have been trying to remain as neutral as possible as the Republican primary plays out. There are those who oppose Mr Trump’s return to the presidency. Former Attorney General Bill Barr told NBC, “I have made clear that I strongly oppose Trump for the nomination and will not endorse Trump”. Mr Barr was asked how he would cast his vote if the 2024 general election ended up being a rematch between Mr Trump and President Joe Biden. “I’ll jump off that bridge when I get to it,” he said. The Trump campaign told NBC to contact three ex-cabinet members, one who has endorsed him and two who didn’t commit to doing so at this time. Speaking about Mr Trump’s cabinet, the director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, Barbara Perry, told NBC, “They’re not friends – they’re not hanging on forever”. “They’re going to skip out, or he’s going to push them out in some instances,” she added. Those supporting Mr Trump’s return to the White House are former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, his last Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former budget chief Russell Vought, and former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell. A spokesperson for Mr Meadows told NBC he “fully” supports Mr Trump. Mr Vought wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in May that Mr Trump “is the only person I trust to take a wrecking ball to the Deep State.” “I’ve seen his willingness up close and behind closed doors,” he added. “My friend and former boss is going to finish what he started.” One of Mr Trump’s chiefs of staff, Mick Mulvaney, told NBC that he is “working hard to make sure that someone else is the nominee”. “I think he’s the Republican who is most likely to lose in a general election, of all our leading candidates. If anyone can lose to Joe Biden, it would be him,” he added. Two former members of the Trump cabinet – ex-VP Mike Pence and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley – are running against Mr Trump in the Republican primary. Former Trump Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told NBC he supports Mr Pence. Mr Coats is a former GOP senator from Indiana, where Mr Pence served as a US representative and governor before becoming vice president. “I think he has all the qualities to be a great president,” Mr Coats said. “I know it’s a steep climb for him, but I think the steps he has taken now show the integrity of who he is and his qualifications.” Elaine Chao, Mr Trump’s Transportation Secretary, has criticised Mr Trump for his racially charged attacks against her. “When I was young, some people deliberately misspelled or mispronounced my name,” she has said. “Asian Americans have worked hard to change that experience for the next generation. He doesn’t seem to understand that, which says a whole lot more about him than it will ever say about Asian Americans.” Ms Chao is married to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell who didn’t respond when asked by NBC if she would support anyone in the presidential race. Mr Trump’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, told NBC: “Donald Trump is my friend and would make a fantastic president, and if I have an announcement to make about 2024, I’ll look forward to doing so in an appropriate way.” Trump Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, now a Montana Representative in the US House, told NBC: “I think the president is on a glide slope right now, but he’s got some hurdles.” “From an individual who worked for him, I know he’s tough. They’re throwing everything at him, and he’s got some significant hurdles ahead. I take the indictment seriously, I think everyone should. So he’s got some tough hurdles before him, but I tell you what, there’s only one Donald J Trump,” he added. Read More Trump returns to first impeachment roots by saying Ukraine aid should be linked to Biden probes Trump indictment – live: Trump road tests election lies defence at rally, as his CNN ‘Hitler’ lawsuit fails Joe Biden, America's oldest sitting president, needs young voters to win again. Will his age matter? Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against CNN over 'the Big Lie' dismissed in Florida Trump returns to impeachment by saying Ukraine aid should be linked to Biden probes Joe Biden, America's oldest sitting president, needs young voters to win again. Will his age matter?

Donald Trump returned to the roots of his first impeachment when he suggested that aid to Ukraine should be conditioned on congressional investigations of President Joe Biden. The former president called for Republicans in Congress to hold back on more support for Ukraine until the White House cooperates with their probes into the business dealings of Mr Biden and his son Hunter Biden. The Saturday night tirade at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania echoed the conduct that led to Mr Trump’s first of his two impeachments when he used military aid to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to open an investigation into then-candidate Biden in 2019. “Congress should refuse to authorize a single additional shipment of our depleted weapons stockpiles … to Ukraine until the FBI, DOJ and IRS hand over every scrap of evidence they have on the Biden Crime Family’s corrupt business dealings,” Mr Trump said on Saturday. He argued that all Republicans who don’t join the efforts should be challenged in their primaries – Mr Trump endorsed challengers in the 2022 midterms of the Republicans who voted for his impeachment after the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Republicans are probing Hunter Biden’s business interests in China and Ukraine during the Obama administration when Mr Biden served as vice president. Hunter Biden served on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company. The White House has argued that the GOP hasn’t presented any proof of wrongdoing by the president. Republicans in Congress have shared their frustration regarding the administration’s response to their requests for records. The Oversight Committee has got hold of thousands of pages of financial documents and they’ve also looked at Treasury Department bank activity reports and an internal report by the FBI, according to The Washington Post. Far-right conservatives in the party have been putting pressure on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to turn the investigations into an impeachment inquiry. The speaker indicated last week that he was open to doing so. A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Ammar Moussa, told The Post: “Just like when he was impeached, Trump is using aid to Ukraine to play politics, which only serves to benefit one person: Vladimir Putin. MAGA Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kevin McCarthy are echoing Trump’s baseless attacks, floating a political impeachment, and wasting taxpayer dollars instead of working with President Biden on actually delivering lower costs, more jobs, and safer communities for the American people.” Mr Trump spoke to Mr Zelensky in 2019 in what the ex-president has referred to as a “perfect” phone call. At the time, Mr Zelensky was requesting US missiles as his country was trying to resist what later became the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February of last year. “I would like you to do us a favour though,” Mr Trump responded on the call, before going on to ask that Mr Zelensky help him find DNC emails that he suggested, without evidence, were located on a server in Ukraine. Mr Trump also asked that Mr Zelensky discuss investigating Hunter Biden with his lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr. The phone call prompted a complaint by a whistleblower which later led to the impeachment inquiry. He was impeached in the House for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. He was acquitted in the Senate, where one Republican, Mitt Romney of Utah, voted with the Democrats. Read More Trump indictment – live: Trump road tests election lies defence at rally, as his CNN ‘Hitler’ lawsuit fails Joe Biden, America's oldest sitting president, needs young voters to win again. Will his age matter? Who's in, who's out: A look at which candidates have qualified for the 1st GOP presidential debate The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Former president Donald Trump floated his potential defence for the potential charges he faces for promoting lies about the election during a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania. The already-twice-impeached-twice-indicted former president now faces potential a potential third indictment for spreading lies about the 2020 presidential election. But speaking to the crowd in Pennsylvania, a state where he lost 43 lawsuits as he tried to dispute the 2020 presidential election results, Mr Trump pushed back on the potential accusations. “Why didn’t the corrupt Marxist prosecutors bring these radical and unjustified charges against me two and a half years ago,” Mr Trump asked the crowd. “They had two and a half years. Two and a half years. Nobody even knew they were looking at it. I don’t think they were.” Mr Trump said with no evidence that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office waited as long as it did to indict him in the middle of his 2024 presidential campaign. “Because it’s election interference,” he said. “These are crooked people.” Mr Trump repeated his continued lies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and questioned why the press did not call Pennsylvania for him in the 2016 or 2020 presidential election. “They just refused to call it because in my opinion, they were trying to cheat and they couldn't quite pull it off,” he told the crowd. So far, Mr Trump has been indicted by the district attorney for New York County’s office for charges related to hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and by Mr Smith’s office for his handling of documents related to national security. Mr Trump pled not guilty to all charges. Mr Trump also railed against Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, who is investigating Mr Trump’s attempts overturn the election results in the state. “So they have a DA there that doesn't do anything about crime,” he said. “All she does is focus on ‘let’s get Trump.’ We got to get him.” The former president said he was being treated unfairly and said that Democrats made far more inflammatory statements than he did in the past. Read More Trump’s election fraud claims were always bogus. Will his history of lies finally catch up to him? Trump indictment – live: Trump’s ‘Hitler’ lawsuit against CNN thrown out ahead of rally in Pennsylvania Trump’s $475m ‘Hitler’ defamation lawsuit against CNN thrown out by federal judge ‘Poetic’: Trump takes stage in Iowa to song about going to prison Ex-Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon joins push for third-party presidential bid as Democrats try to stop it

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday appeared to downplay not attending an economic summit in Johannesburg next month amid a controversy over an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court, saying he doesn't think his presence there is "more important than my presence here, in Russia.” Putin's remarks come more than a week after South African authorities said he will not attend the Aug. 22-24 gathering, which brings together a bloc of developing economies known as BRICS, because of the warrant, even though he was initially invited. The Kremlin said the Russian president will take part in the summit via video link, but didn't provide a reason for the decision and didn't say whether Putin had ever intended to attend in person. Asked about his reasons for not going, Putin told Russian journalists Saturday that he's “in contact with all colleagues," referring to the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa, which together with Russia constitute the BRICS bloc, and that he doesn't “think my presence at the BRICS summit is more important that my presence here, in Russia, right now." “That's it,” Putin said, adding he will take part via video link and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to the summit. Moscow has showcased the BRICS alliance as an alternative to the West’s global dominance, but this year’s meeting has proved awkward for Putin following the ICC’s move in March to indict him for war crimes relating to the abduction of children from Ukraine. South Africa is a signatory to the Rome treaty that formed the International Criminal Court and therefore has the obligation to arrest the Russian leader if he sets foot on South African territory. South Africa had given strong hints that it would not arrest Putin if he attended but had also been lobbying for him not to come to avoid the problem. Although Moscow dismissed the warrant, Putin has not traveled to a country that is a signatory to the ICC treaty since his indictment. Analysts have said that the public debate about whether the Russian leader would or would not travel to South Africa was in itself an unwelcome development for the Kremlin. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

Donald Trump’s $475m defamation lawsuit against CNN has been thrown out by a federal judge ahead of his rally in Pennsylvania. The former president made the assertion the news network’s description of his election fraud claims as the “big lie” connected him to Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, Reuters noted. US Judge Raag Singhal at the federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was nominated by Mr Trump in 2019. In a Friday night ruling, he said CNN’s statements were opinion and not fact, meaning that they cannot be the subject of a defamation claim. “CNN’s statements while repugnant, were not, as a matter of law, defamatory,” he wrote.Republican Presidential candidate Will Hurd was booed off the stage after he criticised former President Donald Trump at an Iowa Republican dinner. Meanwhile, Will Hurd, a former CIA officer and Texas representative, was the only candidate to go after Mr Trump at a GOP dinner on Friday. “Listen, I know the truth is hard. But if we elect Donald Trump we are willingly giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House,” he said. Read More Trump hit with more charges as Mar-a-Lago worker added to documents case Iran war plans, deleting security footage, a third defendant: Key takeaways from new Trump documents charges Carlos De Oliveira: Who is second Trump aide now charged in Mar-a-Lago secret documents case

Donald Trump’s $475m defamation lawsuit against CNN has been thrown out by a federal judge. The former president made the assertion that the news network’s description of his election fraud claims as the “big lie” connected him to Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, Reuters noted. US Judge Raag Singhal at the federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was nominated by Mr Trump in 2019. In a Friday night ruling, he said CNN’s statements were opinion and not fact, meaning that they cannot be the subject of a defamation claim. “CNN’s statements while repugnant, were not, as a matter of law, defamatory,” he wrote. A Trump spokesperson told Reuters: “We agree with the highly respected judge’s findings that CNN’s statements about President Trump are repugnant. CNN will be held responsible for their wrongful mistreatment of President Trump and his supporters.” The spokesperson didn’t indicate if Mr Trump intends to appeal the ruling. The lawsuit was filed in October of last year, citing five times that CNN published stories or broadcast comments calling Mr Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent the “big lie” – a phrase also linked to Nazi Germany’s propaganda. The legal filing argued that it was “a deliberate effort by CNN to propagate to its audience an association between the plaintiff and one of the most repugnant figures in modern history”. The judge wrote that the use of the phrase “big lie” isn’t sufficient to establish a connection. “No reasonable viewer could (or should) plausibly make that reference,” he wrote. Since the start of his first campaign in 2015, Mr Trump has repeatedly attacked the media, with CNN being one of his main targets. In the face of indictments on both the state and federal levels, Mr Trump remains the favourite to win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Read More Trump indictment – live: GOP candidate booed off stage for criticising Trump as ex-president slams DeSantis ‘Poetic’: Trump takes stage in Iowa to song about going to prison GOP White House hopeful Will Hurd booed off stage for saying Trump is running to stay out of prison ‘Poetic’: Trump takes stage in Iowa to song about going to prison Ex-Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon joins push for third-party presidential bid as Democrats try to stop it Trump’s ‘Hitler’ lawsuit against CNN thrown out ahead of rally in Pennsylvania - live

Victims of convicted sex offender and former Michigan State University sports doctor Larry Nassar have sued the college over allegations that officials made “secret decisions” against releasing documents in the case. The women and their relatives have accused MSU of holding secret votes that led to the university’s refusal to hand over more than 6,000 documents to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel‘s office. Ms Nessell led an investigation into what the school knew about the abuse perpetrated by Nassar, but the probe ended in 2021 because the university didn’t provide documents related to the scandal. The victims said they are not seeking money in the suit filed on Thursday. Instead, they said they want accountability from the university and its elected trustee board. “We contend that board members made a behind-closed-doors secret decision not to release the records in blatant violation of the Open Meetings Act,” Azzam Elder, an attorney representing the victims, said in a press release. “They followed that up with violations of the Freedom of Information Act when we requested emails that might show they discussed and made a closed-door decision on the matter in violation of law.” Nassar has admitted to molesting some of the US’s top gymnasts under the guise of medical treatment. The disgraced doctor was convicted in 2018 to 40 to 175 years in prison over ten counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and possession of child sexual abuse images. At the time the accusations against him emerged in 2016, Nassar had been employed by MSU for more than two decades, with some of the athletes who were molested alleging they reported the abuse since the 90s. MSU did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment. In the past, the university has cited attorney-client privilege as the reason they refused to release documents in the case. “This is about who knew what, when at the university,” victim Melissa Brown Hudecz told the Associated Press ahead of Thursday’s lawsuit filing. “We can’t heal as a community until we know that everyone who enabled a predator is accountable. By protecting the 6,000 secret documents and anyone named in them, the board is adding to survivors’ trauma with their lack of institutional accountability.” The lawsuit comes just days after Nassar was stabbed multiple times by another prisoner in a federal prison in Florida. The prisoner who stabbed Nassar said that he responded with violence following alleged comments made by Nassar that “he wanted to see girls play in the Wimbledon women’s tennis match,” according to the AP. Read More Formed to combat Olympic sex abuse, SafeSport center is struggling 6 years after opening Michigan urologist to stand trial on sexual assault charges connected to youth hockey physicals Woman left topless in prison cell accuses police of sexual assault as hours of footage ‘missing’

Donald Trump took the stage at the Iowa Republican Dinner to a song that started out with the lyrics, “One could end up going to prison, one just might be president”. The ironic moment came as the former president’s legal woes are mounting. Mr Trump has already been indicted twice. By the end of the summer, he may be the subject of as many as four criminal cases. The latest episode in his legal peril appeared to be taking shape on Thursday 27 July, when the ex-president’s legal team met with the prosecution team led by Special Counsel Jack Smith in a last-ditch attempt to convince Mr Smith and his team from seeking another indictment against Mr Trump for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden. That same day, the special counsel’s team hit Mr Trump with superseding charges in federal court in Florida. Officials accused the former president and an employee at his Mar-a-Lago club of attempting to destroy security camera footage once Mr Trump learned he was under subpoena in the investigation over his handling of classified documents. Earlier this month, Mr Trump said prosecutors notified him that he was also a target of Mr Smith’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the January 6 attack on the Capitol. The former president is understood to be facing the possibility of charges under three federal criminal statutes: Conspiracy to defraud the United States, deprivation of rights under colour of law, and witness tampering. Natalie Allison of Politico tweeted a video of the moment on Friday night. “As Trump took the stage in Iowa, this ironic line played: ‘One could end up going to prison, one just might be president.’ He had to walk out to Brooks & Dunn (like all candidates tonight) instead of his usual Lee Greenwood,” she wrote. Twitter users were quick to join in the mockery of the former president. MSNBC host Katie Phang simply wrote that it was “poetic”. “Omg. That line hits right when he gets on stage,” State Attorney for Palm Beach County Dave Aronberg wrote. GOP strategist Mike Murphy wrote: “Ha! Trump is finally understanding [that Iowa Governor Kim] Reynolds didn’t get her job because she just fell off a turnip truck…. #SharpOperator BTW, earlier she was at a big Tim Scott event. And treated with due respect.” “This is gold! Proving once again that #Republicans are so clueless they don’t even listen to lyrics before greeting their standard bearer with a song. Excuse me while I ROTFLMAO,” Ann Werner said. Read More Trump indictment – live: GOP candidate booed off stage for criticising Trump as ex-president slams DeSantis Ex-Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon joins push for third-party presidential bid as Democrats try to stop it A new challenger has emerged to Trump – and his extreme anti-woke message is working Ex-Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon joins push for third-party presidential bid as Democrats try to stop it GOP candidate booed off stage for criticising Trump as he slams DeSantis - live Election disinformation campaigns targeted voters of color in 2020. Experts expect 2024 to be worse

Most of the members taking part in the working group developing new standards for teaching African American history in Florida reportedly didn’t agree to the parts of the controversial measure which has drawn strong rebukes. Three members of the group have told NBC News that this includes the policy that middle school students should be taught that enslaved people developed “skills” that they were able to use for their “personal benefit”. The members, who chose to remain anonymous, told the network that most of the working group didn’t want the inclusion of language stating that high school students should be taught about violence carried out “by African Americans” during lessons about issues such as the race massacres in Ocoee and Tulsa. “Most of us did not want that language,” one of the members told NBC, noting that two out of the group’s 13 members pushed for the inclusion of those two items. The work group’s standards were unanimously approved by the Florida Board of Education on 19 July. They are now set to be instituted in teaching kindergarten through 12th grade. The standards have been slammed as propaganda and pushing a sanitized version of US history. Critics argue that the standards are attempting to conceal the horrors of slavery, such as rape, murder, and forced labour in an attempt to make it seem like an apprenticeship. “These extremist, so-called leaders should model what we know to be the correct and right approach if we really are invested in the well-being of our children,” Vice President Kamala Harris said last week. “They dare to push propaganda to our children. This is the United States of America. We’re not supposed to do that.” The members of the working group who spoke to NBC News told the network that only two members wanted the inclusion of the controversial language. Those members, William Allen and Frances Presley Rice, said in a joint statement last week that the new standards set guidance for “comprehensive and rigorous instruction on African American history”. “The intent of this particular benchmark clarification is to show that some slaves developed highly specialized trades from which they benefitted,” they said. “This is factual and well documented.” The members said that Dr Allen pushed for including that slaves benefitted from the skills that they learned and that Dr Presley Rice argued for the inclusion of “violence perpetrated against and by African Americans”. “People were very vocal,” one group member said, questioning “how there could be a benefit to slavery”. “However, Dr Allen is focusing on the few slaves who actually did learn something and keeps alluding to Frederick Douglass,” one work group member told NBC. “What he is saying is not accurate for most of the slaves.” The three group members said separately that Dr Allen is “persuasive” and “knowledgeable” and that the working group ended up deferring to him. Two of the members said the issue was tabled to be discussed at a later time and didn’t remember that it ever came up for a vote. One member said the language was “problematic” and that the group “could have done a better job” if given more time. Dr Presley Rice told NBC: “I recommend highly that you get in touch with the communications department at the Department of Education, and all your questions will be answered.” The Independent has reached out to the department for comment. The changes were put in place to satisfy a new law signed by Florida Governor and Republican Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, who has distanced himself from the process of creating the new standards even as he defended them. “You should talk to them about it,” he said about the group last week. “I didn’t do it. I wasn’t involved in it.” “What they’re doing is, they’re probably going to show some of the folks that eventually parlayed, you know, being a blacksmith into doing things later in life.” “Any attempt to reduce slaves to just victims of oppression fails to recognize their strength, courage and resiliency during a difficult time in American history,” Dr Allen and Dr Presely Rice said in their statement. “Florida students deserve to learn how slaves took advantage of whatever circumstances they were in to benefit themselves and the community of African descendants,” they added. Dr Presley Rice wrote on 22 July on Facebook that “It saddens me to observe how falsehoods are being perpetuated now by some people with questionable intent, using cherry-picked language, taken out of context, to undermine the fact-based Academic Standards crafted by the Workgroup I was a part of, due to my decades-long quest to have the full, unvarnished history told about African Americans”. Dr Allen previously told NBC that the group “deliberated between February and the end of April to review the curriculum standards and to propose new benchmarks and standards”. “I think we may have had, over the course of the period from February to April, three or four meetings,” he added. Mr DeSantis said last week that the new curriculum “is rooted in whatever is factual”. “They listed everything out,” he added. “And if you have any questions about it, just ask the Department of Education. You can talk about those folks but I mean, these were scholars who put that together. It was not anything that was done politically.” The president of the Florida Education Association, Andrew Spar, told NBC last week that “Right now we are working to bring people together to get these standards changed or overturned”. “We are concerned about the conflict that teachers have — we are required to be honest and ethical in our dealings and we are required to teach the standards. What do we do if the standards are not honest and ethical?” he asked. Read More Historically Black fraternity drops Florida for convention because of DeSantis policies DeSantis car crash revealed misuse of government vehicles for 2024 campaign, report claims Water is refreshing in the heat, right? In parts of Florida this past week, not so much CLIMATE GLIMPSE: Here's what you need to see and know today Historically Black fraternity drops Florida for convention because of DeSantis policies Seven in 10 US adults believe in angels, new poll shows

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday pushed back against Australian demands for an end to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s prosecution, saying the Australian citizen was accused of “very serious criminal conduct” in publishing a trove of classified documents more than a decade ago. Australia’s centre-left Labor Party government has been arguing since winning the elections last year that the United States should end its pursuit of the 52-year-old, who has spent four years in a British prison fighting extradition to the United States. Mr Assange’s freedom is widely seen as a test of Australia’s leverage with President Joe Biden’s administration. Mr Blinken confirmed on Saturday that Mr Assange had been discussed in annual talks with Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Brisbane, Australia. “I understand the concerns and views of Australians. I think it’s very important that our friends here understand our concerns about this matter,” Mr Blinken told reporters. “Mr Assange was charged with very serious criminal conduct in the United States in connection with his alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of our country,” he added. Ms Wong said Mr Assange’s prosecution had “dragged for too long” and that Australia wanted the charges “brought to a conclusion.” Australia remains ambiguous about whether the United States should drop the prosecution or strike a plea bargain. Mr Assange faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of hundreds of thousands of classified diplomatic and military documents in 2010. American prosecutors allege he helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk. Australia argues there is a “disconnect” between the US treatment of Mr Assange and Ms Manning. Then-US President Barack Obama commuted Ms Manning’s 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed her release in 2017. Read More Pope meets with wife and family of Julian Assange, who says pontiff 'concerned' by his suffering Julian Assange’s wife says ‘it is now or never’ at US extradition protest Australian prime minister says he is working effectively to free WikiLeaks founder