Western weapons, growing experience harden Ukrainian air defenses against renewed Russian onslaught
Ukraine's air defenses are making great strides in their effort to take down Russian missiles and drones
2023-05-11 15:23
Trump refuses to acknowledge he lost ‘rigged’ 2020 election at CNN town hall
Donald Trump refused to acknowledge that he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden at CNN’s controversial town hall event and called his defeat “rigged” and “sad.” The one-term president was immediately confronted by moderator Kaitlan Collins over his election lies and was asked to finally admit that he had been fairly and legally beaten by Mr Biden. “Unless you are a very stupid person you see what happens…most people understand what happened, it was a rigged election and it was a shame we had to go through it,” he told Collins. She then asked him to acknowledge that he lost the election, telling him that he and his supporters had lost more than 60 lawsuits across the country. Mr Trump then cited claims by “True the Vote”, a conservative vote monitoring organisation, and said that they had “found millions of votes on government cameras where they were stuffing ballot boxes, it is a sad thing for our country and for the world.” Collins told him that the false election claims had already been debunked by Republican election officials across the country. Mr Trump then claimed that “people were afraid to take on the issue” and that “we have elections that were horrible in this country”, citing Philadelphia, Detroit and Atlanta, all cities in swing states that went to Mr Biden. “There is no evidence of that,” she told him. The event, which has been criticised for giving Mr Trump’s election lies and baseless conspiracy theories live airtime, took place in front of an audience of 400 Republican and GOP-leaning independent voters in New Hampshire on Wednesday night. Later, when Mr Trump claimed the election was “rigged” while talking about the border wall, Collins told him, “The election was not rigged Mr President, you can’t keep saying that all night long.” Read More CNN Trump town hall — live: Trump refuses to admit 2020 loss and says he does not owe Mike Pence an apology Kaitlan Collins: CNN’s new star anchor who holds Trump’s future in her hands Republicans offer no evidence of crimes at press conference on alleged ‘Biden family corruption’ Republicans try to distract from the Trump and Santos debacle with a Biden nothingburger National Archives leader confirmed amid turmoil over Trump probe
2023-05-11 14:23
'F***ing savage': Joe Rogan hails 'super-nerd' Mark Zuckerberg as he wins gold and silver medals at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament
Mark Zuckerberg won gold and silver medals in the Nogi Master 1 and Gi Master 2 White Belt Feather Weight Divisions, respectively
2023-05-11 14:19
Trump uses CNN town hall to launch vicious attacks on E Jean Carroll
Donald Trump used his platform on CNN to lash out at E Jean Carroll just a day after a jury found that he had sexually abused and defamed the former journalist. Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her in a dressing room at a Bergdorf Goodman in New York in 1996, and then “destroying” her reputation when he claimed she was lying. The jury didn’t find Mr Trump liable of raping Ms Carroll, but it found the one-time president more likely than not sexually abused Ms Carroll. Mr Trump was also found liable for defamation and awarded her a total of $5m. The twice-impeached president mocked Ms Carroll at the CNN town hall that aired just a day after the verdict. The town hall has been severely criticised as divisive and even being “a volcano of bulls***” by commentators who accused the network of providing Mr Trump a platform for airing several dubious claims. He described her as a “whack job” and called the trial “rigged”. He was asked what he would tell voters who said the verdict disqualifies him from being president. “Well there aren’t too many of them because my poll numbers just came out – they went up,” Mr Trump said to the crowd which, according to CNN, was composed of Republicans and undecided voters. The former president also called Ms Carroll’s allegations a “made-up story”. “I swear on my children, which I never do, I have no idea who this woman – this is a fake story, a made-up story,” he said. Mocking her, he said he was too famous to hang around department stores. Ms Carroll had told the jury in her testimony that she and Mr Trump had engaged in playful banter after a chance encounter at Bergdorf Goodman one evening in the mid-1990s. But after taking an escalator up to a deserted 6th floor to look for lingerie, Mr Trump led her to a dressing room, pushed her up against a wall and sexually assaulted her. “I was very famous then and I owned the Plaza Hotel right next door and I owned the buildings around it – I’m not going into a dressing room of a crowded department store,” he said at the town hall. He also reiterated claims he did not know Ms Carroll at all, and called the trial “rigged.” “She wasn’t raped, OK? … And I didn’t do anything else either, OK, because I don’t know who the hell she is,” he said during the town hall, as the audience was heard laughing. Earlier on Tuesday after the verdict, Mr Trump had falsely claimed he “wasn’t able to defend” himself in the trial after he rejected an offer to testify. On Tuesday morning, the former president wrote on Truth Social that he was “waiting for a jury decision on a False Accusation where I, despite being a current political candidate and leading all others in both parties, am not allowed to speak or defend myself, even as hard nosed reporters scream questions about this case at me”. Read More Five key takeaways from CNN’s divisive town hall with Donald Trump E Jean Carroll reveals she was ‘shaken’ throughout Trump civil rape trial before ‘overwhelming’ verdict CNN’s anchors and insiders lead horrified reaction to Trump town hall: ‘We’re going to get crushed’ Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement
2023-05-11 14:00
Analysis: CNN faces harsh criticism after Trump unleashed a firehose of lies during its live town hall
It's hard to see how America was served by the spectacle of lies that aired on CNN Wednesday evening.
2023-05-11 13:52
Trump was untamed and untruthful in CNN's town hall -- and some of his fans love him even more
Former President Donald Trump offered America a throwback to past national angst and a possible future of even greater drama in a CNN town hall on Wednesday.
2023-05-11 13:49
'It’s a good variety': Ken Jennings 'thrilled' to share hosting duties with Mayim Bialik on 'Jeopardy!'
In a recent interview, Ken Jennings spilled the beans about his true feelings on sharing his hosting duties with 'Big Ban Theory' star Mayim Bialik
2023-05-11 12:54
China Bonds Rally as Bank Deposit-Rate Cuts Fuel Easing Bets
China’s government bonds extended a rally and bank shares advanced, after the nation asked commercial lenders to cap
2023-05-11 12:52
The moments from Trump's CNN town hall you don't want to miss
In a CNN town hall moderated by Kaitlin Collins, former President Donald Trump took questions from Republican and undeclared New Hampshire voters with his sights set on the 2024 GOP presidential primary.
2023-05-11 12:29
Colorado legislative session reinforces once-purple state's Democratic shift
Colorado’s chaotic legislative session this year underscores the once-purple state’s leftward shift
2023-05-11 12:27
CNN sparks fury with Trump’s ‘volcano of bulls***’ town hall where he repeats Big Lie and gives Putin a pass
Former president Donald Trump’s hour-long appearance at a CNN town hall ended with the indicted former president having repeatedly lied about the 2020 election, refused to say whether he wants Ukraine to successfully drive out Russian forces from its territory, and praising the rioters who attacked police officers and damaged the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection. Mr Trump, who lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden and whose supporters rioted Congress, was immediately pressed on the election he still claims to have won by moderator Kaitlan Collins during his first appearance on the network since 2016. “Unless you are a very stupid person you see what happens…most people understand what happened, it was a rigged election and it was a shame we had to go through it,” he said. The former president attempted to cite “True the Vote,” a conservative vote monitoring organisation, and claimed the group had “found millions of votes on government cameras where they were stuffing ballot boxes”. “It is a sad thing for our country and for the world,” he added. There is no evidence that the 2020 election was rigged in any way. Multiple recounts in numerous states have confirmed that Mr Biden won the election. Yet Mr Trump steadfastly refused to acknowledge that fact despite multiple corrections from Collins, who covered his former administration for CNN and previously at the conservative Daily Caller website. Mr Trump’s refusal to accept reality confirmed the fears of Democrats and many media figures who believed that CNN’s decision to platform the disgraced former president would allow him to spew untruths with abandon. Michael Fanone, the ex-Washington DC police officer who was attacked during the January 6 riot and is now a CNN analyst, said in a Rolling Stone essay that he felt a “sucker punch” when he learned his current employer would be hosting the man whose supporters left him hospitalised on January 6. He wrote that treating the ex-president “like a normal candidate who didn’t get people killed in the process of trying to end the democracy he’s attempting to once again run,” would only serve to normalize his actions today and for future candidates. After the town hall, Mr Fanone told HuffPost: “It’s worse than I could have ever imagined. It’s an absolute disaster. There’s no way to fact-check this guy in real time. He’s a volcano of bulls***.” One anonymous CNN on-air personality told The Daily Beast that Mr Trump’s performance validated the network’s critics. “It is so bad. I was cautiously optimistic despite the criticism. It is awful. It’s a Trump infomercial. We’re going to get crushed,” the CNN employee reportedly said. Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez added that CNN should be “ashamed”. “This falls squarely on CNN. Everyone here saw exactly what was going to happen. Instead they put a sexual abuse victim in harm’s way for views. This was a choice to platform lies about the election & Jan 6th w/ no plan but to have their moderator interrupted without consequence,” she wrote on Twitter. On MSNBC, Ms Ocasio-Cortez added: “I think it was a profoundly irresponsible decision. I don’t think I would be doing my job if I did not say that what we saw tonight was a series of extremely irresponsible decisions that put a sexual abuse victim at risk, that put that person at risk in front of a national audience and I could not have disagreed with it more. It was shameful.” Mr Trump also refused to acknowledge that the riot in January 2021 was, in fact, a riot and an attempt by his supporters to prevent a peaceful transfer of power to the Biden administration. The ex-president, whose actions leading up to January 6 are the subject of two separate criminal investigations, spoke glowingly about the day when his supporters stormed the steps of American democracy and fought with police while screaming threats, insults, and slurs. “It was a beautiful day,” he said, adding that his fans “were there with love in their hearts” when they left dozens of police officers with injuries and chanted death threats targeting lawmakers as they marched through the Capitol. He also promised to pardon most of the rioters and refused to rule out issuing pardons for members of white nationalist and extremist groups who have been convicted of seditious conspiracy as a result of their participation in the Capitol attack. The former president also refused to tell attendees at the town hall that he supports Ukraine’s efforts to repel Russian forces from its territory following the February 2022 invasion. He was repeatedly asked by Collins if he backed Ukraine in its 15-month conflict with Vladimir Putin’s forces, and repeatedly dodged the question. “I don’t think in terms of winning and losing, I think in terms of getting it settled so we stop killing all these people and breaking down this country,” he told Collins when asked about his support for Ukraine. She then asked him again if he wanted Ukraine or Russia to win the conflict. “I want everyone to stop dying. They are dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying,” he replied. Mr Trump also repeated his bogus claim it would take him one day in the Oval Office to end the conflict. You’re a nasty person, I’ll tell ya Donald Trump attacks Kaitlan Collins “I’ll have that done in 24 hours, you need the power of the presidency to do it.” And he added: You know what, I will say this, I want Europe to put up more money. They should equalise, they have plenty of money.” The ex-president’s performance at the CNN town hall was consistent with the belligerent way he conducted himself during his term in the White House under questioning from the press. He repeatedly lied about the investigation into whether he unlawfully retained classified documents at his Florida home after the end of his term, telling Collins that he had the right to take such documents under the Presidential Records Act. That law, which was signed by Jimmy Carter after the government had a dispute with Richard Nixon over that disgraced ex-president’s White House records, states that all presidential records are property of the United States — not any former president. At one point, the cross-talk became so intense that Mr Trump attacked the CNN moderator. “Do you mind?” Mr Trump said. “I would like for you to answer the question. That’s why I asked it,” Ms Collins said. “You’re a nasty person, I’ll tell ya,” Mr Trump said, which elicited applause from the GOP-leaning audience. Read More CNN Trump town hall — live: Network under fire for ‘shameful’ platforming of Trump disinformation Trump refuses to say he wants Ukraine to win war with Russia Biden takes aim at Trump town hall with searing one-line critique Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement
2023-05-11 11:56
Jalen Brunson scores 38 points, Knicks beat Heat 112-103 in Game 5 to cut deficit to a game
Jalen Brunson had 38 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while playing all 48 minutes in a season-extending performance, and the New York Knicks beat the Miami Heat 112-103 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals
2023-05-11 11:52