Ron DeSantis says Trump’s claims of stolen 2020 election weren’t ‘true’
Florida governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said on Friday that Donald Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was rigged are not true. “All those theories that were put out did not prove to be true,” Mr DeSantis told The New York Times during a campaign stop in Iowa. “It was not an election that was conducted the way I think that we want to, but that’s different than saying Maduro stole votes or something like that,” he added. “Those theories, you know, proved to be unsubstantiated.” Mr DeSantis, seen as the former president’s chief rival in the Republican primary, has in the past largely avoided direct criticisms of Mr Trump’s repeatedly disproven election claims. “We must reject the culture of losing that has impacted our party in recent years. The time for excuses is over,” Mr DeSantis said in a speech earlier this yer, before he formally announced his presidential campaign. “If we get distracted, if we focus the election on the past or on other side issues, then I think the Democrats are going to beat us again.” The former president’s repeated falsehoods are back in the spotlight, after Mr Trump was indicted this week for allegedly conspiring to overthrow the presidential election results. “The attack on our nation’s capitol on January 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy,” special counsel Jack Smith said on Tuesday, announcing the charges. “As described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies. Lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the US government – the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.” This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information. Read More College Board shelves AP psychology class in Florida over guidance on gender content Chris Christie meets Volodymyr Zelensky in surprise Ukraine visit NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week
2023-08-05 03:24
Trump presidential rival Christie visits Ukraine, meets with Zelenskiy
(Corrects spelling in paragraph 4 of Ukrainian town to Irpin instead of Iprin) (Reuters) -Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie visited
2023-08-05 00:46
Comedian and activist Eddie Izzard is planning to stand for UK parliament
Comedian and activist Eddie Izzard has announced on social media that she is hoping to stand as a member of parliament at the UK's next general election.
2023-08-04 23:52
Trump moans criminal cases are keeping him from the campaign trail: ‘Must be Unconstitutional?’
Donald Trump is now complaining that the myriad of criminal cases against him are keeping him from the campaign trail, claiming that it must be “unconstitutional”. On Truth Social on Friday morning, Mr Trump moaned that President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland had filed “bogus cases against me so it becomes difficult for me to campaign. Nothing like this has every happened before. Must be Unconstitutional? BUT SOMEHOW, WE WILL WIN IT ALL!!!” The investigation into Mr Trump is being led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, a role which provides the investigator with more independence. Also on Friday, Mr Trump hit out at Fox News, which he claimed was ignoring polls in which he leads President Joe Biden and primary rival Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. “Why is it that Fox & Friends refuses to put up all of the polls where I am beating Biden, and DeSanctimonious is getting clobbered? He’s also down to me by 40 plus points, and not coming back. No wonder their ratings are way down!!!” he wrote. Just before 8.30am on Friday, the morning after his arraignment in Washington, DC on four charges in relation to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, Mr Trump wrote: “CRAZY! My political opponent has hit me with a barrage of weak lawsuits, including D.A., A.G., and others, which require massive amounts of my time & money to adjudicate.” “Resources that would have gone into Ads and Rallies, will now have to be spent fighting these Radical Left Thugs in numerous courts throughout the Country,” he added. “I am leading in all Polls, including against Crooked Joe, but this is not a level playing field. It is Election Interference, & the Supreme Court must intercede. MAGA!” More follows...
2023-08-04 22:49
AP Election Brief | What to expect in Ohio's special election
The battle over abortion rights looms over an Ohio ballot measure being voted on statewide Tuesday
2023-08-04 21:29
Fall abortion battle propels huge early voter turnout for an Ohio special election next week
Republicans in Ohio have set in motion a summer special election over a measure that would make it harder for voters to pass future constitutional amendments
2023-08-04 20:19
AP Election Brief | What to expect in Mississippi's state primaries
Tuesday is primary day in Mississippi
2023-08-04 19:18
US and Western officials fear Putin unlikely to change course in Ukraine before 2024 election
Top US and European officials are concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is factoring the 2024 US presidential election into his Ukraine war planning in hopes that a loss by President Joe Biden next year will lead the US to curtail its support for Ukraine and improve Russia's negotiating position, four US officials told CNN.
2023-08-04 18:21
Is Trump running for president mostly to avoid prison?
A Trump rival was booed for suggesting he is only campaigning to keep himself out of jail. But is he completely wrong?
2023-08-04 15:46
Trump was told not to talk to witnesses in 2020 election conspiracy case. That could be a challenge.
It was a routine part of a federal court hearing: The defendant was told not to discuss the case with any witnesses without lawyers present
2023-08-04 12:59
Trump's surreal arraignment day in Washington augurs ominous days ahead
As former President Donald Trump left Washington after answering charges of trying to subvert democracy, it felt like all the previous trauma and divisions of his eight-year journey into the nation's psyche were just the start.
2023-08-04 12:27
Hyundai fire risk warning as 91,000 vehicles recalled
The recall is the latest in a series of fire-related recalls of Hyundai and Kia models in recent years.
2023-08-04 11:20