List of All Articles with Tag 'politics'

A California candidate for Congress has blamed an aide for sending out an email saying that he was quitting the race in Orange County out of a “lack of joy” - but admitted that he did write it. “Life is short. I believe one should enjoy their work. For the past four months, I have not enjoyed mine,” Aditya Pai wrote in the email, before announcing that he was in fact quitting. In the second email titled “Apologies for the scare. I am not going anywhere” Mr Pai, 31, said the first email was sent by a now-former aide accidentally. He, however, said he had written the email. “I wrote that letter as an emotional processing exercise after an exhausting glimpse into the political machine,” Mr Pai wrote in the second email. “I sent it to some mentors and staff for perspective before getting back to work; it was never supposed to be shared. Now that it was, I see a silver lining in your seeing it.” Mr Pai, who is trying to unseat, Rep Michelle Steel, told the Orange County Register that he was at the gym when the first email was sent. He initially thought it was a test email. But, when he realised the email had gone to “literally everyone” he called his parents and mentors for advice, who told him that he had to get through the campaign “to be in a position to serve and serve as I’ve always enjoyed it.” “In that first email, the only thing that was inaccurate was the resulting decision,” he told the newspaper. Now, with the mask off, Mr Pai said he can run an authentic campaign. “There was a bit of catharsis in that letter coming out,” he told The Hill. “There was a silver lining. I feel free in being myself.” “Rest assured: I am here to run, win, and serve you to the absolute best of my ability,” he wrote in the second email. Mr Pai and three other Democratic candidates are vying for the seat held by Rep Steel which covers California’s 45th congressional district or much of northwestern Orange County. While historically Orange County has mostly voted Republican, demographic shifts have turned the county purple and Ms Steel’s district is regarded as a swing district. Read More CLIMATE GLIMPSE: Here's what you need to see and know today Union leader urges PM to return ‘to real world’ to settle doctors’ pay dispute Prosecutors say a California judge charged in his wife's killing had 47 weapons in his house A brief history of natural disasters in Hawaii, from tsunamis to wildfires Summer camp in California gives Jewish children of color a haven to be different together Maui residents had little warning before flames overtook town. At least 53 people died.

Michael Cohen, former President Donald Trump’s former attorney, is reportedly weighing a run for Congress. “I am interested and there’s a multitude of folks encouraging me to run,” the former president’s former fixer told Semafor. Mr Cohen told the outlet that he would run as a Democrat. “I’m still contemplating the run,” Mr Cohen confirmed to The Independent, but said he wouldn’t be divulging any further details, like a timeline or what would sway his decision one way or another, at this time. Mr Cohen told The Independent that he has been living in Manhattan since 1991. He lives on the East side of Manhattan, according to Semafor, meaning he would run against Rep Jerry Nadler in the 12th congressional district. Mr Nadler is the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and has served in Congress since 1992. A potential congressional run for Mr Cohen would be particularly interesting during the next election cycle, as he is likely to be a key player in the Manhattan trial against Mr Trump involving hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Mr Cohen admitted to paying Ms Daniels hush money payments during Mr Trump’s 2016 campaign — after being directed by Mr Trump to do so. The former president was indicted in March by a grand jury and pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges for falsification of business records. Mr Cohen has been an outspoken critic of Mr Trump in recent years, and the pair have been engaged in ongoing legal battles. Earlier this month, Mr Trump was called to sit for a September deposition as part of his $500m lawsuit against his former attorney, claiming that he has “suffered vast reputational harm as a direct result of Defendant’s breaches.” Last month, Mr Trump reached a settlement with Mr Cohen over $1.3m in unpaid legal bills. Read More All of Trump’s lawsuits and criminal charges and where they stand Michael Cohen claims Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner ‘probably a cooperating witness’ in probe Trump called for deposition in $500m lawsuit against Michael Cohen

House Republicans are still scrambling to find a path forward with less than two months until the government runs out of funding, as the right wing of the GOP conference is still insisting it needs to see more spending cuts in order to support a series of bills to avert a government shutdown.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that he granted the US attorney investigating Hunter Biden special counsel status. Mr Garland announced that David Weiss, who has served as the US Attorney for Delaware since 2018, would serve as special counsel and he had informed relevant members of Congress about the nomination. The move is a shift from July when Mr Weiss informed Congress that he had not requested special counsel designation for his investigation into the president’s son. But on Tuesday, Mr Weiss requested such status. “I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel,” Mr Garland said on Friday. “This appointment confirms my commitment to provide Mr. Weiss all the resources he request.” Mr Weiss had previously been investigating Hunter Biden since 2019. Mr Garland and the Department of Justice allowed Mr Weiss to stay on board as US attorney when Joe Biden took office in 2021 to continue his investigation of Hunter Biden. In July, Hunter Biden looked set to enter into a plea deal for unpaid taxes and lying on a federal application for a firearm. Republicans, including former president Donald Trump, had decried the agreement as a sweetheart deal. Many Republicans argued that Hunter Biden received preferential treatment because he is the president’s son despite the fact that Mr Trump nominated Mr Weiss and Republicans in the Senate voted to confirm him in 2018. Then in late July, Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to two of the charges after the presiding judge questioned whether the deal would prohibit the federal government from prosecuting him for other crimes he might have committed in the future. The White House referred to remarks from Mr Garland and the Justice Department when asked by The Independent. Mr Garland said that Mr Weiss’s office would not be subjected to day-to-day supervision but would have to comply with regulations, procedures and policies of the Justice Department. Mr Weiss would also be mandated to write a report of his investigation once it concludes. “ As with each special counsel who has served since I have taken office, I am committed to making as much of his report public as possible, consistent with legal requirements and department policy,” he said. “Today's announcement affords the prosecutors agents and analysts working on this matter, the ability to proceed with our work expeditiously and to make decisions indisputably guided only by the facts and the law.” Mr Garland’s announcement comes the same day that former president Donald Trump’s legal team appeared in court in Washington, DC and earned a win as US District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled that a protective order against Mr Trump would only apply to sensitive material such as jury transcripts, witness interview records and other documents. Mr Trump faces charges for his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election after a federal grand jury indicted him in response to a presentation from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office. Mr Garland nominated Mr Smith to investigate Mr Smith to investigate Mr Trump. In addition, the attorney nominated Robert Hur to investigate classified documents found in locations associated with President Biden earlier this year. But House Oversight & Accountability Committee blasted the move by Mr Garland. “Let’s be clear what today’s move is really about,” the statement said. “The Biden Justice Department is trying to stonewall congressional oversight as we have presented evidence to the American people about the Biden family’s corruption. Our Committee will continue to follow the Biden family’s money trail and interview witnesses to determine whether foreign actors targeted the Bidens, President Biden is compromised and corrupt, and our national security is threatened.” Read More Hunter Biden’s plea deal appears at risk of falling apart. What happens next? Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to two tax charges after court chaos around deal with prosecutors Judge shuts down Trump lawyer as he claims protective order would give Biden an ‘advantage’ EXPLAINER: What are special counsels and what do they do? Attorney General Garland will appoint special counsel in Hunter Biden probe Utah man killed after threats against Biden believed government was corrupt and overreaching

Republicans are vowing to continue their investigations related to President Joe Biden's son, Hunter, after Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday he is appointing a special counsel to oversee the ongoing criminal probe.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday that the Trump-appointed US attorney who is investigating Hunter Biden has been given "special counsel" status.

Donald Trump notched a win in the fight over a protective order in the 2020 election case as the judge ruled that some of the evidence that will be provided to him in the pre-trial discovery process won’t be restricted from dissemination if it’s not deemed “sensitive” by the government. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday that the protective order will only apply to sensitive materials such as grand jury transcripts, witness interview records, and other documents that could identify witnesses or be used to poison the pool of potential jurors who will be responsible for deciding the ex-president’s fate when he goes on trial next year. Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office had asked her to impose a more restrictive order which would have applied to any and all materials provided to Mr Trump’s defence team in discovery, while Mr Trump’s attorneys had asked for her to allow the former president leave to talk about non-sensitive materials, citing his ongoing campaign for the Republican nomination in next year’s presidential election. Prosecutors had made the request for a broad protective order with the aim of preventing Mr Trump from poisoning the jury pool ahead of his expected trial next year, citing statements by the ex-president’s legal team which they said indicated a desire to try the case “in the press”. But Judge Chutkan, a former defence attorney and a nine-year veteran of the federal bench who was nominated by then-president Barack Obama and confirmed by a unanimous Senate vote in 2014, rejected the prosecution’s preferred language on the grounds that Mr Trump’s conduct with regard to the non-sensitive discovery is still governed by his release conditions and the rules of the court. More follows...

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott visited Arizona's southern border last week where, after listening to harrowing stories of hardship on the path through Mexico to the United States, he declared, "The most compassionate thing we can do is tell people, 'Don't come to our border illegally.'"

The 2024 election looks set to be a rematch between President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump. Despite his mounting legal problems, Mr Trump is by far the most popular candidate in the Republican field. Only Florida governor Ron DeSantis has reached double digits but he remains miles behind Mr Trump. Author Marianne Williamson and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr are challenging Mr Biden for the Democratic nomination but they are not considered real threats to the president. Mr Trump was indicted for the third time on 1 August for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. As Democrats coalesce behind Mr Biden, Mr Trump’s mounting legal woes appear to only strengthen his support with his base. The Republican primary is scheduled to begin with the Iowa caucuses on 15 January and the New Hampshire primary on 23 January. The primary season may go all the way into June, but who the nominee is expected to become clear well before that point. Read More Who are the 2024 presidential election candidates? Meet the Republicans and Democrats campaigning Trump says he won't sign Republican loyalty pledge, flouting debate requirement Harassment of mother and daughter poll workers could form part of Trump’s Georgia indictment, report says

Former prosecutor Renato Mariotti has claimed Jack Smith is using insights he gained from his role at the Hague to bring Donald Trump to justice for his role in the 2020 efforts to overturn the election. Mr Mariotti cited Mr Smith’s stint in the Hague, where he played a role in prosecuting authoritarian leaders prior to becoming the special counsel in the cases against Mr Trump. “I think he understands the way an authoritarian can use these soft methods of increasing their power and staying in power,” Mr Mariotti said on Thursday on MSNBC to anchor Ari Melber. “I think his experience prosecuting a sitting head of state, as you highlighted a moment ago, really prepared him for a moment like this. It shows when someone is desperate to stay in power, it’s important, ultimately, to find the way to bring him to account quickly, and I think that’s what he’s trying to do here.” “Autocrats use propaganda,” Melber earlier said. “That’s been true even as the nature of distribution has changed in many different eras. And propaganda is dangerous, precisely because you don’t have to physically oppress people. You don’t need weaponry if you trick enough of them into this or that position, whether that’s hating authoritarianism or groups. “I want to play that other piece of footage where he [Jack Smith] makes a point – again, who could see how things echo. “People have a choice of what they want to repost on Facebook or whatever platform they use. And I thought this was so striking that in a related context of both authoritarianism and ethnic hate, he talked about the ethical people who chose not to perpetuate things. Take a listen,” he said. Melber then played the video clip. “The accused, in committing their crimes, tried to amplify the damage they caused by exhorting the media in Kosovo to publish. The ethical journalists refused to publish the documents they provided them,” Mr Smith be heard saying in the clip. “This question is as much societal as it is legal. I’m not talking about a repost or publisher’s liability. I’m asking you the deeper question about why you’re a prosecutor, why you care about justice, which is, what do you think of his appeal of how we all exercise our choices in the face of propaganda matters and how that relates at home right now?” Melber continued. “It’s pretty profound,” Mr Mariotti replied. “I have to say, I’m struck by the way in which he has an understanding of some of the softer ways in which people can exercise power. “It’s such an interesting, different approach to Robert Mueller. Robert Mueller was very old school. He saw things, I think, in the way that – in a very black-and-white way that the Justice Department traditionally has. “Jack Smith... he’s from a different generation. I think he understands the way an authoritarian can use these soft methods of increasing their power and staying in power.” Read More Jack Smith uses Trump lawyer’s media statements against him in latest 2020 election case filing Trump reacts with fury to proposed 2 January trial date in special counsel’s 2020 election case Trump and one co-defendant plead not guilty in superseding Mar-a-Lago indictment Trump furious at proposed 2 January trial date in special counsel 2020 election case Special Counsel requests January 2024 trial in Jan 6 case - latest Judge Chutkan to hear arguments in protective order fight in Trump's 2020 election conspiracy case

When President Joe Biden came to this must-win US House district in New York just a few months ago, he did something that privately enraged members of his own party.

Dozens of the most generous donors to super PACs that supported Donald Trump's reelection bid in 2020 cycle have skipped giving to the new crop of super PACs backing Trump and his rivals in the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, a CNN analysis shows.