Kellen Moore has been under the spotlight since he was hired as the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator in late January

The former number two official in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has offered a dire prediction about America’s future should Donald Trump or another like-minded Republican succeed in winning next year’s presidential election, according to a new book by a former Trump administration homeland security aide. In Blowback, author Miles Taylor recounts an October 2020 conversation he had with Sue Gordon, a 25-year US intelligence community veteran who served as the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence from 2017 to 2019, shortly after news broke that the FBI had disrupted a plot by Michigan-based right-wing extremists to kidnap Wolverine State governor Gretchen Whitmer. According to a copy of the book obtained by The Independent ahead of its Tuesday release, Taylor recalls how the news of the kidnapping plot prompted him to telephone Ms Gordon, who he says spent “decades” at the CIA monitoring foreign governments for signs of instability, and ask the former deputy DNI how America’s “democratic stability” would be impacted by a second term in the White House for Mr Trump or a “Maga successor”. Taylor said Ms Gordon’s reply came “in the language of a seasoned intelligence analyst” who speaks “based on data from sources in the field and the uncertainty level of information they don’t have”. He added that she told him how she would “assess with ‘low confidence’ that the United States reaches its three hundredth birthday” — the projected 2076 tricentennial anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence from Great Britain — in “any recognisable form”. “People don’t trust government institutions anymore or each other, and when the world gets tumultuous, they’re more open to authoritarianism,” she said. Continuing, Taylor writes that Ms Gordon told him her reason for pessimism about the long-term viability of the US as a functioning democracy stems from the follow-on effects of four more years of Donald Trump — or someone acting with the same malevolence towards governmental institutions — atop the US executive branch. He said she told him that she does not believe a “Next Trump” would successfully smash through “every democratic guardrail,” but would “stoke unprecedented division and set off a slow turn towards despotism” in the US by “attempting” to further erode democratic norms and bring nominally independent institutions under his or her thumb. “That process can take decades to unfold. If history is any guide, though, it might come suddenly to a head, with the literal pull of a trigger — and the odds of that happening in the not-too-distant future are historically high,” he wrote. Taylor, who was chief of staff at the Trump-era Department of Homeland Security for the first three years of Mr Trump’s administration but is better known as the formerly anonymous author of a New York Times op-ed about “resistance” to the then-president inside his own government, told The Independent in a phone interview that he fears a repeat of the January 6 attack on the Capitol — but worse — should Mr Trump lose next year’s presidential election. Echoing Ms Gordon’s prediction of a long-term breakdown of the American democratic system, Taylor said the possibility of “low-level civil conflict” touched off by Mr Trump or another Republican is “higher now than it even was in that post election period in 2020”. “The muscle memory for those extremist movements has now been solidified. The networks are closer. And ... since that time, many more people, otherwise kind of normal people in small town America, have really taken the stolen election lies, QAnon, and great replacement theory as gospel, and the polling shows that a majority of your everyday Republicans believe those lies,” he said. “Add to that the fact that the country is more armed now than at any point in its history ... it is a powder keg.” Taylor added that his fears of violence go beyond a repeat of what happened in Washington nearly three years ago, pointing to the aborted plot against Ms Whitmer, the Michigan governor, as an example of what could be in store for the future. He told The Independent that he feels “the conditions are very ripe” in the US for “that sort of low-level conflict” in many parts of the country. “This is not just a Washington, DC thing — I really think we could see something a good deal worse, and part of that could also happen if a Trump or a savvier successor is reelected. And that misuse of the justice system could foment that even more,” he said. Read More Man arrested near Obama home threatened other prominent lawmakers, officials say Three men jailed for at least seven years over plot to kidnap Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer DoJ dragged feet over including Trump in Jan 6 probe over fears of appearing biased, report says Oath Keepers leader issues warning to Trump amid ex-president’s legal woes White House blasts Marjorie Taylor Greene’s criticism of efforts to aid US families GOP presidential hopeful lists conservative pool of Supreme Court picks Trump finally reveals how he thinks he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine in a day

Molly McNearney and Jimmy Kimmel started dating in 2010 and tied the knot in 2013, but they worked together for 6 years

YOKOHAMA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 7, 2023--

Russia has accused Ukraine of damaging a nuclear waste storage facility in a drone strike on the Kursk nuclear power plant and said its air defenses shot down a total of eight Ukrainian drones

The transfer portal has become the go-to place for college basketball coaches to immediately upgrade their rosters

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 29, 2023--

Those who know him in Spain say that Alberto Núñez Feijóo doesn't enter a political battle unless he has almost every chance of winning

In the spring of 2021, the dancer rekindled her romance with Ben Affleck and tied the knot in Las Vegas in July 2022

It appears that Saweetie has taken her latest fashion inspiration from the Stone Age. On 12 September, the “Best Friend” rapper attended the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in a pink, sequin gown featuring a halter neck and her hair pulled back into a sleek pony. However, it was the two oversized bones attached to the dress that seemed to capture everyone’s attention. As she posed for photos on the “pink” carpet outside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, one bone appeared to be tied to her collar, while the other was tied at the waist. The unique dress first debuted in Area’s Fall Winter 2023 collection, which contained several designs full of bones, fur, and animal patterns. While hosting the MTV VMAs pre-show, Saweetie - whose real name is Diamonté Quiava Valentin Harper - explained the reasoning behind her eye-catching look. “The inspiration behind this is fashion when it first started: Cavemen,” she said. Saweetie also appeared to be having fun on the red carpet with her caveman-inspired dress, even kissing the bone in one photo. However, it wasn’t just the “ICY GRL” singer who joined in on the fun. In fact, many people took to X - formally known as Twitter - where they cracked jokes about Saweetie’s VMAs look. Unsurprisingly, a number of awards show viewers compared the rapper’s outfit of choice to something from The Flintstones. “Saweetie looks like a Flintstone,” joked one person on X. “Is she wearing the Fred Flintstone collection?” said someone else. “Are the VMAs being held in Bedrock?” a third user wrote. Despite some critics, many fans still complimented Saweetie’s caveman-inspired outfit. “Saweetie look like a Icy Flintstone,” said one user. “I loveeeee her #VMA”. “Saweetie looks soo cute I love her makeup,” another fan wrote. In addition to Saweetie, there were many other memorable fashion moments at this year’s MTV VMAs. Doja Cat wore a barely-there, white Apocene dress that closely resembled spider webs. Her look featured sparse, white fabric draped across her body, with a pair of nude underwear hidden underneath the ensemble. Meanwhile, VMAs host Nicki Minaj took wedding fashion to a whole new level when she arrived in a pink, corset bodysuit with a sheer, lace skirt and a dramatic vail. Taylor Swift leads this year’s nominees with eight nods, followed closely by “Kill Bill” singer SZA, who holds six nominations. Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo and Sam Smith are tied at five nominations, and BLACKPINK, Diddy and Shakira each received four. The full list of VMA winners can be found here. Read More 2023 MTV VMAs: The best-dressed stars on the red carpet, from Olivia Rodrigo to Doja Cat 2023 MTV VMA winners list in full – live updates Taylor Swift is channeling her Reputation era in stunning black dress at 2023 MTV VMAs Taylor Swift is channeling her Reputation era in stunning black dress at MTV VMAs 2023 MTV VMAs: The best-dressed stars on the red carpet Cardi B wears dress made entirely of hair clips on 2023 VMAs red carpet

Evertyhing you need to know about Wolves vs Man City in the Premier League - including how to watch, team news and score prediction.

Former President Donald Trump will be restricted on how and when he can look at, and talk about, classified information, a judge decided Wednesday after a sealed hearing the day before.