List of All Articles with Tag 'erica'

Presidential candidate and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr heaped praise on Twitter owner Elon Musk for defending free speech during a Twitter spaces event with the executive on Monday afternoon. Mr Kennedy, who has long promoted the discredited theory that vaccines play a role in causing autism, participated in a Twitter spaces event Monday and praised Mr Muk for his stewardship of the social media giant for supposedly stopping censorship of voices that dissent from orthodoxy. “I just want to tell you how much I admire you for that and how grateful I am on behalf of my country,” he said. “You would come here from another country and be a key instrument for rescuing American Democracy and freedom of speech.” The forum is the second such event that Mr Musk has hosted. Last month, Mr Musk hosted a Twitter spaces forum with Florida Gov Ron DeSantis as he announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president in 2024. Mr Kennedy announced his candidacy to challenge President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination for president in 2024 in April. During the event he said that his fellow Democrats had misunderstood Mr Musk and had unfairly maligned him. “I was so surprised and delighted when you did that on your own and clearly you’ve been portrayed as somebody as this sinister agenda but you’re doing step after step that is not in your self-interest and that is clearly designed to protect freedom of speech,” he said. Throughout much of the forum, Mr Musk did not challenge Mr Kennedy, including on some of his more outlandish claims that former Fox News executive Roger Ailes prevented him from discussing people injured by vaccines on the cable news network. Read More Peta founder makes request in will to send a piece of her neck to the King RFK Jr gushes over Elon Musk as ‘hero’ of democracy in Twitter Spaces ‘love fest’ Elon Musk hosting event with anti-vax 2024 candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr on Twitter

Democrat presidential candidate and notable anti-vaccine advocate Robert F Kennedy Jr is set to join Elon Musk and David Sacks on Twitter Spaces on Monday (5 June) at 2pm for a conversation. “Set a reminder for my upcoming Spaces with Elon Musk and moderator David Sacks!” Mr Kennedy tweeted a day ahead of the event. Mr Kennedy will also be joined by Tulsi Gabbard, Balaji Srinivasan, Omeed Malik, Michael Shellenberger and Kelly Slater who will likely ask questions and keep the conversation flowing. The Twitter Spaces comes just weeks after Mr Musk and Mr Sacks hosted and moderated a similar audio listening event with presidential candidate Ron DeSantis where he launched his campaign. Notably, the Spaces was filled with technological glitches which Mr Sacks attributed to a high volume of listeners. Following the event, Mr Musk welcomed all candidates onto Twitter and said he would be open to hosting other candidates on Twitter Spaces. But some were unhappy with Mr Musk’s decision to host Mr Kennedy as he has been previously banned from social platforms for spreading misinformation.

Activist Dr Cornel West announced his bid for the presidency on Monday under the banner of the progressive People’s Party. Dr West entered the 2024 race via a campaign video released on Twitter; a campaign website for the Harvard- and Princeton-trained philosopher laid out a left-leaning platform that includes popular progressive planks like support for Medicare for all. “I am running for truth and justice and as a candidate for president of the United States in the People’s Party. I want to reintroduce America to the best of itself – the dignity, courage, and creativity of precious everyday people. Join our movement for priceless poor and working people of all colors here and abroad,” declares a statement on Dr West’s website. In the video, he adds: “I come from a tradition where I care about you. I care about your quality of life.” “I care whether you have access to a job with a living wage, decent housing. Women having control over their own bodies.” His campaign will likely win some supporters on the Bernie Sanders-aligned left, but at the same time will run up against the same structural obstacles that have hamstrung other third-party presidential bids and dissuaded many serious candidates from running at all. More follows... Read More Scholar, activist Cornel West says he will run for president in 2024 as 3rd-party candidate Trump suggests he is about to be charged in Mar-a-Lago classified documents case Elon Musk under fire for hosting RFK Jr for 2024 discussion on Twitter Spaces- live

Former president Donald Trump on Monday suggested he will soon face criminal charges in the long-running federal probe into his alleged unlawful retention of national defence information at his Palm Beach, Florida property. Writing on his Truth Social website, Mr Trump asked how the Department of Justice could “possibly charge” him for having hoarded classified documents at his home and office when similarly classified documents have been found at locations linked to other prominent figures, including President Joe Biden. He also suggested he should not face charges because his 2016 election opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was not indicted for having received emails containing information later deemed to have been classified on a private email service she used during her time in government service. “HOW CAN DOJ POSSIBLY CHARGE ME, WHO DID NOTHING WRONG, WHEN NO OTHER PRESIDENT’S WERE CHARGED, WHEN JOE BIDEN WON’T BE CHARGED FOR ANYTHING, INCLUDING THE FACT THAT HE HAS 1,850 BOXES, MUCH OF IT CLASSIFIED, AND SOME DATING BACK TO HIS SENATE DAY WHEN EVEN DEMOCRAT SENATORS ARE SHOCKED,” he said, writing in all capital letters for emphasis. “ALSO, PRESIDENT CLINTON HAD DOCUMENTS, AND WON IN COURT. CROOKED HILLARY DELETED 33,000 EMAILS, MANY CLASSIFIED, AND WASN’T EVEN CLOSE TO BEING CHARGED!” He added that “only Trump” is facing charges for unlawful retention of classified documents and called the probe “the greatest witch hunt of all time”. The ex-president’s irate social media post came as his attorneys wrapped a meeting with Department of Justice officials in Washington. Last month, Mr Trump’s legal team sent Attorney General Merck Garland a letter demanding an opportunity to meet with him regarding what they described as “unfair treatment” of the former president at the hands of Jack Smith, the special prosecutor Mr Garland named to oversee the documents probe late last year. According to the New York Times, the two-hour session did not include Mr Garland or his deputy, Lisa Monaco. It was also unclear what Mr Trump’s attorneys — James Trusty, John Rowley and Lindsey Halligan — discussed with prosecutors. But experts say such meetings between defence attorneys and prosecutors represent a common final step before prosecutors seek indictments against targets of federal investigations. A Washington, DC grand jury that has been hearing evidence in the documents case is reportedly set to meet this week. Read More Cornel West jumps into 2024 race as third-party candidate Scholar, activist Cornel West says he will run for president in 2024 as 3rd-party candidate Elon Musk under fire for hosting RFK Jr for 2024 discussion on Twitter Spaces- live

Donald Trump is facing criticism from his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination after congratulating North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on his country being admitted to the World Health Organisation’s Executive Board. Reacting at a campaign appearance in Iowa, Florida governor Ron DeSantis said: “I was surprised to see that. I mean, one, Kim Jong-un is a murderous dictator.” Nikki Haley, Mr Trump’s former ambassador to the UN, responded equally strongly during a CNN town hall event, remarking: “Kim Jong-un is a thug. I don’t think we should congratulate dictators.” The former South Carolina governor, the only woman in the race, also took her competitors to task over their comments on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying: “For them to sit there and say that this is a territorial dispute – that’s just not the case, or to say that we should stay neutral. “It’s in the best interest of our national security for Ukraine to win.” Mr Trump continues to dominate the field among potential Republican primary voters with 49 per cent of support, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. Mr DeSantis is next with 19 per cent and Ms Haley way behind on 4 per cent. Read More Trump makes misleading claim that New York hush money case could be dropped DeSantis defines ‘woke’ after Trump claimed ‘half the people can’t’ DeSantis condemns Trump for congratulating ‘murderous dictator’ Kim Jong-un Marjorie Taylor Greene U-turns on release of Jan 6 tapes - saying she’s worried about Capitol security

Ron DeSantis has offered his own definition of “woke” days after Donald Trump said “half the people” can’t define the Florida governor’s favourite word. During a campaign stop in Iowa on Saturday, Mr DeSantis said: “Look, we know what woke is, it’s a form of cultural Marxism. It’s about putting merit and achievement behind identity politics, and it’s basically a war on the truth.” Two days earlier, Mr Trump criticised the GOP’s overuse of the word at his own campaign event in Iowa. “I don’t like the term ‘woke’ because I hear, ‘Woke, woke, woke.’ It’s just a term they use, half the people can’t even define it,” he said. Also on Saturday, Mr DeSantis vowed to dismantle President Joe Biden’s “disastrous” economic policies if he wins the White House. The Iowa visit came at the end of a week marked by multiple tense outbursts. In South Carolina on Friday, a woman interrupted Mr DeSantis’ speech by shouting: “You’re a f***ing fascist.” This prompted boos from the wider audience, with Mr DeSantis replying: “ Well, yeah, thank you.” Read More DeSantis defines ‘woke’ after Trump claimed ‘half the people can’t’ DeSantis condemns Trump for congratulating ‘murderous dictator’ Kim Jong-un Transgender adults in Florida `blindsided' that new law also limits their access to health care DeSantis, Pence and other GOP 2024 hopefuls, but not Trump, set to appear at Iowa rally

A 25-year-old woman was killed and six others were left injured in Chicago after shots rang out during a remembrance for the death anniversary of a man who died in a car crash. Bystanders told the Chicago Police Department that the altercation unfolded around 1am on Sunday in the 4800 block of West Iowa Street in Austin. The group was gathered to celebrate the fourth-year anniversary of a man’s death in a traffic accident, ABC News reported. Seven victims were wounded in the shooting. A woman was transported to Mt Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The ages of the other victims injured range from 17 to 19. Authorities have said that the person or people who opened fire were present at the memorial. Police began an investigation but did not take anyone into custody as of Sunday evening. “They were out there celebrating and then something happened and a verbal altercation occurred and somebody began shooting, or multiple people began shooting,” deputy chief Adnardo Gutierrez said during a press conference on Sunday. A witness told ABC 7 that she became concerned long before the shooting broke out, noting that the street was too crowded. “It was totally fine. They were just laughing, dancing, talking. Just having a good time. They were just having fun. I just wanted it broke up because there were so many. It was too many. It was at least 100 kids out,” Yvette McCalum said. “You couldn’t get down the block. You couldn’t park anywhere. They were in the alley.” “They had the alley blocked off, and I told them all this on the phone. This could have been avoided.” One eyewitness, Michelle Barnes, told the Chicago Tribune that she had called the police to report what she said was a chaotic crowd at 10pm, 11.05pm and at around 12.30am as well. “I’m frustrated with the police. I’m frustrated with the alderman. I’m frustrated with everybody. Because it’s ridiculous,” she said. “When you call, they don’t come like there’s a problem.” Barnes’ neighbour Larell Steel also said her sister and other residents made repeated calls to the police before the shooting. “Everybody on this block called them to get them kids,” she said. “This could’ve been prevented. This could’ve been prevented if they just came and broken them kids up.” Read More Funeral held for teen shot by gas station owner over false shoplifting claims as community shares outrage Florida police arrest man, search for 2 others in Memorial Day beach shooting Federal court reinstates death penalty order for Missouri inmate convicted of killing jailers

A Texas cheerleader who was shot after her friend opened the door of the wrong car has opened up about the traumatising ordeal. Payton Washington, 18, was shot allegedly by 25-year-old Pedro Tello Rodriguez in an act of random violence in the city of Elgin on 18 April. Before the violence unfolded, Payton had parked in a grocery store parking lot which serves as a carpool pickup spot for members of their cheerleading team. Heather Roth, one of four team members transferring rides in the lot after practice, told authorities she got out of a friend’s car and into a car she thought was her own, but there was a stranger in the passenger seat. She said she panicked and got back into her friend’s car, but the man got out of his vehicle, pulled out a gun and opened fire. Speaking to ABC’s Good Morning America, Ms Washington, who suffered three gunshot wounds to her lower back and leg, said the recovery process has been physically and emotionally challenging but added that she is coping as best she can. Ms Washington said she only realised where she had been shot after her friend pulled over and she saw blood on her own seat. She then began coughing up blood on the side of the road and had to be airlifted to a hospital in Austin to treat life-threatening damage to her stomach, spleen, diaphragm and pancreas. “I knew somewhere, I was bleeding, but I had so much to juggle, I didn’t know where,” Ms Washington recalled in the interview aired on Friday. “And then, whenever we pulled over ... I was throwing up blood and I was like, ‘Oop, that is not normal.’” Ms Washington said that she was texting and eating Twizzlers when the suspect opened fire on her and her friends. Mr Rodriguez has been charged with engaging in deadly conduct, a third-degree felony. He reportedly surrendered to police and was released after his bail was lowered from $500,000 to $100,000. An attorney for Mr Rodriguez told Insider that his client was an employee at the grocery store. Mr Rodriguez claimed through his lawyer that he had previously been robbed at gunpoint while inside his vehicle and feared that a similar situation was unfolding when the teen entered the car by mistake. “I didn’t see him, honestly. I was still looking at my phone,” Ms Washington told GMA. “I kind of heard what was going on in the background but I didn’t think it’d be as big of a deal as it was. [Ms Roth] just kept saying, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Ms Roth was grazed by a bullet as one of the other three teens who were inside the vehicle drove away in a desperate attempt to escape the shots being fired at the group. “I was just telling myself to breathe, it was hard to breathe because of my diaphragm,“ Ms Washington recounted. “I was just trying to stay as calm as possible for the other people in the car. I could tell how sad and scared they were.” The accomplished athlete said she had struggled in the aftermath of the shooting to come to terms with her new temporary physical limitations amid an intensive and arduous recovery. “My spleen was shattered. My stomach had two holes in it. And my diaphragm had two holes in it. And then they had to remove a lobe from my pancreas. I had 32 staples,” she recounted. “It was hard. It hurting to walk or stand when a week before I was doing a bunch of flips, running, the track ... can’t get out of bed by yourself, can’t roll off the couch, can’t stand by yourself ... it was hard.” Ms Washington, who graduated last week, said she is determined to make a full recovery and go back to cheerleading soon. “You can literally do anything if you push and you persevere,” she told GMA. “Don’t doubt yourself ever because you can do anything as long as you’re putting your 120 per cent into it.” Read More Funeral held for teen shot by gas station owner over false shoplifting claims as community shares outrage Life is weirder than ever for LGBT+ people – and I think I know why Federal court reinstates death penalty order for Missouri inmate convicted of killing jailers

A former Chicago police officer has been accused of lying about getting his vehicle stolen by an ex-girlfriend to get out of paying 44 traffic tickets. Jeffrey Kriv, 56, is facing felony perjury and forgery charges for the alleged scheme that spanned a decade and saved him $3,665, according to an in-depth joint report by The Chicago Tribune and ProPublica. Cook County prosecutors claim Mr Kriv successfully used the same excuse at least 44 times since 2013. The last time he did, in September 2022, Mr Kriv allegedly told a judge that he had a fight with his then-girlfriend the morning the ticket was issued and she went on to steal his car. Like several times before, Mr Kriv showed the court what he claimed was legitimate documentation, including allegedly forged police reports of the supposed theft. “Well, I had her arrested,” Mr Kriv said, according to court transcripts reviewed by the Tribune and ProPublica. “They charged her with a misdemeanour trespassing to a vehicle ... She got, like, three months’ supervision or something like that. It’s kind of a, I don’t want to say the system’s like a joke, but it didn’t really do anything.” The investigative report also uncovered several complaints filed against Mr Kriv from the time he joined the Chicago Police Department in 1996 until his retirement on 17 January of this year. Despite having 20 suspensions totalling 170 days throughout his time in the force, department officials never attempted to fire Mr Kriv until five days before his retirement. The city first became aware of Mr Kriv’s alleged forgery crimes after a tip was sent to the Office of Inspector General last year. The information alleged that Mr Kriv used the same alibi when contesting dozens of tickets in the last decade, which ranged from speeding, running a red light and parking where it was not allowed. Tim Grace, an attorney for Mr Kriv, downplayed the accusations, saying his client’s character has been misconstrued. “Many of the facts you compose are incomplete or not true,” Mr Grace told the Tribune and ProPublica in a statement, noting upwards of 100 recognitions Mr Kriv has reportedly been awarded. “Officer Kriv has served his city with honour for over 25-plus years.” According to the Citizen Police Data Project, Mr Kriv had 76 allegations and 39 use of force reports, more than 99 per cent of other officers. Records show that Mr Kriv had a long disciplinary history during the 27 nearly years he served. According to those reports, Mr Kriv reportedly used a flashlight to break the window of a man’s car during a traffic stop, punched another man who was handcuffed in the back of his car and described a woman as “white trash” in an incident report. Mr Kriv was suspended for 20 days in 2005 for threatening sanitation workers to ticket their cars after a city Streets and Sanitation Department employee rightfully towed his personal vehicle. The next year, he was suspended for 90 days for leaving the scene of a vehicle fire to visit a waitress at a strip club. He went back to work after just 45 days. A woman also told the Tribune and ProPublica that Mr Kriv punched her in the face after arresting her for a domestic fight. The charges against the woman were dismissed and she was paid $100,000 in a settlement after suing Mr Kriv and the city. “I had to have surgery. I had to have plastic implanted under my eye because of this,” the woman told the publications. “My face is not symmetrical anymore. He really messed me up on the outside. And inside it was a really traumatic experience.” Mr Kriv was ordered released on his own recognizance in January. He last appeared in court in March. The Independent has reached out to his attorney. Read More DeSantis defines ‘woke’ after Trump claimed ‘half the people can’t’ At least 15 people killed in Senegal as opposition leader's supporters clash with police Trump news — live: Classified documents grand jury slated to meet as Trump claims trouble in New York case

The remains of five children who died at a Pennsylvania boarding school for Native Americans are going to be exhumed and returned to their families who have waited for their return for more than a century, the Office of Army Cemeteries (OAC) has announced.

Marjorie Taylor Greene has blamed liberal philanthropist George Soros and supposed concerns for Capitol security for abruptly reversing her position on releasing footage of the January 6 riot. After previously calling for the tapes of the insurrection to be shared publicly, the Georgia congresswoman said on Friday that it could endanger the safety at the Capitol and of those who were present during the rioting but did not commit any crimes. “If we released these video tapes just widely for the public — number one, we put the security of the Capitol at risk, because there’s over 1,700 video cameras,” she said in an interview with the right-wing Real America’s Voice channel. “We also endanger many Americans that were simply standing on the Capitol grounds, maybe never even walked through the Capitol or committed any crimes, but they could have just walked further than where the barrier was simply because the barrier was torn down by the time they got there,” she added. Ms Greene claimed that “Soros groups” would scour the tapes using facial recognition technology to compile evidence and hand it over to the FBI. She added that those who committed violent crimes against law enforcement should be punished, but those that simply attended the rally didn’t deserve to be persecuted. In a later tweet, she wrote: “Sedition Hunters would spend every second of every day analysing the videos in order to hunt innocent people that just stood on Capitol grounds on J6.” As recently as a month ago, Ms Greene said she supported the unfettered release of footage captured on Capitol security cameras during the riot by an armed mob of Trump supporters. “We need to release the J6 tapes to a public on line source so that everyone knows what did and didn’t happen, we need to restore fair justice, and America can move on,” she said in May. In February, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy handed over 44,000 hours of footage to then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Mr Carlson then produced a much-derided segment which sanitized the extreme violence committed against law enforcement officers, calling it “mostly peaceful chaos”. Then last week, Ms Greene announced the footage would be handed over to right-wing commentator John Solomon, Julie Kelly, a writer at conservative website American Greatness, and a third, unnamed outlet. Meanwhile, nine media companies including CNN, the New York Times and Politico are suing the Department of Justice under the Freedom of Information Act for the tapes to be released. Read More DeSantis news — live: Florida governor defines ‘woke’ and vows to dismantle Biden policies on Iowa visit Marjorie Taylor Greene cryptically says the FBI knows who mystery Capitol pipe bomber is Lauren Boebert confirms former WWE star is not her father after two DNA tests Marjorie Taylor Greene cryptically says FBI knows who mystery Capitol pipe bomber is Gavin Newsom mocks Marjorie Taylor Greene over Target pulling Pride products Marjorie Taylor Greene faces laughter after asking House to follow ‘decorum’

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said although he is relieved lawmakers reached a resolution for the debt ceiling, it is "not good for the United States to go through this."