First on CNN: Biden wades into GOP primary with $25 million ad blitz, starting with economy focus
President Joe Biden is preparing to blanket the airwaves with a $25 million television and digital ad campaign in battleground states this month, campaign officials told CNN, as Republicans are set to face off in their first presidential primary debate.
2023-08-20 19:20
European diplomats ‘terrified’ at prospect of Trump winning in 2024, report says
European diplomats are not overlooking the possibility that Donald Trump might secure a second term in the Oval Office if he is re-elected in 2024, and are actively formulating back-up strategies in case this scenario materialises, according to a report. The prospect of Mr Trump returning to the White House has become an important topic of discussion in private conversations, with some calling it “terrifying”, The New York Times reported. Steven Everts, a European Union diplomat who is set to become the director of the European Union Institute for Security Studies, told the outlet that his colleagues were relieved at US president Joe Biden’s response to the Ukraine war. But they are now being “forced to confront the Trump question again”. “It’s slightly terrifying, it’s fair to say,” he said. He noted that the US plays an important role in European security, and said that diplomats will now “have to think again about what this means for our own politics, for European defence and for Ukraine itself”. The discussions around the potential fallout if Mr Trump returns to power are intensifying as the former president is emerging as a strong challenger for the Republican presidential nomination, tying up with his popularity in opinion polls despite a slew of indictments against him. Fresh polling conducted by the Associated Press-Norc Center for Public Affairs Research revealed that almost two-thirds of Republicans, specifically 63 per cent, are now expressing their desire that the former president run for office again. This marks a marginal increase from April’s figure of 55 per cent, which was recorded when Mr Trump was beginning to confront a string of criminal allegations. Additionally, Mr Trump’s favourability rating among Republicans has climbed, with seven in 10 respondents holding a positive opinion of him, up from the 60 per cent reported two months earlier. The possibility that the former president could secure a second term has not escaped the attention of Western Europeans – especially in Germany, given the notable animosity Mr Trump appears to harbour towards the country. A second term as president “would be different from the first, and much worse”, Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, a former official in the German government, told the Times. “Trump has experience now and knows what levers to pull, and he’s angry,” he said. He added that the former chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, had known how to deal with Mr Trump and had talked about “managing the man”. One of the primary concerns of US allies pertains to the potential impact of a Trump comeback on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a situation in which many European countries have significant involvement. During his presidency, Mr Trump threatened to withdraw Washington from Nato, and withheld assistance from Ukraine as it grappled with a Russian-supported rebellion – a matter that contributed to his first impeachment. He also gave the order to withdraw thousands of US troops from Germany, in a decision that was subsequently reversed by Mr Biden. If Mr Trump returned to power following the 2024 election, it is possible that Ukraine will still be in deep conflict with Russia, a country that has continued to make subtle and even direct threats to use nuclear weapons in the region. Mr Trump has said he would end the war in a day, which analysts have said suggests that he would force Ukraine to cede territory to Russia. Read More Trump sparks derision for saying he was ‘apple of Putin’s eye’ as EU diplomats ‘terrified’ of 2024 win – live Biden hails ‘a new era in partnership’ as US, Japan and Korea announce ‘Camp David Principles’ Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft suffers technical glitch in pre-landing maneuver Indictment shows White House lawyers struggling for control as Trump fought to overturn election Ecuadorians choosing a new president amid increasing violence that may scare away voters Guatemalans head to the polls, hoping their new leader will bring real change
2023-08-20 16:20
New York Times: Prosecutors insisted on harsher Hunter Biden plea deal around time IRS whistleblowers came forward
Special counsel David Weiss appeared to be willing to end the Hunter Biden probe earlier this year without any charges for the president's son, but seems to have changed his mind around the time two IRS whistleblowers accused the Justice Department of stonewalling the case and giving Hunter Biden special treatment, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
2023-08-20 08:48
Grandson of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, says 'we're in the final chapter' in health update
The grandson of former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter said "it's clear we're in the final chapter" in an interview with People published Saturday.
2023-08-20 06:51
DeSantis campaign lays out debate strategy to donors and supporters
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is prepared to be "the center of attacks" next week at the GOP's first debate in the 2024 presidential race, according to a campaign memo obtained by CNN that lays out how DeSantis is preparing for the debate stage.
2023-08-20 05:20
Chris Christie brings the fight to Trump and DeSantis on their home turf
Just days ahead of a crucial first Republican presidential debate, Chris Christie held a town hall in the home state of the two leading primary contenders.
2023-08-19 23:29
Legal scholars increasingly raise constitutional argument that Trump should be barred from presidency
Prominent conservative legal scholars are increasingly raising a constitutional argument that 2024 Republican candidate Donald Trump should be barred from the presidency because of his actions to overturn the previous presidential election result.
2023-08-19 23:25
US Ambassador Kathleen FitzGibbon arrives in Niger
US Ambassador Kathleen FitzGibbon arrived in Niger on Saturday, the State Department announced, taking up her post as the United States and partners continue to grapple with the military takeover in that country.
2023-08-19 21:48
Why four indictments haven't hurt Trump's polling
A plurality of Americans and independents think Donald Trump should have been charged with a crime in each of his four indictments, according to ABC News/Ipsos polling. A majority of Americans said in a new AP-NORC survey that they definitely won't vote for the former president in the 2024 general election.
2023-08-19 21:24
Inside the White House response to the Maui wildfires
On a Tuesday morning in August, a memo landed on President Joe Biden's desk warning of the possibility of a storm hitting Hawaii.
2023-08-19 18:15
Judge partially strikes down Georgia ban on giving voters food and water in polling lines
A federal judge on Friday narrowed a section of Georgia election law that banned the practice of handing out food and water to voters waiting in line to cast ballots, as well as halted enforcement of a requirement that voters put their birth dates on the outer envelope of their ballots.
2023-08-19 10:58
FBI searching for Proud Boy after he disappears days before January 6 sentencing
Christopher Worrell, a member of the Proud Boys who was convicted in a bench trial on seven charges related to his actions during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, was scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in Washington on Friday but is now missing, according to court records and the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
2023-08-19 10:57