Politics Now - USA

Former vice president Mike Pence speaks at an event sponsored by the Palmetto Family organization on 29 April 2021 in Columbia, South Carolina. The address was his first since the end of his vice presidency. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) Former vice president Mike Pence vowed in his first speech since leaving office to “push back” on the “far-left agenda” that he believes is wrong for America. Pence spoke at an event for the Palmetto Family Council – a far-right, anti-LGBT+ conservative Christian organisation – in South Carolina on Thursday (29 April). In his first public appearance since leaving the White House, the former vice president slammed president Biden and his “avalanche of liberal policies”. He said the Biden administration was pushing the “far-left agenda” while praising his administration with the former president, Donald Trump. “In just 100 days, the Biden-Harris administration has launched an avalanche of liberal policies that threaten to derail all the progress t

Financial disclosures released by former Secretary of State John Kerry indicate that until March of this year he held hundreds of thousands of dollars of investments in energy-related companies that may end up being affected by policies he'll help shape as President Joe Biden's new climate envoy. An ABC News analysis of his assets show that in recent years, Kerry held stakes in at least three dozen companies related to the energy industry, including firms dealing in electric, oil and gas, and nuclear energy, with shares worth between $204,000 and $960,000. Kerry had also recently held high-ranking positions within firms and entities that could end up being regulated by his climate action policies, filings show. A certificate of divestiture issued by the Office of Government Ethics on March 8 shows Kerry's plan to divest from companies that could pose a conflict of interest for his new role as U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, a common measure that newly appointed

This is all objectively the case. For every question that has emerged that begins with “Well, what about,” there is an answer that begins with either “That’s been debunked” or “That’s irrelevant.” Claims that the election was stolen depend on either the presumption it was and that evidence must therefore exist or on a willful lack of interest in the reality of the situation. That lack of interest often takes the form of reading paragraphs like this one and thinking, Well, sure, The Washington Compost would say that! To point out that the election wasn’t stolen is often by itself a reason to reject the publication or individual pointing it out, making it difficult to overcome the untrue belief that so many want to believe.

Video shot from multiple angles reveals more of how Rep. Mike Nearman enabled demonstrators to illegally enter the Oregon Capitol. An Oregon lawmaker who let violent far-right demonstrators into the state Capitol during a Dec. 21 special session was criminally charged on Friday with first-degree official misconduct and second-degree criminal trespass. Rep. Mike Nearman, R-Independence, was caught on security videos opening a door and allowing demonstrators to enter the building. He had been under investigation since at least January for enabling the breach. Nearman is scheduled to appear in court to face the charges on May 11. His attorney, Jason Short, could not immediately be reached for comment. The first-degree official misconduct charge is for allegedly knowingly taking action that constituted an unauthorized exercise of his official duties to benefit someone else, according to court filings. The second charge is for allegedly abetting another person to enter and remain in the Cap

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) plans to burst back onto the scene with guns blazing through a public crusade to take down “RINOs” (“Republicans In Name Only”), along with Democrats, as the feds investigate him for alleged sex trafficking. According to Politico, Gaetz is teaming up with far-right extremist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to launch an “America First Tour,” where they’ll rail against “the radical left” and Republicans who they believe aren’t loyal enough to ex-President Donald Trump. The spectacle will reportedly begin on May 7 in Florida at The Villages, a prominent bastion of conservative retirees (and also the site of the viral video Trump retweeted last year in which one of his supporters was seen shouting “white power!”). It is not yet known what other cities will be included in the tour. “There are millions of Americans who need to know they still have advocates in Washington D.C., and the America First movement is consistently growing and fighting,” Gaetz told Politico.

Share this: The Daily Beast released a bombshell report Thursday evening saying it had obtained a copy of a confession letter written by Matt Gaetz associate and former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg. The letter alleges the two Florida politicians paid for sex with multiple women, including the statutory rape of a 17-year-old girl. LISTEN: In the letter, Greenberg says he and Gaetz didn’t know the girl was underage. But they had paid her and others for sex with gas, money, gifts, rent or tuition. The Daily Beast reports Greenberg typed and hand wrote copies of the letter. He drafted them at the behest of Donald Trump ally Roger Stone. A series of text messages, also obtained by the Daily Beast, appear to show Greenberg hiring Stone to the tune of $250,000 to secure a pardon from then-president Donald Trump late last year. Greenberg is facing 33 federal charges including stalking; sex trafficking; identity theft; bribery of a public official; wire fraud; theft of governmen

Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images When Donald Trump ran for president in 2016, he repeatedly said he would raise taxes on rich people like himself. “I do very well. I don’t mind paying a little more in taxes,” he said in 2015. When he unveiled his plan that year, he proclaimed, “It’s going to cost me a fortune, which is actually true.” He continued to insist this in 2016. “I am willing to pay more, and you know what, the wealthy are willing to pay more,” Trump told ABC’s This Week. This promise was key to Trump’s appeal to swing voters. It was the proof point in his self-declared presentation as a rich man sacrificing his self-interest to help the little people. When Trump decided to violate this promise and usher in a tax cut that conferred massive benefits on wealthy business owners (including Trump), the Republican Party had no misgivings. There were no displays of hand-wringing over the backlash this would engender. Indeed, the consensus within the party was so strong that ev

Over a year ago, and in violation of my own good advice, I got caught up in a Facebook argument with a Republican relative about Donald Trump. I don't remember what the topic was, and it hardly matters now, since the past four years was just a constant churn of Trump doing terrible stuff and his defensive voters constantly grasping for dumb excuses for why the terrible stuff wasn't actually all that terrible. What I do remember, however, is that, at one point, I linked the Washington Post's daily counter of Trump false statements — he was up to over a dozen a day by then — and demanded an explanation of why she would support such a liar. (I am not proud of myself, as noted.) She retorted with something along the lines of, "Oh, like Elizabeth Warren has never told a lie!" Now, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is an honest politician and well-rated by PolitiFact. But all politicians have succumbed to the urge to massage the truth a time or two, and certainly I couldn

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed a bill Wednesday banning transgender athletes from competing on school sports teams that align with their gender. On Friday, when pressed by MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle to provide an example of a trans child “trying to gain an unfair competitive advantage” at a school in the state, Justice, a Republican, said he couldn’t. “I don't have that experience exactly to myself right now,” Justice said. When she pressed him harder, he said, “I can’t really tell you one, but I can tell you this, Stephanie: I’m a coach. I coach a girls’ basketball team, and I can tell you that we all know what an absolute advantage boys would have playing against girls.” Ruhle responded, “But sir, you have no examples of this happening.” She added, “Why would you take your time to do this? Let’s talk about other things that I can give you examples of in your state. According to U.S. News & World Report, West Virginia ranks 45th in education, 47th in health care, 48th

Liz Cheney defended herself against attacks after she greeted President Joe Biden at his address. Donald Trump Jr. accused Cheney, who voted to impeach President Donald Trump, of being a Democrat. "We're different political parties. We're not sworn enemies. We're Americans," Cheney said of Biden. See more stories on Insider's business page. Rep. Liz Cheney, the third highest-ranking House Republican and a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, took to Twitter to defend herself against right-wing attacks after she greeted President Joe Biden with a fist bump as he walked into the House chamber for his congressional address on Wednesday. "I disagree strongly w/@JoeBiden policies, but when the President reaches out to greet me in the chamber of the US House of Representatives, I will always respond in a civil, respectful & dignified way," Cheney tweeted on Thursday night. "We're different political parties. We're not sworn enemi

US President Joe Biden has touted Stacey Abrams as a potential future president in a visit to Georgia marking his 100th day in office and selling his ambitious $4trillion spending plan. The US leader said in a speech in Duluth, Georgia on Thursday that the voting rights activist “could be anything she wants to be, from whatever she chooses, to president.” The politician and lawyer, who is believed to be considering another run for governor in 2022, is widely credited with helping to boost voter turn-out in the 2020 election, as well as the Senate elections which gave Democrats a bare majority in the Senate. Biden, who marked his 100th day in office on Thursday, was the first Democrat presidential candidate to win the state since Bill Clinton in 1992. Speaking at a drive-in rally, Mr Biden thanked Ms Abrams for “empowering people to vote and to make their voices heard”, as well as Georgia voters and new US Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff who helped get the Covid-19 relief plan p

The Pentagon has cancelled all of Donald Trump's border wall contracts, according to the Biden administration. "Consistent with the president's proclamation, the Department of Defense is proceeding with canceling all border barrier construction projects paid for with funds originally intended for other military missions and functions such as schools for military children, overseas military construction projects in partner nations, and the National Guard and Reserve equipment account," Deputy Pentagon Spokesperson Jamal Brown said in a statement. The contracts being cancelled are any that used funding originally intended for use by the military and its functions. Mr Brown said the move was reflective of the Pentagon's mission to provide for the military and military families. "Today's action reflects this administration's continued commitment to defending our nation and supporting our service members and their families," he said. It is not immedia

President Biden Joe BidenAmericans for Prosperity launches campaign targeting six Democrats to keep filibuster Washington's split with Turkey widens — but it is up to Turkey to heal the rift Incomes, consumer spending soared in March as stimulus bill boosted recovering economy MORE is canceling projects to build a wall along the southern border using diverted defense funds and will use some funding to counter environmental damage from the wall's construction. Then-President Trump Donald TrumpWashington's split with Turkey widens — but it is up to Turkey to heal the rift Tomorrow's special election in Texas is the Democrats' best House hope in 2021 Giuliani to Tucker Carlson: 'No justification' for FBI raid MORE had diverted billions in defense and military construction funds toward building the wall, using emergency powers after Congress refused to fully fund the project directly. "Consistent with the President’s Proclamation terminating the redirection

MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle chewed out West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) for signing a bill to ban transgender girls from school sports after he couldn’t even say whether there’s even one trans student competing in sports in his state. “Sir, you have no examples of this happening,” she said as she berated the governor. “Why would you take your time to do this?” Related: North Dakota’s governor surprises everyone by vetoing anti-trans bill By the end of the segment, Justice was barely coherent, saying that there are only “12 kids maybe in our state that are transgender-type kids.” Earlier this week, Gov. Justice signed a bill that would ban transgender girls and women from participating in school sports as their gender. All over the country, Republican state lawmakers are trying to pass similar legislation, using the exact same talking points about how transgender girls are crowding cisgender girls out of school sports even though they can’t even say if there are any trans student-athle

The third round of coronavirus relief checks, which have been sent to 159 million households so far, were directly linked to an historic rise in household income, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal. Household income rose 21.1% in March after President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package into law, following months of stonewalling by Republicans, who spent much of 2020 claiming that additional aid to help families struggling to pay for housing and other necessities was unaffordable. The immediate rise in household income from the previous month represented the largest increase since 1959, the Journal reported, citing data from the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis. "This is what happens when you opt for investing in working people over trickle-down economics," said the grassroots organization Tax March. Stimulus checks and increased vaccination access are fueling this recovery. This is what happens when you opt for in

A private company hired by Arizona’s Republican Senate to do another presidential recount has been smacked down by a judge for battling to keep the process secret. The Cyber Ninjas company — headed by a conspiracy theorist and disciple of the “Stop the Steal” lie that the presidential election was rigged — has no election or balloting experience. Its lawyer argued in court this week that it could not reveal its “trade secrets” on how it would conduct the recount, and wanted to bar oversight of its audit process. But Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Daniel Martin said he was concerned “that the rights of the voters in Maricopa County” be protected and ordered Cyber Ninjas to turn over documents explaining the methods being used to review the 2.1 million 2020 ballots cast in the county, which includes Phoenix. The recount began last week. The recount result appears headed for a foregone conclusion. Months before the process started, Cyber Ninjas owner Doug Logan retweeted messages cl

It’s often said that politics makes strange bedfellows. So perhaps this explains the alliance between Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). The pair recently announced their nationwide “America First” tour where they plan to “call out RINOs,” or Republicans in name only. Featured Video Hide The announcement has people alternately scratching their heads, shuddering, and laughing. The two are arguably the most infamous members of Congress. Advertisement Hide Federal authorities are investigating Gaetz for trafficking a minor for sex. The scandal intensified yesterday with a report from the Daily Beast that his friend, who’s expected to take a plea bargain, admitted both paid a minor for sex in a letter. Gaetz denies any wrongdoing. Greene, meanwhile, is notorious in her own right. She subscribes to the QAnon conspiracy theory that holds that an international cabal of cannibalistic, satanic pedophiles controls the world. Some find it odd that a woman who believ

President Joe Biden played golf once in his first 100 days in office. Former President Donald Trump went to the golf course 19 times over the same period. Insider compared Biden's first 100 days to his recent predecessor. See more stories on Insider's business page. President Joe Biden ranks far below his predecessor Donald Trump in the amount of time he's spent on a golf course. Biden played golf once in his first 100 days as president. He went to the Wilmington Country Club in his home state of Delaware on April 17 — his 87th day in office — along with White House advisor Steve Ricchetti and Ron Olivere, the father-in-law of his late son, Beau, according to the White House press pool. "The course record was still intact," Biden joked to reporters after finishing up his first round that Saturday afternoon. Biden last logged an official round in 2018, ABC News reported. By contrast, Trump visited his golf courses in Northern Virginia and Florida 19 times by his 10

As if by magic, corporations were rendered human by the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United and 2014 Hobby Lobby decisions. They may now exercise free speech rights through unlimited political spending and enjoy freedom of religion by denying employee health care coverage for birth control pills, diaphragms, and IUDs. As Mitt Romney famously chided a heckler at the 2011 Iowa State Fair, “Corporations are people, my friend.” But not even today’s new, improved Romney would ever suggest that corporations are people when they pay their taxes. Suggest to a conservative that these notional human beings should pay the same income tax as actual human beings, and he or she will slam into reverse and tell you, “Corporations aren’t people at all. They’re really just an inanimate pile of stock certificates that gets taxed twice, first as corporate income and then as individual shareholders’ capital gains.” This double-taxation argument is disingenuous because the people who make it usually want t

Cody Griggers, 28, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm. He told a group text he wanted to falsely charge Black people with felonies, court filings show. He was fired from his job as a Georgia sheriff's deputy, the Raleigh News & Observer reported. See more stories on Insider's business page. A former Georgia deputy said he had plans to charge Black Georgians with felonies to prevent them from voting, according to court filings in the Middle District of Georgia. Cody Griggers, 28, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm. He was fired from his position in November 2020 after FBI investigators messaged the Wilkinson County sheriff about the investigation into Griggers, the Raleigh News & Observer reported. The FBI first became aware of Griggers from a separate federal case in California regarding an associate of his, Grey Zamudio. They started investigating Zamudio after receiving a tip about

Months after a coronavirus surge sickened hundreds of thousands of people, left thousands dead and pushed hospitals to their breaking point, California’s virus case rate is now the lowest of any state in the nation, federal figures show. Although the distinction doesn’t lessen the heavy toll exacted by the fall-and-winter wave, it does demonstrate the tremendous strides the state has made in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic — progress that, to this point, has not been interrupted even as the state more widely reopens its economy. For the record: An earlier version of this article reported that Dr. Mark Ghaly, the California Health and Human Services secretary, said that until October diners should probably eat outdoors at restaurants. Ghaly said people will probably prefer dining outdoors at restaurants instead of indoors until that time. California’s latest seven-day rate of new cases was 32.5 per 100,000 people, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and P

In September 2017, Matt Gaetz’s wingman got an “anonymous tip” that led him to immediately call the Florida congressman with some bad news: He and Gaetz had had sex with someone who was not, as they had thought, 19 years old. She was only 17—under the legal age of consent in Florida. After warning Gaetz not to go near the minor, Joel Greenberg promptly called the minor to “confront” her, blaming the girl for her own apparent statutory rape, according to a confession letter written by Greenberg and obtained by the Daily Beast. He told her “how serious of a situation this was, how many people she put in danger.” Advertisement “She apologized and recognized that by lying about her age, she endangered many people,” Greenberg wrote. But the seriousness of the situation didn’t stop Greenberg from reaching back out once she was technically legal: As Greenberg wrote in the letter, “there was no further contact with this individual until after her 18th birthday.” Greenberg, a former Florida tax

It used to be that the economics of television were pretty straightforward: broadcasters sold advertising to sponsors, who were willing to pay more to hawk their wares on the highest-rated programs. The biggest shows and stars attracted the classiest advertisers — luxury car makers, popular consumer products, brokerages and banks. Things have obviously changed radically, or how else could one explain the phenomenon of Tucker Carlson? We have a moral obligation to admit the world’s poor, they tell us, even if it makes our own country poorer, and dirtier, and more divided. Tucker Carlson, 2018 Advertisement Carlson is the undisputed star of Fox News Channel. In the April Nielsen ratings he trounced all other cable news programming, with an average audience of more than 3 million viewers. His Tucker Carlson Tonight also finished first in the sought-after 25-54 age segment, averaging 523,000 viewers. Yet the advertising lineup of Carlson’s show displays virtually no class at all. Judging f

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden blamed the Trump administration for ongoing problems at the U.S.-Mexico border, citing its failure to cooperate and share critical information during the presidential transition period. In an exclusive interview that aired Friday with "TODAY" show co-anchor Craig Melvin, Biden said his administration inherited “one god-awful mess at the border” from former President Donald Trump. He said it’s the result of “the failure to have a real transition — cooperation from the last administration, like every other administration has done.” After the November election, Biden said that he had dispatched his transition team to meet with the officials leading the major departments across the government. “The two departments that didn’t give us access to virtually anything were the immigration and the Defense Department,” said Biden, who added that his team didn’t know until he was sworn into office that Trump had fired many people from those departments and

In 2013, I took my first trip to Europe to see offshore wind turbines spin at the Anholt wind farm, nine miles off the coast of Denmark. The experience was just as jaw-dropping as my several visits to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, home to the 36-story-tall Saturn V rocket that sent men to the moon. The turbines were similarly massive, stretching 46 stories into the air every time the tip of a blade reached the high noon position. I was there as a reporter for the Boston Globe, following members of a Massachusetts trade delegation pondering how to bring similar technology to their home state. Construction was nearly complete on the 111-turbine, 400-megawatt complex at Anholt that would provide enough juice to power 400,000 Danish homes. Our boat tour passed by a mammoth “jack-up” installation vessel loaded with towers, blades, and nacelles (the housing for the gearbox and electronics). Despite rough seas, my excitement to photograph these mechanical skyscrapers lured me to the