Twitter Users Mock George Santos For Demanding Biden’s Impeachment

Posted on 26/07/2023 by Boris Clair

And so is one member of Congress who should probably sit this one out: George Santos .

Considering that Santos was indicted on 13 counts in May for allegedly embezzling money from his campaign, lying to Congress about his income and cheating his way into undeserved unemployment benefits, some people wondered if he was in any position to be calling for an indictment ― including Anna M. Kaplan, who is running to replace him in Congress.

She posted two tweets, the first of which offered some helpful advice ― “Sit this one out, George” ― while the second suggested that McCarthy expel Santos “instead of this partisan impeach inquiry.”

Others joined in on mocking Santos ― and some even brought receipts.

Swole The Vote: Why Politicians Love Doing Pushups

Posted on 02/07/2023 by Boris Clair

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running for the Democratic nomination for president, wants to stand out from ordinary politicians. So this week he posted a video of himself doing shirtless pushups in a parking lot — you know, as potential presidents do!

The 69-year-old son of Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy showed off his physique in a clip that has been viewed over 15 million times. “Get yourself in shape for a Kennedy Presidency!” he tweeted.

His workout in nothing but jeans at a Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach, California ― a mecca for muscleheads ― drew tons of favorable news coverage and served as an implicit contrast to 80-year-old Joe Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history.

It’s debatable whether American voters are longing for a set of rippling pecs in the Oval Office. But the prominent vaccine skeptic isn’t the first politician to flex their muscles as a way to boost their image or project strength to voters. For many politicians, displays of physical prowess can be a way to fend off questions about their age, set themselves apart in a crowded field, or even just make themselves seem more relatable or charismatic ― though it doesn’t necessarily work.

Does anyone remember the historic candidacy of John Delaney?

The former Democratic congressman from Maryland ran for president in 2020 and tried to distinguish himself from the crowded primary field in part by sharing videos of himself doing pushups and deadlifts in tight T-shirts. Delaney was jacked as hell. But it did nothing for his campaign. He ended his run just days before the Iowa caucuses.

The desire to be seen as a musclehead over an egghead isn’t limited to the younger congressional set. The longest-serving Republican senator in U.S. history, 89-year-old Chuck Grassley, has often played up his exercise habits in campaign ads.

In 2021, the Iowa Republican and then-44-year-old Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) did a 22-pushup demonstration ― though some might say they were half-pushups ― to raise awareness about suicide among military servicemembers. And in 2017, an 83-year-old Grassley challenged a much-younger reporter to a pushup contest and matched his number with 25.

But being buff doesn’t bring invincibility. After winning an eighth Senate term last year, Grassley broke his hip doing what he called “a stupid maneuver in my kitchen” that briefly put him in a wheelchair. The sprightly senator is back to taking stairs at the Capitol, but recently said he’s not yet running again.

This is not a new phenomenon. The late Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.), marked his 65th birthday by doing 101 pushups, then another for the photographers.

The president of the United States is another fan of proposing feats of strength when challenged over his age ― though he doesn’t follow through. In 2019, during a tense exchange with an Iowa voter who told the then-77-year-old he was too old for the presidency, Biden threw down the gauntlet.

“You want to check my shape, let’s do pushups together. Let’s run. Let’s do whatever you want to do,” Biden told the man, who was 83 himself and apparently did not take up the offer from the now-president, who has a stiffened gait and has tripped and fallen in public.

The same year, Biden jokingly said he would challenge Donald Trump to a pushup match. He even suggested wrestling a HuffPost reporter in response to a question about voters’ concerns over his health. “What the hell ‘concerns,’ man? You wanna wrestle?” (For the record: We’re still waiting, Mr. President).

Other politicians simply love to share videos of themselves working out, particularly new members of Congress.

In February, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) posted a video of himself bench-pressing 405 pounds, which is a lot. He told HuffPost at the time that his eventual goal was to do the same weight for two repetitions. (It’s called the House of Reps, after all.)

Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), then a member-elect, did pushups on Capitol Hill in 2018.

It’s not just dudes, either. In 2019, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) posted a video of herself doing pushups alongside a fellow member as a way to blow off steam between hearings. In February, conspiracy theorist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) showed off some butterfly pull-ups, which look incredibly weird to anyone unfamiliar with CrossFit.

And never forget the, dare we say, iconic 2012 Time Magazine photo shoot of then-Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan demonstrating some bicep curls in a backward hat with a moody blue backdrop, possibly some of the most awkward “gym bro” images of all time.

Of course, there are other ways to show your fixation on masculinity. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) this year published a book titled “Manhood,” calling on American men “to stand up and embrace their God-given responsibility as husbands, fathers, and citizens.” The Missouri Republican argues masculinity isn’t so “inherently problematic” as liberals make it out to be. (The book doesn’t say how many pushups Hawley can do.)

As if to provide a counterpoint, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) this week challenged a combative committee witness to an actual cage match. The witness, a union president who called Mullin a “greedy CEO” and a “clown,” did not accept the challenge within Mullin’s three-day time period, so the two will have to continue fighting with words. It’s probably an improvement on the historical way of settling disputes in the upper chamber: duels with pistols.

Of course, after pride comes the fall — particularly on Twitter. Even though he looks buff, Kennedy betrayed weakness in the face of Twitter users who wondered why he seemed to struggle to do only eight-and-a-half pushups in his video.

“I can do more than 10 pushups,” he assured them. “That was my last set.”

Then-Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) did 46 pushups in 2014 as part of a bet payoff over hockey.

Human Rights Groups Blast White House For Modi Visit: ‘Shame On You’

Posted on 18/06/2023 by Boris Clair

Human rights groups are blasting the White House for rolling out the red carpet for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is set to meet with President Joe Biden and address Congress during his visit to Washington, D.C., next week.

The Indian government called the trip “historic,” and the White House noted that “the visit will strengthen our two countries’ shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific.”

But critics want Biden to press Modi about human rights violations in India related to the steep rise of Hindu nationalism — a political and extremist ideology that seeks to transform a secular and diverse India into an ethnoreligious Hindu state that targets minorities. Religious minorities in India are at risk of continued state-sanctioned violence and harassment if the U.S. continues to overlook Modi’s role in it, they say.

“For almost a decade now, human rights activists and others have regularly brought to the White House — Democrats or Republicans — that Modi’s regime is authoritarian, it’s right-wing, it’s anti-Muslim and it’s anti-minority,” said Suchitra Vijayan, the author of “Midnight’s Borders: A People’s History of Modern India.”

“The fact that they continue to whitewash him by giving them a platform is very worrying,” she added.

Modi was banned from the U.S. in 2005, before he became prime minister, for supporting Hindu extremist groups who rioted and targeted Muslims. But this will be Modi’s third White House visit at least, and the second time he addresses a joint session of Congress. He first did so in 2016 under former President Barack Obama.

This will be the third official state dinner Biden has hosted. The White House previously hosted the president and first lady of South Korea for a state dinner in April and the president and first lady of France last December.

When pressed about human rights concerns in India, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the visit, adding that the president believes “this is an important relationship that we need to continue and build on as it relates to human rights.”

The White House did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.

“Despite who is in the White House, the U.S. has a long history of propping up authoritarian regimes for its own personal ends.”

– Suchitra Vijayan, author of “Midnight’s Borders: A People’s History of Modern India”

India continues to be a powerful ally to the U.S. as the world’s most populous country and largest democracy. But inviting Modi to the White House sends a dangerous message to religious minorities across the globe, critics argued.

“What happens in a country of a billion people will have global ramifications,” said Vijayan.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have scheduled a private screening next week of a BBC documentary on Modi and his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots where at least 1,000 people were killed, most of them Muslim. During the pogrom, Hindu mobs torched Muslim homes and businesses, killed Muslim women and children, and demolished mosques and graves. The Indian government has since blocked the documentary on social media, including Twitter.

“The screening of the film provides an opportunity to demonstrate what, in practice, freedom of expression and what dissent looks like and also educate the public and remind people of the horrific acts of violence and killings against Muslims in Gujarat,” said Amanda Klasing, the national director of advocacy at Amnesty International USA.

Biden is hoping to secure a package for India to buy dozens of U.S.-made armed drones worth billions of dollars in an effort to strengthen U.S.-India ties amid China’s growing influence.

“Despite who is in the White House, the U.S. has a long history of propping up authoritarian regimes for its own personal ends,” said Vijayan.

Critics of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in India, including journalists and activists, have faced targeted harassment and prosecutions. The rights of religious minorities, especially Muslims, continue to deteriorate. BJP supporters and Hindu nationalist groups commit violent attacks against Muslims and government critics with impunity. At least 50 anti-Muslim hate rallies took place in the span of four months last year starting in November 2022.

In fact, a 2022 religious freedom report by the U.S. State Department recorded a rise in violence against religious minorities in India, including incidents of the government bulldozing Muslim-owned homes and shops and reports of Christians being attacked, arrested and detained by police. Christian groups said police sometimes aided crowds in disrupting their worship services, according to the report.

“Biden should be listening in to his own State Department and articulating all this publicly and clearly on the record about human rights abuses,” said Klasing. “The failure to do that doesn’t reflect well on what the strength of the relationship is. This is a crucial test.”

As of 2020, about 15% of Indians are Muslim, while Christians make up between 2% and 3% of the country’s population. Last month, ethnic violence broke out in Manipur, a remote state in India’s northeast, where churches were burned down and dozens of people were killed, most of them Christians.

John Prabhudoss, the chairman of the Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations, told HuffPost that he has been communicating with dozens of Indian pastors and that most of them are terrified for their families back in India.

“Their family could be jailed or even the worst, killed. The fear is real,” said Prabhudoss.

Prabhudoss, who visited India alongside lawmakers in 2002 after the Gujarat riots and saw the impact of the violence firsthand, called Modi’s visit “unforgivable.”

“For the president to bring him to the White House … is shameful,” said Prabhudoss. “Mr. Biden, shame on you.”

Sunak Hails ‘Atlantic Declaration’ Despite Abandoning UK-US Free Trade Deal

Posted on 09/06/2023 by Boris Clair

Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden have agreed a new partnership that the British prime minister said cements the “indispensable alliance” between the UK and US – but the deal fell well short of a prized and full-blown free trade deal.

The Atlantic Declaration, announced as the PM and US president met in the White House, includes commitments on easing trade barriers, closer defence industry ties and a data protection deal.

UK officials insisted the new, “targeted” approach was a better response to the economic challenges posed by China and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine than a trade deal – which has long been hailed by Brexiteers as one of the potential benefits of leaving the EU.

During a joint press conference in Washington DC where the declaration was announced, Sunak was pressed by the BBC’s political Chris Mason on whether the lack of a free trade deal represented “failure” to deliver on a 2019 manifesto promise.

Sunak replied the declaration was a response to the “particular opportunities and challenges we face right now and into the future” and that the UK-US relationship is “strong and booming”.

Chris Mason, “Brexit Conservative party promised a full free trade deal with the US. Isn’t the truth, what you announced today is a failure?”

Rishi Sunak, “Today’s agreement removes unnecessary red tape so UK companies can trade with the US far easier.” pic.twitter.com/PVntGHKwzh

— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) June 8, 2023

For the president’s part, Biden said: “It’s a testament to the depth, breadth and I would argue the intensity of our co-operation and coordination which continues to exist between the United Kingdom and the United States.

“There’s no issue of global importance – none – that our nations are not leading together.”

What’s in The Atlantic Declaration?

The deal mitigates some of the issues cause by Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), with proposals for a critical minerals agreement to remove barriers which affected trade in electric vehicle batteries.

An agreement would give buyers of vehicles made using critical minerals processed, recycled or mined by UK companies access to tax credits in line with the IRA.

The Inflation Reduction Act provides a $3,750 incentive for each vehicle, on conditions including that the critical minerals used in its production – principally used in the battery – are sourced from the US or a country with whom the US has a critical minerals agreement.

An agreement could help companies all over the UK, including firms carrying out nickel production in Wales and lithium processing in Teesside.

Biden has committed to ask Congress to approve the UK as a “domestic source” under US defence procurement laws, allowing for greater American investment in British firms.

Work will be carried out to improve the resilience of supply chains and efforts will be stepped up to shut Vladimir Putin’s Russia out of the global civil nuclear market.

The agreement will also include a push for mutual recognition of qualifications for engineers, although this could require state-by-state approval in the US.

A deal on data protection will ease burdens for small firms doing transatlantic trade, potentially saving £92 million.

The two nations will also collaborate on key industries – artificial intelligence, 5G and 6G telecoms, quantum computing, semiconductors and engineering biology.

It also commits the UK and US to partnership across all forms of space activity, including on communications and space nuclear power and propulsion.

Why not a proper trade deal?

Officials believe the deal is a less sentimental and more pragmatic approach to the UK-US “special relationship”, based on the need to ensure the allies can maintain their economic power and security.

The global energy shock caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine illustrated the vulnerability of major economies reliant on supply chains beyond their political allies.

There are fears that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could cause a similar economic meltdown due to the disputed territory’s significance in global semiconductor supplies.

Labour said the absence of a trade deal in the Atlantic Declaration represented a “failure”.

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said: “This statement shows the Conservative government has failed to deliver the comprehensive trade deal they promised in the 2019 manifesto, or to secure the ally status under the Inflation Reduction Act that is so important for the automotive sector and for the green transition.

“While the Biden administration have enacted the Inflation Reduction Act to de-risk its economy from China and create jobs at home, the Conservatives have left Britain’s cupboards bare. Instead of taking similar action, the chancellor has attacked the US approach as ‘dangerous’ and ‘not the British way’.”

Biden Trips And Falls During US Air Force Academy Commencement

Posted on 02/06/2023 by Boris Clair

President Joe Biden tripped and fell while appearing at the US Air Force Academy’s commencement ceremony in Colorado on Thursday.

Video of the spill appeared to show the president clip the front of his foot on something before falling to the ground with his arms out, braced for impact.

Biden appeared unfazed after getting helped to his feet, and he took his seat shortly after.

“He’s fine,” White House communications director Ben LaBolt wrote on Twitter. “There was a sandbag on stage while he was shaking hands.”

“I know you are going to meet the moment,” he told the service members.

Liz Truss Calls Her Downfall A ‘Major Setback’

Posted on 12/04/2023 by Boris Clair

Liz Truss has hit the political comeback trail with a lecture denouncing the “cost of government crisis” and “woke culture”.

On Wednesday, the Conservative former prime minister was speaking in the US and delivering the Margaret Thatcher Lecture for the right-wing think tank Heritage Foundation.

Truss, whose premiership lasted 49 days, left Downing Street after her September mini-budget measures helped tank the pound.

Despite her unfunded tax cuts panicking the markets, Truss has continued to go into bat for a low tax-leading-to-high growth policy platform.

In her speech, she said she did not understand “quite how hard” it would be to change the culture of government to something more in line with what she is now advocating, acknowledging “last autumn I had a major setback”, but adding “I care too much to give up on this agenda”.

She said her plans faced “co-ordinated resistance” from her own party, the “British corporate establishment”, the International Monetary Fund and US president Joe Biden.

She went to hit out at “the left” which has “weaponised people’s concerns about the economy and environment”, adding that terms using such as “fuel poverty” and the “climate emergency” are being used to “justify policies which are anti-growth and socialist”.

“Maybe rather than a ‘cost of living crisis’, what we’ve actually got is the ‘cost of government crisis’,” she added.

She used her speech to criticise the size of the state in the US and UK, and warned they are becoming “social democracies by the backdoor”, describing a “culture where too many people and too many businesses expect a bailout”.

She told the audience: “The sad truth is what I think we’ve seen over the past few years is a new kind of economic model taking hold in our countries, one that’s focused on redistributionism, on stagnation, and on the imbuing of woke culture into businesses. I call these people the anti-growth movement.”

“There are also the people who live in the (Washington) beltway, or they live in London, they live within the M25, and they’ve been enjoying quite a nice life,” she said elsewhere in her speech, adding “they don’t want to see the status quo changed. All of those people are part of the resistance to the change we need to see”.

Have The US Midterm Elections Sunk Donald Trump’s Chances Of Another Presidential Run?

Posted on 09/11/2022 by Boris Clair

So is Donald Trump an election liability? That was the question being posed by Republicans on Wednesday as the dust settled on a disappointing set of US mid-term election results.

A triumphant Republican “red wave” was predicted thanks to the traditional beating the party of the sitting president is handed down, allied to stubbornly-high inflation hitting voters in the pocket and Joe Biden’s grim approval ratings. In the event, the wave was more of a ripple.

While the final numbers might not be known for weeks, the fact remains that Biden’s Democrats could actually maintain a voting majority in the Senate, and control of the House is still not declared, as victories in key governors’ races were celebrated. It was not supposed to be this way.

US midterm election results as at 8am GMT November 9 2022. Infographic from PA Graphics.

The Republican post-mortem began with the part Trump played, and the conspiracy-laden politics he has inspired and supported. The ex-president gave his full-throated endorsement to nearly 40 candidates, many who championed his Make America Great Again agenda, including the discredited theory that the 2020 election was compromised by fraud. Many under-performed – as evidenced by the “split-ticket” voting that saw more moderate Republicans in the same states do markedly better than Trump acolytes.

“Every Republican in America this morning is waking up sick to their stomach,” said Republican strategist David Urban, a former Trump advisor. “Live by Trump, die by Trump.”

How did Trump’s endorsements work out?

Trump’s influence on the vote goes back further than taking the stage with his favourites. He went against the wishes of party leaders and picked candidates he felt were the most loyal to him, and there were generally stronger GOP alternatives than the candidates Trump chose.

In New Hampshire, Don Bolduc, a Republican who bought into conspiracy theories, lost to incumbent Democratic Maggie Hassan, setting expectations low for Republicans in other states.

And in Pennsylvania, GOP Senate candidate and former TV host Mehmet Oz lost to Democrat John Fetterman, who is recovering from a stroke, in another blow for a Trump pick. Democrat Josh Shapiro also easily beat Doug Mastriano, a Christian nationalist and extremist election denier who Trump also endorsed, in the race for Pennsylvania governor.

Donald Trump with Mehmet Oz during a Save America rally in Pennsylvania.

ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images

Trump candidates also fared poorly in House races. In Ohio, Republican JR Majewski, a poorly-vetted candidate who lied about his Air Force experience, lost to longtime Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur. Trump’s blessing helped elevate Majewski in the Republican primary against two state lawmakers who were more likely to beat Kaptur.

In Michigan, early results showed Democrat Hillary Scholten leading Trump-backed Republican John Gibbs in a district represented by Republican Peter Meijer, who lost a primary to Gibbs after he voted with Republicans to impeach Trump.

There were two bright spots. Republican JD Vance, who advanced out of a GOP primary with Trump’s help, easily won his Senate race in Ohio. Another Trump Senate nominee, Ted Budd, won in North Carolina.

A new Republican hope?

But as Trump-backed candidates flailed, Florida governor Ron DeSantis scored a resounding 20 percentage points victory with his brand of “competent Trumpism”. A tilt at the Republican presidential nomination is now a near certainty. Notably, Trump did not endorse DeSantis and has even begun to troll his potential rival, giving him the nickname “Ron De-sanctimonious”.

Republican gubernatorial candidate for Florida Ron DeSantis with his wife Casey DeSantis speaks to supporters during an election night watch party at the Convention Center in Tampa, Florida.

GIORGIO VIERA via Getty Images

The huge win, coupled with the struggles for Trump-endorsed candidates elsewhere, has already prompted the governor’s many fans in conservative media to hail him one of the bigger winners of this year’s election cycle.

How has Trump reacted?

Badly, it appears. The New York Times reported Trump was “livid” about the results, with his fury in particular directed at the loss by Oz in Pennsylvania. He blamed people who recommended that he endorsed the TV doctor, including his wife, Melania Trump.

Trump is indeed furious this morning, particularly about Mehmet Oz, and is blaming everyone who advised him to back Oz — including his wife, describing it as not her best decision, according to people close to him.

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 9, 2022

There are people pushing Trump to reschedule his announcement next week, and several Rs have texted asking whether he will, but it’s risky and would be acknowledging he’s wounded by yesterday, something that some of his advisers insist is not the case

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 9, 2022

Worth remembering that Trump is a grown man who endorsed Oz over the objection of some of the people closest to him, and instead went beyond just endorsing and attacked Dave McCormick from the stage at a rally.

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 9, 2022

Is Trump cooked?

In seems unlikely, though, that Trump will shuffle off into the shadows as a result of ballot. Trump is arguably still the most powerful figure in his party, and next Tuesday he has promised a “major” announcement, which seems likely to be the confirmation he intends to run in 2024.

“I’m going to be making a very big announcement on Tuesday, November 15 at Mar-a-Lago,” Trump said on Monday night before the midterm results.

Perhaps the only thing standing in Trump’s way is his own ego: if he recognises he can’t win either the Republican nomination or the presidential race, perhaps he finds a convenient excuse to avoid being seen as a loser again.

What Could The Results Of The US Midterm Elections Mean For Donald Trump?

Posted on 08/11/2022 by Boris Clair

Donald Trump does not appear on the ballot paper at the US midterm elections, but the ex-president still looms large.

Rejected by the American public two years, the TV star-turned-politician has been fully embraced by the Republican Party – or at least the Trump playback has become gospel for hundreds of candidates hoping for victory.

Since his fingerprints are everywhere, the elections for the US House of Representatives and the Senate will be interpreted by many as referendum on Trump-ism – and could play a decisive role in whether Trump is the Republican presidential candidate in 2024.

What has he said?

While he is yet say officially, Trump has as near-as-dammit indicated a third presidential run is on.

“I’m going to be making a very big announcement on Tuesday, November 15 at Mar-a-Lago,” Trump said in Ohio on Monday night, where he was holding yet another rally of the midterm season.

Trump explained that he wanted “nothing to detract from the importance of tomorrow”, even after he had sparked a frantic effort to hold him off after he had told people he was considering officially launching his next campaign at the rally.

Trump has been increasingly explicit about his plans to seek another term, saying in recent days that he would “very, very, very probably” run again and would be formalising his intentions “very, very soon”.

“I will probably have to do it again but stay tuned,” he said on Sunday night in Miami. “Stay tuned to tomorrow night in the great state of Ohio.”

Could the midterms derail his plans?

The Republicans are expected to do well at the polls for many reasons that have nothing to do with Trump or his positions.

Midterm elections – half-way through the US president’s four-year term in office – typically see the party that holds the White House getting a roasting: see Barack Obama losing the House midway through his first term, and the same happening to Trump in 2018.

Democrats under Joe Biden are also hamstrung by the president’s low approval ratings, fuelled by voter concerns over economy and inflation, even if these have been caused by global factors such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Republicans are the favourites to win the House, and they need to pick up just one seat to gain control of the Senate. So given his influence over the slate of candidates put forward by the Republicans, Trump could face being blamed if the elections do not got well (and, by the same token, big victories would be a major fillip for the Trump political brand).

Donald Trump and Republican candidate for US Senate JD Vance during the rally at the Dayton International Airport.

Drew Angerer via Getty Images

How much influence does Trump wield?

The ex-president has endorsed nearly 300 candidates. Among them is JD Vance, an author, venture capitalist and one-time Trump critic. His decision to back Vance in the state’s hyper-competitive Senate primary vaulted the political newcomer to victory in a crowded Republican field.

Many who back Trump have embraced his American First positions, including his isolationist foreign policy and focus on immigration. In large part they have even taken up his “big lie” about fraud during the presidential vote in 2020. In a case where a GOP nominee has refused to spread the false claim – businessman Joe O’Dea in Colorado – Trump has attacked him, actively hurting both his campaign and Republican chances to win back the chamber.

Commentators point out the grip Trump has on thee party has saddled the GOP with relatively weak candidates in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia and New Hampshire – key states that could decide who holds either chamber.

In Georgia, Trump backed Herschel Walker, a former college football star, which drove away other potential candidates. Walker’s campaign has been dogged by questions about his turbulent personal life, including allegations of domestic violence from his ex-wife and, more recently, two women saying that Walker pressured them to have abortions during their relationships, allegations he has denied. His candidacy could now result in Democratic senator Rafael Warnock holding on to his seat with polls showing a tight race.

What else could stand in Trump’s way?

Trump is also facing a series of escalating legal challenges, including several investigations that could lead to indictments. They include the probe into hundreds of documents with classified markings that were seized by the FBI from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, as well as ongoing state and federal inquiries into his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol has also subpoenaed Trump and last month issued a letter to his lawyers saying he must testify, either at the Capitol or by videoconference, “beginning on or about” November 14 and continuing for multiple days if necessary.

Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a campaign rally in Orlando, Florida.

Octavio Jones via Getty Images

And he remains a polarising figure. Trump, who has a history dating back to the 1980s of publicly toying with White House bids only to back down, could also still decide not to run if he fears he could lose either in the Republican primaries or the general election itself. Could his ego take another defeat?

Who else could run in 2024?

The 2024 campaign will effectively kick off when the polls close on November 8, and potential Republican challengers have spent months carefully laying the groundwork for their own expected campaigns.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis is widely seen as Trump’s most formidable challenger having honed his brand of competent Trump-ism. Former vice president Mike Pence will be releasing a book on the same day as the Trump announcement, which is seen as part of his own potential campaign rollout.

Texas senator Ted Cruz and Florida senator Rick Scott have been aggressively campaigning for midterm candidates, as has former UN ambassador Nikki Haley.

Biden Issues Blanket Pardons For Simple Marijuana Possessions

Posted on 06/10/2022 by Boris Clair

President Joe Biden will pardon all prior federal offences of simple possession of marijuana, he announced on Thursday.

The president is also calling on governors to pardon state marijuana offences. He will also ask the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and the attorney general to review how the drug is scheduled under current federal law.

The forthcoming pardons are set to clear the convictions of some 6,500 people who had federal charges of simple possession of marijuana from 1992 to 2021, officials said. Thousands more who were convicted in the District of Columbia will also be pardoned.

“Criminal records for marijuana possession have also imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said in a statement. “And while white and Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and brown people have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at disproportionate rates.”

The announcement still stops short of decriminalizing marijuana, even as a growing majority of Americans say the drug should be legal. The president also intends to keep the current regulations relating to trafficking, marketing and underage sales in place.

Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act, like heroin and LSD. The Justice Department said it will work with the Department of Health and Human Services to review how marijuana is classified under federal law.

“Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana,” Biden said. “It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

Despite Disagreements, Biden Tells Truss The UK Is ‘Our Closest Ally In The World’

Posted on 21/09/2022 by Boris Clair

US president Joe Biden has told Liz Truss the UK is “our closest ally in the world”, despite sharp disagreements between the leaders of the two countries.

Ahead of a one-to-one meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Biden and the new UK prime ministers spoke to reporters before sitting down to talks centring on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the energy crisis it has provoked.

Though Biden’s words were reassuring, the president told Truss he is “looking forward to hearing what’s on your mind” about the row over the Northern Ireland Protocol, which prevents a hard border on the island of Ireland, underlining tensions over post-Brexit arrangements.

The prime minister sought to reassure the US president by telling him how she would be explaining how the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to the island would be upheld.

Biden and Truss were meeting after the president sent a tweet just as the PM was discussing her economic policy, which said he was “sick and tired of trickle-down economics”.

“It has never worked,” he said.

The comments underlined the differences between the two leaders’ stances after Truss made clear her economic agenda had the trickle-down theory – tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations will benefit everyone – at its heart.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said it was “ludicrous” to suggest Biden was criticising UK policy, arguing each country is facing different economic challenges.

The prime minister is pushing ahead with the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol Bill which the EU and other critics say will breach international law by suspending elements of the agreement.

There have also been suggestions she could unilaterally trigger Article 16 of the protocol, to override parts of the agreement brokered as part of the Brexit divorce deal.

In opening marks at the top of their meeting, the US president told Truss: “We are both committed to protecting the Good Friday Agreement of Northern Ireland.

“And I’m looking forward to hearing what’s on your mind.”

He congratulated her on becoming prime minister, adding: “I look forward to working closely with you. You’re our closest ally in the world and there’s a lot we can continue to do together.”

Truss told the president the UK and the US are “steadfast allies” as she thanked him for his support following the death of the Queen.

“Of course I’m looking forward to discussing the Belfast Good Friday Agreement and how we make sure that’s upheld into the future,” she added.

Biden said their “full agenda” for the meeting includes Ukraine’s defence against Vladimir Putin’s invasion, China and preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“We also want to talk about energy, which understandably is of significant consequence to all of Europe and the United Kingdom in particular,” he added.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan made it clear Biden would discuss the protocol “in some detail” with Truss.

Sullivan told reporters the president “will encourage the UK and the European Union to work out an effective outcome that ensures there is no threat to the fundamental principles of the Good Friday Agreement”.

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