DeSantis news — live: Florida governor defines ‘woke’ and vows to dismantle Biden policies on Iowa visit

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.”

Key Points

• DeSantis wraps up first early states tour

• Woman interrupts DeSantis speech to claim her son’s murder was covered up in Florida

• DeSantis snaps at reporter: ‘Are you blind?'

• Florida governor under fire over anti-immigration law as boycott pressure grows

• DeSantis hits familiar targets Fauci, Disney and ‘wokeism’ in first rally as 2024 candidate

• Candidate vows to ‘destroy leftism’ and accuses Trump of allying with Disney

DeSantis condemns Trump’s congratulation of Kim Jong-un

15:19 , Megan Sheets

Ron DeSantis has joined Republicans rebuking Donald Trump for congratulating North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un after his country was admitted to the World Health Organisation’s Executive Board.

“Congratulations to Kim Jung Un!” the former president wrote on Truth Social on Friday, misspelling his name while sharing news of the admission.

Asked about the post at an Iowa campaign event on Saturday, the Mr DeSantis said: “I was surprised to see that. I mean, one, Kim Jong-un is a murderous dictator.”

The Florida governor noted that North Korea recently sentenced a family with a young infant to life in prison - before shifting his condemnation to the WHO.

“The World Health Organisation is a bankrupt organisation,” he said. “Like, Kim Jong-un is bad but joining that, we need to be getting out of that, and rejecting the WHO lockdown treaty and not congratulating about being involved in the WHO.”

Read more:

Trump slammed for congratulating Kim Jong-un - with awkward spelling error

Trump makes misleading claim about New York hush money probe

14:19 , Megan Sheets

Donald Trump took to Truth Social early Sunday morning to claim that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation into alleged hush money payments is on the rocks.

In all-caps, the ex-president wrote: “Wow! Legal experts are saying that D.A. Alvin Bragg will be immediately forced to drop his weak & disparaged case against “Trump” because his top investigator, Jeremy Rosenberg, corruptly colluded with a disgraced, disbarred, and convicted felon & perjurer in attempting to frame me with a “crime” that doesn’t even exist. They apparently became close friends with lifestyle money spent, a crime. This on top of Clinton lawyer turned prosecutor, Mark Pomerantz, illegally writing a book on the case!”

He appeared to be referring to a New York Post article which claimed that Mr Rosenberg had been suspended for “contact” with Mr Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen.

The report, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, specifically states that the suspension “might not affect the case against Trump”.

‘Not inspiring’: Trump and Maga allies mock Biden for Air Force graduation fall

13:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump and his Maga fans have mocked Joe Biden after he tripped and fell at the Air Force Graduation ceremony in Colorado.

The president dropped to his knees after stumbling over a sandbag after two hours on stage at the service academy in Colorado Springs on Thursday.

Mr Biden, 80, did not appear hurt by the fall and continued to stand on stage until the ceremony ended several minutes later, according to the White House pool.

Read more...

Trump and Maga allies mock Biden for Air Force graduation fall

Grand jury examining Trump classified documents case expected to meet after break

13:25 , Megan Sheets

There could soon be movement in the investigation into Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents after his presidency, as NBC News reports the federal grand jury hearing evidence in the case is expected to meet this week.

NBC’s report late Saturday night, citing “multiple people familiar with the investigation”, is causing a stir as it comes after lull in case activity at the court in recent weeks.

The Justice Department, which is overseeing the probe led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, declined to comment to the network and it is unclear whether prosecutors are preparing to seek an indictment.

The NBC report follows a string of new allegations related to the special counsel probe. Last week, multiple reports alleged that Mr Trump was caught on tape in 2021 acknowledging that he had held onto a classified Pentagon document outlining a potential attack on Iran. It later emerged that the document in question is missing.

Mr Trump has continued to profess that he did nothing wrong, most recently at a Fox News town hall on Thursday.

Trump downplays legal threat of secret papers recording

11:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump returned to a familiar refrain on Thursday, insisting once again that he had done nothing wrong even as new challenges pop up seemingly every day for the ex-president who faces a bevy of criminal and civil investigations.

Mr Trump returned to Iowa for a town hall-styled event with his favoured cable network, Fox News, moderated by primetime opinion host Sean Hannity, who is now the Fox star probably closest to the former president given the firing of Tucker Carlson, the network’s previous star pundit.

And confronted with a new leaked recording indicating that Mr Trump knew that he was retaining classified materials after his presidential term ended, he once again insisted that he had done nothing wrong.

John Bowden reports.

Trump plays down legal threat of secret papers recording at Fox News town hall

Trump surprises crowd by mocking people who say ‘woke’

07:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump surprised a crowd in Iowa by mocking people obsessed with using the Republican buzzword “woke”, insisting that most people cannot even define what it means.

The former president has himself regularly used the phrase to attack opponents, and just last month his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, announced the launch of a “non-woke men’s lifestyle magazine.”

Graeme Massie has the story.

Trump surprises Iowa crowd by mocking people who say ‘woke’

Woman interrupts DeSantis speech to claim her son’s murder was covered up

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Gov Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire was interrupted by a woman who claimed that her son’s murder had been covered up in Florida.

The woman who made the accusation was led out of the facility where the rally was being held. As she was walking out of the event, the woman threw down a DeSantis hat she was holding and vowed to replace it with a hat representing former President Donald Trump.

Abe Asher reports.

Woman interrupts DeSantis speech to claim her son’s murder was covered up in Florida

FBI offers to show GOP chair document allegedly relating to Biden family

Saturday 3 June 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The FBI offered Friday to show top lawmakers next week a bureau document that purports to relate to President Joe Biden and his family following weeks of demands by congressional Republicans and a contempt threat against Director Christopher Wray.

In a statement, the FBI said it would produce the document in a secure location inside the US Capitol for the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. James Comer, and the panel’s top Democrat, Jamie Raskin of Maryland.

Read more:

FBI offers to show GOP chairman document that purports to relate to Biden, his family

DeSantis wraps up first early states tour

Saturday 3 June 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was wrapping up his first tour of early voting states as a presidential candidate on Friday, showcasing his personal side in South Carolina with a lighthearted sit-down with his wife and an emotional moment with a military spouse.

Read more...

DeSantis wraps up 1st early states tour as candidate with more personal touch in South Carolina

DeSantis campaigning in Iowa today

Saturday 3 June 2023 21:18 , Megan Sheets

Ron DeSantis is once again on the campaign trail - making stops in Iowa on Saturday.

The Florida governor was seen shaking hands at the Iowa state fairgrounds before giving a speech filled with perhaps his favourite word: “woke”.

“As president, I recognize that the woke mind virus represents a war on the truth so we will wage a war on the woke,” he said in a video posted to Twitter by @acyn.

“We will fight the woke in education, we will fight the woke in corporations, we will fight the woke in the halls of Congress.”

McEnany v Trump: What happened?

Saturday 3 June 2023 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

In a moment that shocked some — but came as no surprise to others — Donald Trump turned on his former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Tuesday night for allegedly sharing inaccurate poll numbers.

Ms McEnany, who served as the former president’s fourth press secretary, was known as one of his most loyal aides and staunch defenders, something she continued when she joined Fox News as a contributor after he lost the 2020 election and left office.

Nevertheless, the former president pulled no punches in a Truth Social Post, complaining about a segment in which he claims she misreported his lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Read more...

Why did Donald Trump turn on Kayleigh McEnany?

Florida congressman shouts ‘f*** Ron DeSantis’ on stage at Paramore concert

Saturday 3 June 2023 18:28 , Megan Sheets

Maxwell Alejandro Frost has laughed off criticism after he yelled “F*** Ron DeSantis” while performing on stage at a Paramore concert on Friday night.

The Florida congressman was asked by lead singer Hayley Williams if he had a message for the crowd as he took the stage to perform “Misery Business” with the group at the Capitol One Arena in Washington DC.

The Gen Z Democrat lawmaker responded: “F*** Ron DeSantis! F*** fascism!”

When a clip of Mr Alejandro Frost’s outburst was posted to Twitter by the Conservative War Machine account, he replied “lol they’re so mad”.

“I said what I said,” he wrote in another post.

Read more:

Florida congressman shouts ‘f*** Ron DeSantis’ on stage at Paramore concert

The case of the missing classified document

Saturday 3 June 2023 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s attorneys have been unable to find the classified document described in a recording of a 2021 conversation that is now in the possession of prosecutors, CNN reports.

Earlier this week, the network broke the news that a recording existed of the former president acknowledging that he had held onto a classified Pentagon document outlining a potential attack on Iran.

Citing two sources, CNN now reports that attorneys for Mr Trump could not find the document he referred to when they turned over material in mid-March in response to a federal subpoena relating to the investigation.

Read more...

Trump attorneys couldn’t find classified document he said he had on tape, report says

Federal judge recuses himself from Disney v DeSantis

Saturday 3 June 2023 15:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A federal judge set to preside over Disney’s lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has recused himself from the case, citing a relative who owns stocks in the company, according to an order filed on 2 June.

US District Judge Mark E Walker, who was appointed to the federal judiciary by Barack Obama, responded to a motion from Mr DeSantis’s legal team seeking his removal from the case.

Alex Woodward has the details.

Judge in Disney v DeSantis recuses himself and accuses attorneys of ‘judge-shopping’

Trump slammed for congratulating Kim Jong-un

Saturday 3 June 2023 15:16 , Megan Sheets

Donald Trump is under fire from Republicans for complimenting North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un after his country was admitted to the World Health Organisation’s Executive Board.

“Congratulations to Kim Jung Un!” the former president wrote on Truth Social, misspelling his name while sharing news of the admission.

The post drew immediate condemnation from GOP presidential candidates and state party leaders.

“Kim Jong Un starves his own people,” Mr Trump’s former UN ambassador and 2024 opponent Nikki Haley said on Twitter.

Read more from Bevan Hurley:

Trump slammed for congratulating Kim Jong-un - with awkward spelling error

DOJ will not charge Pence for classified documents

Saturday 3 June 2023 12:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The Department of Justice will not charge former vice president Mike Pence for any potential mishandling of classified documents and has closed its investigation, CNN reported.

The department sent a letter saying it will not charge Mr Pence after the former vice president’s attorney found classified documents in his home in Indiana. Mr Pence had asked his attorney to search his home after news reports that President Joe Biden had classified documents at his own personal residence.

Eric Garcia reports.

Trump rages that Pence won’t face charges for classified documents

Sweeping racketeering case possible as Georgia could widen probe to other states, report says

Saturday 3 June 2023 09:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A Georgia prosecutor’s criminal investigation into Donald Trump’s alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election has reportedly expanded its scope to include activities in Washington DC and several other states, suggesting that Atlanta-area district attorney Fani Willis is exploring a racketeering case against the former president and his allies.

Alex Woodward reports.

Georgia Trump investigation could include other states in racketeering case: report

‘Are you blind?’: DeSantis lashes out at reporter on New Hampshire campaign visit

Saturday 3 June 2023 06:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis snapped at a reporter, asking him “are you blind?” after they asked him why he wouldn’t take questions from potential voters.

Mr DeSantis — who formally announced his 2024 presidential candidacy during a buggy Twitter spaces event hosted by Elon Musk — held a campaign event in New Hampshire on Thursday, after which he refused to take any questions.

Read more...

DeSantis lashes out at reporter on New Hampshire campaign visit: ‘Are you blind?’

Vivek Ramaswamy to call for end to US support for Ukraine

Saturday 3 June 2023 04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech entrepreneur and anti-woke asset manager turned Republican presidential hopeful, has a plan for ending Russia‘s year-and-a-half war on Ukraine – sort of.

Andrew Feinberg filed this story from New Hampshire.

Vivek Ramaswamy to call for end to US support for Ukraine

‘I did it for 30 years’: Roger Stone caught on hot mic explaining how to manipulate Trump

Saturday 3 June 2023 02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Longtime Donald Trump ally Roger Stone was caught on audio explaining how he allegedly manipulated the former president for decades.

Mr Stone, who served as a formal adviser to Mr Trump during his first presidential campaign, is the subject of the Danish documentaryA Storm Foretold which refers to Mr Stone as “Trump’s political godfather.”

Despite Mr Stone publicly boasting about Mr Trump’s abilities and image, in private it seems he felt differently.

Ariana Baio has the story.

Roger Stone caught on hot mic explaining how he manipulated Trump

Trump’s town halls expose media’s inability to fact-check a fountain of nonsense

Saturday 3 June 2023 01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump finished his town hall on Fox News on Thursday evening after making another whirlwind of false claims about a wide range of topics — the 2020 election, his trade policy, and his efforts to remain in the presidency to name a few.

The roughly hour-long performance was notable only for its rigid adherence to form: the ex-president spat out mistruths and conspiracies faster than any journalist could respond, not that Fox’s Sean Hannity ever meaningfully pushed back at all.

But the similarities between Mr Trump’s appearances on Fox News and its second-place rival, CNN, a few weeks earlier beg the question: why does cable news keep doing this?

John Bowden reports.

Trump’s Fox and CNN town halls expose media’s fact-checking weakness

‘Not inspiring’: Trump and Maga allies mock Biden for Air Force graduation fall

Saturday 3 June 2023 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump and his Maga fans have mocked Joe Biden after he tripped and fell at the Air Force Graduation ceremony in Colorado.

The president dropped to his knees after stumbling over a sandbag after two hours on stage at the service academy in Colorado Springs on Thursday.

Mr Biden, 80, did not appear hurt by the fall and continued to stand on stage until the ceremony ended several minutes later, according to the White House pool.

Read more...

Trump and Maga allies mock Biden for Air Force graduation fall

Trump downplays legal threat of secret papers recording

Friday 2 June 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump returned to a familiar refrain on Thursday, insisting once again that he had done nothing wrong even as new challenges pop up seemingly every day for the ex-president who faces a bevy of criminal and civil investigations.

Mr Trump returned to Iowa for a town hall-styled event with his favoured cable network, Fox News, moderated by primetime opinion host Sean Hannity, who is now the Fox star probably closest to the former president given the firing of Tucker Carlson, the network’s previous star pundit.

And confronted with a new leaked recording indicating that Mr Trump knew that he was retaining classified materials after his presidential term ended, he once again insisted that he had done nothing wrong.

John Bowden reports.

Trump plays down legal threat of secret papers recording at Fox News town hall

Arkansas librarians are suing to block state law that threatens them with jailtime

Friday 2 June 2023 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A coalition of librarians, libraries, patrons, bookstores and publishers are suing officials in the state of Arkansas after passage of a sweeping state law that could threaten librarians with jail and heavy fines for materials in their collections.

Arkansas is among four states that have recently enacted state laws that make it easier to prosecute libraries, librarians and booksellers over explicit content, as Republican lawmakers and right-wing activists target LGBT+ content and descriptions of gender identity and sexuality in a nationwide campaign taking aim at materials in classrooms and on bookshelves.

Alex Woodward reports.

Arkansas librarians are suing to block state law that threatens them with jailtime

Trump’s lawyers ask judge to exit criminal case

Friday 2 June 2023 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Within hours of his historic arraignment this spring, Donald Trump fixed his ire on the judge, complaining that he’s “a Trump hating-judge” with a family full of “Trump haters.”

On Friday, the former president’s lawyers doubled down on that criticism, demanding Judge Juan Manuel Merchan step aside from his New York City criminal case because of what they say is anti-Trump bias and a conflict of interest arising from his daughter’s work for some of Trump’s Democratic rivals.

Read more...

Donald Trump’s lawyers ask judge to exit criminal case, echoing claims of political bias

Trump surprises crowd by mocking people who say ‘woke’

Friday 2 June 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump surprised a crowd in Iowa by mocking people obsessed with using the Republican buzzword “woke”, insisting that most people cannot even define what it means.

The former president has himself regularly used the phrase to attack opponents, and just last month his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, announced the launch of a “non-woke men’s lifestyle magazine.”

Graeme Massie has the story.

Trump surprises Iowa crowd by mocking people who say ‘woke’

Woman interrupts DeSantis speech to claim her son’s murder was covered up

Friday 2 June 2023 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Gov Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire was interrupted by a woman who claimed that her son’s murder had been covered up in Florida.

The woman who made the accusation was led out of the facility where the rally was being held. As she was walking out of the event, the woman threw down a DeSantis hat she was holding and vowed to replace it with a hat representing former President Donald Trump.

Abe Asher reports.

Woman interrupts DeSantis speech to claim her son’s murder was covered up in Florida

FBI offers to show GOP chair document allegedly relating to Biden family

Friday 2 June 2023 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The FBI offered Friday to show top lawmakers next week a bureau document that purports to relate to President Joe Biden and his family following weeks of demands by congressional Republicans and a contempt threat against Director Christopher Wray.

In a statement, the FBI said it would produce the document in a secure location inside the US Capitol for the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. James Comer, and the panel’s top Democrat, Jamie Raskin of Maryland.

Read more:

FBI offers to show GOP chairman document that purports to relate to Biden, his family

Trump demands Fox News embrace MAGA in all-caps Truth Social rant to ‘MAGADONIANS'

Friday 2 June 2023 21:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump is demanding Fox News embrace MAGA in an all-caps Truth Social rant to his supporters — “MAGADONIANS”.

The former president wrote:

FOX SHOULD EMBRACE MAGA. THEIR PRIMETIME VIEWERSHIP IS DOWN 37% FROM JUST A YEAR AGO, ALL BECAUSE THE VERY SMART, EVEN BRILLIANT, MAGADONIANS KNOW THAT, DESPITE ALL THE FAKE LIP SERVICE, FOXNEWS IS PUSHING RON DESANCTUS, OR ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER, BECAUSE THEY HATE THE GREATEST “AMERICA FIRST” PRESIDENT TO EVER PUT ON A SUIT AND TIE, ME. THEY ARE ALL GLOBALISTS, AND GLOBALISTS WILL NEVER, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!

He added:

WE ARE MAGADONIANS, WE ARE VERY SMART, WE STICK TOGETHER AS ONE, WE FOLLOW TRUTH SOCIAL, WE PUT “AMERICA FIRST,” AND WE WILL “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

ICYMI: Senate passes debt limit bill after marathon voting session

Friday 2 June 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The Senate voted late on Thursday night to raise the debt limit and avoid allowing the United States to default on its debt for the first time in history after having an all-night marathon session of votes to assuage Republican concerns.

Eric Garcia filed this report from Capitol Hill.

Senate passes debt limit bill after marathon 11 amendment votes to avoid default

DeSantis wraps up first early states tour

Friday 2 June 2023 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was wrapping up his first tour of early voting states as a presidential candidate on Friday, showcasing his personal side in South Carolina with a lighthearted sit-down with his wife and an emotional moment with a military spouse.

Read more...

DeSantis wraps up 1st early states tour as candidate with more personal touch in South Carolina

Report: Classified document Trump admitted he had on tape is now missing

Friday 2 June 2023 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s attorneys have been unable to find the classified document described in a recording of a 2021 conversation that is now in the possession of prosecutors, CNN reports.

Earlier this week, the network broke the news that a recording existed of the former president acknowledging that he had held onto a classified Pentagon document outlining a potential attack on Iran.

Citing two sources, CNN now reports that attorneys for Mr Trump could not find the document he referred to when they turned over material in mid-March in response to a federal subpoena relating to the investigation.

Read more...

Trump attorneys couldn’t find classified document he said he had on tape, report says

Voices: Maybe, just maybe, ‘Sleepy Joe’ Biden is good at this bipartisan negotiation stuff

Friday 2 June 2023 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

To be sure, Mr Biden is the oldest person to ever occupy the Oval Office and his penchant for making nonsensical comments goes back to when he was the youngest Senator ever elected in recent history in 1972.

But given the fact that Mr Biden will have a debt limit increase head to his desk for his signature after a high-stakes few weeks of negotiations, perhaps it is time for his conservative critics to admit that the president actually knows what he is doing when it comes to working with the legislative branch and Congress as a whole.

Read more...

Maybe, just maybe, ‘Sleepy Joe’ Biden is good at this bipartisan negotiation stuff

Marjorie Taylor Greene cryptically says the FBI knows identity of mystery Capitol pipe bomber

Friday 2 June 2023 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed without providing evidence that the FBI actually knows the identity of a person who left two pipe bombs near the Capitol a day before the Jan 6 insurrection.

Investigators said they have been left stumped in trying to identify a suspect who placed the explosive devices outside the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington DC.

Despite offering a $500,000 reward, the FBI is no nearer to making an arrest in the case, but that has not stopped Ms Greene from suggesting they actually know who did it.

The far-right lawmaker from Georgia made the outrageous claim on her Battleground podcast.

Graeme Massie reports.

Marjorie Taylor Greene cryptically says FBI knows who mystery Capitol pipe bomber is

Ful Story: Trump and DeSantis must pledge to support eventual White House nominee as first debate announced

Friday 2 June 2023 20:32 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump and leading rival Ron DeSantis must pledge to support the eventual Republican presidential nomination if they want to take part in the party’s first primary debate.

The Republican National Committee will insist on the condition for any candidate to be on stage at the event, which it announced will take place on 23 August in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Read more...

Trump and DeSantis must pledge to support eventual White House nominee

Meanwhile, on Truth Social...

Friday 2 June 2023 20:22 , Oliver O'Connell

Here are some highlights from the mind of former president Donald Trump over the last hour on Truth Social.

On the Democrats:

THE DOJ & FBI ARE RUNNING THE DEMOCRATS 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. THIS IS ILLEGAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE!

On Ron DeSantis:

Ron DeSanctimonious had a very bad day in IOWA yesterday. Somebody over at Fox should tell Rupert he’s backing the wrong horse, just like he did in 2016!

On the media:

Has anybody noticed how badly the New York Post is doing since going anti-Trump? A beautiful thing to see!

He then congratulated North Korea on being elected to a position on the executive board of the World Health Organization...

Congratulations to Kim Jung Un!

Regarding a conspiracy about the Bidens and the National Archives:

A Radical Left group of Marxists who have Red Flagged our Constitution and Bill of Rights. They are after your favorite President, me!

On Ron DeSantis having “no personality”:

Ron DeSanctimonious poll numbers are dropping like a rock. Looks like he’s in 3rd Place in the Great State of South Carolina, heading for 4th. People don’t like the fact that he’s got no personality! I’m up by 41 points there. Thank you!

Trump accuses DeSantis of faking his own name

Friday 2 June 2023 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump escalated his attacks on competitor Ron DeSantis as the Florida governor began his presidential campaign in Iowa following his glitch-laden Twitter announcement.

The 45th president on Wednesday claimed that Mr DeSantis was looking to “change his name”.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar has the story.

Trump accuses DeSantis of faking his own name

RNC announces criteria for first primary debate

Friday 2 June 2023 19:49 , Oliver O'Connell

The Republican National Committee has announced that the first primary debate this summer will be held in Milwaukee on 23 August with a second debate possible on 24 August if enough candidates qualify.

RNC chair Ronna McDaniel announced the criteria to qualify for the debate based on candidate status, polling, fundraising, and a series of pledges — including to support the eventual nominee.

Oath Keeper who guarded Roger Stone before Jan 6 attack sentenced

Friday 2 June 2023 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A member of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group who was part of a security detail for former President Donald Trump ‘s longtime adviser Roger Stone before storming the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Thursday to more than four years in prison.

Read more...

Oath Keeper who guarded Roger Stone before Jan. 6 attack gets more than 4 years in prison

Report: Trump investigation in Georgia could include other states in sweeping racketeering case

Friday 2 June 2023 19:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A Georgia prosecutor’s criminal investigation into Donald Trump’s alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election has reportedly expanded its scope to include activities in Washington DC and several other states, suggesting that Atlanta-area district attorney Fani Willis is exploring a racketeering case against the former president and his allies.

Alex Woodward reports.

Georgia Trump investigation could include other states in racketeering case: report

‘I’m at least as innocent as he is’

Friday 2 June 2023 18:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump raged at a report from CNN that The Department of Justice will not charge former vice president Mike Pence for any potential mishandling of classified documents.

Trump rages that Pence won’t face charges for classified documents

Full story: Federal judge recuses himself from Disney v DeSantis

Friday 2 June 2023 18:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A federal judge set to preside over Disney’s lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has recused himself from the case, citing a relative who owns stocks in the company, according to an order filed on 2 June.

A Trump-appointed judge will take his place.

Alex Woodward has the story.

Judge in Disney v DeSantis recuses himself and accuses attorneys of ‘judge-shopping’

Report: Trump attorneys unable to find classified document described in recording

Friday 2 June 2023 17:43 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s attorneys have been unable to find the classified document described in a recording of a 2021 conversation that is now in the possession of prosecutors, CNN reports.

Read more...

Trump attorneys couldn’t find classified document he said he had on tape, report says

‘Petty and juvenile’ Trump’s behaviour caused 2020 loss, says DeSantis

Friday 2 June 2023 17:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis responded to Donald Trump‘s insults, saying the former president’s “juvenile” behaviour cost him the 2020 election.

Mr DeSantis – who recently announced his presidential candidacy during a Twitter spaces event marred by tech hiccups — visited New Hampshire this week for campaign events.

He offered his opinions on Mr Trump’s proclivity for creating insults out of the governor’s last name during an interview with The Pulse of New Hampshire.

“I think it’s so petty,” he told the programme. “I think it’s so juvenile. I don’t think that’s what voters want.”

Graig Graziosi has the story.

DeSantis says ‘petty and juvenile’ Trump can thank his own behaviour for 2020 loss

DOJ ends probe into Pence classified docs

Friday 2 June 2023 17:05 , Oliver O'Connell

The Department of Justice will not charge former vice president Mike Pence for any potential mishandling of classified documents and has closed its investigation.

Eric Garcia has the story.

Department of Justice will not charge Pence for classified documents

Judge in Disney’s case against DeSantis disqualifies himself

Friday 2 June 2023 16:40 , Oliver O'Connell

A federal judge who was presiding over Walt Disney’s case against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has disqualified himself from further participation in the case.

He cited a third-degree relative with stocks in the company, according to the order on disqualification.

Chief Judge Mark Walker has ruled against a handful of DeSantis priorities and his initial assignment to the case was seen by many as an early victory for Disney in the case.

Disney filed the lawsuit against the governor in April, accusing Mr DeSantis of using his political power to punish the company for exercising free speech when it objected to the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law restricting the instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.

DeSantis v Disney: Why Florida’s governor is at war with the Mouse

Roger Stone caught on hot mic explaining how to manipulate Trump

Friday 2 June 2023 16:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Longtime Donald Trump ally Roger Stone was caught on audio explaining how he allegedly manipulated the former president for decades.

Mr Stone, who served as a formal adviser to Mr Trump during his first presidential campaign, is the subject of the Danish documentary A Storm Foretold which refers to Mr Stone as “Trump’s political godfather.”

Despite Mr Stone publicly boasting about Mr Trump’s abilities and image, in private it seems he felt differently.

Ariana Baio reports.

Roger Stone caught on hot mic explaining how he manipulated Trump

Trump schools Fox News host over his Democrat messaging beliefs

Friday 2 June 2023 16:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump rapped Fox News host Brian Kilemade’s knuckles over his take on Democrat messaging about wanting to run against him in the 2024 election.

The former president wrote on Truth Social:

Brian Kilmeade of Fox & Friends doesn’t realize that the Democrats are the Party of DISINFORMATION. They always say the opposite of what they really want. They can’t help themselves. This morning Brian said, with great bravado, “the Democrats want to run against Donald Trump.” No Brian, that’s what they say because they don’t want to run against me.

Report: Classified document Trump admitted he had on tape is now missing

Friday 2 June 2023 17:41 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s attorneys have been unable to find the classified document described in a recording of a 2021 conversation that is now in the possession of prosecutors, CNN reports.

Earlier this week, the network broke the news that a recording existed of the former president acknowledging that he had held onto a classified Pentagon document outlining a potential attack on Iran.

Citing two sources, CNN now reports that attorneys for Mr Trump could not find the document he referred to when they turned over material in mid-March in response to a federal subpoena relating to the investigation.

Read more...

Trump attorneys couldn’t find classified document he said he had on tape, report says

Watch: DeSantis stumps in South Carolina

Friday 2 June 2023 15:50 , Oliver O'Connell

DOJ not seeking criminal charges against Pence over classified papers

Friday 2 June 2023 15:42 , Oliver O'Connell

The Department of Justice has closed its investigation into the possible mishandling of classified documents by former Vice President Mike Pence and will not seek criminal charges against him, CNN reports.

Approximately a dozen documents marked classified were found by Mr Pence’s attorney at his Indiana home in January after the former vice president asked him to search for any that might be there following the disclosure that such documents were found at President Joe Biden’s home in Delaware.

In both cases, the documents found were turned over to the proper authorities, in stark contrast to the evasive tactics of former president Donald Trump over classified materials he retained after leaving office, which led to the FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago home.

The news comes just ahead of Mr Pence’s planned announcement that he is running for the presidency in 2024 and allows him to stand as a very different alternative to his former boss, who is mired in investigations, not just into retaining classified documents, but also into his actions around the 2020 election and January 6 riot, as well as having been charged criminally regarding hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Vivek Ramaswamy to call for end to US support for Ukraine

Friday 2 June 2023 15:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The biotech entrepreneur and anti-woke asset manager turned Republican presidential hopeful has a plan for ending Russia's year-and-a-half war on Ukraine – er, sort of.

The 38-year-old political newcomer will unveil what he describes as a plan to bring the brutal conflict to a close by halting American support for Kyiv and “negotiating a peace treaty with Russia that achieves a vital US security objective: ceasing Russia's growing military alliance with China”.

Andrew Feinberg is here to explain.

Vivek Ramaswamy to call for end to US support for Ukraine

Report: Trump investigation in Georgia could include other states in sweeping racketeering case

Friday 2 June 2023 15:20 , Oliver O'Connell

A Georgia prosecutor’s criminal investigation into Donald Trump’s alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election has reportedly expanded its scope to include activities in Washington DC and several other states, suggesting that Atlanta-area district attorney Fani Willis is exploring a racketeering case against the former president and his allies.

Her office is seeking information related to the Trump campaign’s attempts to uncover voter fraud, then bury findings that did not reveal any, according to The Washington Post, citing two people with knowledge of the probe

Alex Woodward has the details.

Georgia Trump investigation could include other states in racketeering case: report

Roger Stone caught on hot mic explaining how he manipulated Trump

Friday 2 June 2023 15:00 , Joe Sommerlad

In footage obtained byThe Daily Beast, the self-style rogue political fixer with the Richard Nixon back tattoo (no, really) is caught being recorded at a distance saying: “I have a 40-year record of being able to convince the big man to do what’s in his best interest.”

Ariana Baio has the story.

Roger Stone caught on hot mic explaining how he manipulated Trump

Trump’s Fox and CNN town halls expose media’s fact-checking weakness

Friday 2 June 2023 14:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s John Bowden on the media’s ongoing struggle to contain or interrogate Mr Trump’s “fountain of nonsense” in a town hall context.

Trump’s Fox and CNN town halls expose media’s fact-checking weakness

Trump and Maga allies mock Biden for Air Force graduation fall

Friday 2 June 2023 14:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The former president was surprisingly gracious about his successor’s unfortunate trip yesterday.

Right-wing commentators on social media were rather less so, however.

Trump and Maga allies mock Biden for Air Force graduation fall

Marjorie Taylor Greene cryptically says the FBI knows who mystery Capitol pipe bomber is

Friday 2 June 2023 13:30 , Graeme Massie

Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed without providing evidence that the FBI actually knows the identity of a person who left two pipe bombs near the Capitol a day before the Jan 6 insurrection.

Investigators said they have been left stumped in trying to identify a suspect who placed the explosive devices outside the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC.

Despite offering a $500,000 reward, the FBI is no nearer to making an arrest in the case, but that has not stopped Ms Greene from suggesting they actually know who did it.

The far-right lawmaker from Georgia made the outrageous claim on her Battleground podcast.

“The FBI can’t find the pipe bomber? This is ridiculous! This shows you that the FBI doesn’t care about finding the pipe bomber because they know exactly who the pipe bomber is,” she said.

Marjorie Taylor Greene cryptically says FBI knows who mystery Capitol pipe bomber is

​

Trans activist slams Trump for using footage of them in campaign ad: ‘They want to eradicate us’

Friday 2 June 2023 13:00 , Oliver O’Connell

A trans activist has hit out at former president Donald Trump for using footage of them with Dylan Mulvaney in a new campaign advertisement.

James Rose, a genderfluid TikTok creator, took to social media this week to accuse the former president and his political movement of endangering the lives of trans and genderqueer Americans.

“My life is worth living,” Ms Rose said. “It does not feel like it in this moment when the former president of the United States is using my videos against my will as an ad campaign for anti-trans stuff, but I know that my life is worth living and every trans person is worth living too — and I want you to know no matter how hard they attack us, I will always love us twice as hard and I’m not the only one.”

Trans activist slams Trump for using footage of them in ad

How did Biden and McCarthy struck the debt-limit deal?

Friday 2 June 2023 12:30 , Oliver O’Connell

It was advice that Mitch McConnell had offered to Joe Biden once already: To resolve the debt-limit standoff, he needed to strike a deal with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — and McCarthy alone. But after a first meeting of the top four congressional leaders with the president in early May, the Senate minority leader felt the need to reemphasize his counsel.

After returning from the White House that day, McConnell called the president to privately urge him to “shrink the room” – meaning no direct involvement in the talks for himself, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

That, McConnell stressed to Biden, was the only way to avert a potentially economy-rattling default.

A week later, Biden and McCarthy essentially adopted that path, tapping a handful of trusted emissaries to negotiate a deal that would lift the debt limit. It was a turning point in an impasse that until then, seemed intractable.

'Shrink the room:' How Biden and McCarthy struck a debt-limit deal and staved off a catastrophe

Recap: Trump downplays document scandal and talks tough on Russia and Iran at Fox town hall

Friday 2 June 2023 12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Here are a few highlights from last night’s sitdown in Iowa, where the former president was served up one softball question after another from a fawning Sean Hannity.

Recap: DeSantis snaps at reporter in New Hampshire: ‘Are you blind?’

Friday 2 June 2023 11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Florida governor Ron DeSantis snapped at a reporter at a campaign event in New Hampshire on Thursday after the journalist persisted in asking him why he was posing for pictures with local voters but not taking their questions.

“Are you blind?” Mr DeSantis snarled at him, insisting he was making himself available.

The exchange was leapt upon by Republican presidential rival Donald Trump, addressing a Fox News town hall event in Iowa, who told host Sean Hannity: “I don’t think he’s going to be second that much longer. I think he’s going to be third or fourth. He had a very bad day today, he got very angry at the press. You’re not allowed to get angry at the press.”

GOP senator sparks laughter as he tells witness: ‘I don’t want reality!’

Friday 2 June 2023 11:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma sparked a round of laughter in a Senate hearing room after misspeaking and snapping “I don’t want reality!” at a witness.

Abe Asher has the details on what made the senator make the bizarre outburst.

Republican senator sparks laughter as he tells witness: ‘I don’t want reality!’

Trump accuses DeSantis of faking his own name

Friday 2 June 2023 09:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Former president Donald Trump escalated his attacks on competitor Ron DeSantis as the Florida governor began his presidential campaign in Iowa following his glitch-laden Twitter announcement.

The 45th president on Wednesday claimed that Mr DeSantis was looking to “change his name”.

“Have you heard that ‘Rob’ DeSanctimonious wants to change his name, again,” Mr Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

“He is demanding that people call him DeeeSantis, rather than DaSantis. Actually, I like “Da” better, a nicer flow, so I am happy he is changing it.

“He gets very upset when people, including reporters, don’t pronounce it correctly. Therefore, he shouldn’t mind, DeSanctimonious?”

Read more:

Trump accuses DeSantis of faking his own name

Ex-Biden Chief of Staff Ron Klain says ‘calm down you nervous nellies’ after Biden fall

Friday 2 June 2023 07:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump plays down legal threat of secret papers at Iowa town hall

Friday 2 June 2023 15:56 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump returned to a familiar refrain on Thursday, insisting once again that he had done nothing wrong even as new challenges pop up seemingly every day for the ex-president who faces a bevy of criminal and civil investigations.

Mr Trump returned to Iowa for a town hall-styled event with his favoured cable network, Fox News, moderated by primetime opinion host Sean Hannity, who is now the Fox star probably closest to the former president given the firing of Tucker Carlson, the network’s previous star pundit.

And confronted with a new leaked recording indicating that Mr Trump knew that he was retaining classified materials after his presidential term ended, he once again insisted that he had done nothing wrong.

John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.

Trump plays down legal threat of secret papers recording at Fox News town hall

Underestimated McCarthy emerges from debt deal empowered as speaker, still threatened by far right

Friday 2 June 2023 05:00 , Lisa Mascaro, AP

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is nothing if not a political survivor.

Underestimated from the start, the Republican who cruised around his California hometown of Bakersfield and stumbled into a career in Congress was never taken too seriously by the Washington establishment.

With overwhelming House passage of the debt ceiling and budget deal he negotiated with President Joe Biden, the emergent speaker proved the naysayers and eye-rollers otherwise. A relentless force, he pushed a reluctant White House to the negotiating table and delivered the votes from his balky House GOP majority to seal the deal.

“You still ask the same questions each week: Do you think you can pass the bill this week. Do you think you will still be speaker next week,” McCarthy chided reporters after Wednesday’s late night vote.

“Keep underestimating us,” he said, “and we’ll keep proving to the American public that we’ve never given up.”

Read more:

Underestimated McCarthy emerges from debt deal empowered as speaker, still threatened by far right

Watch Biden trip and fall on-stage at Air Force graduation ceremony

Friday 2 June 2023 04:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Joe Biden tripped and fell on stage as he took part in the Air Force graduation ceremony in Colorado.

The president dropped to his knees but was quickly helped back to his feet during the event at the service academy in Colorado Springs on Thursday, to cheers from the crowd.

The 80-year-old President had been handing out diplomas and thanking the Academy graduates for choosing “service over self” before the fall.

Mr Biden pointed to a black sandbag on the stage seemingly blaming it for the stumble.

Watch moment Biden trips and falls on-stage in Colorado

Woman interrupts DeSantis speech to claim her son’s murder was covered up

Friday 2 June 2023 03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Gov Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire was interrupted by a woman who claimed that her son’s murder had been covered up in Florida.

The woman who made the accusation was led out of the facility where the rally was being held. As she was walking out of the event, the woman threw down a DeSantis hat she was holding and vowed to replace with a hat representing former President Donald Trump.

Read more...

Woman interrupts DeSantis speech to claim her son’s murder was covered up in Florida

Watch: Audience chants ‘We Love Trump’ during ad break

Friday 2 June 2023 03:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump plays down legal threat of secret papers recording

Friday 2 June 2023 03:21 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump returned to a familiar refrain on Thursday, insisting once again that he had done nothing wrong even as new challenges pop up seemingly every day for the ex-president who faces a bevy of criminal and civil investigations.

John Bowden filed this report.

Trump plays down legal threat of secret papers recording at Fox News town hall

Watch: Trump claims he will have US ‘hopping in six months'

Friday 2 June 2023 03:01 , Oliver O'Connell

Friday 2 June 2023 03:00 , Oliver O'Connell

And with that, the town hall is over after just two audience questions.

Friday 2 June 2023 02:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump reiterates his claim that he could stop Russia’s war on Ukraine in 24 hours.

Hannity asks how.

Trump says it’s because he knows both Putin and Zelensky.

He then claims the death toll in Ukraine is way higher than what’s being reported: “The numbers are much different than what you’re being told.”

Watch: Trump takes credit for ending Roe v Wade

Friday 2 June 2023 02:52 , Oliver O'Connell

Friday 2 June 2023 02:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Hannity points out that some Republicans think that Trump should tone down his rhetoric and stop namecalling and change his behaviour.

The Town hall audience starts booing.

Trump says: “Ok, you ready? I won an election that was unprecedented … from the day I got in, I was under siege … if I didn’t fight back, I wouldn’t be here.”

Friday 2 June 2023 02:49 , Oliver O'Connell

After another break, Hannity returns and brings up the topic of Hunter Biden and the alleged scandal of influence peddling and asks Trump why nothing happens to the Biden family.

Trump begins by talking about the long-debunked $1bn Ukraine prosecutor conspiracy.

Friday 2 June 2023 02:37 , Oliver O'Connell

On the classified documents and the revelation of the recording of Trump talking about a document he shouldn’t have, the former president first says he did everything right.

"I don't know anything about it. All I know is this, everything I did was right we had the Presidential Records Act which I abided by 100% ... I have the right to declassify as president"

He then switches to talking about the Biden documents with Hannity: “[Biden] had seven or eight boxes in Chinatown in Washington, DC, where nobody even speaks English in Chinatown. Chinatown is very... it’s in favour of China. And he has boxes in Chinatown.”

Friday 2 June 2023 02:33 , Oliver O'Connell

After a break, Trump is asked about the other Republicans running for president in 2024.

As they are mentioned they are largely booed and jeered by the crowd — especially former Vice President Mike Pence.

On Asa Hutchinson, he says "nobody knows who the hell this guy is...” and adds: “Ada, I call him.”

He goes on to say that he predicts DeSantis will end up in third or fourth place, not second, going on to say that the Florida governor has been having a “very bad day” and that “he’s not doing well against Biden”.

Watch: Trump comments on Iran’s nuclear program

Friday 2 June 2023 02:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Friday 2 June 2023 02:28 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump rails about “woke” stuff in the interview with Hannity referring to the military, even though earlier today, he said: “I don’t like the term woke, because I hear woke, woke, woke,” and added that he didn’t think anyone knew what it meant.

Trump surprises Iowa crowd by mocking people who say ‘woke’

Friday 2 June 2023 02:25 , Oliver O'Connell

On China, Trump says he fought back on agriculture and steel and domestic products gifting money to farms instead.

On Russia, he says he threatened Putin with harsh words to stop him from invading Ukraine.

“I said things that were very bad, very nasty [to Vladimir Putin] [...] He believed me 10%, that’s all he had to believe me [...] I had the same conversation with President Xi about Taiwan.”

Friday 2 June 2023 02:19 , Oliver O'Connell

After talking about energy independence, the strategic reserve, and gas prices to a whooping crowd, Hannity turns the questioning back to the allegedly impending Third World War and the “new axis of evil”.

Friday 2 June 2023 02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump references DeSantis saying he could be president for eight years by countering he could solve all of the country’s problems in six months.

There is absolutely no pushback from Hannity who is setting Trump up with adoring soft questions.

Friday 2 June 2023 02:09 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump says he told Hannity not to joke about Biden’s age because it is a very serious problem.

They turn the topic to foreign policy and the nuclear threat.

Trump claims he had a deal with Vladimir Putin to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Friday 2 June 2023 02:07 , Oliver O'Connell

In his opening monologue, Hannity claims Joe Biden couldn’t remember the word pilot. The president couldn’t remember the name of the Thunderbirds of the US Air Force.

Hannity-Trump town hall begins

Friday 2 June 2023 02:06 , Oliver O'Connell

Sean Hannity kicks off the Fox News town hall by attacking President Joe Biden and talking about his fall earlier in the day. He then introduces Donald Trump to a chanting audience.

They first chant: “Trump, Trump, Trump,” and then “USA! USA! USA!”

Not the most impartial audience.

Someone screams: “We love you!”

Earlier, The Lincoln Project posted this video compilation:

Voices: Republicans want Biden to trip up – literally

Friday 2 June 2023 01:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Skylar Baker-Jordan writes:

On Thursday, Joe Bidentripped while walking onstage at an Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado. (It happens to the best of us, Mr President.) Of course, the right didn’t waste any time metaphorically kicking our chief executive while he is literally down – something rightwing gadfly Ben Shapiro thinks is perfectly acceptable. “You cannot have it both ways,” he scolds us Democrats. “Either Biden is perfectly fit and him falling down is funny particularly because he is perfectly fit, or he is not physically fit and we shouldn’t laugh because it is dangerous for an 80-year-old man to fall down.”

Read more:

Republicans want Biden to trip up – literally

Watch: DeSantis asks why Trump couldn’t ‘slay' Deep State in first term

Friday 2 June 2023 01:26 , Oliver O'Connell

DeSantis blames Trump’s ‘petty and juvenile’ behaviour for 2020 loss

Friday 2 June 2023 01:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis responded to Donald Trump‘s insults, saying the former president’s “juvenile” behaviour cost him the 2020 election.

He offered his opinions on Mr Trump’s proclivity for creating insults out of the governor’s last name during an interview with The Pulse of New Hampshire.

Graig Graziosi reports.

DeSantis says ‘petty and juvenile’ Trump can thank his own behaviour for 2020 loss

Trump surprises crowd by mocking people who say ‘woke’ – including his own son who runs businesses off it

Friday 2 June 2023 00:46 , Graeme Massie

Former president’s son, Donald Trump Jr, has announced the launch of a ‘non-woke men’s lifestyle magazine’.

Trump surprises Iowa crowd by mocking people who say ‘woke’

Alabama senator condemned by his own brother for ‘vile rhetoric'

Friday 2 June 2023 00:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville has evoked outrage and scorn from Democratic critics in recent weeks with a string of incendiary comments defending white nationalists and suggesting that teachers in “inner cities” are illiterate.

Now, his own brother has added his voice to the chorus of Americans who’ve been offended and dismayed by the first-term senator’s forays into racism.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Alabama senator condemned by his own brother for ‘ignorant, hateful rants’

Roger Stone caught on hot mic explaining how to manipulate Trump: ‘I did it for 30 years’

Friday 2 June 2023 00:02 , Graeme Massie

Roger Stone first encouraged Donald Trump to run for president in the late 1990s.

Roger Stone caught on hot mic explaining how he manipulated Trump

Failed MAGA candidate indicted for shooting spree targeting Democrats

Thursday 1 June 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A failed Republican candidate has been indicted on federal charges of organising a series of drive-by shootings at the homes of Democratic officials in New Mexico after losing his 2022 midterm election, according to a Department of Justice statement.

Solomon Peña, 40, allegedly hired four gunmen to carry out the shooting spree at the homes of two New Mexico lawmakers and two Bernalillo County commissioners after losing his bid for the state house’s 14th district, a newly unsealed grand jury indictment shows.

Bevan Hurley has the story.

Failed Maga candidate indicted for drive-by shootings of Democratic officials’ homes

Trump and Maga allies mock Biden for Air Force graduation fall: ‘Not inspiring’

Thursday 1 June 2023 23:31 , Graeme Massie

The 80-year-old president will run for another four years in White House in 2024.

Trump and Maga allies mock Biden for Air Force graduation fall

Why did Trump turn on Kayleigh McEnany?

Thursday 1 June 2023 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

In a moment that shocked some — but came as no surprise to others — Donald Trump turned on his former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Tuesday night for allegedly sharing inaccurate poll numbers.

Ms McEnany, who served as the former president’s fourth press secretary, was known as one of his most loyal aides and staunch defenders, something she continued when she joined Fox News as a contributor after he lost the 2020 election and left office.

Nevertheless, the former president pulled no punches in a Truth Social Post, complaining about a segment in which he claims she misreported his lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Read more...

Why did Donald Trump turn on Kayleigh McEnany?

And yet...

DeSantis says ‘petty and juvenile’ Trump can thank his own behaviour for 2020 loss

Thursday 1 June 2023 23:02 , Graeme Massie

Florida governor says ex-president’s attacks are a ‘huge mistake’.

DeSantis says ‘petty and juvenile’ Trump can thank his own behaviour for 2020 loss

Report: Trump worker who moved classified papers at Mar-a-Lago questioned surveillance video

Thursday 1 June 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A Mar-a-Lago employee who helped move boxes of classified documents the day before Justice Department investigators visited Donald Trump’s home also reportedly asked questions about the property’s security cameras.

The employee first moved the boxes at the Florida estate in June, then weeks later questioned asked an IT worker about the security cameras, according to The Washington Post.

Graeme Massie has the story.

Trump worker who moved classified papers questioned surveillance video details

Angry progressives and conservatives hit out at Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling deal

Thursday 1 June 2023 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The House of Representatives has voted to raise the debt limit, thereby ensuring the United States will avoid defaulting on its debt, despite vocal opposition from many Republicans in the House majority.

Eric Garcia explains who has been left unhappy.

Progressives and conservatives complain as Biden-McCarthy debt deal passes

‘I hope he wasn’t hurt’: Trump reacts to Biden fall

Thursday 1 June 2023 22:07 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump legal team asks for removal of judge in hush-money case

Thursday 1 June 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s lawyers plan to request the judge presiding over a criminal trial into alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels be removed due to his campaign donations and family’s ties to the Democrat Party, according to a report.

It’s the latest in a series of legal manoeuvres by the former president to move the Manhattan criminal trial slated to begin next March away from New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan.

Bevan Hurley reports.

Trump legal team asks for judge in hush-money case to be removed

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website