Trump news – live: Ex-president says Musk won’t buy Twitter at ‘ridiculous price’ as Pence backs Gov Kemp

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Biden mocks Trump as ‘the great MAGA King’ in speech on economy

As Donald Trump’s chosen candidate David Perdue struggles to gain momentum in Georgia’s gubernatorial primary, Mike Pence has announced he will visit the state to get out the vote for incumbent Brian Kemp – a Republican who refused to bow to Mr Trump’s insistence that the state was stolen from Joe Biden in 2020.

Meanwhile, the select committee investigating the 6 January attack on the US Capitol has issued subpoenas to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and four other GOP lawmakers who are close allies of Donald Trump: Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Andy Biggs of Arizona, and Mo Brooks of Alabama. Each was given the opportunity to voluntarily give evidence.

And the Department of Justice is now investigating whether former President Trump or any of his aides violated federal law by mishandling classified documents that ended up at Mar-a-Lago instead of at the national archives at the end of his term.

On Friday, the former president shared some thoughts on Elon Musk’s plan to buy Twitter, saying the billionaire would not pay a ‘ridiculous price’ for the platform as it is mostly “BOTS or spam accounts”.

Key Points

• Trump says Elon Musk will not buy Twitter at such a ‘ridiculous price’
• Pence breaks with Trump in Georgia governor’s race
• Capitol riot committee subpoenas Kevin McCarthy and four other GOP lawmakers
• Prosecutors begin probe into secret official documents Trump took to Mar-a-Lago
• Dan Crenshaw says Marjorie Taylor Greene is ‘going after that Russia Today slot’ in row over Ukraine aid

[14 May 2022 00:30 · Oliver O'Connell]

Louisiana bill to classify abortion as homicide is blocked for now

Louisiana legislators have gutted a bill that would put abortion patients in jail and criminalise fertility treatments, miscarriages and certain forms of birth control if signed into law.

The bill faced widespread condemnation, including from anti-abortion groups and the state’s anti-abortion Democratic governor John Bel Edwards, after it passed through a committee within 48 hours of the publication of a leaked draft opinion from the US Supreme Court that signalled the end of Roe v Wade and constitutional protections for abortion care.

On 12 May, the state’s House of Representatives voted to amend House Bill 813 to strip out language that would classify abortion as homicide.

Alex Woodward reports.

[14 May 2022 01:00 · Oliver O'Connell]

Biden administration to release $45bn for nationwide internet

The Biden administration is taking the first steps to release $45 billion to ensure that every U.S. resident has access to high-speed internet by roughly 2028, inviting governors and other leaders on Friday to start the application process.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is overseeing the distribution and said that universal access to broadband internet would be akin to the electrification of rural America during the 1930s, a recognition that the internet is a utility needed for U.S. residents to function in today’s economy.

[14 May 2022 01:30 · Oliver O'Connell]

With shortage dragging on, Democrats ramp up response to baby formula crisis

House Democrats will increase their response to the baby formula shortage in the United States, according to a letter from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The Democratic Speaker wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter to her caucus that Congress would take action to respond to the shortage that has been caused by supply chain disruptions and a factory recall from the nation’s largest formula manufacturer.

Eric Garcia reports:

[14 May 2022 02:00 · Oliver O'Connell]

Lindsey Graham: ‘I was wrong’ for praising Biden after Capitol riot

Senator Lindsey Graham walked back his comments during the 6 January insurrection that President Joe Biden would be the best person to unify the country.

Eric Garcia reports:

[14 May 2022 03:00 · Oliver O'Connell]

Pence backs Trump foe Brian Kemp in Georgia governor race

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp may have fallen out of Donald Trump’s good graces by certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win in the Peach State, but he still has the support of the number-two man in the Trump administration: Former Vice President Mike Pence.

Andrew Feinberg has the story:

[14 May 2022 04:00 · Oliver O'Connell]

Biden wants more funding for local police

President Joe Biden has asked state and local leaders to use money from his Covid-19 relief legislation to increasing spending for police forces across the country.

In a fact sheet released by the White House, the Biden administration announced that $10bn from the American Rescue Plan that passed last year were committed to public safety, with $6.5bn committed by more than half the states and more than 300 communities.

Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.

[14 May 2022 04:59 · Oliver O'Connell]

New York AG nearing end of Trump probe

A lawyer for the New York attorney general’s office said Friday that the office is “nearing the end” of its three-year investigation into former President Donald Trump and his business practices.

Andrew Amer made the disclosure during a hearing in a federal lawsuit Trump filed against Attorney General Letitia James as he seeks to put an end to her investigation. His lawyers argued the probe is a politically motivated fishing expedition.

[14 May 2022 06:00 · Oliver O'Connell]

Portland unrest drives interest in two congressional primaries

Growing discontent over homelessness and crime in Portland is driving interest in a pair of Oregon congressional primaries, one featuring a vulnerable incumbent endorsed by President Joe Biden and the other involving a candidate bankrolled by cryptocurrency.

Tuesday’s primaries for the 5th and 6th U.S. House districts are playing out in a state that’s become a right-wing target after sometimes-violent protests in Portland following George Floyd’s murder, surging gun crime and an ongoing homelessness crisis in the city.

[14 May 2022 07:00 · Oliver O'Connell]

House Oversight Committee launches probe into baby formula manufacturers

The chairwoman of the powerful House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform is demanding answers from the heads of the four largest baby formula producers in the United States on what their companies are doing to alleviate a formula shortage that has left parents scrambling to feed their children across the country.

[14 May 2022 08:00 · Oliver O'Connell]

Abortion rights: Groups plan nationwide ‘Bans Off Our Bodies’ rallies on 14 May

Abortion rights groups are planning nationwide demonstrations on 14 May as the US Supreme Court considers overturning constitutional protections for abortion care affirmed by the landmark 1973 decision in Roe v Wade.

“Bans Off Our Bodies” rallies organised by the Women’s March, Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, UltraViolet, MoveOn and other abortion rights advocates include marches in New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago and Austin, Texas, with rallies in nearly 400 cities and towns across the US.

Alex Woodward reports.