Trump news – live: Ex-president says Musk won’t buy Twitter at ‘ridiculous price’ as Pence backs Gov Kemp
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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”.
White House waves off Fox News question on crack pipes in safe smoking kits
White House press secretary Jen Psaki shot down a question from Fox News’s Jacqui Heinrich on Thursday after the reporter asked about a federal program long targeted by the right aimed at helping drug addicts avoid overdose deaths.
John Bowden has the story.
White House waves off Fox News ‘conspiracy theory’ on crack pipes in smoking kits
Original report admitted it couldn’t identify whether federal dollars had ever been used
Prosecutors begin probe into secret official documents Trump took to Mar-a-Lago
The Department of Justice is now investigating whether former President Donald Trump or any of his aides violated federal law by mishandling classified documents which ended up at his Florida home instead of being returned to the National Archives at the end of his term.
According to the New York Times, prosecutors have issued a subpoena to obtain the documents from the archives and have requested interviews with several people who worked in the White House during the waning days of Mr Trump’s presidency.
Read more:
Prosecutors begin probe into secret official documents Trump took to Mar-a-Lago
Prosecutors would have to show that the law was knowingly and intentionally violated
Biden marks 1 million Americans dead from Covid as White House hosts global summit
The White will host world leaders for another global Covid-19 summit to urge preparedness for the next pandemic, as the US passed the grim milestone of 1 million American deaths from the coronavirus.
In a statement on Thursday, President Joe Biden said each of the million dead represented “an irreplaceable loss ... leaving behind a family, a community, and a nation forever changed”.
“As a nation, we must not grow numb to such sorrow. To heal, we must remember. We must remain vigilant against this pandemic and do everything we can to save as many lives as possible, as we have with more testing, vaccines, and treatments than ever before,” he said, adding that it is “critical” for Congress to “sustain” such resources by passing a supplemental Covid-19 funding bill.
Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC.
White House hosts global Covid summit as Biden marks 1 million Americans dead
‘We must remain vigilant against this pandemic and do everything we can to save as many lives as possible, as we have with more testing, vaccines, and treatments than ever before’
Psaki says she’ll miss her daily confrontations with Fox News reporter Peter Doocy
White House press secretary Jen Psaki says she will miss her briefing room sparring with Peter Doocy of Fox News when she leaves the job this week.
Ms Psaki has been involved in a string of combative confrontations with Mr Doocy during her time as the lead messenger in the Biden administration.
She told a Christian Science Monitor event on Thursday that she “will” miss Mr Doocy’s questioning and insisted that the pair have “a very good professional relationship”.
Graeme Massie reports.
Jen Psaki says she’ll miss her daily confrontations with Peter Doocy of Fox News
Outgoing White House press secretary will be replaced by Karine Jean-Pierre
Pelosi leads minute of silence for 1 million American Covid deaths
JD Vance’s far-right politics surprised ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ director Ron Howard
Ron Howard, the man who directed the widely panned film adaptation of JD Vance’s bestselling memior ”Hillbilly Elegy“, said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he is ‘surprised’ by Mr Vance’s newfound far-right politics.
“I always knew he was conservative, but [he] struck me as a very center-right, a kind of a moderate thinker,” Mr Howard said.
Abe Asher has the story.
‘Hillbilly Elegy’ director Ron Howard ‘surprised’ by JD Vance’s far-right politics
Vance is the Republican nominee for the US Senate in Ohio, where he will face Democratic congressman Tim Ryan in November
Yellen calls for new regulation after crypto meltdown
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, responding to the recent sharp decline in the value of cryptocurrencies, said Thursday that additional federal regulation was needed to respond to the wave of speculative investment in the currency whose secrecy is an essential part of its appeal.
“We really need a regulatory framework to guard against the risks,” Yellen said of cryptocurrencies called stable coins, during a House committee hearing Thursday. Citing the rapid rise in use of digital assets, she added, “Really, we need a comprehensive framework so that there are no gaps in the regulation.”
Stable coins are a type of cryptocurrency pegged to a specific value, usually the dollar, another currency or gold. Its parity with the dollar is what, in theory, makes it stable. However, volatility in the cryptocurrency market this week challenged that premise.
Crypto meltdown prompts Yellen to call for new regulation
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, responding to the recent sharp decline in cryptocurrencies, says additional federal regulation is needed to respond to the wave of speculative investment in the currency whose secrecy is an essential part of its appeal
January 6 probe subpoenas Kevin McCarthy and four other GOP lawmakers
The House select committee investigating the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol has issued subpoenas to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and four other Republicans who are close allies of former president Donald Trump: Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Andy Biggs of Arizona, and Mo Brooks of Alabama.
Representative Bennie Thompson, the select committee’s chairman, said the panel had “learned that several of our colleagues have information relevant to our investigation into the attack on January 6th and the events leading up to it” and had provided each of the GOP members now under subpoena an opportunity to give evidence voluntarily before the committee presents findings in public hearings.
Andrew Feinberg reports.
House January 6 committee subpoenas Kevin McCarthy and four other GOP representatives
‘We urge our colleagues to comply with the law, do their patriotic duty, and cooperate with our investigation as hundreds of other witnesses have done,’ says committee chairman
Trump attacks Pennsylvania candidate amid Republican voter backlash over Dr Oz endorsement
Former president Donald Trump half-heartedly criticised Republican Senate candidate Kathy Barnette as unelectable, as his preferred candidate in Pennsylvania’s Senate primary continues to have troubles.
Many conservatives criticised Mr Trump for endorsing former television host and physician Dr Mehmet Oz in the primary, despite conservative dissatisfaction. A recent Fox News poll showed that Dr Oz shot up seven points, from 15 per cent in March to 22 per cent in May, but also found that 46 per cent of Republican primary voters had a negative opinion of former television host.
Conversely, the same poll showed that Ms Barnette, a Black woman veteran and conservative commentator, surged from nine per cent in March to 19 per cent, putting her within the margin of error and right behind Mr Trump’s preferred candidate. The Club for Growth released an ad supporting her this week.
Eric Garcia has the full story.
Trump attacks senate candidate amid Republican backlash over his Dr Oz endorsement
Comes as Kathy Barnette surges in polls
Florida judge rejects Ron DeSantis congressional map
A Florida circuit court judge has blocked the state’s congressional redistricting plan drawn by Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration that would likely eliminate two of the state’s four districts represented by Black Democrats and create four more districts that lean Republican.
Judge Layne Smith, who issued a ruling from the bench on 11 May, said the map violates the state’s constitutional provisions governing the redistricting process because it “diminishes African Americans’ ability to elect candidates of their choice” in Florida’s 5th District, which spans Jacksonville to Tallahassee.
Alex Woodward reports.
Florida judge rejects Ron DeSantis congressional map that ‘diminishes’ Black voters
Republican governor will appeal a ruling that rejects his redistricting plan that dilutes Black voting power in the state
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