Donald Trump has taken to Truth Social to share a blizzard of memes flattering himself, denigrating Joe Biden and claiming that the “deep state” is machinating to destroy him, filling his page with false messages and sometimes extreme imagery – including phrases nodding to the QAnon movement. The ex-president’s dive into the dark world of right-wing meme-making comes after he doubled down on dubious claims about the story of Hunter Biden’s laptop and insisted that new revelations about the coverage of the story mean the results of the last election should be nullified. “So now it comes out, conclusively, that the FBI BURIED THE HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY BEFORE THE ELECTION knowing that, if they didn’t, ‘Trump would have easily won the 2020 Presidential Election,’” he wrote. “REMEDY: Declare the rightful winner or, and this would be the minimal solution, declare the 2020 Election irreparably compromised and have a new Election, immediately!”
Key points
Show latest update 1661890222
Arizona GOP Senate nominee scrubs abortion and false election fraud claims from website
Blake Masters seems to be making his pivot to the centre in time for the November general election — and is apparently willing to erase his own positions to do it. The Peter Thiel-backed Senate candidate in Arizona hopes to unseat Mark Kelly, the popular astronaut and first-term senator who won a special election in 2020 to finish the term of the late Sen John McCain. But he appears to be unsure about the appeal of his far-right views on a number of topics. John Bowden has the story.
Blake Masters quietly scrubs abortion and false election fraud claims from website
Arizona Republican appears to attempt pivot to centre after winning GOP primary Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 21:10 1661888422
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden is travelling to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to discuss gun violence. Then, on Saturday, former president Donald Trump will head to the same small town to hold a rally at the Mohegan Sun Arena to support Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Mehmet Oz and gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano. Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.
Why are Joe Biden and Donald Trump both going to this small Pennsylvania City?
Wilkes-Barre is located in Luzerne County, which historically voted for Democrats before Trump came along Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 20:40 1661886622
Supporters raise $70k for Kansas City Proud Boys members accused over Capitol riot
A pair of Kansas City Proud Boys charged with multiple felonies stemming from their alleged actions during the Capitol riot have taken in nearly $70,000 in donations for their legal defence fund. William Chrestman and Christopher Kuehne are both members of the Proud Boys, a violent, right-wing extremist gang created by conservative Canadian media personality Gavin McInnes. Federal prosecutors claim that many of the gang’s members — including Mr Chrestman and Mr Kuehne — plotted and incited the breach at the Capitol on 6 January, 2021.
Supporters raise $70k for Proud Boys members accused over Capitol riot
The donations are significantly short of the combined $700,000 goal Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 20:10 1661885707
Trump hires ex-Florida solicitor general to represent him
Former president Donald Trump has retained ex-Florida solicitor general Chris Kise to represent him in the ongoing Department of Justice probe into whether he violated US laws by taking sensitive government records back to his Palm Beach home at the end of his term and retaining them for nearly 18 months. A source close to Mr Trump’s legal team confirmed Mr Kice’s hiring for The Independent. His addition to the former president’s defence was first reported by NBC News. Andrew Feinberg reports for The Independent from Washington, DC.
Trump hires ex-Florida solicitor general to represent him in Mar-a-Lago docs case
Ex-Florida solicitor general Chris Kise will represent Mr Trump at a Thursday hearing to determine whether a Florida federal judge will appoint a special master to review documents seized from his home Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 19:55 1661884822
Giuliani complains that cops aren’t allowed to ‘punch’ people in the face anymore
Rudy Giuliani claimed that police officers are, by his assessment, having a “hard time” because “they can’t punch you”. Donald Trump’s former personal attorney and a man once hailed as “America’s mayor” made the controversy-stirring remarks while appearing on conservative television and radio talk show host Joe Pags’s programme, The Joe Pags Show, in an episode where the pair of men discussed New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s response to crime.
Rudy Giuliani complains that cops aren’t allowed to punch people in the face anymore
The former mayor of New York said that the city’s current mayor, Eric Adams, shouldn’t be in his position because of his ‘total misunderstanding of leadership’ Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 19:40 1661883022
Google: Truth Social unavailable on Android phones because of content moderation problems
Donald Trump’s Truth Social is being kept from Android phones because of content moderation problems it is yet to address, Google has said. Last week, the chief executive of the app, Devin Nunes, suggested that Google was holding back the release and that any news about when it might be available is “up to Google”. He suggested he didn’t know what was “taking them so long” to make the app available. Andrew Griffin has the story.
Trump’s Truth Social is banned from Android owing to moderation problems, Google says
Donald Trump’s Truth Social is being kept from Android phones because of content moderation problems it is yet to address, Google has said. Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 19:10 1661881222
Poll finds more than 40 per cent of Americans believe civil war likely in next decade
A newly released poll has found that a significant number of Americans believe the United States will be embroiled in a civil war within the next 10 years as political divisions continue to strain the country’s civic bonds. The online survey of 1,500 adults — commissioned by The Economist and conducted by YouGov from 20 to 23 August — found that 29 per cent of respondents said a civil war would be “somewhat likely”, while 14 per cent said such a conflict would be “very likely”. Andrew Feinberg reports for The Independent from Washington, DC.
More than four in 10 Americans say civil war is more likely within the next decade
The Economist/YouGov poll finds self-described ‘strong Republicans’ most likely to say there could be a US civil war in the next decade Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 18:40 1661879400
Trump shares Q-drop on Truth Social
Amid the hail of memes shared by Donald Trump on Truth Social today was a particularly striking one: a Q drop from 2017, one of the many posts that fuelled the unhinged and violent QAnon movement. As NBC’s Ben Collins points out, the context of the post was probably less important to Mr Trump than a superficial read of its incoherent content. Alex Woodward has this look at the ex-president’s social media flirtation with Q followers.
QAnon followers are thriving on Donald Trump’s Truth Social
Conspiracy theorists are thriving on the Twitter clone, where Q influencers have thousands of followers and an audience with the former president Andrew Naughtie30 August 2022 18:10 1661878522
Anne Coulter claims ‘Trump’s done’
Conservative firebrand Anne Coulter echoed a statement she made in January on her new podcast — Unsafe — this week, titling the episode: “Trump’s done”. Comparing the former president to Sarah Palin, whose star faded in the Republican Party following the defeat of John McCain, Ms Coulter said dwindling rally crowd sizes were just one sign that Mr Trump’s influence is fading within the party. “They’re like Deadheads,” she said of those still attending MAGA rallies. “They’re following him from place to place. He sings the same songs.” She noted that loyalty among a fanatical base is not evidence of “a movement sweeping the nation”. She also cited two emails from the Trump team in which Roger Stone first slammed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (assumed to be Trump’s chief competitor for the 2024 nomination) and then furiously backpedalled after complaints from conservatives who support him. Polling, she adds, shows an average of 50 per cent with an unfavourable view of the former president, indicating voters are tired of him. Ms Coulter made a clear plea to Republicans: “You don’t need to suck up to Trump anymore, conservative talk radio hosts, talk TV hosts, Republicans running for office,” she said. “He’s done. He’s over.” Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 17:55 1661877600
Pro-Trump congressman says he doesn’t trust the FBI to produce real evidence
Ronny Jackson, a Republican congressman from Texas, appeared on Fox News earlier to take a strikingly hardline position on the Mar-a-Lago affair: that he will take no evidence presented by the FBI as genuine, convinced as he is that the only reason the bureau and the DOJ investigated Mr Trump is for political ends. Andrew Naughtie30 August 2022 17:40
title: “Trump News Latest Trump Hires Ex Florida Solicitor General For Mar A Lago Docs Case Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-14” author: “John Evensen”
Donald Trump has taken to Truth Social to share a blizzard of memes flattering himself, denigrating Joe Biden and claiming that the “deep state” is machinating to destroy him, filling his page with false messages and sometimes extreme imagery – including phrases nodding to the QAnon movement. The ex-president’s dive into the dark world of right-wing meme-making comes after he doubled down on dubious claims about the story of Hunter Biden’s laptop and insisted that new revelations about the coverage of the story mean the results of the last election should be nullified. “So now it comes out, conclusively, that the FBI BURIED THE HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY BEFORE THE ELECTION knowing that, if they didn’t, ‘Trump would have easily won the 2020 Presidential Election,’” he wrote. “REMEDY: Declare the rightful winner or, and this would be the minimal solution, declare the 2020 Election irreparably compromised and have a new Election, immediately!”
Key points
Show latest update 1661890222
Arizona GOP Senate nominee scrubs abortion and false election fraud claims from website
Blake Masters seems to be making his pivot to the centre in time for the November general election — and is apparently willing to erase his own positions to do it. The Peter Thiel-backed Senate candidate in Arizona hopes to unseat Mark Kelly, the popular astronaut and first-term senator who won a special election in 2020 to finish the term of the late Sen John McCain. But he appears to be unsure about the appeal of his far-right views on a number of topics. John Bowden has the story.
Blake Masters quietly scrubs abortion and false election fraud claims from website
Arizona Republican appears to attempt pivot to centre after winning GOP primary Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 21:10 1661888422
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden is travelling to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to discuss gun violence. Then, on Saturday, former president Donald Trump will head to the same small town to hold a rally at the Mohegan Sun Arena to support Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Mehmet Oz and gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano. Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.
Why are Joe Biden and Donald Trump both going to this small Pennsylvania City?
Wilkes-Barre is located in Luzerne County, which historically voted for Democrats before Trump came along Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 20:40 1661886622
Supporters raise $70k for Kansas City Proud Boys members accused over Capitol riot
A pair of Kansas City Proud Boys charged with multiple felonies stemming from their alleged actions during the Capitol riot have taken in nearly $70,000 in donations for their legal defence fund. William Chrestman and Christopher Kuehne are both members of the Proud Boys, a violent, right-wing extremist gang created by conservative Canadian media personality Gavin McInnes. Federal prosecutors claim that many of the gang’s members — including Mr Chrestman and Mr Kuehne — plotted and incited the breach at the Capitol on 6 January, 2021.
Supporters raise $70k for Proud Boys members accused over Capitol riot
The donations are significantly short of the combined $700,000 goal Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 20:10 1661885707
Trump hires ex-Florida solicitor general to represent him
Former president Donald Trump has retained ex-Florida solicitor general Chris Kise to represent him in the ongoing Department of Justice probe into whether he violated US laws by taking sensitive government records back to his Palm Beach home at the end of his term and retaining them for nearly 18 months. A source close to Mr Trump’s legal team confirmed Mr Kice’s hiring for The Independent. His addition to the former president’s defence was first reported by NBC News. Andrew Feinberg reports for The Independent from Washington, DC.
Trump hires ex-Florida solicitor general to represent him in Mar-a-Lago docs case
Ex-Florida solicitor general Chris Kise will represent Mr Trump at a Thursday hearing to determine whether a Florida federal judge will appoint a special master to review documents seized from his home Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 19:55 1661884822
Giuliani complains that cops aren’t allowed to ‘punch’ people in the face anymore
Rudy Giuliani claimed that police officers are, by his assessment, having a “hard time” because “they can’t punch you”. Donald Trump’s former personal attorney and a man once hailed as “America’s mayor” made the controversy-stirring remarks while appearing on conservative television and radio talk show host Joe Pags’s programme, The Joe Pags Show, in an episode where the pair of men discussed New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s response to crime.
Rudy Giuliani complains that cops aren’t allowed to punch people in the face anymore
The former mayor of New York said that the city’s current mayor, Eric Adams, shouldn’t be in his position because of his ‘total misunderstanding of leadership’ Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 19:40 1661883022
Google: Truth Social unavailable on Android phones because of content moderation problems
Donald Trump’s Truth Social is being kept from Android phones because of content moderation problems it is yet to address, Google has said. Last week, the chief executive of the app, Devin Nunes, suggested that Google was holding back the release and that any news about when it might be available is “up to Google”. He suggested he didn’t know what was “taking them so long” to make the app available. Andrew Griffin has the story.
Trump’s Truth Social is banned from Android owing to moderation problems, Google says
Donald Trump’s Truth Social is being kept from Android phones because of content moderation problems it is yet to address, Google has said. Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 19:10 1661881222
Poll finds more than 40 per cent of Americans believe civil war likely in next decade
A newly released poll has found that a significant number of Americans believe the United States will be embroiled in a civil war within the next 10 years as political divisions continue to strain the country’s civic bonds. The online survey of 1,500 adults — commissioned by The Economist and conducted by YouGov from 20 to 23 August — found that 29 per cent of respondents said a civil war would be “somewhat likely”, while 14 per cent said such a conflict would be “very likely”. Andrew Feinberg reports for The Independent from Washington, DC.
More than four in 10 Americans say civil war is more likely within the next decade
The Economist/YouGov poll finds self-described ‘strong Republicans’ most likely to say there could be a US civil war in the next decade Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 18:40 1661879400
Trump shares Q-drop on Truth Social
Amid the hail of memes shared by Donald Trump on Truth Social today was a particularly striking one: a Q drop from 2017, one of the many posts that fuelled the unhinged and violent QAnon movement. As NBC’s Ben Collins points out, the context of the post was probably less important to Mr Trump than a superficial read of its incoherent content. Alex Woodward has this look at the ex-president’s social media flirtation with Q followers.
QAnon followers are thriving on Donald Trump’s Truth Social
Conspiracy theorists are thriving on the Twitter clone, where Q influencers have thousands of followers and an audience with the former president Andrew Naughtie30 August 2022 18:10 1661878522
Anne Coulter claims ‘Trump’s done’
Conservative firebrand Anne Coulter echoed a statement she made in January on her new podcast — Unsafe — this week, titling the episode: “Trump’s done”. Comparing the former president to Sarah Palin, whose star faded in the Republican Party following the defeat of John McCain, Ms Coulter said dwindling rally crowd sizes were just one sign that Mr Trump’s influence is fading within the party. “They’re like Deadheads,” she said of those still attending MAGA rallies. “They’re following him from place to place. He sings the same songs.” She noted that loyalty among a fanatical base is not evidence of “a movement sweeping the nation”. She also cited two emails from the Trump team in which Roger Stone first slammed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (assumed to be Trump’s chief competitor for the 2024 nomination) and then furiously backpedalled after complaints from conservatives who support him. Polling, she adds, shows an average of 50 per cent with an unfavourable view of the former president, indicating voters are tired of him. Ms Coulter made a clear plea to Republicans: “You don’t need to suck up to Trump anymore, conservative talk radio hosts, talk TV hosts, Republicans running for office,” she said. “He’s done. He’s over.” Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 17:55 1661877600
Pro-Trump congressman says he doesn’t trust the FBI to produce real evidence
Ronny Jackson, a Republican congressman from Texas, appeared on Fox News earlier to take a strikingly hardline position on the Mar-a-Lago affair: that he will take no evidence presented by the FBI as genuine, convinced as he is that the only reason the bureau and the DOJ investigated Mr Trump is for political ends. Andrew Naughtie30 August 2022 17:40
title: “Trump News Latest Trump Hires Ex Florida Solicitor General For Mar A Lago Docs Case Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-25” author: “Blanca Broadus”
Donald Trump has taken to Truth Social to share a blizzard of memes flattering himself, denigrating Joe Biden and claiming that the “deep state” is machinating to destroy him, filling his page with false messages and sometimes extreme imagery – including phrases nodding to the QAnon movement. The ex-president’s dive into the dark world of right-wing meme-making comes after he doubled down on dubious claims about the story of Hunter Biden’s laptop and insisted that new revelations about the coverage of the story mean the results of the last election should be nullified. “So now it comes out, conclusively, that the FBI BURIED THE HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY BEFORE THE ELECTION knowing that, if they didn’t, ‘Trump would have easily won the 2020 Presidential Election,’” he wrote. “REMEDY: Declare the rightful winner or, and this would be the minimal solution, declare the 2020 Election irreparably compromised and have a new Election, immediately!”
Key points
Show latest update 1661890222
Arizona GOP Senate nominee scrubs abortion and false election fraud claims from website
Blake Masters seems to be making his pivot to the centre in time for the November general election — and is apparently willing to erase his own positions to do it. The Peter Thiel-backed Senate candidate in Arizona hopes to unseat Mark Kelly, the popular astronaut and first-term senator who won a special election in 2020 to finish the term of the late Sen John McCain. But he appears to be unsure about the appeal of his far-right views on a number of topics. John Bowden has the story.
Blake Masters quietly scrubs abortion and false election fraud claims from website
Arizona Republican appears to attempt pivot to centre after winning GOP primary Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 21:10 1661888422
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden is travelling to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to discuss gun violence. Then, on Saturday, former president Donald Trump will head to the same small town to hold a rally at the Mohegan Sun Arena to support Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Mehmet Oz and gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano. Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.
Why are Joe Biden and Donald Trump both going to this small Pennsylvania City?
Wilkes-Barre is located in Luzerne County, which historically voted for Democrats before Trump came along Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 20:40 1661886622
Supporters raise $70k for Kansas City Proud Boys members accused over Capitol riot
A pair of Kansas City Proud Boys charged with multiple felonies stemming from their alleged actions during the Capitol riot have taken in nearly $70,000 in donations for their legal defence fund. William Chrestman and Christopher Kuehne are both members of the Proud Boys, a violent, right-wing extremist gang created by conservative Canadian media personality Gavin McInnes. Federal prosecutors claim that many of the gang’s members — including Mr Chrestman and Mr Kuehne — plotted and incited the breach at the Capitol on 6 January, 2021.
Supporters raise $70k for Proud Boys members accused over Capitol riot
The donations are significantly short of the combined $700,000 goal Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 20:10 1661885707
Trump hires ex-Florida solicitor general to represent him
Former president Donald Trump has retained ex-Florida solicitor general Chris Kise to represent him in the ongoing Department of Justice probe into whether he violated US laws by taking sensitive government records back to his Palm Beach home at the end of his term and retaining them for nearly 18 months. A source close to Mr Trump’s legal team confirmed Mr Kice’s hiring for The Independent. His addition to the former president’s defence was first reported by NBC News. Andrew Feinberg reports for The Independent from Washington, DC.
Trump hires ex-Florida solicitor general to represent him in Mar-a-Lago docs case
Ex-Florida solicitor general Chris Kise will represent Mr Trump at a Thursday hearing to determine whether a Florida federal judge will appoint a special master to review documents seized from his home Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 19:55 1661884822
Giuliani complains that cops aren’t allowed to ‘punch’ people in the face anymore
Rudy Giuliani claimed that police officers are, by his assessment, having a “hard time” because “they can’t punch you”. Donald Trump’s former personal attorney and a man once hailed as “America’s mayor” made the controversy-stirring remarks while appearing on conservative television and radio talk show host Joe Pags’s programme, The Joe Pags Show, in an episode where the pair of men discussed New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s response to crime.
Rudy Giuliani complains that cops aren’t allowed to punch people in the face anymore
The former mayor of New York said that the city’s current mayor, Eric Adams, shouldn’t be in his position because of his ‘total misunderstanding of leadership’ Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 19:40 1661883022
Google: Truth Social unavailable on Android phones because of content moderation problems
Donald Trump’s Truth Social is being kept from Android phones because of content moderation problems it is yet to address, Google has said. Last week, the chief executive of the app, Devin Nunes, suggested that Google was holding back the release and that any news about when it might be available is “up to Google”. He suggested he didn’t know what was “taking them so long” to make the app available. Andrew Griffin has the story.
Trump’s Truth Social is banned from Android owing to moderation problems, Google says
Donald Trump’s Truth Social is being kept from Android phones because of content moderation problems it is yet to address, Google has said. Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 19:10 1661881222
Poll finds more than 40 per cent of Americans believe civil war likely in next decade
A newly released poll has found that a significant number of Americans believe the United States will be embroiled in a civil war within the next 10 years as political divisions continue to strain the country’s civic bonds. The online survey of 1,500 adults — commissioned by The Economist and conducted by YouGov from 20 to 23 August — found that 29 per cent of respondents said a civil war would be “somewhat likely”, while 14 per cent said such a conflict would be “very likely”. Andrew Feinberg reports for The Independent from Washington, DC.
More than four in 10 Americans say civil war is more likely within the next decade
The Economist/YouGov poll finds self-described ‘strong Republicans’ most likely to say there could be a US civil war in the next decade Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 18:40 1661879400
Trump shares Q-drop on Truth Social
Amid the hail of memes shared by Donald Trump on Truth Social today was a particularly striking one: a Q drop from 2017, one of the many posts that fuelled the unhinged and violent QAnon movement. As NBC’s Ben Collins points out, the context of the post was probably less important to Mr Trump than a superficial read of its incoherent content. Alex Woodward has this look at the ex-president’s social media flirtation with Q followers.
QAnon followers are thriving on Donald Trump’s Truth Social
Conspiracy theorists are thriving on the Twitter clone, where Q influencers have thousands of followers and an audience with the former president Andrew Naughtie30 August 2022 18:10 1661878522
Anne Coulter claims ‘Trump’s done’
Conservative firebrand Anne Coulter echoed a statement she made in January on her new podcast — Unsafe — this week, titling the episode: “Trump’s done”. Comparing the former president to Sarah Palin, whose star faded in the Republican Party following the defeat of John McCain, Ms Coulter said dwindling rally crowd sizes were just one sign that Mr Trump’s influence is fading within the party. “They’re like Deadheads,” she said of those still attending MAGA rallies. “They’re following him from place to place. He sings the same songs.” She noted that loyalty among a fanatical base is not evidence of “a movement sweeping the nation”. She also cited two emails from the Trump team in which Roger Stone first slammed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (assumed to be Trump’s chief competitor for the 2024 nomination) and then furiously backpedalled after complaints from conservatives who support him. Polling, she adds, shows an average of 50 per cent with an unfavourable view of the former president, indicating voters are tired of him. Ms Coulter made a clear plea to Republicans: “You don’t need to suck up to Trump anymore, conservative talk radio hosts, talk TV hosts, Republicans running for office,” she said. “He’s done. He’s over.” Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 17:55 1661877600
Pro-Trump congressman says he doesn’t trust the FBI to produce real evidence
Ronny Jackson, a Republican congressman from Texas, appeared on Fox News earlier to take a strikingly hardline position on the Mar-a-Lago affair: that he will take no evidence presented by the FBI as genuine, convinced as he is that the only reason the bureau and the DOJ investigated Mr Trump is for political ends. Andrew Naughtie30 August 2022 17:40
title: “Trump News Latest Trump Hires Ex Florida Solicitor General For Mar A Lago Docs Case Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-28” author: “Joshua Winograd”
Donald Trump has taken to Truth Social to share a blizzard of memes flattering himself, denigrating Joe Biden and claiming that the “deep state” is machinating to destroy him, filling his page with false messages and sometimes extreme imagery – including phrases nodding to the QAnon movement. The ex-president’s dive into the dark world of right-wing meme-making comes after he doubled down on dubious claims about the story of Hunter Biden’s laptop and insisted that new revelations about the coverage of the story mean the results of the last election should be nullified. “So now it comes out, conclusively, that the FBI BURIED THE HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY BEFORE THE ELECTION knowing that, if they didn’t, ‘Trump would have easily won the 2020 Presidential Election,’” he wrote. “REMEDY: Declare the rightful winner or, and this would be the minimal solution, declare the 2020 Election irreparably compromised and have a new Election, immediately!”
Key points
Show latest update 1661890222
Arizona GOP Senate nominee scrubs abortion and false election fraud claims from website
Blake Masters seems to be making his pivot to the centre in time for the November general election — and is apparently willing to erase his own positions to do it. The Peter Thiel-backed Senate candidate in Arizona hopes to unseat Mark Kelly, the popular astronaut and first-term senator who won a special election in 2020 to finish the term of the late Sen John McCain. But he appears to be unsure about the appeal of his far-right views on a number of topics. John Bowden has the story.
Blake Masters quietly scrubs abortion and false election fraud claims from website
Arizona Republican appears to attempt pivot to centre after winning GOP primary Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 21:10 1661888422
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden is travelling to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to discuss gun violence. Then, on Saturday, former president Donald Trump will head to the same small town to hold a rally at the Mohegan Sun Arena to support Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Mehmet Oz and gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano. Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.
Why are Joe Biden and Donald Trump both going to this small Pennsylvania City?
Wilkes-Barre is located in Luzerne County, which historically voted for Democrats before Trump came along Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 20:40 1661886622
Supporters raise $70k for Kansas City Proud Boys members accused over Capitol riot
A pair of Kansas City Proud Boys charged with multiple felonies stemming from their alleged actions during the Capitol riot have taken in nearly $70,000 in donations for their legal defence fund. William Chrestman and Christopher Kuehne are both members of the Proud Boys, a violent, right-wing extremist gang created by conservative Canadian media personality Gavin McInnes. Federal prosecutors claim that many of the gang’s members — including Mr Chrestman and Mr Kuehne — plotted and incited the breach at the Capitol on 6 January, 2021.
Supporters raise $70k for Proud Boys members accused over Capitol riot
The donations are significantly short of the combined $700,000 goal Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 20:10 1661885707
Trump hires ex-Florida solicitor general to represent him
Former president Donald Trump has retained ex-Florida solicitor general Chris Kise to represent him in the ongoing Department of Justice probe into whether he violated US laws by taking sensitive government records back to his Palm Beach home at the end of his term and retaining them for nearly 18 months. A source close to Mr Trump’s legal team confirmed Mr Kice’s hiring for The Independent. His addition to the former president’s defence was first reported by NBC News. Andrew Feinberg reports for The Independent from Washington, DC.
Trump hires ex-Florida solicitor general to represent him in Mar-a-Lago docs case
Ex-Florida solicitor general Chris Kise will represent Mr Trump at a Thursday hearing to determine whether a Florida federal judge will appoint a special master to review documents seized from his home Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 19:55 1661884822
Giuliani complains that cops aren’t allowed to ‘punch’ people in the face anymore
Rudy Giuliani claimed that police officers are, by his assessment, having a “hard time” because “they can’t punch you”. Donald Trump’s former personal attorney and a man once hailed as “America’s mayor” made the controversy-stirring remarks while appearing on conservative television and radio talk show host Joe Pags’s programme, The Joe Pags Show, in an episode where the pair of men discussed New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s response to crime.
Rudy Giuliani complains that cops aren’t allowed to punch people in the face anymore
The former mayor of New York said that the city’s current mayor, Eric Adams, shouldn’t be in his position because of his ‘total misunderstanding of leadership’ Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 19:40 1661883022
Google: Truth Social unavailable on Android phones because of content moderation problems
Donald Trump’s Truth Social is being kept from Android phones because of content moderation problems it is yet to address, Google has said. Last week, the chief executive of the app, Devin Nunes, suggested that Google was holding back the release and that any news about when it might be available is “up to Google”. He suggested he didn’t know what was “taking them so long” to make the app available. Andrew Griffin has the story.
Trump’s Truth Social is banned from Android owing to moderation problems, Google says
Donald Trump’s Truth Social is being kept from Android phones because of content moderation problems it is yet to address, Google has said. Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 19:10 1661881222
Poll finds more than 40 per cent of Americans believe civil war likely in next decade
A newly released poll has found that a significant number of Americans believe the United States will be embroiled in a civil war within the next 10 years as political divisions continue to strain the country’s civic bonds. The online survey of 1,500 adults — commissioned by The Economist and conducted by YouGov from 20 to 23 August — found that 29 per cent of respondents said a civil war would be “somewhat likely”, while 14 per cent said such a conflict would be “very likely”. Andrew Feinberg reports for The Independent from Washington, DC.
More than four in 10 Americans say civil war is more likely within the next decade
The Economist/YouGov poll finds self-described ‘strong Republicans’ most likely to say there could be a US civil war in the next decade Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 18:40 1661879400
Trump shares Q-drop on Truth Social
Amid the hail of memes shared by Donald Trump on Truth Social today was a particularly striking one: a Q drop from 2017, one of the many posts that fuelled the unhinged and violent QAnon movement. As NBC’s Ben Collins points out, the context of the post was probably less important to Mr Trump than a superficial read of its incoherent content. Alex Woodward has this look at the ex-president’s social media flirtation with Q followers.
QAnon followers are thriving on Donald Trump’s Truth Social
Conspiracy theorists are thriving on the Twitter clone, where Q influencers have thousands of followers and an audience with the former president Andrew Naughtie30 August 2022 18:10 1661878522
Anne Coulter claims ‘Trump’s done’
Conservative firebrand Anne Coulter echoed a statement she made in January on her new podcast — Unsafe — this week, titling the episode: “Trump’s done”. Comparing the former president to Sarah Palin, whose star faded in the Republican Party following the defeat of John McCain, Ms Coulter said dwindling rally crowd sizes were just one sign that Mr Trump’s influence is fading within the party. “They’re like Deadheads,” she said of those still attending MAGA rallies. “They’re following him from place to place. He sings the same songs.” She noted that loyalty among a fanatical base is not evidence of “a movement sweeping the nation”. She also cited two emails from the Trump team in which Roger Stone first slammed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (assumed to be Trump’s chief competitor for the 2024 nomination) and then furiously backpedalled after complaints from conservatives who support him. Polling, she adds, shows an average of 50 per cent with an unfavourable view of the former president, indicating voters are tired of him. Ms Coulter made a clear plea to Republicans: “You don’t need to suck up to Trump anymore, conservative talk radio hosts, talk TV hosts, Republicans running for office,” she said. “He’s done. He’s over.” Oliver O’Connell30 August 2022 17:55 1661877600
Pro-Trump congressman says he doesn’t trust the FBI to produce real evidence
Ronny Jackson, a Republican congressman from Texas, appeared on Fox News earlier to take a strikingly hardline position on the Mar-a-Lago affair: that he will take no evidence presented by the FBI as genuine, convinced as he is that the only reason the bureau and the DOJ investigated Mr Trump is for political ends. Andrew Naughtie30 August 2022 17:40
