Page 4 - Us Politics

Trump's hush-money trial will begin in 39 days with jury selection: Judge

Donald Trump's hush-money trial will go ahead as scheduled with jury selection starting on March 25, a judge ruled on Thursday, turning aside requests for a delay from the former president's defense lawyers. In leaving the trial date intact, Judge Juan Manuel Merchan took advantage of a delay in a separate prosecution in Washington charging Trump with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. That case has been effectively on hold pending the outcome of an appeal from Trump. The decision means that a case centered on years-old accusations that Trump sought to bury stories about extramarital affairs that arose during his 2016 presidential campaign will be the first of the four criminal prosecutions against Trump to proceed to trial. Other cases charge him seeking to undo the election and illegally hoarding classified documents at his Florida estate. Trump's attorneys blasted the decision to keep the March date, complaining that Trump will have to stand tria

US presidential election: Nikki Haley raises $16.5 mn in Jan for campaign

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, the only challenger left against former president Donald Trump, has raised a massive USD 16.5 million in January, despite the Indian-American politician coming third and second in the two primaries so far. The USD 16.5 million in January includes USD 11.7 million from grassroots supporters, which added 69,274 new donors. This is Haley's best fundraising month and more than she raised in the first, second, and third quarters of 2023, a campaign release said. While Donald Trump blows USD 50 million of his donors' money on his legal cases, Nikki Haley has been focused on talking to voters and saving our country, said Haley national spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are supporting Nikki's campaign because they don't want two grumpy old men and all their chaos, confusion, and grievances. They want a strong, conservative leader who will save this country, Perez-Cubas said. Haley, the 52-year-old former two-t

What next for Donald Trump after $88 million fine in defamation damages

For years, Donald Trump hurled insults at E. Jean Carroll, saying the advice columnist fabricated a sexual assault allegation against him to sell a book. Will Trump keep that up, now that he's been hit with a $83.3 million defamation judgment? A jury on Friday found that Trump had maliciously damaged Carroll's reputation in 2019 after she went public with her accusations. Jurors awarded her $18 million to compensate for the personal harm she experienced, then added $65 million more to punish Trump and maybe prevent him from continuing to go after her on social media. A different jury concluded last May that Trump was responsible for sexually abusing Carroll in a Manhattan department store dressing room in 1996. Those jurors awarded Carroll $5 million. If both judgments stand, Trump would owe her a total of $88.3 million. Trump and his lawyers have promised to appeal. A look at the verdict and where the case might go from here: THE ACCUSATION Carroll said she was shopping at the

Donald Trump races toward 2024 Biden rematch after New Hampshire win

The back-to-back wins put Trump on track to deliver a knockout blow to Haley next month in her home state of South Carolina and turn his attention to all-but-certain rematch with President Joe Biden

Donald Trump seeks early victory as Iowa caucus kicks off Republican race

A strong second-place showing for either Haley or DeSantis would keep alive the idea that Trump's march toward the nomination is not a foregone conclusion

Trump criticises Ramaswamy publicly ahead of Iowa caucus

Former US president Donald Trump for the first time has lashed out at his rival Vivek Ramaswamy, who is most closely aligned with him in the race for the Republican nomination, accusing the Indian-American entrepreneur of engaging in deceitful campaign tricks". Trump's remarks came ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Monday, marking the beginning of the long process by which the Republicans and Democrats choose their nominees for the presidential election. The comments come after a series of remarks and posts by Ramaswamy, 38, that have angered Trump and his team. Trump's criticism stemmed from shirts that Ramaswamy's campaign is handing out that say 'Save Trump, Vote Vivek' on them. Ramaswamy posted a photo with a group of young men wearing them after his event in Rock Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, which caught the former president's attention. Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, the best President in generations,' etc. Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support i

Republicans try to stop US govt's anti-abortion counselling fund reduction

In a new twist to the fight over abortion access, congressional Republicans are trying to block a Biden administration spending rule that they say will cut off millions of dollars to anti-abortion counselling centres. The rule would prohibit states from sending federal funds earmarked for needy Americans to so-called crisis pregnancy centres, which counsel against abortions. At stake are millions of dollars in federal funds that currently flow to the organisations through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programme, a block grant programme created in 1996 to give cash assistance to poor children and prevent out-of-wedlock pregnancies. Programmes that only or primarily provide pregnancy counselling to women only after they become pregnant likely do not meet the ... standard, the Health and Human Services agency said in its rule proposal released late last year. More than 7,000 comments have been submitted on the proposed rule, which includes a series of restrictions

Asian-Americans fastest-growing group of eligible voters in US: Pew study

The number of Asian-American eligible voters has skyrocketed over the past two decades and since 2020, according to a new study as the US goes to polls to elect a new president this year. The report titled 'Key facts about Asian American eligible voters in 2024, released Wednesday, revealed that in the past four years, the Asian American eligible voter population grew by 15 per cent. That far outpaces the growth rate of all eligible voters at 3 per cent, making them the fastest-growing electorate in the US. A projected 15 million Asian Americans will be eligible to vote in November, according to the Pew Research Center study. The group makes up just over 6 per cent of eligible voters, but its growth outpaced Hispanic eligible voters, who grew by 12 per cent. Asian Americans typically lean Democratic, the research said. In 2020, 72 per cent of English-speaking, single-race, non-Hispanic Asian voters said they voted for Democrat Joe Biden for president, while 28 per cent said they

Why American democracy is not in decline

Jill Lepore's collection of essays takes readers on a guided tour through the rise and presumed decline of the US, with Trump emerging as the ultimate object of the author's scorn

Biden admin bypasses Congress on an emergency weapons sale to Israel

For the second time this month the Biden administration is bypassing Congress to approve an emergency weapons sale to Israel as Israel continues to prosecute its war against Hamas in Gaza under increasing international criticism. The State Department said Friday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had told Congress that he had made a second emergency determination covering a USD 147.5 million sale for equipment, including fuses, chargers and primers, that is needed to make the 155 mm shells that Israel has already purchased function. Given the urgency of Israel's defensive needs, the secretary notified Congress that he had exercised his delegated authority to determine an emergency existed necessitating the immediate approval of the transfer, the department said. The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against the threats it faces, it said. The emergency determination means the .

Capitol attack: Michigan court decides Trump will remain candidate in GOP

With these duelling decisions, the expected appeals to the US Supreme Court become even more critical, especially as the nation races toward the start of the 2024 primaries

Colorado court ruling on Trump: What it means for 2024 presidential polls

Donald Trump has been declared ineligible for the White House by the Colorado Supreme Court under the US Constitution's insurrection clause

Indian Americans to play crucial role in shaping nation's future: Bhutoria

Less than a year left before the US presidential elections, an eminent community leader and a major Democratic party fundraiser believes that Indian Americans would be playing an important role in shaping the nation's future. Ajay Bhutoria, National Finance Committee member of the Democratic National Committee, told PTI in an interview that in many of the battleground states, Indian Americans could tilt the margin of victory in the November 5, 2024 race for the White House. This election is one of the most crucial elections. Asian-Americans, especially South Asian Americans, Indian Americans have a historic role to play in this election, Bhutoria, who has been part of the Joe Biden campaign from the day one of his election run in the first term, said. In many battleground states, if we talk about Michigan, if we talk about Nevada, if we talk about Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, if we look at the data, we look at the Asian Americans and especially South Asian Americans, Indian ...

Nikki Haley looks for strong showing, not necessarily win, in Iowa caucuses

For Nikki Haley, a win in Iowa doesn't necessarily mean a win in the state's Republican presidential caucuses. The way I look at it, we just need to have a good showing in Iowa, the former South Carolina governor said Friday in response to a question during a town hall event in Sioux City. I don't think that means we have to win necessarily, but I think that means we have to have a good showing. The comments stand in stark contrast to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who declared decisively that we're going to win Iowa on NBC's Meet the Press last Sunday. DeSantis wouldn't say whether he would end his campaign if he didn't finish first or second. DeSantis and Haley are likely battling for a second-place finish, since former President Donald Trump continues to sit comfortably atop the field in polls of Republicans in Iowa and nationwide. The DeSantis campaign has largely focused on Iowa, hoping to deny Trump a big win in the caucuses. A super PAC supporting DeSantis has invested more than

Hunter Biden indicted on nine tax charges in special counsel probe

Hunter Biden has been indicted on nine tax charges in California as a special counsel investigation into the business dealings of the president's son intensifies against the backdrop of the looming 2024 election. The new charges three felonies and six misdemeanors come in addition to federal firearms charges in Delaware alleging Hunter Biden broke a law against drug users having guns in 2018. He had been previously expected to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges as part of a plea deal with prosecutors who said he failed to pay taxes on USD4 million in personal income in 2017 and 2018. Defence attorneys have signalled they plan to fight any new charges. The agreement imploded in July after a judge raised questions about it. It had also been pilloried as a sweetheart deal by Republicans investigating nearly every aspect of Hunter Biden's business dealings as well as the Justice Department's handling of the case. Congressional Republicans have also pursued an impeachment inquiry

Democratic support for Biden ticks up on handling of Israel-Hamas war: Poll

Democratic views on how President Joe Biden is handling the decades-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians have rebounded slightly, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research. The shift occurred during a time in which Biden and top U.S. officials expressed increased concern about civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, emphasized the need for a future independent Palestinian state and helped secure the release of hostages held by Hamas during a temporary truce. The poll of 1,074 adults was conducted November 30 - December 4, 2023, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points. The margin of sampling error for Democrats is plus or minus 6.0 percentage points. Fifty-nine percent of Democrats approve of Biden's approach to the conflict, a tick up from 50 per cent in ...

'No, no, no': Donald Trump on ruling out abusing power if elected again

President Joe Biden said he may have decided to serve just one term if Donald Trump were not seeking to return to the White House

President Biden's reelection campaign expects to raise $15 mn in five days

On Friday, he plans to travel to Los Angeles, where Hollywood luminaries including the directors Steven Spielberg and Rob Reiner and producer Shonda Rhimes will be among the hosts at a gala fundraiser

If Trump wasn't running I'm not sure I'd be running, says Biden to donors

President Joe Biden told campaign donors Tuesday that he wasn't sure he'd be running for reelection if Donald Trump wasn't also in the race, warning that democracy is more at risk in 2024 and that the former president and his allies are out to destroy democratic institutions. The president was using a trio of fundraisers to caution against what might happen should his predecessor again claim control of the White House, noting that Trump has described himself as his supporters' retribution and has vowed to root out vermin in the country. We've got to get it done, not because of me. ... If Trump wasn't running I'm not sure I'd be running. We cannot let him win, Biden said, hitting the last words slowly for emphasis. Biden's forceful rhetoric came as Trump, the current GOP front-runner, who tried to overturn the 2020 election he lost and is facing criminal charges connected to those efforts, attempted over the weekend to turn the tables by calling Biden the destroyer of American ...

Henry Kissinger: An era-defining failure

Nobody who handed the Chinese Communist Party a century of dominance can possibly be remembered as a strategic genius