Page 28 - Us Presidential Elections

Prez Biden says 'Happy to debate' Trump. Trump says he's ready to go

President Joe Biden said on Friday that he is willing to debate his presumptive Republican opponent, Donald Trump, later this fall his most definitive comment yet on the issue. Trump said he was ready, though he questioned Bidens's willingness. Biden's comment came during an interview with the Sirius XM radio host Howard Stern, who asked him whether he would participate in debates against Trump. I am, somewhere. I don't know when, Biden said. But I'm happy to debate him. So far, Biden's reelection campaign had declined to commit to participating in the debates, a hallmark of every general election presidential campaign since 1976. Biden himself had also been vague, saying in March that whether he debated Trump depends on his behaviour. The two men debated twice during the 2020 general election a campaign year constrained significantly by COVID-19 restrictions and Biden was notably irritated by Trump's antics in the chaotic first debate that year. Will you shut up? Biden told T

Trump's lawyers will grill ex-tabloid publisher as first week of trial ends

After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of catch and kill tabloid schemes, defense lawyers in Donald Trump's hush money trial are poised Friday to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election. David Pecker will return to the witness stand for the fourth day as defense attorneys try to poke holes in the testimony of the former National Enquirer publisher, who has described helping bury embarrassing stories Trump feared could hurt his campaign. It will cap a consequential week in the criminal cases the former president is facing as he vies to reclaim the White House in November. At the same time jurors listened to testimony in Manhattan, the Supreme Court on Thursday signaled it was likely to reject Trump's sweeping claims that he is immune from prosecution in his 2020 election interference case in Washington. But the conservative-majority high court seemed incline

US Supreme Court weighs Donald Trump's bid for immunity from prosecution

If Trump regains the presidency, he could seek to force an end to the prosecution or potentially pardon himself for any federal crimes

Trump in NY for hush money trial while top court hears immunity case in DC

A reluctant Donald Trump will be back in a New York City courtroom Thursday as his hush money trial resumes at the same time that the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in Washington over whether he should be immune from prosecution for actions he took during his time as president. Jurors will hear more witness testimony from a veteran tabloid publisher, and Trump faces a looming decision over whether he violated a gag order imposed by the judge. But he had asked to skip out on his criminal trial for the day so he could sit in on the high court's special session, where the justices will weigh whether he can be prosecuted over his efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden. That request was denied by New York state Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the trial on the hush money scheme that was meant to prevent harmful stories about Trump from surfacing in the final days of the 2016 campaign. Arguing before the Supreme Court is a big deal, and I c

President Biden signs law to facilitate war aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, Israel

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he was immediately rushing badly needed weaponry to Ukraine as he signed into law a USD 95 billion war aid measure that also included assistance for Israel, Taiwan and other global hot spots. The announcement marked an end to the long, painful battle with Republicans in Congress over urgently needed assistance for Ukraine, with Biden promising that US weapons shipment would begin making the way into Ukraine "in the next few hours". "We rose to the moment, we came together, and we got it done," Biden said at a White House event to announce the bill signing. "Now we need to move fast, and we are." But significant damage has been done to the Biden administration's effort to help Ukraine repel Russia's invasion during the funding impasse that dates back to August, when the Democratic president made his first emergency spending request for Ukraine. Even with a burst of new weapons and ammunition, it is unlikely Ukraine will immediately recover .

US ban on TikTok looms with Biden poised to start 270-day countdown

Under the bill, Biden has the option to extend that deadline by an additional 90 days if he sees progress toward a sale. That would push a possible ban well into the next presidential term

Who would lead if US stepped off world stage, asks President Biden

If the United States stepped off the world stage, who would lead the world, US President Joe Biden asked his fellow countrymen as he slammed his November challenger for making such an argument. "Think of it this way -- if the United States stepped off the world stage, like Trump wants us to do, who would lead the world? Who would lead the world?" Biden asked the gathering at a campaign event in Tampa, Florida. Biden is facing his predecessor, Donald Trump, in the November presidential election, which is a rematch of the 2020 polls. "One of the things that is happening now is that ... every international meeting I attend with other heads of state -- whether it is the G7, the G20, all these international meetings -- before I leave, literally, almost every one will walk up to me and wait to get me in a corner alone and grab my arm and say, 'You have got to win'. Not because of me, but because of the alternative. And they say, 'Because my democracy depends upon it', meaning their ...

Biden to assail Florida's 6-week abortion ban as he aims another term

President Joe Biden is wading deeper into the fight over abortion rights that has energised Democrats since the fall of Roe v. Wade, travelling to Florida to assail the state's upcoming ban and similar restrictions that have imperiled access to care for pregnant women nationwide. Tuesday's campaign visit to Tampa puts Biden in the epicentre of the latest battle over abortion restrictions. The state's six-week abortion ban is poised to go into effect May 1 at the same time that Florida voters are gearing up for a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the state's constitution. Biden is seeking to capitalise on the unceasing momentum against abortion restrictions nationwide to not only buoy his reelection bid in battleground states he won in 2020, but also to go on the offensive against Donald Trump in states that the presumptive Republican nominee won four years ago. One of those states is Florida, where Biden lost by 3.3 percentage points to Trump. At the same time, .

Donald Trump's immunity gambit at Supreme Court: A delay is still victory

The dynamic underscores the power the court and its three Trump-appointed members have over his fate

Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries: Police

A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said. The New York City Police Department said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park around 1:30 pm Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed to the aid of the man, who was hospitalised in critical condition. The man, who police said had travelled from Florida to New York in the last few days, hadn't breached any security checkpoints to get into the park. The park outside the courthouse has been a gathering spot for protesters, journalists and gawkers throughout Trump's trial, which began with jury selection Monday. Through Friday, the streets and

Jury chosen in Trump's hush-money case, and other trial takeaways

Trump, who faces three other criminal prosecutions, denies wrongdoing and claims the cases are part of a political 'which hunt' against him

US presidential elections: Trump faces criminal case for poll interference

Donald Trump lost a bid Thursday to pause a string of lawsuits accusing him of inciting the U.S. Capitol attack, while the former president fights his 2020 election interference criminal case in Washington. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington denied defense lawyers' request to put the civil cases seeking to hold Trump responsible for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on hold while the criminal case accusing him of conspiring to overturn his election defeat to President Joe Biden plays out. It's the latest legal setback for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, whose trial in a separate criminal case related to hush money payments made during the 2016 campaign began this week with jury selection in New York. The lawsuits brought by Democratic lawmakers and police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 seek civil damages for harm they say they suffered during the attack, which aimed to stop Congress' certification of Biden's victory. Trump has claimed he can't be sued o

Donald Trump hush money trial: Jury selection encounters setbacks

Jury selection in Donald Trump 's hush money case encountered setbacks Thursday as two previously sworn-in jurors were excused one after backtracking on whether she could be impartial and fair and the other over concerns that he may not have been truthful about whether he had ever been accused or convicted of a crime. Seven jurors were sworn in on Tuesday, but with the excusal of two of them, lawyers now need to pick 13 others including six alternates to serve on the panel that will decide the first-ever criminal case against a former U.S. president. Prosecutors on Thursday also asked Judge Juan M. Merchan to sanction Trump over seven more social media posts they say violate a gag order that bars Trump from attacking witnesses. The prosecution on Monday sought a $3,000 fine against Trump over three Truth Social posts. Questioning of a second wave of prospective jurors began mid-morning. Over half of the group of 96 people was excused after saying they couldn't serve. Trump has

Russian influence operations targeting US election have begun: Microsoft

While the Russian activity Microsoft observed is not as intense as around the previous elections, it could increase in the coming months, the researchers said

Biden to call for higher Chinese metals tariffs in 'Steel City' Pittsburgh

The Biden administration is also pressuring neighboring Mexico to prohibit China from selling its metal products to the United States indirectly from there

Biden vs Trump: What are the key issues at stake in the US elections?

Beginning Tuesday, President Biden will tour industrial towns to pitch his 'taxing the rich' plan and his strategy in ongoing global conflicts, while Trump, will be in New York facing a criminal trial

White House rejects House Republican effort to get Prez Biden to testify

The White House on Monday rejected a long-shot effort from House Republicans to get President Joe Biden to testify before lawmakers in the GOP's stalled impeachment inquiry. In a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, the White House dismissed the invitation sent to Biden last month, calling it a partisan charade in an impeachment probe that has unearthed no evidence implicating the president in any wrongdoing while in public office. House Republicans had been seeking information related to the Biden family's business dealings in what the GOP characterized as an alleged influence-peddling scheme. Your Committee's purported impeachment inquiry' has succeeded only in turning up abundant evidence that, in fact, the President has done nothing wrong, Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, wrote in the letter sent to Comer on Monday. Sauber added, Your insistence on peddling these false and unsupported allegations despite ample evidence to the contrary makes

Trump's landmark hush money trial starts today with jury selection

In a singular moment for American history, the hush money trial of former President Donald Trump begins Monday with jury selection. It's the first criminal trial of a former commander in chief and the first of Trump's four indictments to go to trial. Because Trump is the presumptive nominee for this year's Republican ticket, the trial will also produce the head-spinning split-screen of a presidential candidate spending his days in court and, he has said, "campaigning during the night. And to some extent, it is a trial of the justice system itself as it grapples with a defendant who has used his enormous prominence to assail the judge, his daughter, the district attorney, some witnesses and the allegations all while blasting the legitimacy of a legal structure that he insists has been appropriated by his political opponents. Against that backdrop, scores of ordinary citizens are due to be called Monday into a cavernous room in a utilitarian courthouse to determine whether they can .

Ahead of this year's US presidential polls, Biden wins Wyoming's caucuses

President Joe Biden nudged further ahead in the Democratic nomination for reelection by winning the party caucuses in Wyoming and was the only choice on the ballot later Saturday in Alaska. As two of the least populated states, Alaska and Wyoming play minuscule roles in both intraparty and general election voting in presidential election years. Biden effectively clinched the Democratic nomination on March 12 with the Georgia primary and is now all but certain to face former President Donald Trump as the Republican nominee in November. ALASKA Alaska Democrats are holding a voice vote for their party-run preference poll at in-person and virtual district meetings. Biden's is the lone candidate eligible to receive votes after the other Democrat to qualify, Dean Phillips, suspended his campaign last month. The vote is being held during meetings where other party business is conducted. The polling was delayed a week. Democrats had planned a ranked vote election by mail on April 6 but t

Trump to host rally in northeast Pennsylvania, last before his trial begins

Donald Trump plans to hold a rally Saturday in northeast Pennsylvania, venturing into an area President Joe Biden considers his home turf in what will be the Republican's last rally before his criminal hush money trial begins Monday. The presumptive GOP nominee and former president is scheduled to speak at the Schnecksville Fire Hall in Lehigh County. It will be Trump's third visit this year to the vital swing state, one that could decide who wins this year's presidential race. He also plans to attend a fundraiser in nearby Bucks County before the event. Pennsylvania is a critical battleground in the rematch between Trump and Biden, with both candidates expected to visit the state frequently through November. Trump flipped the state to the Republican column in 2016 but lost it four years after to Biden, who was born in the northeast city of Scranton and has long talked about his roots in the city. Biden plans to deliver a major address Tuesday in Scranton on tax fairness. Trump is .