Donald trump

She disinvited him from delivering the State of the Union during a government shutdown. He grounded her plane, abruptly canceling her taxpayer-funded trip to a foreign war zone. Two weeks in, the relationship between the new House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and President Donald Trump is off to a smashing start. Forget a swift resolution to the record-breaking shutdown : As hundreds of thousands of federal employees continue to work without pay , the two most powerful elected leaders in the country are locked in a duel of personal vengeance, making the possibility of good-faith negotiations to end the impasse even more unlikely. On Wednesday, Pelosi suggested that Trump delay his annual speech to Congress , essentially threatening to use her power as speaker to block him from the Capitol. (The State of the Union is delivered by formal invitation from lawmakers.) In response, the president was initially, and uncharacteristically, silent. No name-calling tweets, no blustery sound … [Read more...] about A Vengeful Start to the Trump-Pelosi Rivalry

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND—In the internal psycholeadership struggle between Donald Trump’s good side, or what Senator Lindsey Graham has called “Tuesday Trump,” and his dark side, which Graham calls “Thursday Trump,” it was the first that prevailed at the World Economic Forum in Davos—much to the disappointment of many attendees. Trump gave a friendly speech, one that was respectful of the billionaires, political leaders, and NGO chiefs that flock in late January each year to fraternize and frolic amid towering snow peaks. But that was not the show many in Davos really wanted. They got no fire. They got no fury. They got a listless, low-energy Trump—a pleasant Trump. On the first day of the forum, when the U.S. government shutdown was threatening Trump’s attendance, many Davos types were in one breath declaring the American president a disaster for all good things in the world, and in the next expressing morbid curiosity in the brash and often insulting leader. The contradiction fit the … [Read more...] about Donald Disappoints Davos

F or all the talk about how Donald Trump’s endorsed candidates would fare in the Republican primaries this year, the results in this week’s races made clear: Whatever happens to Trump’s personal influence, Trumpism is consolidating its dominance of the GOP. The former president’s scorecard on Tuesday was mixed. Candidates he endorsed won the GOP nominations for governor in Pennsylvania and Senate in North Carolina, while his preferred choice for Idaho governor failed to topple the incumbent and his late intervention could not save troubled young Representative Madison Cawthorn in North Carolina. The Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary remains too close to call between the celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, Trump’s candidate, and David McCormick, whom Trump has criticized. Yet more revealing than what happened to the candidates Trump endorsed was how many candidates endorsed him . As in Republican primaries earlier this year, no top-tier contenders in any of Tuesday’s races ran on … [Read more...] about What the Primaries Reveal About the Future of Trumpism

As the longest government shutdown in American history lurches toward its fifth week, a grim but growing consensus has begun to emerge on Capitol Hill: There may be no way out of this mess until something disastrous happens. This is, of course, not a sentiment lawmakers are eager to share on the record. But in interviews this week with congressional staffers on both sides of the aisle (whom I granted anonymity in exchange for candor), I heard the same morbid idea expressed again and again. The basic theory—explained to me between weary sighs and defeated shrugs—goes like this: Washington is at an impasse that looks increasingly unbreakable. President Donald Trump is dug in; so is Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Democrats have public opinion on their side, but the president is focused on his conservative base. For a deal to shake loose in this environment, it may require a failure of government so dramatic, so shocking, as to galvanize public outrage and force the two parties back to the … [Read more...] about Waiting for a Shutdown to End in Disaster

To hold his Senate seat against his challenger, Beto O’Rourke, in 2018, Ted Cruz spent nearly $40 million. O’Rourke’s campaign spent double that amount. The day before the vote in Texas, Cruz lent his campaign $260,000. This was a curious—and seemingly unnecessary—gesture: The campaign’s final report showed it ended with $263,000 cash in hand. Yet Cruz was not acting irrationally. He was preparing the ground for a challenge of his own, an assault on the tottering remains of the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance law of 2002. That law, more formally known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, or BCRA, limited how campaigns could repay loans from candidates. A campaign has 20 days in which it can repay such loans in full. After that deadline, it can repay no more than $250,000. When Cruz’s campaign finished repaying him, the deadline had elapsed. So his campaign committee settled only $250,000 of the loan, leaving $10,000 outstanding—which Cruz then sued in federal court to … [Read more...] about What Ted Cruz’s Supreme Court Win Means

Published 27 March 2017 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing A Canadian man's last name has been deemed too offensive to go on his personalised car number plate. Lorne Grabher says the plate, which he has had for decades, was suddenly refused when it came up for renewal. Nova Scotia's transport department told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation the plate could be misinterpreted as a symbol of "violence against women". Mr Grabher said the name is of Germanic origin, and that he bought the plate for his father's 65th birthday. He started using the plate after his father died. "I've never once had anybody come up to me and say they were offended," Mr Grabher told CBC News. "They would look at it and say, 'Am I reading this right?' And I would go, 'Yes.' "And they would go, 'Is this your last name?' And I would go, 'Yes.' And they would always just give a … [Read more...] about Man’s surname deemed ‘too offensive’ for car number plate

The quick acceptance of Ukrainians fleeing Russia's aggression puts a spotlight on Europe's “double standard” for migrants, standing against its non-welcome for people fleeing violence in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere, the head of the world's largest humanitarian network said on Monday (NZT Tuesday). Francesco Rocca, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said he doesn't think “there is any difference" between someone fleeing eastern Ukraine's Donbas region and someone escaping the Boko Haram extremist group in Nigeria . “Those who are fleeing violence, those who are seeking protection, should be treated equally,” said Rocca, whose organisation operates in more than 192 countries with almost 15 million volunteers. Speaking at a news conference, he said there is “a moral imperative” to help people escaping violence and upheavals, and “the political, public and humanitarian response to the Ukraine crisis has shown what is … [Read more...] about Europe accused of ‘double-standard’ on Ukrainian refugees

THE US is in danger of losing the so-called drone wars as rivals such as China and Russia are developing new weapons and beefing up their arsenal, an expert says. Author Seth J Frantzman told The Sun that the US was “privileged” after the Cold War but warned that Beijing is threatening to challenge its status as a drone superpower. After the Cold War, officials in Washington spent around 20 years “tinkering” with systems as they had “no need to invent" due to their superiority, the expert said. The US is a pioneer in drone technology as engineers developed machines such as the Predator, Reaper, and Global Hawk. Intelligence officials didn't contemplate the possibility that a drone could be gunned down, according to Frantzman. A Global Hawk was shot down by Iranian Revolutionary Guard militias in 2019 as tensions between Tehran and Washington escalated under former president Donald Trump. Iranian officials claimed the drone violated their airspace, while the US said … [Read more...] about US in danger of losing drone wars as China and Russia beef up aircraft arsenal in growing arms race, expert warns

ELON Musk has unleashed a tweetstorm forecasting an increase in political attacks against him. Musk's politics are under intense scrutiny as his bid to buy Twitter starts to go cold. The Tesla CEO's personal politics are difficult to discern as he's advocated for both conservative and liberal ends. Musk is an unwavering free speech advocate - his plan to roll back moderation policies on Twitter is a key example of his right-wing tendencies. Meanwhile, he touts Tesla as "doing more for the environment than any company ever!" - the company's purpose plays to the inherently progressive clean energy initiative. During the heat of Twitter negotiations, Musk tweeted an infographic of his political position, which suggested that the left has gotten radical enough to leave him behind. Read More in Elon Musk PICKING SIDES Musk says who he'll vote for after stating he's not 'Republican nor Democrat' JUMPING SHIP Musk … [Read more...] about Elon Musk warns attacks on him will ‘increase dramatically’ in chilling post after Tesla figures rant

We have had some freakily accurate TV transformations in the past year, from Michael Sheen playing Chris Tarrant to Brendan Gleeson taking on Donald Trump . And it’s time to add Sir Kenneth Branagh playing Boris Johnson to that hall of fame. The first picture of Sir Kenneth playing the Prime Minister has been released, and we are seeing double. The 60-year-old actor stars in the upcoming Sky Original drama This Sceptred Isle, which is set to air next year. Sky TV tweeted the first look at Branagh’s transformation and wrote: ‘No, you’re not seeing things. That’s Kenneth Branagh as U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the first day of filming This Sceptred Isle. ‘This Sky Original drama will be coming to your TVs in Autumn 2022…’ The teaser has had mixed reaction, with many stunned by how little Sir Kenneth looks like… well, Sir Kenneth. One person tweeted: ‘I mean props to the make up department I cannot pull Branagh out of those prosthetics…’, while … [Read more...] about Kenneth Branagh transforms into Boris Johnson for new pandemic drama and it’s kind of terrifying