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The stage has now been set for a 2020 presidential election rematch this November after Donald Trump and Joe Biden secured their party nominations.
The former president won primaries in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington and the caucus in Hawaii on Tuesday night, taking him over the threshold of 1,215 delegates needed to secure the Republican party nomination.
Mr Biden also secured the Democratic nomination for president after winning the primaries in Mississippi, Washington and Georgia.
As the nation readies for a 2020 rematch, the two candidates appear to be neck-and-neck among voters in the first major national poll released since they secured the nominations.
The USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll, carried out between 8 and 11 March after the State of the Union and just one day before Mr Trump and Mr Biden officially secured the required delegates, was released on Wednesday.
It found that 40 per cent supported Mr Trump and 38 per cent Mr Biden when presented with the two candidates.
The poll found that the economy (29 per cent) is the most important issue on voters’ minds, followed by immigration (24 per cent), threats to democracy (23 per cent) then abortion (10 per cent).
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EXCLUSIVE — Vermont progressive Senator warns Biden Israel-Gaza will be election issue: ‘Young people are just horrified’
Senator Peter Welch tells Eric Garcia and Katie Hawkinson his thoughts on the Biden administration’s response to the Israel-Hamas war — and why the President could face backlash from voters:
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 20:36
American Jewish Committee responds to Schumer’s Israel election comments
AJC, the global advocacy organisation for the Jewish people, released the following statement with regards to Senator Chuck Schumer’s remarks in the Senate this morning:
American Jewish Committee (AJC) appreciates U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s continual and passionate defense of Israel and the Jewish people, but we do not believe it is appropriate for U.S. officials to try to dictate the electoral future of any ally. Israel is a sovereign democracy in the midst of a war of self-defense against a terrorist organization bent on massacring Jews and destroying Israel. The Israeli people will decide their own political path.
We commend Leader Schumer for clearly putting Israel’s security and the plight of the hostages front and center, underscoring the need for new Palestinian leadership, and emphasizing Hamas’s horrific brutality and disregard for the wellbeing of the Palestinian people.
Here’s our earlier reporting on Mr Schumer’s comments:
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 20:30
Report: Matt Gaetz ordered to testify about claim he had sex with underage girl
Matt Gaetz has been served with a subpoena to take part in a deposition in a civil lawsuit connected to allegations that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl, ABC News reports.
The subpoena is part of a lawsuit brought by a friend of the Florida Republican representative targeting the young woman and others.
The subpoena was issued by lawyers representing the young woman now in her 20s. The allegations were at the centre of an investigation by the Department of Justice lasting years into the claims that Mr Gaetz had sex with her when she was a minor, according to ABC.
Mr Gaetz’s deposition has been scheduled for 5 April.
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 20:00
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 19:40
Report: Trump tied to firm that paid FBI’s Biden informant
Economic Transformation Technologies (ETT), the company, paid Alexander Smirnov, the once-FBI informant, $600,000 in September 2020, a February court filing states, reported The Guardian.
This hefty payment was made “in exchange for a stake in an Israel-based crypto trading platform” that Mr Smirnov was trying to launch, the Wall Street Journal reported in February.
The document also notes that months prior, in June, Mr Smirnov first began telling “fabrications” to the agency. Mr Smirnov has since been charged for these lies.
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 19:20
Watch: Kamala Harris speaks of ‘silently suffering’ women in post-Roe America
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 19:06
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 18:55
Colbert roasts ‘clownish’ Robert Hur hearing into Biden probe
Amelia Neath has the story:
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 18:40
Watch: Bernie Sanders makes his pitch for 4-day workweek after laying out new bill
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 18:25
Watch LIVE: Kamala Harris visits abortion clinic in Minneapolis
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 18:00