Ron DeSantis snaps at reporter who asked why he wasn’t taking questions from the public
Ron DeSantis has vowed to dismantle Joe Biden’s “disastrous” economic policies if he wins the White House during a campaign stop in Iowa over the weekend.
Mr DeSantis claimed President Biden’s agenda was crushing working Americans and pledged: “We’re going to focus on small business – NOT big business.”
The Florida governor endured something of a rocky week on the campaign trail, snapping at a reporter and being heckled by a woman in South Carolina who told him: “You’re a f***ing fascist.”
“Well, yeah, thank you,” the candidate replied.
Mr DeSantis was also forced to give his own definition of “woke” after Republican rival Donald Trump claimed “half the people” cannot define the governor’s favourite word.
Reacting to that broadside on Saturday, Mr DeSantis said: “Look, we know what woke is. It’s a form of cultural Marxism. It’s about putting merit and achievement behind identity politics, and it’s basically a war on the truth.”
Two days earlier, Mr Trump had criticised the attack line, declaring: “I don’t like the term ‘woke’ because I hear, ‘Woke, woke, woke.’ It’s just a term they use, half the people can’t even define it.”
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Nikki Haley rebukes Trump for supporting ‘thug’ Kim Jong-un and sitting on the fence over Ukraine
Donald Trump is facing criticism from his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination after congratulating North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on his country being admitted to the World Health Organisation’s Executive Board.
Reacting at a campaign appearance in Iowa, Florida governor Ron DeSantis said: “I was surprised to see that. I mean, one, Kim Jong-un is a murderous dictator.”
Nikki Haley, Mr Trump’s former ambassador to the UN, responded equally strongly during a CNN town hall event, remarking: “Kim Jong-un is a thug. I don’t think we should congratulate dictators.”
(AP)
The former South Carolina governor, the only woman in the race, also took her competitors to task over their comments on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying: “For them to sit there and say that this is a territorial dispute – that’s just not the case, or to say that we should stay neutral.
“It’s in the best interest of our national security for Ukraine to win.”
Mr Trump continues to dominate the field among potential Republican primary voters with 49 per cent of support, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. Mr DeSantis is next with 19 per cent and Ms Haley way behind on 4 per cent.
Joe Sommerlad5 June 2023 10:45
Trump makes misleading claim that New York hush money case could be dropped
In a 12.24am all caps post on Truth Social on Sunday, Mr Trump wrote that “legal experts are saying” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will have to drop his “weak and disparaged case against ‘Trump’”.
Mr Trump claimed that the DA’s financial crimes investigator Jeremy Rosenberg had “corruptly colluded with a disgraced, disbarred, and convicted felon & perjurer”, referring to his former attorney turned bitter enemy Michael Cohen.
The outburst came soon after the publication of a New York Post story claiming Mr Rosenberg had been suspended by the DA’s office over his contact with Mr Cohen.
Megan Sheets5 June 2023 09:45
The case of the missing classified document
Donald Trump’s attorneys have been unable to find the classified document described in a recording of a 2021 conversation that is now in the possession of prosecutors, CNN reports.
Earlier this week, the network broke the news that a recording existed of the former president acknowledging that he had held onto a classified Pentagon document outlining a potential attack on Iran.
Citing two sources, CNN now reports that attorneys for Mr Trump could not find the document he referred to when they turned over material in mid-March in response to a federal subpoena relating to the investigation.
Oliver O’Connell5 June 2023 07:45
ICYMI: DeSantis defines ‘woke’ after Trump claimed ‘half the people can’t’
Ron DeSantis has presented his definition of his favourite word – “woke” – days after Donald Trump said “half the people” can’t define it.
“Look, we know what woke is, it’s a form of cultural Marxism,” Mr DeSantis told NBC News journalist Dasha Burns on a campaign stop in Iowa on Saturday.
“It’s about putting merit and achievement behind identity politics, and it’s basically a war on the truth. And as that has infected institutions, and it has corrupted institutions. So, you’ve got to be willing to fight the woke, we’ve done that in Florida, and we proudly consider ourselves the state where woke goes to die.”
Two days earlier, Mr Trump took a veiled shot at the Florida governor by criticising overuse of the Republican buzzword at his own campaign event in Iowa on Thursday.
“I don’t like the term ‘woke’ because I hear, ‘Woke, woke, woke.’ It’s just a term they use, half the people can’t even define it, they don’t know what it is,” Mr Trump said at the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale, Iowa.
Megan Sheets5 June 2023 05:45
Federal judge recuses himself from Disney v DeSantis
A federal judge set to preside over Disney’s lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has recused himself from the case, citing a relative who owns stocks in the company, according to an order filed on 2 June.
US District Judge Mark E Walker, who was appointed to the federal judiciary by Barack Obama, responded to a motion from Mr DeSantis’s legal team seeking his removal from the case.
Alex Woodward has the details.
Oliver O’Connell5 June 2023 03:45
DeSantis condemns Trump for congratulating ‘murderous dictator’ Kim Jong-un
“Congratulations to Kim Jung Un!” the former president wrote on Truth Social, misspelling his name while sharing news of the admission.
The post drew immediate condemnation from GOP presidential candidates and state party leaders – including his top 2024 rival Ron DeSantis.
Asked about the post at an Iowa campaign event on Saturday, the Florida governor said: “I was surprised to see that. I mean, one, Kim Jong-un is a murderous dictator.”
Mr DeSantis noted that North Korea recently sentenced a family with a young infant to life in prison – before shifting his condemnation to the WHO.
Megan Sheets5 June 2023 02:45
Trump reacts to report Pence won’t face charges for classified documents
“I’m at least as innocent as he is.”
Oliver O’Connell5 June 2023 01:45
Classified documents grand jury expected to meet this week
The news signals that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s probe into the former president may be moving closer to a possible indictment, according to NBC News.
The grand jury has been hearing evidence and witness testimony for several months, but had been on a recent hiatus, according to the report.
Megan Sheets5 June 2023 00:45
Sweeping racketeering case possible as Georgia could widen probe to other states, report says
Oliver O’Connell4 June 2023 23:45
Marjorie Taylor Greene U-turns on release of Jan 6 tapes
Marjorie Taylor Greene has blamed liberal philanthropist George Soros and supposed concerns for Capitol security for abruptly reversing her position on releasing footage of the January 6 riot.
After previously calling for the tapes of the insurrection to be shared publicly, the Georgia congresswoman said on Friday that it could endanger the safety at the Capitol and of those who were present during the rioting but did not commit any crimes.
“If we released these video tapes just widely for the public — number one, we put the security of the Capitol at risk, because there’s over 1,700 video cameras,” she said in an interview with the right-wing Real America’s Voice channel.
Megan Sheets4 June 2023 22:45