Former US president Donald Trump claims he can declassify top secret documents just ‘by thinking about it’
Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson is reportedly cooperating in an investigation into former president Donald Trump and his allies’ effort to overturn the 2020 election.
Ms Hutchinson, who was a key witness during the hearing for the House Select Committee investigating the 6 January insurrection at Capitol Hill, is cooperating with the inquiry led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, CNN reported, citing sources.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump defended keeping classified documents at his Florida resort by accusing former president George HW Bush of doing the same, saying the 41st president “took millions and millions of documents to a former bowling alley pieced together with what was then an old and broken Chinese restaurant”.
Mr Trump’s comment drew a sharp response on Twitter from Bush’s son, Jeb Bush.
“I am so confused,” he said: “My dad enjoyed a good Chinese meal and enjoyed the challenge of 7 10 split. What the heck is up with you?”
Key points
Show latest update
1665464903
Ex-White House aide reportedly cooperating in Trump probe
Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson is reportedly cooperating in an investigation into former president Donald Trump and his allies’ effort to overturn the 2020 election.
Ms Hutchinson, who was a key witness during the hearing for the House Select Committee investigating the 6 January insurrection at Capitol Hill, is cooperating with the inquiry led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, CNN reported, citing sources.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar11 October 2022 06:08
1665464400
Marjorie Taylor Greene: From fringe to front row
Once shunned as a political pariah for her extremist rhetoric, the Georgia congresswoman who spent her first term in the House stripped of institutional power by Democrats is being celebrated by Republicans and welcomed into the GOP fold. If Republicans win the House majority in the November election, Greene is poised to become an influential player shaping the GOP agenda, an agitator with clout.
From fringe to front row: Congresswoman Greene rises in GOP
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene once was shunned as a political pariah for her extremist rhetoric
Oliver O’Connell11 October 2022 06:00
1665461700
Donald Trump claims he ‘destroyed’ Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert
Donald Trump claimed that he’s behind the decreasing ratings of late-night programmes hosted by the likes of Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Trevor Noah, and congratulated Greg Gutfeld, Fox News’ late-night host, for his recent viewing figures.
“It was my great honour to have destroyed the ratings of Late Night ‘Comedy’ shows. There is nothing funny about the shows, the three hosts have very little talent,” Mr Trump wrote of the hosts of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show, and The Daily Show.
Mr Trump didn’t name the hosts or shows, but his post on his social media platform Truth Social was connected to a Fox News story featuring the three hosts.
The former president’s mockery came shortly after Mr Noah announced his departure from Comedy Central to spend more time doing stand-up.
Gustaf Kilander has more.
Trump takes credit for a late night host’s success, claims he ‘destroyed’ Colbert
‘When Jimmy Fallon apologized for having humanized ‘Trump,’ and his ratings soared, the Radical Left forced him to apologize,’ former president says
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar11 October 2022 05:15
1665458175
Trump claims Bill Clinton ‘lost’ the nuclear codes in Truth Social post
Donald Trump claimed Bill Clinton lost the nuclear codes while in office as federal investigators continue to probe which White House materials the 45th president took to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
On Monday evening, Mr Trump reposted a statement on Truth Social from former Clinton military aide Robert “Buzz” Patterson, who wrote: “Just a reminder, but Bill Clinton actually LOST the nuclear codes during my tenure with him. We weren’t raided.”
Mr Patterson, as well as former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Hugh Shelton, both claimed in books they wrote that the “biscuit,” an ID card used to access the “football,” an attache case carrying the nuclear codes, was misplaced during the Clinton administration, though the former claims the incident occured in 1998 and the latter in 2000.
Donald Trump claims Bill Clinton ‘lost’ the nuclear codes
Nuclear document reportedly among haul investigators found at Mar-a-Lago
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar11 October 2022 04:16
1665457244
Can Trump run again in 2024?
Donald Trump made history in becoming the first president in US history to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives. But while losing to Joe Biden in November 2020 may have dented the one-term president’s pride and fuelled 18-months of lies about rigged ballot boxes, it now seems almost certain that Mr Trump will run again for the White House in 2024.
Graeme Massie takes a look at what, if anything, could stop him.
Can Trump run again in the 2024 election?
One-term president was cleared in two impeachment trials while in office
Oliver O’Connell11 October 2022 04:00
1665453644
Poll: Trump foe Gretchen Whitmer on course for easy reelection victory
Democrats are on course to hold on to the governor’s mansion in Michigan as Tudor Dixon’s campaign is failing to pick up steam in the race’s crucial home stretch, a CBS New/YouGov poll finds.
The poll, published on Sunday, shows Gretchen Whitmer six points ahead of her GOP opponent. It mirrors other polls of the race, including one from the GOP-aligned Trafalgar Group in late September which found the same gap between the candidates. Other recent surveys have even shown Ms Whitmer’s lead to be in the double digits as recently as late last month.
John Bowden has the details.
Gretchen Whitmer on course for easy reelection victory, poll finds
GOP anger over Covid guidelines appears to be insufficient to oust incumbent
Oliver O’Connell11 October 2022 03:00
1665450044
Trump brags about his crowd size on January 6
Donald Trump boasted about the size of the crowd that gathered to hear him speak on January 6 during a campaign rally on Saturday night.
“You know the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen? January 6. And you never hear that,” the former president told the rally in Minden, Nevada. “They were there largely to protest a corrupt and rigged and stolen election.”
Trump brags about his crowd size on January 6: ‘The biggest crowd I’ve ever seen’
An aggrieved Trump blamed the “corrupt” media for downplaying the size of his crowds at a rally on Saturday
Oliver O’Connell11 October 2022 02:00
1665449139
JD Vance diverts debate question on abortion of Ohio rape victim, 10, by blaming ‘illegal’ migrant
Republican Senate candidate JD Vance diverted when he was asked in a debate on Monday evening about a ten-year-old who was raped in Ohio who sought an abortion and blamed illegal immigration for the girl being raped.
Moderators asked Mr Vance and Representative Tim Ryan, the Democratic nominee, a story that made national headlines wherein a ten-year-old girl was raped and had to go to Indiana to seek an abortion. Ohio limits abortion after six weeks and at the time, Indiana had more lax abortion laws.
“I have said repeatedly on the record, that I think that that girl should be able to get an abortion if she and her family soon choose to do so,” Mr Vance said.
But Mr Vance diverted the question and focused on the person who allegedly committed the rape.
Eric Garcia has the full story.
Vance diverts question on abortion of Ohio rape victim, 10, blames ‘illegal’ migrant
The story of a 10-year-old girl who was raped in Ohio and had to cross state lines to receive an abortion made national headlines.
Josh Marcus11 October 2022 01:45
1665447344
New Hampshire GOP candidate says women’s reproductive choices belong to lawmakers
A Republican Senate nominee told supporters that women’s reproductive choices belong to lawmakers at the state level.
Don Bolduc, the GOP Senate candidate for New Hampshire, made the controversial remarks at a town hall on Wednesday in Auburn, the HuffPost first reported.
NH GOP Senate nominee says women’s reproductive choices ‘belong to state lawmakers’
‘It belongs to these gentlemen right here, who are state legislators representing you’
Oliver O’Connell11 October 2022 01:15
1665445998
Donald Trump claims Bill Clinton lost nuclear codes in office
As scrutiny continues to escalate over Donald Trump’s handling of top secret documents he took to Mar-a-Lago, the former president is hitting out at his predecessor Bill Clinton’s handling of sensitive materials.
(Truth Social)
On Monday evening, Mr Trump reposted a statement from former Clinton military aide Robert ‘Buzz’ Patterson, who wrote on Truth Social that, “Just a reminder, but Bill Clinton actually LOST the nuclear codes during my tenure with him. We weren’t raided.”
Mr Patterson, as well as former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Hugh Shelton, both claimed that the “biscuit,” an ID card used to access the “football” briefcase containing the nuclear codes, was misplaced during the Clinton administration, though the former claims the incident occured in 1998 and the latter in 2000.
The White House has not confirmed whether the codes were lost, and Mr Clinton has since declined to comment on media reports about the alleged loss of the codes.
One key difference here between the Trump and Clinton scandals is that the federal government is investigating whether Mr Trump intentionally took White House documents to his Florida estate, then intentionally kept them from being retrieved by government archivists as per federal law.
Both former officials describe Mr Clinton as unintentionally mishandling the codes, and they differ on whether the president was aware they had gone missing.
Josh Marcus11 October 2022 00:53