USA

Biden urged to renounce sole control of US nuclear weapons

Washington (AFP) – A former US defense secretary has called on President-elect Joe Biden to reform the system that gives sole control of the nation’s nuclear arsenal to the president, calling it “outdated, unnecessary and extremely dangerous.” The call from William Perry came the same day US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke with the nation’s […]

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USA

Jewish members of Congress divided on Trump

Jewish elected officials, reflecting partisan divisions in the country, are split over the validity of Joe Biden’s election as President, whether Donald Trump is culpable for the mob that attacked and ransacked the Capitol building resulting in five deaths, and what, if anything, should be done about Trump in the days remaining before his term ends, and Biden’s begins, on Wednesday, January 20th. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Short on alternatives, fans trash Twitter’s Trump ban – on Twitter

New York (AFP) – Friends, family and advisors to Donald Trump have been bitterly complaining that Twitter’s ban of the president after his supporters stormed the US Capitol amounts to an assault on free speech by radical leftists. Ironically, given the enormous influence of the platform, they have aired their grievances first of all on

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USA

Illinois Rep. Mary Miller apologizes for using Hitler reference in speech, but blames others for trying to twist her words

CHICAGO — Facing increasing calls for her resignation after citing Adolf Hitler in a recent speech, newly inaugurated Downstate Illinois U.S. Rep. Mary Miller apologized Friday and said she regretted using the reference while blaming others for “intentionally trying to twist my words.” Miller, only days into office, received condemnation from Republicans and Democrats alike

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International, Middle East, USA

Biden likens Hawley to Nazi propagandist Goebbels. ‘Shameful,’ says Missouri senator

President-elect Joe Biden on Friday said Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz are part of the “big lie” about election fraud and invoked Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, but stopped short of calling on the two senators to resign. Hawley, a Missouri Republican, faces a wave of condemnation for supporting a bid to block certification of

Biden likens Hawley to Nazi propagandist Goebbels. ‘Shameful,’ says Missouri senator Read More »

International, USA

David Perdue concedes to Jon Ossoff, ending Georgia Senate runoffs

ATLANTA — Republican David Perdue conceded to Democrat Jon Ossoff on Friday, ending Georgia’s runoffs for control of the U.S. Senate days after his campaign floated potential legal action to contest his narrow defeat. In a statement, Perdue said he wanted to “congratulate the Democratic Party and my opponent for this runoff win,” although he

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USA

US envoy visits Western Sahara after Morocco-Israel deal

A top US envoy visited contested Western Sahara on Saturday, after Washington recognised Morocco’s sovereignty there in exchange for Rabat normalising ties with Israel. Western Sahara is a disputed and divided former Spanish colony, mostly under Morocco’s control, where tensions with the pro-independence Polisario Front have simmered since the 1970s. Last year Morocco joined the

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International, Middle East, USA

Trump permanently banned from Twitter

Twitter permanently banned President Donald Trump late Friday, saying that allowing him to keep posting will heighten the risk of “further incitement of violence.” The extraordinary action comes as Trump remains under intense fire for inciting the bloody assault on the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday that killed five people, including a police officer. Twitter suspended

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USA

National Dialogue Mixes Anger and Optimism

Anger and optimism are mixed in the national dialogue over the events at the nation’s Capitol on January 6th.  The anger is expressed in response to the attack on the Capitol in which five people died, including a Capitol policeman whose head was bashed in by someone wielding a fire extinguisher, and a rioter from San Diego who was shot by a policeman inside the Capitol building.  The optimism stems from the hopes that positive steps toward healing the nation’s divisions will be taken during President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration aided by Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, USA

Biden says he considered nominating Sanders as labor secretary

Wilmington (United States) (AFP) – US President-elect Joe Biden said Friday that he had been considering nominating Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders as his labor secretary but eventually decided not to do so because it could have put the fragile  Democratic Senate majority at risk. “I did give serious consideration of nominating my friend Bernie Sanders

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USA

Sen. Josh Hawley on defense in Missouri and elsewhere as election challenge fails

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Josh Hawley grabbed national headlines, cheers from supporters of President Donald Trump and effusive praise from the White House when he became the first member of the U.S. Senate to announce he would object to electoral votes of at least one state won by President-elect Joe Biden. A week later, the

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USA

US Justice Department indicts 15 over Capitol violence

Washington (AFP) – The US Justice Department announced  that it has indicted 15 people involved in Wednesday’s assault on Congress, including one man accused of possessing bombs made to act like “homemade napalm.” The department said it had arrested several suspects, including Richard Barnett, a supporter of US President Donald Trump who invaded the office

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USA