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1 week ago

Trump uses National Prayer Breakfast to push D.C. crash theories and vows to end ‘anti-Christian bias’: Live

President pledges that ‘people of religion are going to be happy again’ under his leadership

Oliver O'Connell,Joe Sommerlad
Thursday 06 February 2025 18:20 GMT
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Trump rambles about DC plane tragedy in driving range analogy

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Donald Trump has delivered a meandering address to the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. at which he said his life was saved by God during last year’s assassination attempt and bizarrely compared the state of air traffic control to golf balls flying across a driving range when discussing last week’s tragic plane crash over the Potomac.

The president also reflected on the malign influence of political polarization but pledged that “people of religion are going to be happy again” under his leadership.

Trump is facing articles of impeachment barely two weeks after returning to the White House, with Texas Democratic Representative Al Green moving quickly to rebuke him over his Gaza “takeover” proposal, arguing it would amount to “ethnic cleansing” and declaring that he was acting against “dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done.”

Meanwhile, Justice Department attorneys have agreed to temporarily block staffers belonging to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing information in the Treasury Department’s payment system.

On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive ordering banning schools and athletic organizations from allowing transgender women to compete in women’s sports.

1 week ago

Trump lashes out at CBS, explains Gaza resettlement plan and accuses USAID of stealing funds

The president is up early and has been firing out posts on Truth Social, all humdingers.

On CBS, he has this to say:

“CBS and 60 Minutes defrauded the public by doing something which has never, to this extent, been seen before. They 100% removed Kamala’s horrible election changing answers to questions, and replaced them with completely different, and far better, answers, taken from another part of the interview. This was Election changing ‘stuff,’ Election Interference and, quite simply, Election Fraud at a level never seen before. CBS should lose its license, and the cheaters at 60 Minutes should all be thrown out, and this disreputable ‘NEWS’ show should be immediately terminated. With the new Democrat scandal that just arose with respect to USAID illegally paying large sums of money to Politico and other media outlets, the question must me asked, was CBS paid for committing this FRAUD??? Many other questions to come! This will go down as the biggest Broadcasting SCANDAL in History!!!”

On Gaza, he elaborates:

“The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting. The Palestinians, people like Chuck Schumer, would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region. They would actually have a chance to be happy, safe, and free. The U.S., working with great development teams from all over the World, would slowly and carefully begin the construction of what would become one of the greatest and most spectacular developments of its kind on Earth. No soldiers by the U.S. would be needed! Stability for the region would reign!!!”

And on USAID there’s this:

“LOOKS LIKE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS HAVE BEEN STOLLEN AT USAID, AND OTHER AGENCIES, MUCH OF IT GOING TO THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA AS A ‘PAYOFF’ FOR CREATING GOOD STORIES ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS. THE LEFT WING ‘RAG,’ KNOWN AS ‘POLITICO,’ SEEMS TO HAVE RECEIVED $8,000,000. Did the New York Times receive money??? Who else did??? THIS COULD BE THE BIGGEST SCANDAL OF THEM ALL, PERHAPS THE BIGGEST IN HISTORY! THE DEMOCRATS CAN’T HIDE FROM THIS ONE. TOO BIG, TOO DIRTY!”

Joe Sommerlad6 February 2025 12:00
1 week ago

Republicans and Democrats firmly divided on Trump’s Gaza decree

Donald Trump left both parties divided after announcing his brazen plan to “take over” the Gaza Strip on Tuesday and, in doing so, transform it from a “hell hole” to the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

The president has been met with a mixture of support, dissent and outright confusion after his remarks in a White House press conference that even surprised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Without ruling out military intervention, Trump declared that the U.S. will “own” the war-torn territory, which has seen vast destruction and around 47,000 deaths in the 15-month conflict between Israel and Hamas. He also suggested millions of displaced Palestinians resettle in “areas where the leaders currently say no.”

By some, like the aforementioned Al Green, Trump has been accused of propagating the idea of “ethnic cleansing” while several of his MAGA faithful have praised his plans to “Make Gaza Beautiful Again”.

James Liddell has some of the key reactions to Trump’s divisive comments from lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle.

'Ethnic cleansing' or 'Make Gaza Beautiful Again'?: Trump divides political figures

Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle have been left divided after the president proposed that the U.S. ‘own’ the war-torn territory

Joe Sommerlad6 February 2025 11:50
1 week ago

Texas Democrat files new articles of impeachment against Trump

Congressman Al Green, who filed multiple impeachment articles against Donald Trump during his first term, has been unable to resist the urge to do so again just two weeks into Trump’s return to the White House.

Green announced on Wednesday that he was bringing the articles against the president after he said Palestinians should be removed from Gaza and that the U.S. should “take over” the territory.

Green said he was acting against “dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done”, declared “ethnic cleansing in Gaza is no joke” and quoted Dr Martin Luther King Jr by saying “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and injustice in Gaza is a threat to justice in the United States of America.”

Joe Sommerlad6 February 2025 11:30
1 week ago

Why Trump’s ban on trans sports may fall at the first hurdle

The president’s order yesterday directs the Department of Justice to ensure all government agencies enforce a ban on transgender girls and women from participating in female school sports under Trump’s interpretation of Title IX, a law against sex discrimination in education.

Trump’s order also goes beyond high school and college sports, calling for the government to deny visas for transgender females seeking to compete in the United States.

It will also instruct the State Department to pressure the International Olympic Committee to change its policy, which allows trans athletes to compete under general guidance preventing any athlete from gaining an unfair advantage.

A White House official said the United States will use “all of our authority and our ability” to enforce the order in Olympic events on U.S. soil. The 2028 Summer Olympics are due to be held in Los Angeles.

Many states have instituted similar bans in recent years, sparking legal challenges and Trump's action is likely to face lawsuits as well.

Here is a look at how the dispute has played out in court so far and how it could continue.

Why Donald Trump’s ban on trans sports may fall at the first hurdle

Trump’s executive order excluding trans girls and women from female sport is likely to face legal challenges

Joe Sommerlad6 February 2025 11:10
1 week ago

Rubio downplays Trump’s Gaza takeover proposal

The Secretary of State yesterday denied that the new administration wants the permanent relocation of Palestinians from the territory, claiming that Trump instead had only volunteered the U.S. to “clean the place up from all the destruction that’s on the ground, clean it up of all these unexploded munitions”, which would mean Palestinians “will not be able to live there while you have crews coming.”

Trump's top diplomat contradicts president's US Gaza takeover claim

Donald Trump's top diplomat appeared to offer a different perspective from the president's claim that the US would take over Gaza. On Wednesday (5 February) Marco Rubio walked back the idea that the Republican wants the permanent relocation of Palestinians from the territory, claiming that Mr Trump instead had offered the US to "clean the place up from all the destruction that’s on the ground, clean it up of all these unexploded munitions" which would mean Palestinians "will not be able to live there while you have crews coming [in]." It came after Mr Trump's comments on Tuesday sparked a fierce global backlash.

Joe Sommerlad6 February 2025 10:50
1 week ago

Trump fears Musk and his ‘$44bn megaphone’, claims ex-White House communications boss

Anthony Scaramucci has been sharing his thoughts on the president and his likely eventual fallout with Elon Musk in conversation with ITV’s Robert Peston.

Trump fears Musk and his '$44bn megaphone', claims ex-White House communications boss

Donald Trump fears Elon Musk and his “$44 billion megaphone”, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci has claimed. The financier, who served at the White House in 2017, claimed the new president doesn’t like the attention Musk is getting. Appearing on ITV’s Peston show on Wednesday (5 February), Mr Scaramucci said: “He doesn’t like the attention that Elon Musk is getting but I don’t think he’s going to go after Elon Musk. I think it’s too dangerous and perilous. I would say both sides feel that way.”

Joe Sommerlad6 February 2025 10:30
1 week ago

World recoils from Trump plan for Gaza that will push out Palestinians

Donald Trump’s outlandish proposal to assume control of Gaza and remove much of its Palestinian population has sparked a fierce global backlash – with residents of the besieged territory making clear that if 15 months of brutal war was not enough to make them leave, the US president’s bullish rhetoric means nothing.

Arab nations across the Middle East and Europe moved swiftly to condemn Trump’s remarks from the White House, where he said that the US “will take over the Gaza Strip” with a “a long-term ownership position” – estimating that about 1.8 million of the near-2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza would have to be relocated to achieve his vision of turning what he called a “hell hole” into “the Riviera of the Middle East”.

Here’s more on the international reaction from Nedal Hamdouna in northern Gaza plus Sam Kiley and Bel Trew.

World recoils from Trump plan to ‘take over’ Gaza and push out Palestinians

As Gazans return to their bombed-out homes, US president says he wants ‘long-term ownership’, to relocate inhabitants and transform territory into ‘Riviera of Middle East’

Joe Sommerlad6 February 2025 10:10
1 week ago

Trump’s Gaza policy ‘caught officials off guard’

The president’s “outrageous” plans for Gaza caught officials off guard and even his top advisers were unaware it was coming, according to CNN.

While the president’s plans for the U.S. to take ownership of Gaza and turn it from “a hellhole” to a “Middle Eastern Riviera” was reportedly formulated “over time,” his unveiling of the idea on Tuesday night came as a shock to some of his inner circle.

Trump, who revealed the plans alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, did not rule out sending American troops to the war-torn enclave.

One Middle East adviser to the president, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they were “stunned” and had not heard about the plans until Trump revealed it during his press conference.

But others reportedly heard about the plans in the days before the meeting with Netanyahu.

Discussions around the ceasefire and wider tensions in the Middle East had been discussed with senior Republicans in recent weeks, however, aides said that the specific Gaza proposal had not come up in private meetings between Trump and Republican members of the Armed Services Committees.

Rhian Lubin has more.

Trump's Gaza policy caught officials off guard as source of idea revealed

Trump’s plan for the U.S. to take over control of Gaza was a shock to some of his advisors, according to a report

Joe Sommerlad6 February 2025 09:50
1 week ago

Musk will now ‘plug in’ to commandeer US air traffic control system, says transportation secretary

Speaking of Musk, as we so often must, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced yesterday that DOGE will take part in upgrading the U.S. aviation system following last week’s deadly air crash in Washington D.C.

“Big News,” Duffy wrote on X. “Talked to the DOGE team. They are going to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system.”

Musk reposted Duffy’s message, adding: “With the support of President Donald Trump, the DOGE team will aim to make rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system.

“Just a few days ago, the FAA’s primary aircraft safety notification system failed for several hours!”

Gustaf Kilander has more.

Musk will now 'plug in' to commandeer US air traffic control system

Tesla and SpaceX billionaire says ‘DOGE team will aim to make rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system’ – after he was fined $600,000 by the FAA

Joe Sommerlad6 February 2025 09:30
1 week ago

Musk’s DOGE blocked from Treasury payment systems

Justice Department attorneys have agreed to temporarily block staffers belonging to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing information in the Treasury Department’s payment system.

The Treasury was sued by a group of union members and retirees who alleged that providing DOGE access to the government’s giant payment and collections system and the personal data housed within it violated federal privacy laws.

The Trump administration filed a motion on Wednesday night entering a proposed order detailing the agreed-upon terms, which now needs to be signed off by a judge.

“The defendants will not provide access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained by or within the Bureau of the Fiscal Service,” the order says.

It allows for exceptions for two special government employees at the Treasury, Tom Krause and Marko Elez, saying they should be granted access “as needed” to perform their duties, “provided that such access to payment records will be ‘read only.’”

The restricted access will remain in effect pending a subsequent hearing on the lawsuit.

Here’s Rhian Lubin on why Musk’s unfettered access was always dangerous.

Why Musk's access to the Treasury payment system is so dangerous

Critics sound the alarm after Musk and DOGE allies ‘given access’ to internal Treasury payment system

Joe Sommerlad6 February 2025 09:10

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