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Newly revealed emails show former Donald Trump attorney John Eastman urged GOP officials in Pennsylvania to throw out thousands of absentee ballots in an effort to ultimately overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election, Politico reports.
“You’d be left with a significant Trump lead that would bolster the argument for the Legislature adopting a slate of Trump electors,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, former Trump NSA General Mike Flynn claims he is being “persecuted” by the Army which is trying to recoup almost $40,000 he was paid by Russian government-controlled TV network Russia Today. The payment may violate the Emoluments Clause of the US Constitution.
And in New York, Donald Trump has been ordered to pay $110,000 in fines as a judge lifted a contempt order against him stemming from a legal dispute over Trump Organization documents.
The Wednesday ruling comes after Mr Trump’s chosen Republican representative Alex Mooney defeated fellow Republican David McKinley in a primary in West Virginia last night, while another Trump-backed candidate fell short in Nebraska’s gubernatorial primary.
Key Points
VP Harris calls out extremist Republican leaders who want to punish women
21:58 , Oliver O’Connell
More from Vice President Kamala Harris following the vote: “What we are seeing around this country are extremist Republican leaders who want to punish and criminalise women who want to make decisions about their own body.”
21:55 , Oliver O’Connell
The Independent’s Eric Garcia reports from Capitol Hill following the Senate vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act, having spoken with Senator Tim Kaine.
Judge to block DeSantis’ Florida redistricting plan
21:42 , Oliver O’Connell
A congressional map approved by Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and drawn by his staff is unconstitutional because it breaks up a district where Black voters can choose their representatives, a state judge said on Wednesday.
Leon County Circuit Judge Layne Smith said he would issue a formal order Thursday or Friday to keep the maps from taking effect in November’s election. He made it clear he would rule in favor of voting rights groups challenging the maps.
Mr Smith said the order will likely replace the DeSantis map with one of two that the Legislature included in a bill and sent to Mr DeSantis in March. The governor vetoed the bill and later called the Legislature back into special session. The Republican-dominated House and Senate chose not to draw a new map, and instead passed the DeSantis map.
The challenge focuses on a north Florida district now held by Democratic US Representative Al Lawson. The district runs from Jacksonville west more than 200 miles (322 kilometers) to Gadsden County and nearly half of its population is Black.
Governor DeSantis’ proposal prompted a protest by Black House members as the chamber was preparing to vote on the maps.
Mr Smith said he will issue his order as soon as he can so the state can immediately appeal it. It may be the conservative state Supreme Court that ultimately resolves the dispute.
He said that while the DeSantis map is more compact, the issue of allowing Black voters to choose their representatives is more important.
“The district that has since been enacted and signed into law by the governor does disperse 367,000 African American votes between four different districts,” Mr Smith said in a video call with both sides. “The African American population is no way near a plurality or a majority.”
The governor’s office drew up a map it described as neutral on race and party affiliation, and which it said abided by both the state and federal constitutions.
Mr Smith said his ruling will be based on the state constitution, not the US Constitution.
Qualifying for federal office will run from June 13-17.
AP
Watch: Kamala Harris announces the Women’s Health Protection Act did not pass
21:38 , Oliver O’Connell
As she left the chamber, the vice president spoke briefly with reporters.
“This vote clearly suggests that the Senate is not where the majority of Americans are on this issue,” Ms Harris said. “It also makes clear that a priority for all who care about this issue, the priority should be to elect pro choice Democrats.”
Statement from President Biden on the Senate Vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act
21:33 , Oliver O’Connell
Once again – as fundamental rights are at risk at the Supreme Court – Senate Republicans have blocked passage of the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill that affirmatively protects access to reproductive health care. This failure to act comes at a time when women’s constitutional rights are under unprecedented attack – and it runs counter to the will of the majority of American people. Republicans in Congress – not one of whom voted for this bill – have chosen to stand in the way of Americans’ rights to make the most personal decisions about their own bodies, families and lives. To protect the right to choose, voters need to elect more pro-choice senators this November, and return a pro-choice majority to the House. If they do, Congress can pass this bill in January, and put it on my desk, so I can sign it into law. The protections that the Women’s Health Protection Act would ensure are essential to the health, safety, and progress of our nation. While this legislation did not pass today, my Administration will not stop fighting to protect access to women’s reproductive care. We will continue to defend women’s constitutional rights to make private reproductive choices as recognized in Roe v. Wade nearly half a century ago, and my Administration will continue to explore the measures and tools at our disposal to do just that.
Senate Democrats fail to pass legislation to protect abortion rights
21:28 , Oliver O’Connell
Senate Democrats’ attempt to pass legislation codifying the protections in Roe v Wade ended unceremoniosuly despite the fact that many of them fear that abortion rights are at risk.
Many Senators from both parties filed in and out of the chamber, not staying in their desks during the actual vote, as if to understate the lack of gravity of such a vote.
Eric Garcia reports from the Senate Chamber for The Independent.
Senate Democrats fail to pass legislation to protect abortion rights
Report says watchdog investigating if Texas misspent Covid aid on border crackdown
21:14 , Oliver O’Connell
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who made immigration a cornerstone issue of his administration since assuming office seven years ago, is catching heat from a federal watchdog investigating whether his state misspent Covid aid to offset the costs of his crackdown on the US-Mexico border.
Operation Lone Star, the Republican’s massive security mission that sought to increase arrests along the state’s southern border, was reportedly partially supported by rerouting roughly $1bn in public health and safety funds to the border, while the state continued to accept federal pandemic funds to replace some of that money lost, according to The Washington Post, who analysed the spending records.
Johanna Chisholm has the details.
Watchdog investigating whether Texas misspent Covid aid on border crackdown
Background: How the ‘pro-life’ movement killed Roe v Wade
21:11 , Oliver O’Connell
Powerful legal groups, conservative Christian activists and right-wing figures shaped an anti-abortion agenda in the hands of the US Supreme Court, Alex Woodward reports.
Inside the ‘pro-life’ movement that killed Roe v Wade
Louisiana governor opposes ‘patently unconstitutional’ bill to classify abortion as homicide
20:59 , Oliver O’Connell
Louisiana’s anti-abortion Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards has announced his opposition to state legislation that would classify abortion as homicide and criminalise in vitro fertilization and some forms of contraception.
The governor – who has signed several anti-abortion bills into law while in office, including a ban on abortion at six weeks of pregnancy – called the proposal from a Republican state legislator “problematic” and “patently unconstitutional.”
Alex Woodward has the latest.
Louisiana governor opposes bill to classify abortion as homicide
Senate now voting on protecting a woman’s right to choose
20:38 , Oliver O’Connell
Marsha Blackburn says Justice Department should arrest pro-choice protesters
20:35 , Oliver O’Connell
Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn said the Department of Justice should use a little-used law enacted during the Red Scare of the 1950s to punish Americans who protest outside the homes of Supreme Court justices.
Read more:
Senator Marsha Blackburn says Justice Department should arrest pro-choice protesters
Emails show Trump lawyer tell GOP officials to throw out absentee ballots in 2020 election
20:17 , Oliver O’Connell
Newly revealed emails show that former Donald Trump attorney John Eastman urged Republican officials in Pennsylvania to throw out thousands of absentee ballots and recount the commonwealth’s popular vote to show Mr Trump leading there in an effort to ultimatley overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election.
Abe Asher reports.
New emails show how far Trump lawyer was willing to go to overturn 2020 election
Michael Flynn says US Army is ‘persecuting’ him
20:08 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn claims he is being “persecuted“ by the Army which is trying to recoup almost $40,000 he was paid by the Russian government.
The retired Lieutenant General was paid $38,557.06 by Russian state-controlled television network Russia Today to attend a December 2015 gala.
Graeme Massie reports.
Michael Flynn says US Army ‘persecuting’ him for taking money from Russian TV channel
Kentucky AG enters 2023 governor’s race
19:57 , Oliver O’Connell
Republican Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron filed paperwork on Wednesday to enter the state’s 2023 governor’s race, hoping to ride his resistance to Democratic Governor Andy Beshear’s coronavirus restrictions into the governor’s office.
Mr Cameron, seen as a rising GOP star, made history in 2019 as the first African American in Kentucky to serve as the state’s attorney general. Now he’s trying to blaze another trail in his bid for governor.
The attorney general last year led the legal fight against pandemic-related restrictions Mr Beshear imposed to try to stem the spread of the virus. Mr Cameron won the case in the Kentucky Supreme Court, which cleared the way for new laws to rein in the governor’s emergency powers. The governor maintains that his actions saved lives.
Mr Cameron has close ties to the state’s most powerful Republican — US Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell — having formerly served as the senator’s legal counsel.
He enters what could become a crowded field of Republicans running to unseat Governor Beshear in next year’s top-of-the-ticket race.
Recent polling shows Mr Beshear remains popular in Republican-trending Kentucky. The governor has landed the state’s two largest-ever economic development projects during his term.
AP
Poll: Democrat enthusiasm for midterms boosted over Roe v Wade
19:50 , Oliver O’Connell
A new poll from Morning Consult/Politico suggests that Democrats are beginning to get revved up for the midterm elections due to the threat of Roe v Wade being overturned, though Republicans maintain the enthusiasm lead.
The polling group says:
Since an April 29-May 2 survey conducted before Politico published Justice Samuel Alito’s leaked draft opinion revealing that the court’s conservative majority had voted to overturn Roe, the share of Democratic voters who said they were “extremely” or “very” enthusiastic to vote in the midterm elections increased from 48% to 54%, while Republican excitement increased from 59% to 61%.
Democrats’ increased eagerness to vote was propelled by women: 51% of female Democrats said they are at least very enthusiastic to vote this November, up 11 points over the week and at its highest point since weekly tracking began in September.
Republicans Maintain Midterm Enthusiasm Edge, but Democrats Are Gaining Ground
House Dems protest doomed Senate vote on abortion rights
19:42 , Oliver O’Connell
The Independent’s Erica Garcia is on Capitol Hill and spotted some familiar faces from the progressive wing of the party.
US inflation rate slowed to 0.3 per cent in April
19:39 , Oliver O’Connell
The US Consumer Price Index rose by just three tenths of a per cent in April, the Bureau of Labour Statistics said Wednesday.
The 0.3 per cent increase is the smallest monthly rise in prices in the last six months — just a quarter of the 1.2 per cent increase recorded in March — and could indicate the rate of inflation is slowing after months of record increases.
Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC.
US inflation rate slowed to 0.3 per cent last month
Biden: America fighting on two fronts
19:32 , Oliver O’Connell
Quick Senate OK expected for House-passed Ukraine aid
19:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Quick Senate OK ahead for House-passed $40B aid for Ukraine
Zelensky tweets thanks to Pelosi and US Congress for Ukraine aid
19:21 , Oliver O’Connell
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted his thanks to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the US House of Representatives for its passage of a $40 billion military and humanitarian aid pacakge for Ukraine on Tuesday night.
“We are looking forward to consideration of this important document for us by the Senate,” Mr Zelensky wrote.
Abe Asher reports.
Zelensky tweets thanks to Pelosi and US Congress for passing Ukraine aid package
Federal report finds burial sites and details abuse of Native American children
19:10 , Oliver O’Connell
Thousands of Native American children forced to attend at least 408 schools across 37 states as part of a federal government boarding school programme suffered beatings, hunger, manual labour and other forms of violence over several decades, according to a report issued by the US Department of Interior.
The 106-page report released on 11 May also identified burial sites at more than 50 of the former schools, a figure that the agency expects to grow as it continues its investigation into a programme that lasted from 1869 through the 1960s.
Alex Woodward reports.
Hundreds of Native American children died in federal boarding schools, report finds
ICYMI: Biden hits back at GOP senator who called him ‘incoherent’
19:02 , Oliver O’Connell
President Joe Biden ramped up his war of words with Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott, who said that the president is “incoherent, incapacitated and confused”.
A reporter asked Mr Biden about the Republican senator’s comments saying he should resign.
“I think the man has a problem,” Mr Biden responded.
Read more:
Biden hits back at GOP senator calling him ‘incoherent, incapacitated and confused’
ICYMI: Trump repeatedly asked if China had secret ‘hurricane gun’, report says
18:43 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump repeatedly asked White House national security aides if China had a “hurricane gun” to shoot damaging man-made storms at the United States, a report says.
The one-term president demanded to know if such a weapon would constitute an act of war and whether his military could retaliate against the nuclear power, three unnamed former officials told Rolling Stone magazine.
“It was almost too stupid for words,” one source told the magazine, which said that the person was “intimately familiar” with Mr Trump’s questioning.
Read more:
Trump repeatedly asked if China had secret ‘hurricane gun’, report says
House approves new $40 billion aid package for Ukraine
18:33 , Oliver O’Connell
The US House of Representatives has approved a new $40 billion aid package for Ukraine as the Russian invasion continues.
“We thank [the House] for working across the aisle to get this done, and appreciate the strong bipartisan support for the President’s proposal,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky also extended his thanks, tweeting: I thank @SpeakerPelosi and all friends of [Ukraine] in House of Representatives for the quick approval of the law on additional financial support for our state initiated by @POTUS. We are looking forward to consideration of this important document for us by the Senate.”
Senators call on Biden to list Russia as state sponsor of terrorism
18:28 , Oliver O’Connell
Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have introduced a resolution that would call on the Biden administration to list Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism (SST).
“Putin is a terrorist, and one of the most disruptive forces on the planet is Putin’s Russia,” said Senator Graham. “Putin’s Russia deserves this designation. We should be all-in on making sure that Putin’s Russia is marginalized as long as they engage in this behavior. This resolution sends a strong message to Ukraine that we are listening and we agree that Putin runs a nation that is a state sponsor of terrorism. We are also letting the Russian people know that our fight is with Putin, and as long as he is your leader, engaging in these activities, you will be isolated on the world stage. I can’t think of a stronger signal at a more crucial time than Congress and the Biden Administration working together to designate Putin’s Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. Thank you to my colleague Senator Blumenthal for working with me on this resolution to make sure this moment does not pass.”
“Russia’s horrific inhumanity – including barbaric atrocities and war crimes – have richly earned its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. I am proud to be leading this resolution with Senator Graham, applying stiffer sanctions and recognizing Russia as a true pariah among nations,” said Senator Blumenthal.
The SST designation allows additional categories of sanctions to be placed on a country, including restrictions on US foreign assistance, a ban on defense exports and sales, certain controls over exports of dual-use items, and financial and other restrictions.
If designated, Russia would join a small list of other countries that are designated SSTs: Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Syria.
Both Ukrainian President Zelensky and the parliament of Ukraine have appealed to Congress to encourage the Department of State to recognise the Russian Federation as an SST.
The justification for a Russian SST designation includes:
-
Russian combat troops supporting Syria (a designated SST country) in the Syrian Civil War.
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Support of separatists (subnational groups) in the Donbas since 2014.
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Poisoning of political enemies abroad.
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Use of the Wagner Group to achieve foreign policy objectives globally.
Sign up for The Independent’s US morning headlines newsletter
18:23 , Oliver O’Connell
As the Biden administration scrambles to punish Russia for its assault on Ukraine, Congress confirms a new Supreme Court justice and the 6 January investigations steadily heat up, The Independent is launching a new US morning headlines newsletter to keep you in the know.
Sign up now:
How to sign up for The Independent’s US morning headlines newsletter
Trump ordered to pay $110k in fines as judge lifts contempt order against him
18:12 , Oliver O’Connell
Developing story…
Trump ordered to pay $110k in fines as judge lifts contempt order against him
Manchin will vote against Democrats’ abortion legislation
18:04 , Oliver O’Connell
Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, often the swing vote in an evenly-divided Senate, announced he would oppose his fellow Democrats’ legislation to protect abortion rights, but said he’d vote to codify Roe v Wade.
Mr Manchin told reporters on Wednesday that he would oppose the legislation, called the Women’s Health Protection Act.
“We’re going to be voting on a piece of legislation which I will not vote for today,” he said. “But I would vote for a Roe v Wade codification it was today. I was hopeful for that.”
Eric Garcia reports for The Independent from Capitol Hill.
Manchin to vote against Democrats’ abortion legislation, says he’d vote to codify Roe
Listen: Lindsey Graham condemns Trump on newly released Jan 6 audio
17:45 , Andrew Naughtie
On newly released audio recordings from just after the 6 January Capitol attack, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham – one of Donald Trump’s most tenacious Washington allies – can be heard blaming Mr Trump for stirring up a “sense of revenge”, as well as agreeing Joe Biden would be “the best person to have”.
“Moments like this reset,” says Mr Graham on the tape. “People will calm down. People will say, ‘I don’t want to be associated with that… This is a group within a group. What this does, there will be a rallying effect for a while, [then] the country says: ‘We’re better than this’”.
Asked whether Mr Biden would help that process, Mr Graham replied: “Totally”.
Read more from Andrew Feinberg:
New audio reveals Lindsey Graham blasting Trump after Jan 6 Capitol riot
“Fake electors” from Georgia co-operating with investigation into Trump’s post-election behaviour
17:15 , Andrew Naughtie
It has emerged that some of the 16 Georgia Republicans who signed up as pro-Trump “electors” after the 2020 election are now co-operating with a criminal investigation into the former president’s efforts to overturn the election.
Specifically, the individuals in question have spoken to prosecutors with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office as part of a probe into whether Mr Trump broke Georgia election law by pressuring state officials to overturn the result. In one particularly infamous incident, he urged the secretary of state to “find” enough votes to close Joe Biden’s margin of victory.
Andrew Feinberg has the story.
‘Fake electors’ co-operating with Georgia probe into Trump scheme to overturn loss
Catch up: Trump’s mixed primary night
16:45 , Andrew Naughtie
Last night’s primaries in West Virginia and Nebraska put Donald Trump’s endorsement to the test – and in the end, they proved his power has its limits. Eric Garcia has this take on what the results really mean:
Trump gets a mixed bag after endorsing GOP candidates in Nebraska and West Virginia
Ultra-Maga candidate gets ad boost in Pennsylvania
16:20 , Andrew Naughtie
As Donald Trump’s chosen candidate Dr Mehmet Oz struggles to lock things up in next week’s Pennsylvania Senate primary, a hardcore right-winger is experiencing something of a late surge – and she’s getting outside help.
According to political intelligence company AdImpact, the conservative Club for Growth has spent nearly $2m on an ad buy for Kathy Barnette, a hardline Maga-flavoured conservative who is rising up the polls despite paltry fundraising and despite the fact that Mr Trump has cast his favours elsewhere.
The Club for Growth also broke with the Trump endorsement in Ohio, where it continued running ads against the ultimate victor JD Vance after the ex-president backed him.
The New York Times has more.
Analysis: Elizabeth Warren finds her voice again and rips into Republicans
15:45 , Andrew Naughtie
Writing from Capitol Hill, The Independent’s Eric Garcia reports on a conversation with Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who he writes is returning to her populist barnstorming roots as she gears up for the Roe v Wade fight.
In her resurgent form, Ms Warren once again resembles the onetime populist warrior who, as head of the Congressional Oversight Panel after the 2008 financial crisis, grilled Wall Street bankers and government officials for their misdeeds. She was able to voice the frustration many progressives felt toward the Obama administration, and for a time, it made her a darling of the left. Now, she’s taking that role on again with gusto.
Read his dispatch below.
Elizabeth Warren sounds off on Republicans and finds her voice for the Roe battle
Republicans irritated by Rick Scott’s attempted standoff with Biden
15:15 , Andrew Naughtie
Republican Senate campaign chief Rick Scott is pushing back on attacks targeting his tax-raising policy plan, and has now taken the decidedly odd step of challenging Joe Biden to a debate about inflation.
According to the New York Times’s Maggie Haberman, this isn’t going down well in the party.
New figures show that there has been a slowdown in inflation after months of record increases. Andrew Feinberg reports:
US inflation rate slowed to .3 per cent last month
Esper: Trump wanted to court-martial retired military officers
14:45 , Andrew Naughtie
Among the more disturbing revelations in Mark Esper’s new Trump administration memoir, A Sacred Oath, is a claim that Donald Trump wanted to recall two retired military officers who criticised him and have them court-martialled for disloyalty.
According to Mr Esper, he defended the two men concerned, Stanley McChrystal and William H. McRaven, with he and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff impressing upon Mr Trump that the move would be a disaster for him personally.
“Doing this ‘will backfire on you, Mr. President,’ we said. The discussion went back and forth a little while longer in the Oval Office, with Milley finally figuring out a way to get the president to back down by promising that he would personally call the officers and ask them to dial it back.”
The Washington Post has more.
More bad signs for Dr Oz in Pennsylvania
14:15 , Andrew Naughtie
Donald Trump scored a 50-50 result with his top-tier primary endorsements last night, but there are signs he could be heading for a galling night in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. New Fox News polling shows that his chosen candidate, Dr Mehmet Oz, has a disapproval rating of 46 per cent among Republican voters:
Meanwhile, an insurgent hardcore Maga candidate, Kathy Barnette, is surging up the primary polls despite having netiher Mr Trump’s endorsement nor ample cash on hand:
ICYMI: Alex Jones claims he tried to stop Jan 6 riot
13:43 , Andrew Naughtie
Far-right shock jock and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones spoke outside the Capitol on 6 January 2021, and has since insisted that he never wanted to see violence at the building during the election certification. He has now expanded on that account, saying on his show that “It’s a bizarre feeling to know that you did nothing wrong, to know that you had no motive, and to know that you tried to stop what happened”.
Mr Jones has reportedly agreed to speak to the 6 January committee in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
Gino Spocchia has more.
Alex Jones claims he tried to stop Capitol riot: ‘I’m not asking for a medal’
Why the West Wing is calling Republicans “ultra-Maga”
12:57 , Andrew Naughtie
Jen Psaki was yesterday called upon to explain why Joe Biden has begun describing right-wing Republicans as “ultra-Maga” ahead of the midterm elections. In response, she described the term as “the president’s phrase” – and asked by The Independent about Mr Biden’s reaction to the party’s increasingly caustic commentary describing his administration as an illegitimate “regime” and speaking of him as a tyrant, she replied that Mr Biden’s view is that such critics “are freaking out in some capacity”.
Read more below from John Bowden and Andrew Feinberg.
Jen Psaki explains Biden’s use of ‘ultra-MAGA’ to describe ‘extreme’ wing of GOP
New audio of Lindsey Graham after 6 Jan riot
12:23 , Andrew Naughtie
New audio has emerged of Lindsey Graham speaking to reporters after the 6 January attack on the US Captiol, telling them that Donald Trump had gone “too far” in his attempts to delegitimise the election.
Among his various complaints is that Mr Trump “plays the TV game” – and he also says Joe Biden is well placed to help the country rise above what happened at the Capitol.
“He’ll maybe be the best person to have,” says the GOP senator. “I mean, how mad can you get at Joe Biden?”
CNN has more here.
ICYMI: Musk says Trump should not have been banned from Twitter
11:44 , Andrew Naughtie
The worst fears of Trump critics who worried about Elon Musk’s Twitter buyout might soon be realised, it seems. The ultra-wealthy tech billionaire and self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” has said he regrets that Donald Trump was banned from the platform.
“I think it was a morally bad decision, to be clear, and foolish in the extreme,” he said at a Future of the Car event hosted in London by the Financial Times. “I do think it was not correct to ban Donald Trump. I think that was a mistake – it alienated a large part of the country and did not ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice.” His words received the support of former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who was at the helm when the former president’s account was shut down.
However, Mr Musk also said that one of the negative effects of the ban was to amplify Mr Trump’s voice on the right.
Andrew Buncombe has more.
Elon Musk says he’ll end Donald Trump’s Twitter ban
Republican senator punches back at Biden
11:09 , Andrew Naughtie
Rick Scott, the Republican Senate campaign chief whose controversial policy plan has become one of Joe Biden’s top attack lines for the midterms, has hit back at the president for calling him out on his promised tax rises for tens of millions of Americans.
The plan Mr Scott released a few months ago is the only substantial policy document floated by the Senate Republicans ahead of this November’s elections. It includes a complaint that as many as half of all American adults pay no income tax. Mr Scott has responded to criticism by going on the offensive, against Mr Biden in particular.
Read more from Eric Garcia.
Biden hits back at GOP senator calling him ‘incoherent, incapacitated and confused’
Why Charles Herbster’s loss will sting
10:29 , Andrew Naughtie
Donald Trump has mostly scored well with his endorsements this cycle, but Charles Herbster’s failure in the Nebraska primary has put a dent in his numbers. And as the Washington Post’s Dave Weigel points out, the facts behind the endorsement make his loss all the more meaningful:
Mark Esper: Trump “seemed to be willing to sacrifice anything” for re-election
10:06 , Andrew Naughtie
As he makes the rounds to promote his book A Sacred Oath – though it is promoting itself more than adequately – former defence secretary Mark Esper has been describing what it was like trying to understand Donald Trump’s thought processes.
Asked by Nicole Wallace when he first realised what Donald Trump was like, Mr Esper described a 2019 conversation at the president’s Bedmister golf club during which the two men discussed Afghanistan.
“The president goes on this soundtrack, as I call it, of wanting to withdraw from Nato and badmouthing Angela Merkel. Next it’s pulling all Americans out of Africa, we move to South Korea and withdrawing troops…clearly this is an eye-opener for me that he is focused on these things, and again, outside the bounds of what conventional wisdom would be in, in my view, traditional Republican foreign policy.”
Watch his remarks below.
Trump vs hurricanes: a surreal tale
09:30 , Andrew Naughtie
A Rolling Stone story that Donald Trump asked national security aides if China was targeting the US with a “hurricane gun” has added yet another entry to the long list of bizarre questions the ex-president is alleged to have asked his staff. It has also drawn a similar anecdote from MIles Taylor, a former Homeland Security staffer who has turned against Trump publicly in recent years.
Trump repeatedly asked if China had secret ‘hurricane gun’, report says
In a startling Twitter threat, he recounts a bizarre story from around the time of the same hurricane in which Mr Trump first wondered why hurricanes spin the way they do, suggested flying down to the Carolinas via helicopter to see the wreckage despite the fact that the hurricane hadn’t yet landed and a helicopter couldn’t fly him that far – prompting an extended monologue on the fact that helicopters apparently break down too often because they “have too many parts”.
Click through to read the whole thread below…
Sadiq Khan: Donald Trump’s presidency led to me getting more racist online abuse
09:00 , Shweta Sharma
The Mayor of London has said Donald Trump’s period as US president led to a significant rise in racial abuse directed at him.
Sadiq Khan, speaking at Stanford University near San Francisco on his US trade mission, said temporary and permanent banning of Mr Trump from Twitter led to a sharp drop in such abuse.
“During those four years he was president, that led to me having to receive police protection and a lot of racial abuse,” Mr Khan said in comments carried by the BBC.
Read full report
Elon Musk must think twice about letting Trump on Twitter, says Sadiq Khan
Mike Flynn says he’s being ‘persecuted’ by US Army for being on Russia’s payroll
08:30 , Shweta Sharma
Former Donald Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn accused the Biden administration of targeting him after the US Army concluded that he violated the Constitution by accepting payment from the Russian government.
Mr Flynn, who received a presidential pardon by Mr Trump, said, the Department of Defense is prosecuting him by “tagging my pay for what they call a violation of something called the Emoluments Clause”.
“It’s just another dig, another means to embarrass, they just want me to shut up,” he said interview on the far-right Real America’s Voice network. “They’re just going to reach into my retirement and take some money out.”
The army is seeking to recoup $38,557 after a investigation determined that in 2015 he failed to obtain the necessary approval before accepting payment from “an entity substantially owned or controlled by a foreign government ”.
“The Army has determined that you did not obtain the necessary approvals before engaging in employment activities with Russia Today (RT), a foreign government controlled entity,” the army said.
Sadiq Khan blames Trump for sharp rise in racist online abuse
08:00 , Shweta Sharma
London mayor Sadiq Khan has blamed the former US president Donald Trump for a rise in racial abuse directed at him.
Addressing students of Stanford University in California, Mr Khan said that he received at least 233,000 “explicitly racist or racialised social media messages” since he was elected as London’s mayor in 2016.
Partly blaming Mr Trump for a 1,892 per cent rise in the abuse against him, Mr Khan told the audience that the banning of Mr Trump from Twitter led to a sharp drop in such abuse.
“During those four years he was president, that led to me having to receive police protection and a lot of racial abuse,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC. “
”In the last year of him being president, once he was banned from Twitter, I received the least racial abuse of any time over five years.”
The feud between the two started when Mr Trump, elected six months after Mr Khan began his tenure as London mayor in May 2016, criticised him for his response to the London Bridge terror attacks.
Marjorie Taylor Greene told to stop ‘repeating Putin’s propaganda’
07:30 , Shweta Sharma
Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene has been asked by a Democrat lawmaker not to parrot the propaganda of the Russian president after she contested a $40bn (£32.4bn) aid package for Ukraine on Tuesday,
She claimed that the Biden administration was using this to cover up its crimes as members of the US House of Representatives began debating the aid package.
Ms Greene said: “$40bn dollars but there’s no baby formula for American mothers and babies.”
“An unknown amount of money to the CIA and Ukraine supplemental bill but there’s no formula for American babies,” she added. “Stop funding regime change and money laundering scams. A US politician covers up their crimes in countries like Ukraine.”
Democrat lawmaker Jamie Raskin, denounced her for her comments and said: “Here’s a formula for the destruction of democracy: repeating Putin’s propaganda and disinformation and appeasing imperialist assaults on sovereign nations.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene told to stop ‘repeating Putin’s propaganda’ on helping Ukraine
Jack Dorsey backs Elon Musk’s plans to reverse Trump’s Twitter ban
06:53 , Shweta Sharma
Jack Dorsey said that he “agrees” that there should not be permanent bans on individual Twitter users. He said it was a “business decision” that should not have been made.
“And we should always revisit our decisions and evolve as necessary. I stated in that thread and still believe that permanent bans of individuals are directionally wrong,” he said in response to a tweet from Dan Primack, a business editor at Axios.
Mr Dorsey added: “There are exceptions (CSE, illegal behaviour, spam or network manipulation, etc), but generally permanent bans are a failure of ours and don’t work, which I wrote about here after the event (and called for a resilient social media protocol)”.
It came after Mr Musk told Financial Times in an interview he would reverse the ban on the former president if his purchase of the social media giant goes through.
Pillen beats Trump-backed rival to win Nebraska primary for governor
06:15 , Shweta Sharma
Jim Pillen, a University of Nebraska regent who was backed by the state’s outgoing governor, has won the Republican primary for Nebraska governor.
He defeated the Donald Trump-backed Charles Herbster, who is a millionaire businessman embroiled in scandals for groping multiple women.
“We live in the greatest place on the planet, right here in Nebraska,” Mr Pillen said in a victory speech late Tuesday as a crowd cheered and chanted, “Let’s go, Jim!” He said his opponents had called to concede.
Mr Pillen is a hog farm owner and veterinarian. He defeated eight challengers, including Brett Lindstrom, a state senator and Omaha financial adviser who was generally viewed as a more moderate choice.
Alex Mooney claims victory, says ‘monumental night for West Virginians’
06:00 , Shweta Sharma
In his victory speech, Alex Moonet said: “I am honored the voters of West Virginia’s new Second Congressional District have chosen me to carry the conservative banner as we begin the sprint to November.”
“Tonight is a monumental night for West Virginians, and I look forward to being their trusted conservative voice in Congress.”
‘Fake electors’ co-operating with investigation into Trump efforts to overturn election, report says
05:45 , Shweta Sharma
Multiple GOP electors in Georgia who served as fake voters were interviewed by prosecutors investigating former president Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the criminal probe, two sources told CNN.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office is trying to determine if pro-Trump electors in Georgia knew that their actions were part of a broader strategy to pressure election officials and overturn Joe Biden’s victory, the report said.
The electors who are being questioned by prosecutors, including the state’s Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, have been assured that they are being considered as witnesses and not accused or targets in the investigation.
Jen Psaki explains Biden’s use of ‘ultra-MAGA’
05:30 , Oliver O’Connell
The White House press secretary has explained the West Wing’s new use of the phrase “ultra-MAGA” to describe Republicans aligned with the party’s far-right bent, which she said was coined by the president himself.
Jen Psaki faced questions from reporters at her daily press briefing on Tuesday for the second day in a row regarding the term and its use by the president in criticism of the GOP.
Read more:
Jen Psaki explains Biden’s use of ‘ultra-MAGA’ to describe ‘extreme’ wing of GOP
Elon Musk says he plans to lift Donald Trump’s Twitter ban
05:01 , Oliver O’Connell
Elon Musk says he will end Donald Trump’s ban from Twitter, adding that he thought the decision to block the then-president was “morally bad”.
In news that will celebrated by supporters of Mr Trump as enthusiastically as it is condemned by his critics, the tech billionaire who is in the process of buying the social media network, said the initial decision had been incorrect.
Andrew Buncombe reports.
Elon Musk says he’ll end Donald Trump’s Twitter ban
Trump-backed conservative Alex Mooney wins West Virginia GOP primary
04:43 , Shweta Sharma
Republican representative Alex Mooney defeated fellow Republican, David McKinley in a primary in West Virginia, a victory proving Donald Trump’s hold on the party.
“Donald Trump loves West Virginia, and West Virginia loves Donald Trump,” Mr Mooney said in his victory speech.Mr Mooney and Mr McKinley were pitted against each other in the state’s second congressional district West Virginia lost a congressional seat following the 2020 Census.
Mr McKinley, who voted for a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure and the creation of an investigation team to probe the 6 January riots, was sharply criticized by the former president.
Mr Trump called Mr McKinley a RINO, or “Republican in Name Only” and endorsed Mr Mooney the day Joe Biden signed the infrastructure law.
Biden hits back at GOP senator who called him ‘incoherent, incapacitated and confused’
04:30 , Oliver O’Connell
President Joe Biden ramped up his war of words with Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott, who said that the president is “incoherent, incapacitated and confused”.
A reporter asked Mr Biden about the Republican senator’s comments saying he should resign.
“I think the man has a problem,” Mr Biden responded.
Eric Garcia has the story.
Biden hits back at GOP senator calling him ‘incoherent, incapacitated and confused’
‘You’re going to be held accountable, bro’: Steve Bannon threatens Mark Esper over Trump revelations
04:00 , Oliver O’Connell
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon has vowed revenge against Mark Esper for making shocking revelations against Donald Trump in his new book.
The former defence secretary, in A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times, has made several astounding claims from his time at the White House when Mr Trump was president.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports.
Steve Bannon threatens revenge against Mark Esper for Trump revelations
Trump repeatedly asked if China had tech to launch hurricanes at US, report says
03:45 , Oliver O’Connell
According to reporting by Rolling Stone, in the early years of his presidency Donald Trump had a pressing question he asked officials on several occasions — does China have secret technology to create large, man-made hurricanes and launch them at the US? And if it does, would that constitute an act of war?
The publication cites two former senior administration officials and a third person briefed on the matter.
“It was almost too stupid for words,” a former Trump official intimately familiar with the then-sitting president’s inquiry told Rolling Stone. “I did not get the sense he was joking at all.”
Mr Trump asked about it until at least 2018 and it became known to some as the “Hurricane Gun” thing.
The former president also asked about nuking hurricanes and once altered a map showing the projected path of a hurricane with a Sharpie pen in an incident that became known as Sharpiegate.
Anti-abortion Democrat announces support for legislation to codify Roe
03:00 , Oliver O’Connell
Senator Bob Casey, one of the last anti-abortion Democrats in the Senate, announced on Tuesday that he would support Democrats’ legislation to codify the protections in Roe v Wade.
Mr Casey’s father, Governor Bob Casey Sr, was governor of Pennsylvania and ardently opposed to abortion and the elder Casey’s name is the namesake for Planned Parenthood v Casey, the 1993 Supreme Court decision that reaffirmed the constitutional right to an abortion.
Eric Garcia reports from Capitol Hill.
Anti-abortion Democrat Bob Casey announces support for legislation to codify Roe
Biden hits out at GOP as he touts plans to tackle inflation
02:30 , Oliver O’Connell
President Joe Biden on Tuesday said his administration is taking action to lower energy costs and bring down inflation rates that are the highest in decades by clearing supply chain bottlenecks and reigning in corporate greed, but warned against handing the reins of power to a Republican Party more interested in protecting corporate profits than American families.
Andrew Feinberg reports for The Independent from the White House.
‘Look at their agenda’: Biden hits out at GOP as he touts plans to tackle inflation
02:00 , Oliver O’Connell
How to sign up for The Independent’s US morning headlines newsletter
Surprising tactics in the fight to preserve abortion rights
01:30 , Oliver O’Connell
From activist rabbis signing pledges to speak out about reproductive rights as leaders in their communities, to a Satanic Temple fighting for abortion rights in America’s Bible Belt, religious communities across the spectrum are flooding to the frontlines of the country’s fight for abortion rights.
Johanna Chisholm reports.
Religious groups take up the fight to preserve abortion rights
Fox News host calls for Biden to be impeached over SCOTUS protests
01:00 , Oliver O’Connell
A former adviser to David Cameron who now hosts a weekly Fox News programme says US President Joe Biden should be impeached because protesters showed up outside homes of two Supreme Court justices over the weekend.
Andrew Feinberg has the story.
Fox News host calls for Biden to be impeached over Supreme Court protests
SCOTUS expert believes ‘leading theory’ is conservative clerk leaked draft on abortion
Wednesday 11 May 2022 00:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Prominent Republicans and right-wing media figures have spent the last week accusing clerks for the three Democratic-appointed Supreme Court justices for the unprecedented leak of a draft opinion overruling two landmark reproductive rights cases. But a legendary chronicler of the high court has suggested they’re barking up the wrong tree.
Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC.
Supreme Court expert: ‘Leading theory’ says conservative clerk leaked abortion draft
Justice Clarence Thomas: Supreme Court ‘won’t be bullied’ over Roe v Wade
Wednesday 11 May 2022 00:00 , Oliver O’Connell
Justice Clarence Thomas has hit out at protesters enraged by a leaked decision that would overturn Roe v Wade, saying that the Supreme Court can’t be “bullied”.
The leak of a draft opinion, that revealed a majority of justices were in favour of revoking abortion rights, set off waves of protests in more than a dozen cities across the United States this week.
Bevan Hurley reports.
Clarence Thomas tells Roe v Wade protesters that Supreme Court ‘won’t be bullied’
OAN acknowledges ‘no widespread voter fraud’ in 2020 election
Tuesday 10 May 2022 23:00 , Oliver O’Connell
More than 18 months after the 2020 presidential election, right-wing television network One America News has admitted that a pair of Georgia election workers who OAN personalities accused of committing ballot fraud did absolutely nothing wrong.
On Monday, the network aired a 30-second segment in which a voiceover told viewers a statement acknowledging that the 2020 election — in which President Joe Biden, a Democrat, carried the Peach State for the first time in decades — saw “no widespread voter fraud”.
Andrew Feinberg has the story.
OAN runs 30-second segment acknowledging ‘no widespread voter fraud’ in 2020 election
ICYMI: Biden gives green light to separate Covid-19 aid from Ukraine aid as Senate deliberates
Tuesday 10 May 2022 22:30 , Oliver O’Connell
President Joe Biden said that he would accept Congress passing his proposed aid package to Ukraine separately from the money he has requested to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Biden made the statement on Monday after Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, had requested the aid to Ukraine, which Mr Biden initially proposed be $33bn but now looks to be closer to $40bn, be passed clean and separately.
Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.
Biden gives OK to separate Covid-19 aid from Ukraine aid as Senate deliberates
Draghi urges Ukraine ceasefire in visit with Biden
Tuesday 10 May 2022 22:09 , Oliver O’Connell
President Joe Biden and Italian Premier Mario Draghi met in the Oval Office on Tuesday for a visit intended to showcase allied unity against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but it also provided a window into divergent approaches to the conflict.
Draghi said leaders should work toward “the possibility of bringing a ceasefire and starting, again, some credible negotiations.” He added that ”in Italy and Europe now, people want to put an end to these massacres and this violence, this butchery.”
Read more:
Italian leader urges Ukraine ceasefire in visit with Biden
How the ‘pro-life’ movement killed Roe v Wade
Tuesday 10 May 2022 21:50 , Oliver O’Connell
Alex Woodward reports on how powerful legal groups, conservative Christian activists and right-wing figures shaped an anti-abortion agenda in the hands of the US Supreme Court.
Inside the ‘pro-life’ movement that killed Roe v Wade
Trump repeatedly asked if China had tech to launch hurricanes at US, report says
Tuesday 10 May 2022 21:34 , Oliver O’Connell
According to reporting by Rolling Stone, in the early years of his presidency Donald Trump had a pressing question he asked officials on several occasions — does China have secret technology to create large, man-made hurricanes and launch them at the US? And if it does, would that constitute an act of war?
The publication cites two former senior administration officials and a third person briefed on the matter.
“It was almost too stupid for words,” a former Trump official intimately familiar with the then-sitting president’s inquiry told Rolling Stone. “I did not get the sense he was joking at all.”
Mr Trump asked about it until at least 2018 and it became known to some as the “Hurricane Gun” thing.
The former president also asked about nuking hurricanes and once altered a map showing the projected path of a hurricane with a Sharpie pen in an incident that became known as Sharpiegate.
Psaki explains Biden’s use of ‘ultra-MAGA’
Tuesday 10 May 2022 21:31 , Oliver O’Connell
The White House press secretary on Tuesday explained the west wing’s new use of the phrase “ultra-MAGA” to describe Republicans aligned with the party’s far-right bent, which she said was coined by the president himself.
Jen Psaki faced questions from reporters at her daily press briefing for the second day in a row regarding the term and its use by the president in criticism of the GOP.
John Bowden reports.
Jen Psaki explains Biden’s use of ‘ultra-MAGA’ to describe ‘extreme’ wing of GOP
Watch: Psaki asked about Elon Musk comment on Trump and Twitter
Tuesday 10 May 2022 21:20 , Oliver O’Connell
Press secretary Jen Psaki says the White House wants to ensure freedom of speech, but social media platforms shouldn’t be “used as forums for disinformation,” when asked about Elon Musk allowing Trump back on Twitter.
What’s in the Ukraine funding bill?
Tuesday 10 May 2022 21:14 , Oliver O’Connell
Don Jr and Marjorie Taylor Greene rail against Ukraine aid
Tuesday 10 May 2022 21:00 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump Jr and Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene have tweeted against providing more aid to Ukraine.
The former president’s eldest son tweeted: “You can’t find baby formula in the United States right now but Congress is voting today to send $40 billion to Ukraine. Let’s put America First for a change.”
Ms Greene posted: “We swore an oath to serve the United States of AMERICA. Not the United States of Ukraine. American mothers can’t buy baby formula, deadly fentanyl from Mexican cartels is killing record numbers of Americans, & farmers are on the verge of going out of business. Focus on HOME!”
Trump endorses James Comer
Tuesday 10 May 2022 20:47 , Oliver O’Connell
Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Representative James Comer for his reelection in Kentucky’s 1st congressional district.
In a statement released through his spokesperson’s Twitter account, Mr Trump said:
James Comer is a fantastic Congressman for the people of Kentucky’s 1st Congressional District. As the lead Republican on the Oversight Committee, Jamie is fighting hard to hold Joe Biden and the Radical Left accountable for failing the American people, from covering up Hunter Biden’s blatant corruption to botching their abysmal withdrawal from Afghanistan Jamie is working hard to Strengthen our Military, Protect our Veterans, Grow our Economy, Promote American Agriculture, and Defend the Second Amendment. James Comer is a Conservative Warrior, and he has my Complete and Total Endorsement!
South Carolina gubernatorial candidate calls for end of ‘embarrassing’ Confederate Memorial Day
Tuesday 10 May 2022 20:30 , Oliver O’Connell
One of the leading Democratic candidates for governor of South Carolina has renewed his calls for the state to end its celebration of Confederate Memorial Day and instead make Election Day a state holiday.
Joe Cunningham, a moderate who formerly represented the Charleston area in the US House of Representatives, first proposed ending the celebration shortly after launching his gubernatorial bid last year.
Abe Asher reports.
South Carolina gubernatorial candidate calls for end of Confederate Memorial Day
Biden says GOP senator who called him ‘incoherent’ has a problem
Tuesday 10 May 2022 20:12 , Oliver O’Connell
President Joe Biden ramped up his war of words with Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott, who said that the president is “incoherent, incapacitated and confused.”
A reporter asked Mr Biden about the Republican Senator’s comments saying he should resign.
Eric Garcia reports.
Biden calls out GOP senator who called him ‘incoherent, incapacitated and confused’
Tuesday 10 May 2022 20:06 , Oliver O’Connell
Jen Psaki asked about Elon Musk’s comment on Trump’s Twitter ban and misinformation on the platform.
“It’s the decision by a private sector company to make on who will or will not be allowed on their platforms.”
She adds it is “a reminder of the urgency” to reform Section 230 so that social media outlets aren’t used to push disinformation.
Tuesday 10 May 2022 19:56 , Oliver O’Connell
Jen Psaki says Biden adding “ultra” to the term MAGA gives it a “little pop”.
Biden pushes ‘ultra-MAGA’ label on GOP as he defends record
Tuesday 10 May 2022 19:52 , Oliver O’Connell
President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned voters unhappy with soaring inflation and his stalled domestic agenda against turning power over to “ultra-MAGA” Republicans in the midterm elections as he increasingly tries to cast former President Donald Trump and his adherents as a political foil.
Biden pushes ‘ultra-MAGA’ label on GOP as he defends record
Live: Press Secretary Jen Psaki gives White House briefing
Tuesday 10 May 2022 19:40 , Oliver O’Connell
McConnell: No issues should be exempt from Senate’s 60-vote threshold
Tuesday 10 May 2022 19:37 , Oliver O’Connell
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters on Tuesday that there should be no issues that Senate Republicans believe should be exempt from the 60-vote threshold.
He reminds reporters that there have been abortion votes before and they have never reached the 60-vote threshold therefore the issue will be dealt with by legislative bodies at the state level.
Biden meets with Italian PM Mario Draghi
Tuesday 10 May 2022 19:18 , Oliver O’Connell
Yellen warns eliminating abortion access will damage economy
Tuesday 10 May 2022 19:08 , Oliver O’Connell
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that eliminating abortion access will damage the nation’s economy and advancements in women’s reproductive healthcare and economic wellbeing.
“Eliminating the right of women to make decisions about when and whether to have children would have very damaging effects on the economy and would set women back decades,” she told the Senate Banking Committee on 10 May.
Alex Woodward reports.
Janet Yellen warns eliminating abortion access will damage US economy
Video: Musk says he will lift Trump Twitter ban
Tuesday 10 May 2022 18:58 , Oliver O’Connell
Elon Musk says he plans to lift Donald Trump’s Twitter ban
Tuesday 10 May 2022 18:52 , Oliver O’Connell
Elon Musk has said he would end Donald Trump’s ban from Twitter, saying he thought the decision to block the then-president was “morally wrong”.
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