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Former Vice President Mike Pence will report raising nearly $1.2 million in the first three weeks of his presidential campaign, according to a Pence adviser. Pence has gotten support from some major Republican donors, according to the Pence adviser. Haley Barbour, former beer magnate Pete Coors, and Ross Perot, Jr., whose father waged an independent campaign for president in 1992. It's not yet clear if these donors contributed to the Pence campaign directly, his aligned super PAC, or if they have also contributed to other presidential candidates. The pro-Pence super PAC, Committed to America, has also raised nearly $2.7 million, according to the adviser.

Persons: Mike Pence, Pence, Joe, Kelly Craft, Donald Trump's, Daniel Cameron, Pence's, Haley Barbour, Pete Coors, Ross Perot, Jr, Ron Cameron, Warren Stephens, It's Organizations: Federal, Commission, GOP, Mississippi Gov, Trump, Pence, Republican National Committee Locations: Kentucky, Mississippi, America, Iowa

Biden, who launched his campaign on April 25, had $77 million in cash on hand at the end of June across several affiliated fundraising entities and the Democratic Party. The Republican front-runner, former President Donald Trump, raised more than $35 million during the April-June period, a campaign official had said. Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis raised $20 million in the same period, his campaign said. Trump launched his campaign in June that year but had already started raising money, while Obama launched his campaign on April 4. Reuters GraphicsThe Biden campaign is required to submit more detailed financial records to the Federal Election Commission by Saturday.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Biden, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Trump, Barack Obama, Obama, MAGA, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Chavez Rodriguez, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Katzenberg, Steven Cheung, Trevor Hunnicutt, Nandita Bose, Nathan Layne, Alistair Bell Organizations: Democratic Party, Republican, Florida Governor, Democratic National, Republicans, Biden, Trump, Republican National Committee, Reuters, Federal, Disney, Thomson Locations: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, Washington

☆ The GOP debate could have anti-Trump firebrands on stage thanks to a new clarification of which polls count
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

To get to the GOP presidential debate stage, candidates must hit certain fundraising and polling requirements, as per the RNC. A key stipulation is that candidates must poll 1% or higher in 3 national polls with 800 or more registered Republican likely voters. Additionally, the RNC said the polls must each survey at least 800 registered likely Republican voters for it to count. As Insider's Walt Hickey previously wrote, surveys containing "800 registered likely Republican voters" are not easy to come by. It's also, coincidentally, the only survey tracked by FiveThirtyEight with more than 800 registered likely Republican voters that has Hutchinson and former New Jersey Gov.

Persons: Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson, Hutchinson —, Insider's Walt Hickey, FiveThirtyEight's Nathaniel Rakich, It's, Hutchinson, Christie Organizations: RNC, Republican, Trump, Service, Republican National Committee, New, New Jersey Gov, Arkansas Gov, GOP, Politico Locations: Wall, Silicon, New Jersey, Milwaukee

Mr. Hutchinson’s campaign has been struggling to reach anything like cruising altitude. With the first Republican debate, in Milwaukee, a little more than a month away, he is far from having the 40,000 individual donors required to meet the Republican National Committee’s threshold for a spot on stage. A failure to appear could sink his campaign. He then acknowledged: “We’d like to have more money.”But Mr. Hutchinson’s struggles go beyond fund-raising, to the heart of any politics: appeal. Or just who is looking to buy what he’s selling in a race dominated by far bigger names: a former president, a former vice president, the sitting governor of the third largest state in the nation, the only Black Republican in the Senate, and others.

Persons: “, Hugh Hewitt, we’ve, You’ll, it’s, ”, Hutchinson’s Organizations: Republican, Senate Locations: Milwaukee

☆ Opinion: The election that couldn’t happen in high school
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

CNN —In the classic 1999 film, “Election,” the high school student government vote has everything: naked ambition, campaign poster shredding, ballot manipulation, infidelity and more. But what the gifted writer Tom Perotta likely couldn’t imagine was an election in which two unpopular candidates square off for president. That doesn’t happen in high school, even in a satirical movie. The president supports stripping that state of its first-in-the-nation primary status in favor of South Carolina, the state that energized Biden’s 2020 campaign. “In the runup to the 2024 elections, Democrats plan to put the Supreme Court on trial,” wrote David Mark.

Persons: Reese Witherspoon, Tracy Flick, ” Matthew Broderick, Jim McAllister, Tracy, Tom Perotta, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Harry Enten, “, Julian Zelizer, ” Biden, Biden, specter, … ” Dana Summers, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, — Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, George H.W, Bush —, Kennedy, ”, MAGA, Sen, Lindsey Graham’s, Trump’s, Dean Obeidallah, Graham, Michael Flynn, Flynn, Peter Bergen, Erik German, Bill Bramhall, ” “ Flynn, ‘, America’s, …, Geoff Duncan, Drew Sheneman, Roe, Wade, David Mark, … ” Lisa Benson, GoComics.com, Biden romped, Jack Ohman, Kara Alaimo, Coles Whalen, ’, Alice Driver, Clay Jones, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Meta, David Zurawik, Victoria, Olesya Khromeychuk, Victoria Amelina, Andrei Kartapolov, Sharp, ” Khromeychuk, ” Don’t, Sheikh Mohammed Al, Issa, David A, Nicole Hemmer, Jill Filipovic, Sonia Pruitt, Lynda Lin Grigsby, Sara Stewart, Jharrel Jerome, Boots Riley, Holly Thomas, Phoebe Waller, Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford, He’s, goddaughter Helena, Archimedes, Jones, Waller Organizations: CNN, Capitol, Trump, Biden, Agency, Republicans, RFK Jr, New, ”, FBI, Economic, Republican National, Republican Party, GOP, Democratic, McKinsey & Company, Twitter, Facebook, Russian Duma Defense, Hollywood, “, Indy Locations: New Hampshire, South Carolina, ” Bergen, German, Davos, Georgia, California, “, Russian, Ukrainian, Kramatorsk, Ukraine, New York, Donetsk, Auschwitz, Here’s, Oakland , California

☆ Ron DeSantis vows to attend the first debate whether Trump shows or not
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ron DeSantis said he will show up to the first GOP debate regardless of what Trump does. Ron DeSantis is vowing to attend the first Republican presidential debate regardless of what Donald Trump does. "I'll be there, regardless," DeSantis told Fox News on Thursday evening. Former Vice President Mike Pence has said he is unafraid to challenge Trump directly, should his former running mate actually show up. Former Vice President Mike Pence, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina follow.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Trump, DeSantis, goad Trump, —, Donald Trump, Mike Pence, I've, Pence, Hugh Hewitt, Chris Christie, Christie, CNN's Jake Tapper, Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, FiveThirtyEight's, Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen, Tim Scott of Organizations: Trump, reconsidering, Service, Gov, Fox News, PAC, Former New Jersey Gov, Republican National Committee Locations: Florida, Milwaukee, DeSantis, Tim Scott of South Carolina

"I question whether the state party has the necessary expertise to spend the money well," he said. Kristina Karamo, chair of the Michigan state party, didn't respond to a request for comment for this story. The Arizona party, meanwhile, raised roughly $139,000 in the first three months of this year, according to state and federal filings. But the state party's organizational heft will be hard to replicate, said Jeff Timmer, a former executive director of the Michigan Republican Party. "But not having the state party well funded is detrimental to many Republican campaigns next year," he added.

Persons: Ron Weiser, Weiser, Donald Trump, Trump, Seth Masket, Kelli Ward, Joe Biden, It's, Jim Click, Kristina Karamo, Ward, Jeff DeWit, haven't, Karamo, Matt Johnson, Jason Roe, DeWit, Zlaticanin, Jeff Timmer, Timmer, Jonathan Lines, Tim Reid, Nathan Layne, Ross Colvin, Pravin Organizations: Michigan Republican Party, Republicans, White, U.S . Congress, Republican Party, Michigan, University of Denver, Arizona, Justice Department, Trump, Democratic, Reuters, Republican National Committee, Republican, Biden, Thomson Locations: Michigan, Arizona, North Carolina, Detroit, New Arizona

☆ Republicans Have to Sign a Loyalty Pledge to Debate. Who Will and Who Won’t?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Maggie Astor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To participate in the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 23, candidates must meet challenging new criteria, including having at least 40,000 donors and voter support of at least 1 percent in three approved polls. But the requirement causing the most consternation is a pledge to support the eventual nominee. Former President Donald J. Trump has not said whether he will sign the pledge. He signed the same pledge in 2015 and then reneged on it. Asked last month whether he would support Mr. Trump in a general election, Gov.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Hugh Hewitt, Ron DeSantis Organizations: Trump, Republican National Committee, Gov Locations: Florida

☆ Republicans celebrate after Supreme Court scraps Biden student loan relief program
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Republican leaders and presidential candidates filed in to applaud Friday's Supreme Court decision striking down President Joe Biden's student loan relief program. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., another presidential contender, called the loan forgiveness plan an "illegal and immoral" bid to "transfer student debt to taxpayers." Meyer noted, however, that she doesn't expect the ruling will mark an end to the efforts to forgive student loan debt. Other Republicans have put forward alternative plans for addressing the country's burgeoning student loan debt. Canceling student debt is a popular idea: Polls have shown that most registered voters support at least some form of loan forgiveness.

Persons: Mike Pence, Friday's, Joe Biden's, today's, Donald Trump, Sen, Tim Scott, Scott, Katharine Meyer, Meyer, Biden, Pence, Ron DeSantis, Trump, DeSantis Organizations: United, Republican, White, Trump, Biden, Brookings Institution, Republican National Committee, The Washington Post, Florida Gov, GOP, Senate Republicans Locations: United States, Ankeny , Iowa

☆ Republicans’ Problem in Attacking Biden: They Helped Pass His Economic Bills
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden isn’t the only one doing a full summer embrace of federal spending on infrastructure and semiconductor manufacturing — so are some of the Republicans aiming to remove him from office next year. The White House has labeled the president’s new economic campaign Bidenomics, a portmanteau that until now has been a pejorative used by Republicans and conservative news outlets primarily to underscore inflation. But in a speech on Wednesday in Chicago about the economy, Mr. Biden latched on, with a renewed focus on the two most significant bipartisan legislative accomplishments of his term, the infrastructure bill and the CHIPS and Science Act. One significant benefit for Mr. Biden: Republicans helped pass those bills. presidential candidates and the Republican National Committee continue to paint Mr. Biden’s economic stewardship as a rolling disaster, Republican senators who helped shape the legislation say they anticipated that those accomplishments would accrue to Mr. Biden’s political advantage — as well as to their own.

Persons: Biden isn’t, Biden Organizations: Mr, Republican National Committee Locations: Chicago

☆ A.I.’s Use in Elections Sets Off a Scramble for Guardrails
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Tiffany Hsu | Steven Lee Myers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Increasingly, political consultants, election researchers and lawmakers say setting up new guardrails, such as legislation reining in synthetically generated ads, should be an urgent priority. The Republican National Committee released a video with artificially generated images of doomsday scenarios after President Biden announced his re-election bid, while Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida posted fake images of former President Donald J. Trump with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former health official. The Democratic Party experimented with fund-raising messages drafted by artificial intelligence in the spring — and found that they were often more effective at encouraging engagement and donations than copy written entirely by humans. The technology is already far more powerful than manual manipulation — not perfect, but fast improving and easy to learn.

Persons: Biden, Ron DeSantis, Donald J, Trump, Anthony Fauci, Sam Altman Organizations: Republican National Committee, Gov, Democratic Locations: Florida

That activity could signal that investigators are nearing at least some charging decisions in a part of the 2020 election probe, sources added. It is not clear if Trump is a target in the fake electors aspect of Smith’s ongoing criminal probe. Multiple 2020 election witnesses are scheduled for grand jury appointments in the coming days, sources say. Fake electors in NevadaThe fake electors scheme – one of the more public efforts to overturn Biden’s win in the 2020 election – now appears to be at the forefront for prosecutors, sources said. McDonald and DeGraffenreid previously declined to answer some questions about the fake electors scheme in the House inquiry.

Persons: Jack Smith, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Mike Pence, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Jeffrey Clark, Giuliani, Drew Angerer, –, Michael McDonald, Jim DeGraffenreid –, Gary Michael Brown, Brown, McDonald, DeGraffenreid, Adam Laxalt, Jesse Binnall, “ Donald Trump, ”, Binnall, “ Adam Laxalt, ” Robert Uithoven, Nevada’s Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Prosecutors, Republicans, Trump, Lawyers, Capitol, of Justice, Republican National Committee, Getty, Biden’s, Nevada Trump, state’s Republican, GOP, FBI Locations: Washington, Florida, Nevada, Nevada’s Clark County, Clark County

☆ Republican Sen. Rick Scott is reportedly considering a presidential bid as fellow Floridian Ron DeSantis struggles
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Republican Sen. Rick Scott is reportedly considering a presidential run. According to The New York Times, Scott is eyeing a late entry into the field. The Times reports that Scott, who was also governor of Florida, is considering a late entry into the growing 2024 Republican field. If Scott were to enter, there would then be four Floridians in a field that already has Trump, DeSantis, and Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez. Scott and DeSantis have a frosty relationship, though Scott often demurs when asked about his successor.

Persons: Sen, Rick Scott, Scott, Ron DeSantis, —, Republican Sen, Donald Trump, Miami Mayor Francis X, Suarez, DeSantis, Trump, he's, Chris Hartline, Joe Biden trolled Scott, Biden Organizations: The New York Times, Service, Republican, Times, Miami Mayor, Floridian, Senate Republicans, Senate, Social Security, Republican National Committee Locations: Florida

Several Republican 2024 presidential hopefuls criticized Donald Trump Sunday as the former president faces 37 federal counts for allegedly hoarding documents after he left the White House. "He's a petulant child when someone disagrees with him," Christie told CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday. Presidential hopeful and former Vice President Mike Pence said it is "premature" to say whether or not he would pardon Trump were he to be convicted. "All we know is what the president has been accused of in the indictment," Pence told NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday. But Trump had a supporter on Sunday in Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy who has said the former president should be pardoned if convicted.

Persons: Mike Pence, Donald Trump, Trump, —, Bill Barr, John Kelly, Chris Christie, Christie, CNN's, Pence, NBC's, Joe Biden, Asa Hutchinson, Hutchinson, I'm, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, Martin Luther King Jr Organizations: Republican, Donald Trump Sunday, White, Former New Jersey Gov, Union, Sunday, Press, Republican National, Arkansas Republican, Federal Bureau of, Fox, Civil Locations: Ankeny , Iowa, United States, Arkansas

Washington CNN —Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie said Sunday it was a “useless idea” to force 2024 GOP contenders to sign a pledge to back the party’s ultimate nominee in order to participate in primary debates. “It’s only in the era of Donald Trump that you need somebody to sign something on a pledge. Trump, as a candidate in 2015, did not rule out an independent run for president at a debate in Cleveland. He ultimately signed a pledge to support the party’s eventual nominee and to not run as a third-party candidate if he did not win the GOP nomination. The RNC announced earlier this month that the first presidential primary debate will take place on August 23 in Milwaukee.

Persons: Chris Christie, “, Donald Trump, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Christie, he’s, Ronna McDaniel, ” Christie, Trump, McDaniel, ”, you’ve, Joe Biden, ” McDaniel, I’m, ’, Asa Hutchinson, you’re, ” Hutchinson, Ron DeSantis, Hutchinson, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott Organizations: Washington CNN, Republican, New, Republican National Committee, GOP, CNN, Arkansas Gov, ABC News, RNC, CNN Poll, Florida Gov, United Nations, South Locations: New Jersey, “ State, Cleveland, Arkansas, Milwaukee, South Carolina

☆ GOP lawmakers urge DOJ to probe Chinese IP theft from U.S. small businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Two top Republican congressmen on Thursday urged the Justice Department to investigate intellectual property theft from American small businesses by Chinese actors. "Ensuring the safety of American small businesses from IP-related crimes is crucial, and we urge the U.S. Department of Justice to utilize all tools and capabilities at its disposal," the lawmakers wrote. Gallagher is chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, while Williams chairs the House Committee on Small Business. Evidence of Chinese IP theft from U.S. businesses dates back several years. In 2019, 1 in 5 North American companies on the CNBC Global CFO Council reported IP theft from Chinese companies within the last year.

Persons: Mike Gallagher, Elise Stefanik, Steve Scalise, Wisconsin, Roger Williams of, General Merrick Garland, Gallagher, Williams, China — Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, Republican National Committee, Washington , D.C, WASHINGTON —, Justice Department, U.S . Department of Justice, Small, National Bureau, Asian, Commission, American Intellectual, U.S . Trade Representative, U.S, CNBC Global, CCP, DOJ's, Force, Intellectual, Fox Business, China, GOP Locations: Washington ,, WASHINGTON, Roger Williams of Texas

CNN —Miami GOP Mayor Francis Suarez has filed paperwork to run for president, according to new FEC filings, marking the long-shot candidate’s formal entry to the race. “Conservative mayor Francis Suarez chose a better path for Miami,” the video’s narrator says, highlighting his approach to crime and support for law enforcement. High-profile mayorPrior to his first election as mayor in 2017, Suarez served a Miami city commissioner for eight years. As mayor, Suarez has sought to bring a new era of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship to his city, including promoting industries such as cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. In 2020, Trump lost Hispanic-majority Miami-Dade County – the state’s most populous county, which includes the city of Miami – by 7 points.

Persons: Francis Suarez, Suarez, Ronald Reagan, ” Suarez, Florida’s, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, Asa Hutchinson, Chris Christie, Trump’s, Trump, “, ”, Xavier Suarez, Elon Musk, DeSantis, NewsNation, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Hillary Clinton, DeSantis coasted Organizations: CNN, Miami GOP, Ronald Reagan Presidential, Fox News, Reagan, US, of Mayors, Wednesday, White, “ Conservative, Republican, Florida Gov, United Nations, Tim Scott , North Dakota Gov, Arkansas Gov, New, New Jersey Gov, CBS, GOP, Republican National Committee, Twitter, Disney, Miami Herald, DeSantis, Democratic, Miami, Dade, Miami –, Fox Locations: Simi Valley , California, Cuban, Miami, Florida, Palm Beach, South Carolina, Tim Scott , North, Arkansas, New Jersey, Milwaukee, Central Florida, “, Dade County, Osceola, Orlando, Puerto Rican

Trump has long accused it and the U.S. Justice Department of being out to get him. Trump's closest rival for the nomination, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, decried the "weaponization" of federal bureaucracy after Trump's indictment. Haley said Trump had acted recklessly, although she also said the FBI and Justice Department had "lost all credibility with the American people." None of the Republican president campaigns responded to requests for comment about their criticism of federal law enforcement and calls for an overhaul. A spokesman for the Justice Department, which oversees the FBI, declined to comment.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Kyle Kondik, University of Virginia Center for Politics . Trump, Trump's, Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Clinton, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Biden, Christopher Wray, Timothy Naftali, Naftali, Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson, Nikki Haley, Haley, Bill Bowen, Bowen, Tim Reid, Nathan Layne, Gram Slattery, Ross Colvin, Alistair Bell Organizations: Republicans, Republican, Trump, U.S . Justice Department of, University of Virginia Center for Politics ., Reuters, White, FBI, Justice Department, Democratic, Department, New, South Carolina, Republican National Committee, U.S . Capitol, Thomson Locations: Russia, Florida, New Jersey, Arkansas, Portsmouth , New Hampshire

☆ Michigan GOP to change 2024 nomination process, may boost Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] Kristina Karamo, a candidate for the Michigan Republican Party's state party chair, speaks to delegates ahead of their vote on the key party leadership position, in Lansing, Michigan, U.S., February 18, 2023. That could serve as an advantage for Trump given his popularity among local party officials, some Republicans and political experts said. Michigan Republicans have been weighing changes to its delegate-selection process after the Democratic Party, which controls the state legislature, moved forward its primary to Feb. 27. Kristina Karamo, chairwoman of the Michigan Republican party, said on Saturday that the hybrid primary and caucus plan was aimed at avoiding a penalty from the RNC. "If Trump is really strong in Michigan he may sail to the nomination."

Persons: Kristina Karamo, Nathan Layne, Donald Trump, Trump, Michael Schostak, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, Tim Scott, Chris LaCivita, DeSantis, LaCivita, Karamo, Elaine Kamarck, William Mallard Organizations: Michigan Republican, REUTERS, Republican, Republican National Committee, Trump, Michigan Republicans, Democratic Party, RNC, Republicans, Twitter, Brookings Institution, Thomson Locations: Lansing , Michigan, U.S, Michigan, Grand Rapids, Michigan's, Florida

☆ Michigan Republicans to change 2024 nomination process, may boost Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] Kristina Karamo, a candidate for the Michigan Republican Party's state party chair, speaks to delegates ahead of their vote on the key party leadership position, in Lansing, Michigan, U.S., February 18, 2023. That could serve as an advantage for Trump given his popularity among local party officials, some Republicans and political experts said. "Those Republicans supporting someone other than Trump are not well represented among the current precinct delegates and state committee." Michigan Republicans have been weighing changes to its delegate-selection process after the Democratic Party, which controls the state legislature, moved forward its primary to Feb. 27. Kristina Karamo, chairwoman of the Michigan Republican party, said on Saturday that the hybrid primary and caucus plan was aimed at avoiding a penalty from the RNC.

☆ DeSantis Campaign Uses Apparently Fake Images to Attack Trump on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Nicholas Nehamas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In turn, Mr. DeSantis’s camp suggested the images were obviously fake, comparing them to memes circulated by Mr. Trump and his allies. But those images — which included a video of Mr. DeSantis in a woman’s suit adapted from “The Office” and a “recording” of a conversation between Mr. DeSantis, Adolf Hitler and the Devil — were clearly intended to be humorous and easy to discern as doctored. Who knows?” The image, which appeared to be photoshopped, had earlier been posted by Mr. Trump on his Truth Social website. “This is the big information security problem of the 21st century,” said Matthew Stamm, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Drexel University who reviewed the images of Mr. Trump and Dr. Fauci and strongly doubted their authenticity. Unlike Mr. DeSantis’s video, the R.N.C.

Persons: DeSantis’s, Trump, DeSantis, Adolf Hitler, Christina Pushaw, ”, Matthew Stamm, Fauci, Biden Organizations: Mr, Twitter, Republican, Drexel University, Republican National Committee Locations: China, Taiwan

The video does not disclose any potential AI use and the DeSantis campaign did not respond to a question about whether the images were fake or whether AI was used to create them. A person with knowledge of the DeSantis campaign operation said the Trump side had been "continuously posting fake images and false talking points to smear the governor." The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Drexel professor Stamm's forensics analysis tool suggests the images were made using an AI model called a diffusion model, which underpin popular AI image generation products like DALL-E and Stability AI. "At some point the AI systems will be outputting images that have no differences from real images," said James O'Brien, a professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley.

Persons: Donald Trump, Russell Cheyne, Anthony Fauci, Trump, Fauci, Ron DeSantis, Matthew Stamm, Hany Farid, DeSantis, Drexel, Biden, James O'Brien, Alexandra Ulmer, Anna Tong, Seana Davis, Rosalba O'Brien, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S, Republican, Aberdeen International Airport, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Republican White, Twitter, Trump, Drexel University, University of California, Republican National Committee, RNC, Thomson Locations: Aberdeen, Scotland, Britain, Florida, Berkeley, U.S, China, Taiwan, San Francisco

☆ Strict polling requirements from the RNC wiped out most of the GOP primary field before they could even declare
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Walt Hickey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The RNC set a number of benchmarks a campaign needs to hit to make the August 23 debate. Candidates must poll at 1% or higher in three polls with over 800 likely Republican voters. Not many polls have over 800 likely Republican voters, so that'll be harder to hit than some expect. That's a high bar for some campaigns in the increasingly busy bottom of the race, but that's not even the number that's going to screw them. Chris Christie, Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and Doug Burgum will all in the GOP primary by the end of the week.

Persons: —, That's, that's, Gallup, Chris Christie, Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Doug Burgum, Wade Vandervort, Andrew Caballero, Getty, Scott Olson, Stephen Yang, Nate Cohn, FiveThirtyEight's Nathaniel Rakich, Geoffrey Skelley, Nikki Haley, South, Tim Scott, Sen, Jim DeMint, Ehrhardt, Trump, DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy — Organizations: RNC, Republican, Service, Republican National Committee, Republicans, Morning, New York Times, GOP, South Carolina, AP, North Dakota Gov Locations: Iowa, New Hampshire , Nevada, South Carolina, FiveThirtyEight, Columbia

☆ Poll: GOP Sen. Tim Scott utterly botched his presidential campaign rollout
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Walt Hickey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

GOP Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina declared he's running for president. Morning Consult polling found that more Republicans heard nothing about the launch than heard positive things about it. In the week following the announcement, just 38% of GOP primary voters heard something positive about the candidate. By comparison, Morning Consult found that 47% of GOP primary voters heard something positive about former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley after her launch, while 51% of voters heard something positive about former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov.

Persons: Sen, Tim Scott of, —, Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Scott, Nikki Haley, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, he's Organizations: Service, GOP, Florida Gov, Republican National Locations: Tim Scott of South Carolina, Carolina

☆ Chuck Todd will depart NBC's 'Meet the Press'; Kristen Welker to become host
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Daniel Arkin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"Meet the Press" host and moderator Chuck Todd announced on Sunday that he will step down this year after nine years hosting the public affairs talk show. "'Meet the Press' has sustained its historic role as the indispensable news program on Sunday mornings," Blumenstein and Budoff Brown said. She is the second woman — following its inaugural host, Martha Rountree — and the first Black journalist to moderate "Meet the Press." Todd — the 12th moderator of "Meet the Press" and a five-time Emmy-winning journalist — saw himself as a custodian of the show. Welker has regularly filled in for Todd on "Meet the Press."

Persons: Chuck Todd, Kristen Welker, It's, Todd, I've, we've, Rebecca Blumenstein, Carrie Budoff Brown, Budoff Brown, Welker, Tim Russert, Martha Rountree —, Barack Obama's, Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway, Sean Spicer, Conway, Spicer, Trump, Todd —, —, I'm, She's, Joe Biden, David Gregory, Chuck Organizations: NBC News, White House, NBC, Press, America, U.S, Capitol, Trump, GOP, Republican National, MSNBC, White, The, CNBC, Comcast Locations: America, Washington

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