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☆ DeSantis is calling up Republican lawmakers in his state to try to stop them endorsing Trump, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

DeSantis aides have called Florida lawmakers to try stop them endorsing Trump, NBC News reported. They asked lawmakers to delay endorsements, after four state lawmakers backed Trump. Ron DeSantis have been calling other lawmakers in the state to try and stop them endorsing former President Donald Trump for the 2024 presidency, NBC News reported. DeSantis' team have contacted at least six members of Florida's congressional delegation, sources close to four of those members told NBC News. Insider has contacted DeSantis' office for comment.

☆ Steve Bannon, who has ties to an indicted Chinese billionaire, says Elon Musk's 'paymasters' are Beijing and the Chinese Communist Party
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Steve Bannon accused Elon Musk of having "paymasters" in Beijing. This isn't the first time Bannon has accused Musk of having links to the Chinese Communist Party. This isn't the first time Bannon has — without substantiation or evidence — accused Musk of serving the Chinese government. Elon Musk's ties with ChinaMusk has spared no effort to create business ties with China. Steve Bannon has been linked to China, tooMeanwhile, Bannon has long been associated with the indicted Chinese billionaire, Miles Guo Wengui.

☆ Here are all of the Republican elected officials backing Trump's 2024 campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Michael Burgess — the Texas congressman endorsed Trump in March after being named to the former president's campaign's Texas leadership team. Eli Crane — the Arizona freshman tweeted his support for Trump's 2024 bid the night of his announcement. Barry Moore — the Alabama congressman endorsed Trump in a radio interview in December, citing the former president's "experience level." 3 House Republican endorsed Trump days before his widely expected 2024 announcement in November. Roger Williams — the Texas congressman endorsed Trump in March after being named to the former president's campaign's Texas leadership team.

PALM BEACH, Florida, April 4 (Reuters) - A subdued former President Donald Trump lashed out on Tuesday at New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg for bringing criminal charges against him and declared himself the victim of election interference without offering evidence. "I never thought anything like this could happen in America," Trump told supporters gathered at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump accused Manhattan District Attorney Bragg of being out to get him "before he knew anything about me." "Trump should not be held above the law - if he does something wrong he should be held liable like anybody else. Reporting by Nathan Layne and Rich McKay in Palm Beach; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

REUTERS/Ricardo ArduengoPALM BEACH, Florida, April 4 (Reuters) - A subdued former President Donald Trump lashed out on Tuesday at New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg for bringing criminal charges against him and declared himself the victim of election interference without offering evidence. "I never thought anything like this could happen in America," Trump told supporters gathered at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump accused Manhattan District Attorney Bragg of being out to get him "before he knew anything about me." "Trump should not be held above the law - if he does something wrong he should be held liable like anybody else. Reporting by Nathan Layne and Rich McKay in Palm Beach; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ There was little love in New York for Trump, but at home at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, the MAGA faithful rallied around him
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Aditi Bharade | Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump delivered a defiant speech in Mar-a-Lago after his arraignment in New York on Tuesday. Trump allies like Roger Stone, Mike Lindell, Kari Lake, and Marjorie Taylor Greene were there. GOP lawmakers like Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made it down to Mar-a-Lago to cheer Trump on. Greene — who earlier on Tuesday gave a short 10-minute speech at a mini pro-Trump protest in New York — tweeted about the Mar-a-Lago event. Trump on Tuesday was arrested in New York, and later in a Manhattan courtroom pleaded not guilty to 34 low-level felony charges.

☆ Trump rallies supporters in campaign-style speech after first-ever arraignment of an ex-president: 'The only crime that I've committed is to fiercely defend our nation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"The only crime that I've committed is to fiercely defend our nation," he added. "The only crime that I've committed is to fiercely defend our nation," Trump said, addressing each of the pending investigations against him, in addition to the charges brought in New York. The rambling, 27-minute speech, Trump called the charges against him "a persecution, not an investigation" and evidence the country "is going to hell," adding that the charges should be dropped immediately. The arraignment on Tuesday "solidified" a Trump win in 2024, MyPillow CEO and Trump ally Mike Lindell told Insider ahead of the Mar-a-Lago speech. He accused the Manhattan DA of having political motivations because Trump didn't "go away" after the 2020 election.

☆ Trump's GOP allies rally to his defense, blasting indictment as a 'catastrophic escalation' and a 'politically motivated prosecution'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Trump on Thursday. "A majority of Americans know Alvin Bragg's witch hunt is a politically motivated prosecution," Gaetz continued, referring to the Manhattan district attorney. "I continue to stand with President Trump as he has always stood with us." The Manhattan grand jury has been investigating Trump's connection to a $130,000 payment made to Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. The criminal charges come as Trump pursues a 2024 presidential campaign and is widely considered the GOP frontrunner.

☆ US House Republicans face unity test with major energy bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on its first major legislation of the year on Thursday, a partisan energy bill that poses an early test of unity for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's majority. The 175-page measure, dubbed the Lower Energy Costs Act, represents a top 2022 Republican campaign pledge to lower Americans' energy costs by scaling back Democratic President Joe Biden's climate policies and increasing oil and gas production through deregulation. 1 - House Resolution One, is the most important bill to this Congress," Republican Representative August Pfluger of Texas told reporters. Both Republicans and Democrats are keen to pass legislation that streamlines permitting for energy projects, but the disagreement over the House bill reflects gaping divisions over how to do that. "It does absolutely nothing to lower energy costs for American families.

☆ Matt Gaetz's legislative aide is a convicted war criminal who murdered an Afghan civilian and dumped his body in a latrine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Sonam Sheth | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A legislative aide who works for GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz is a convicted war criminal, The Intercept reported. The aide, Derrick Miller, spent eight years in prison after murdering an Afghan civilian, the report said. Gaetz's office defended its decision to hire Miller, saying he was "wrongfully convicted." According to The Intercept, Miller shot Mohammed in September 2010. The Florida congressman also repeatedly criticized the war in Afghanistan before President Joe Biden withdrew US troops in 2021.

☆ Biden pushes for Republican proposal in U.S. debt-ceiling standoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Biden urged the top congressional Republican to spell out his proposals before lawmakers leave Washington for a two-week recess set to start on Thursday. McCarthy told CNBC earlier that he was prepared to lay out $4 trillion in spending cuts for Biden, if he would agree to meet. Republicans have not yet produced a budget plan of their own and could be weeks or months away from doing so. McCarthy's proposals, though lacking detail, paralleled the demands of hard-right House Republicans far more closely than ideas put forward by moderate Republicans. Republicans have sought to blame Biden, but only Congress has the authority to raise the debt ceiling.

☆ Trump's Waco rally fans take his word as gospel and can't fathom voting for anyone else: 'Whatever he says is just golden for me'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"All the solutions we need are strictly Donald J. Trump," one diehard fan told Insider. "I"m just waiting for Trump," the Waco resident, who declined to give his last name, told Insider. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida mingles with MAGA supporters during former US President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas. Nguyen Adams, who said she wouldn't call herself a full-fledged Trump supporter, told Insider she was there mainly out of curiosity. The world is not safe," Edy told Insider, adding that she's worried that America is being taken over by communists and freedom-hating domestic terrorists.

☆ Staring down a possible indictment, Trump holds a rally in Waco. A Texas newspaper said the choice isn't a dog whistle but an 'air horn' to far-right groups.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Thirty years ago, federal agents seized the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. Trump's scheduled rally in Waco falls in the middle of the anniversary of the months-long standoff. The New York Times reported that Trump's visit to Waco falls on the 30-year anniversary of the Branch Davidian siege. Although no indictment has been announced, Trump has continued to rally his supporters and make allusions to violence. Trump supporters like Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Matt Gaetz of Florida as well as conservative pundits like Dan Bongino have spoken out in support of Trump.

Trump issued a siren call for his supporters to "protest" and "take our nation back" on Saturday. WE MUST SAVE AMERICA!PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!" Trump's lawyers and advisors said they have no indication that the former president will be arrested Tuesday. "President Trump is basing this on press reports," his lawyer, Susan Necheles, told Insider. "Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump," McCarthy tweeted.

An Insider review found that his company has sold to foreign governments, including a $228 million dollar contract. What Mills didn't advertise was Pacem's munitions contracts with foreign governments. The company's chief legal officer Joseph Schmitz said all of Pacem's foreign munitions sales are approved by the Department of State. Mills's influence over American military spending while having ties to a munitions company poses the potential for conflicts of interest, an ethics watchdog said. In Congress, Mills sits on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees, which oversee military spending and foreign weapons sales.

☆ After Ron Desantis got testy over a reporter’s question about Ukraine, he told Tucker Carlson the war should not be a US priority, moving closer to Trump’s position
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Hannah Getahun | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ron DeSantis has previously avoided taking a hard stance on the US's Ukraine policy. On Monday, DeSantis said in a statement the Ukraine war is not of "vital national interest." The US has since provided Ukraine with billions of dollars of military aid, which has had bipartisan support. For Biden and his European allies, support for Ukraine is framed as a vital part of protecting the sovereignty of the country. Prominent House Republicans Rep. Mike McCaul and Rep. Mike Turner have even called on Biden to increase existing support for Ukraine.

☆ Investors implore the government to step in after Silicon Valley Bank failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Matt Rosoff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Big names in Silicon Valley and the finance sector are calling publicly for the federal government to push another bank to assume Silicon Valley Bank's assets and obligations after the financial institution failed on Friday. But the vast majority of SVB's customers were businesses that had more than that on deposit at the bank. As of December, more than 95% of the bank's deposits were uninsured, according to regulatory filings. Investors are concerned that these failures could reduce confidence in the banking sector, particularly mid-sized banks with under $250 billion in deposits. "This was a hysteria-induced bank run caused by VCs," Ryan Falvey, a fintech investor at Restive Ventures, told CNBC on Friday.

Reps. Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene have both inadvertently slammed the Trump administration in recent weeks. Greene falsely blamed the Biden administration for fentanyl deaths that happened while Trump was in office. MAGA-faithful Reps. Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene have both inadvertently slammed the Trump administration in recent weeks while trying to take shots at President Joe Biden. Rep. Matt Gaetz, meanwhile, got schooled for unknowingly basing a critique of Biden's policies on a Communist newspaper. Gaetz tried to recover, pressing Kahl to "just tell me if the allegation is true or false."

☆ House GOP adds January 6 investigation to its oversight blitz, vowing to avoid any 'particular political narrative'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

House Republicans have launched their first January 6-centric investigation of the 118th Congress. Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk is spearheading the latest oversight project. Loudermilk said he's interested in "following the facts, not a particular political narrative." Two years after the devastating attack on Congress, Republicans have been swept back into January 6-related news cycles by converging House priorities. House Administration staff did not immediately respond to requests for comment on how many submissions have come in so far.

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene was one of 2 House Republicans to vote against mourning the 50,000 people killed in the Turkey-Syria earthquakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Marjorie Taylor Greene on Monday voted against mourning the 50,000 dead in the Turkey-Syria earthquake. Greene and her GOP colleague, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, were the two nays on a House resolution on the Turkey-Syria earthquakes. According to the bill's summary, the House resolution "mourns the loss of life" in Turkey and Syria after the quakes. Greene and Massie were the two nays in the roll call vote held on February 27. More than 50,000 people were killed after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria on February 6.

☆ Matt Gaetz unknowingly cites Chinese Communist newspaper during Ukraine military funding hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Matt Gaetz unknowingly cited from a Chinese propaganda outlet during a congressional hearing. Gaetz asked Colin Kahl, the US's undersecretary of defense for policy. Gaetz asked Kahl. "Is this the — I'm sorry, is this the Global Times from China?" Watch the exchange below:Asked for comment, a spokesman for Gaetz told Insider: "Congressman Gaetz wanted to ask if the report was true.

☆ Former Bush aide says Marjorie Taylor Greene has become so powerful in the GOP that she can't be dismissed as a fringe figure anymore
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Marjorie Taylor Greene is too powerful a figure to be overlooked, former Bush aide Peter Wehner wrote in an op-ed for the Atlantic. Wehner wrote that Greene is "giving voice" to a "growing sentiment" in the GOP. "The temptation of many people, eager to move past America's political freak show, will be to ignore her comments and dismiss her as an outcast, a fringe figure, deranged but isolated," Wehner wrote. Greene is "giving voice to a widespread and growing sentiment in the Republican Party," Wehner wrote. Marjorie Taylor Greene, GOP power playerRepublican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia boos President Joe Biden during the State of the Union Jim Watson/AFP/Getty ImagesGreene is known for her anti-trans rhetoric, track record of pushing outlandish, anti-Semitic messages, and her well-documented beliefs in QAnon conspiracy theories.

☆ GOP Rep. Andy Ogles claimed to fight international sex crimes and be an economic expert. Like George Santos, his real resume tells another story.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Katherine Long | Bryan Metzger | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) claims he's a real estate magnate, policy expert, and sex crime investigator. Ogles' business experience seems to be limited to owning two restaurants, a short-lived travel agency, and becoming licensed as an insurance agent. Ogles' supposed experience rescuing sex trafficking victims helped propel him into national headlines in his first week in Congress. During one debate during his campaign, Ogles described himself as "a former member of law enforcement" who worked "in international sex crimes, specifically child trafficking." Fighting international sex crimes and traffickingWhen discussing his support for a more militarized border with Mexico, Ogles has repeatedly referenced his involvement in combating human trafficking and working to fight international sex crimes.

☆ Republicans want to restore 'dignity' for millions of Americans on food stamps by cutting their benefits even more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Millions of Americans are about to see their allocation of food stamp benefits drop in March. For some Americans, especially older ones on fixed incomes, that means $258 will evaporate for their monthly food budgets. "Structural reforms to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will better position funding for people in need while incentivizing able-bodied people to return to the workforce," they wrote. "These incentives will prevent the condemnation of SNAP beneficiaries to a life of dependency; instead, incentives will restore their dignity." Democratic lawmakers are unlikely to be on board with the Republicans' proposal to cut benefits.

☆ Justice Department Drops Investigation of Rep. Matt Gaetz
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Sadie Gurman | Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department has ended its investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz without bringing charges against the congressman, drawing to a close a yearslong probe centered on whether the Florida Republican had inappropriate contact with a minor. Mr. Gaetz’s office said the Justice Department has “confirmed to Congressman Gaetz’s attorneys that their investigation has concluded and that he will not be charged with any crimes.”

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