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Republican allies of Donald J. Trump are calling for revenge prosecutions and other retaliatory measures against Democrats in response to his felony conviction in New York. Within hours of a jury finding Mr. Trump guilty last week, the anger congealed into demands for action. leaders in and out of government have demanded that elected Republicans use every available instrument of power against Democrats, including targeted investigations and prosecutions. What is different now is the range of Republicans who are saying retaliation is necessary and who are no longer cloaking their intent with euphemisms. Mr. Miller posed a series of questions to Republicans at every level, including local district attorneys.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, Stephen Miller, Miller Organizations: Republicans, Democrats, Fox News Locations: New York

☆ As Hunter Biden Stands Trial, a Republican Noise Machine Goes Silent
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For nearly four years, Republicans have delved into the darkest corners of Hunter Biden’s life, seeking to tie his troubles to his father, President Biden. But as the younger Biden stands trial in Delaware on gun charges, the case’s glaring political contradictions have rendered the G.O.P. It stands to reason: The baseless claim that the Biden Justice Department is running a political persecution of Mr. Trump is somewhat undermined by the department’s prosecution of the president’s son. So beyond the professional provocateurs in Washington and the right-wing media, Republicans have decided to say as little as possible. “I wouldn’t read too much into a lot of people not talking about it right now,” cautioned Representative Kelly Armstrong, Republican of North Dakota, and a leader of the House investigation of Hunter Biden.

Persons: Hunter, Biden, Donald J, Trump, Hunter Biden, ”, Kelly Armstrong, “ There’s Organizations: Republicans, Biden Justice Department, Republican Locations: Delaware, Washington, North Dakota

☆ House Votes to Impose Sanctions on I.C.C. Officials Over Israel Prosecution
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Robert Jimison | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The House voted mostly along party lines on Tuesday to impose sweeping sanctions on officials at the International Criminal Court in a rebuke of efforts by the court’s top prosecutor to charge top Israeli leaders with war crimes in connection with the offensive against Hamas. The bill would compel President Biden to restrict entry into the United States, revoke visas and impose financial restrictions on anyone at the court involved in trying to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute “protected persons,” or allies of the United States. It would also target anyone who provides “financial, material or technological support” to those efforts. Mr. Biden’s advisers said he was “strongly opposed” to the measure because it would impose sanctions on such a broad swath of officials, including court staff members and any witnesses involved in a potential case. The G.O.P.-written bill passed by a vote of 247 to 155, with two Republicans voting present and 42 Democrats crossing party lines in support.

Persons: Biden, “, ” Organizations: Criminal, Hamas Locations: United States, Washington

☆ A Japanese billionaire canceled his trip to the moon on a SpaceX rocket after too many delays
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Lauren Edmonds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewJapanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has canceled his star-studded trip to the moon aboard a rocket designed by Elon Musk's company, SpaceX. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. A dearMoon representative confirmed the cancellation in a statement to Business Insider. Maezawa announced the eight people who would fly aboard the space vehicle in a YouTube video in December 2022. AdvertisementThe billionaire previously traveled to space in December 2021 during a 12-day trip to the International Space Station.

Persons: —, Yusaku Maezawa, Elon, dearMoon, Maezawa, YOSHIKAZU TSUNO, Steve Aoki, Dev Joshi, Musk Organizations: Service, SpaceX, Business, International Space, Russian Soyuz, Milken Institute Global Conference Locations: Russian

☆ Opinion | ‘Trump Is Now a Felon, and That Will Matter’: 7 Writers on the Guilty Verdict
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( New York Times Opinion | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Welcome to Opinion’s coverage of the guilty verdict in the Manhattan trial of Donald Trump. It is hard to imagine that he was helped, in any way, by his constant attacks on judge, jury and the trial itself. voters to Trump, helping him win a third consecutive Republican nomination. And when Trump concealed the nature of the payments, the prosecution could easily make the case — at least to a jury — that he must have known that the payments were legally problematic. Trial outcomes are often dictated by the side that can create the most coherent narrative, and the prosecution’s theory of the case was easy for the jury to grasp.

Persons: Donald Trump, Donald Trump —, Matthew Continetti, Alvin Bragg, Trump, G.O.P, Bragg, David French, Daniels Organizations: Trump, Republican, Trumpism Locations: Manhattan

☆ Trump’s Conviction Binds the G.O.P. Even Closer to Him
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Shane Goldmacher | Luke Broadwater | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A day after Donald J. Trump’s conviction, it quickly became clear that Republicans across the country would not run away from his newfound status as a felon. They would, instead, run on it. But their ready-made outrage was not just about lining up behind the nominee. It was also about basking in the energy of a party base that remains as adhered to Mr. Trump as ever. “The base has never been more motivated,” said Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas, Mr. Trump’s former doctor in the White House and a close ally.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, —, ”, Ronny Jackson of, Trump’s Organizations: Republican, White Locations: York, Ronny Jackson of Texas

☆ Opinion | Election Security, Trump-Style
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Katherine Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

building — are dedicated to one cause: election integrity.”She was sitting between her husband, Eric, and Jason Simmons, who is the new North Carolina G.O.P. “Election integrity,” in Donald Trump’s telling, tends to be about the past; party co-chairs like Ms. Trump usually talk about the present. The three sat onstage, motionless, as Mr. Trump talked about the border, then eventually, came to North Carolina. Theoretically, that Mr. Trump won while a Democrat won the governorship offers the best proof of all that the election was not stolen. But perhaps because to concede his own success in one place would render his failure elsewhere unbearable, Mr. Trump must instead believe that fraud took place there as well, and that Michael Whatley defeated it.

Persons: Lara Trump, Eric, Jason Simmons, Donald Trump’s, Trump, “, Michael Whatley Organizations: Republican National Committee, North Carolina G.O.P, Democrat Locations: North Carolina, Greensboro, N.C, Pennsylvania, Georgia

The Republican allies of former President Donald J. Trump wasted no time in blasting the guilty verdict returned by a New York jury on Thursday and in imploring him to appeal, repeatedly turning to words like “travesty” to describe the moment. Top Republicans on Capitol Hill tried to one-up one another in demonstrating who could defend Mr. Trump, who was convicted of all 34 felony counts in the hush-money case, and condemn the verdict in the most strident terms. Speaker Mike Johnson, who was among the cavalcade of Trump supporters who showed up outside Mr. Trump’s trial in a show of loyalty, called the verdict a “shameful day in American history.”“Democrats cheered as they convicted the leader of the opposing party on ridiculous charges,” he said. “This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one.”

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Mike Johnson, Trump’s, ” Organizations: Republican, New, Republicans, Capitol, Mr Locations: New York

☆ Opinion | Justices’ ‘Disturbing’ Ruling in South Carolina Gerrymandering Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “In Top Court, G.O.P. Prevails on Voting Map” (front page, May 24):The action of the conservative wing of the Supreme Court, anchoring the 6-to-3 decision to allow the South Carolina Legislature to go forward with redistricting plans that clearly marginalize African American representation in the state — and after a meticulous review by an appellate court to preclude the plan — is disturbing. The persistent erosion of voting rights and apparent denial that racism is still part of the fabric of American society are troubling. This particular ruling cries out for the need to expand court membership. Raymond ColemanPotomac, Md.

Persons: concocting, ”, Ozzie, Harriet ”, —, Raymond Coleman Potomac Organizations: South Carolina Legislature Locations: Md

☆ The Anti-Trump Republicans Worried About the Biden Campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Jess Bidgood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Earlier this week, a couple of former Republican members of Congress sent an email to dozens of fellow G.O.P. retirees with a clear and urgent subject line. “Join the Republicans for Biden,” it said. “PLEASE.”The email invited the former lawmakers to a virtual meeting next week with members of President Biden’s campaign team — a meeting that, for many of them, would be their first official interaction with Biden’s re-election campaign since it kicked off last year. Some recipients were quick to offer their help.

Persons: Biden, ”, “, Biden’s, didn’t, he’s, Chris Shays Organizations: Trump, Republican Locations: Connecticut

Since the constitutional right to abortion was taken away in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in 2022, Democratic spending on abortion-related ads has jumped. Line chart showing the percentage of television ad spending devoted to abortion from 2018 to 2024. Democratic spending jumped up to around one-third in 2022 after the Dobbs ruling and has stayed high. In the first four months of this year alone, 48 percent of Democratic ad spending on broadcast networks in Pennsylvania centered on abortion. Democrats are seizing the moment, devoting two-thirds of their ad spending to abortion there.

Persons: Roe, Wade, Dobbs, Emily Holzknecht, Adam Westbrook, Trump, overperformed, —, N.M, Andy Beshear’s, Daniel Cameron’s, Mr, Biden Organizations: Democratic, Republican, Republicans, Jackson, Health Organization, Democrats, Republicans Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, Supreme Court, Data, Pew Research, Ore ., Nev . Ohio Ill, Conn . Iowa Pa, Ind, Del . Utah Colo, Religion Research Locations: Dobbs v, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, . Arizona, . Maine, Mont, Minn . Vt, Ore, Ore . Idaho, Wis, N.Y, S.D . Mich, R.I, Wyo, Conn . Iowa Pa . N.J, Nev . Ohio, Del . Ind . Utah Md, Colo, W.Va . Va . Calif, Kan, Mo, Ky, N.C, Tenn, Okla, ., N.M . Miss ., Ala . Texas, Fla . Alaska Hawaii, Conn . Iowa, Neb . N.J, Del . Utah, W.Va . Md . Va . Calif, United States, Nevada , Arizona , Montana , Colorado, South Dakota , Nebraska , Missouri , Arkansas, Florida , New York, Maryland, Nevada , Arizona , Wisconsin , Michigan, Kentucky, Gaza, Ukraine

☆ Opinion | Nikki Haley’s Path Back to Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “Haley Will Vote for Trump, but Withheld Endorsement” (news article, May 23):Nikki Haley adds her name to the ever-growing list of prominent Republicans who at one time or another have been on record as being highly critical of Donald Trump, including questioning his fitness for office, and have changed their tune. What stands out about Ms. Haley, and which makes her cravenness all the more disheartening, is that she presented herself as a serious, thoughtful candidate, one who had no illusions about the myriad dangers that Mr. Trump poses to the country. Her ultimately falling in line with so many of her fellow sycophantic Republicans to support Mr. Trump, a man whom I suspect many of them loathe in private, speaks volumes about how the G.O.P. has been utterly co-opted in a manner that places political expediency and, in the case of potential vice-presidential candidates such as Ms. Haley, personal ambition over principle and respect for the rule of law. To the Editor:Years into America’s flirtation with fascism, it would be easy to roll your eyes and ask yourself, “What did you expect?” at Nikki Haley’s announcement that she will vote for Donald Trump this year.

Persons: “ Haley Will, Nikki Haley, Donald Trump, Haley, Trump, Mark Godes Chelsea, Nikki Haley’s Organizations: Trump, Republicans

☆ Schumer Plans Vote on Contraception Access, Teeing Up a Campaign Issue
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, plans next month to fast-track a Senate vote on a bill to protect access to contraception nationwide, the start of an election-year push to highlight Republicans’ record of opposing reproductive rights that voters view as at risk of being stripped away. The Right to Contraception Act is expected to be blocked in the closely divided Senate, where most Republicans are against it. But a vote on the bill is a crucial plank of Democrats’ strategy as they seek to protect their majority in the Senate, in part by forcing G.O.P. Access to contraception is a constitutional right regarded by many voters as possibly the next to go after the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, vetoed legislation to protect access to contraception.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Roe, Wade, Glenn Youngkin Organizations: Gov, Republican Locations: New York, Virginia

☆ House G.O.P. Moves to Crack Down on Noncitizen Voting, Sowing False Narrative
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Luke Broadwater | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Republicans are using their majority in Congress to reinforce former President Donald J. Trump’s false claims of widespread illegal voting by noncitizens, sowing the seeds of an effort to delegitimize the outcome of the 2024 election if Mr. Trump loses by pushing legislation that purports to crack down on a problem that barely exists. House Republicans have introduced a series of bills to take aim at voting by noncitizens, which is already a felony in federal elections, where those who study the issue say it almost never occurs. This week, they are planning to push through a bill that would roll back a District of Columbia law allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections, which they contend is needed to prevent Democrats from expanding the practice to other jurisdictions. And Republicans are advancing another measure that would require states to obtain proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when registering a person to vote. The legislation has virtually no chance of becoming law, but it serves to amplify one of Mr. Trump’s favorite pre-emptive claims of election fraud.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, noncitizens, Trump’s Organizations: Republicans, noncitizens, Columbia Locations: United States

☆ Senate to Vote Again on Border Deal as Democrats Seek Political Edge
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Luke Broadwater | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, plans to push forward this week with a second vote on a bipartisan border enforcement bill that Senate Republicans killed earlier this year at the urging of former President Donald J. Trump. The measure is almost certain to be blocked again, but Democrats hope to use the failed vote to sharpen an election-year contrast with the G.O.P. on a critical issue that polls show is a major potential liability for President Biden and their candidates. Democrats will aim to neutralize the issue by showing voters that they and Mr. Biden have tried to get migration at the U.S. border with Mexico under control, but have been thwarted repeatedly by Republicans following the lead of Mr. Trump. “On cue, many of our Republican colleagues abruptly reversed course on their prior support, announcing their newfound opposition to the bipartisan proposal.”

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Donald J, Trump, Biden, “, Mr, Schumer, ” Organizations: Republicans, Republican Locations: New York, U.S, Mexico

☆ Opinion | When ‘Stop the Steal’ Becomes Your Motto
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Jamelle Bouie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There is a good chance that Donald Trump’s polling lead in the 2024 presidential election is more fragile than it looks. The most immediate problem for him is the fact that he’s on trial in a criminal case. There is also the issue of the campaign itself, which is a smaller affair than his 2020 effort, with fewer resources. Trump could very well hold his lead through the summer and into the fall but still fail to turn stated preferences into actual votes. What looks solid in the numbers could turn out to be ephemeral in the final tallies.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, G.O.P, ” Organizations: Trump, Republican National Committee, Washington Post Locations: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan

☆ Lawmakers Make End Run Around Speaker Johnson on Disaster Bill
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The success of the tactic underscores how tenuous a hold Republicans have on the House given their minuscule majority, and how divisions within the G.O.P. have fueled the emergence of a bipartisan coalition determined to get things done amid the dysfunction. In this case, Democrats and Republicans are attempting an end run around Speaker Mike Johnson to force a vote on legislation that would provide tax relief to victims of disasters around the country. The effort succeeded through a combination of backing from conservative Republicans from states hit hard by disasters and Democrats once again flexing their muscle in the narrowly divided House. It is just the latest example of how, during the chaotic congressional session, the House has deviated from the traditional procedural norms.

Persons: Mike Johnson Organizations: Republicans

☆ In Symbolic Vote, House Passes Bill to Force Biden to Reverse Israel Arms Pause
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The House on Thursday passed a bill that would rebuke President Biden for pausing an arms shipment to Israel and compel his administration to quickly deliver those weapons, in a largely symbolic vote engineered by the G.O.P. to spotlight the left’s divisions over Israel’s conduct of its offensive against Hamas. White House officials said the president would veto it, and Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said it was “not going anywhere” in the Senate. But it had its intended effect of splintering Democrats: 16 of them joined Republicans in favor of legislation that condemned their own president’s administration. The bill effectively forced Democrats to choose between a vote that would show unequivocal backing for Israel but embarrass Mr. Biden, and one that Republicans portrayed as anti-Israel.

Persons: Biden, Chuck Schumer, “, Mr Organizations: Hamas, White Locations: Israel, New York

Derek Arthur andGovernor Ron DeSantis of Florida recently signed a bill that bans both the production and the sale of lab-grown meat. In this audio essay, the columnist Paul Krugman argues that DeSantis’s actions represent a window into the modern Republican Party, a party in which “politics is about displaying what kind of person you are and what your allegiance is, as opposed to actually getting policies that work in place.”(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)

Persons: Derek Arthur, Ron DeSantis, Paul Krugman Organizations: Republican Party Locations: Florida

☆ Cohen, Bannon, Manafort & Giuliani Sure Ain’t Trump’s Law Firm - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Michelle Cottle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Have you all noticed the Republican stars and wannabes showing up at Donald Trump’s trial? For its part, Team Trump may just be happy to have some respectable, unindicted players on Mr. Trump’s side. OK, Mr. Paxton doesn’t strictly meet those criteria, but you get my point. And of the many sordid ways Mr. Trump sets himself apart, his crew of henchmen is a doozy. Michael Cohen deserves top billing with his juicy court appearances this week, as Mr. Trump’s former fixer shared the nitty-gritty of how to keep your boss’s alleged extramarital encounters from blowing up a presidential campaign.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Mike Johnson, J.D, Vance, Rick Scott, Doug Burgum, Ken Paxton, Vivek Ramaswamy …, Paxton doesn’t, Trump, underscoring, we’d, Michael Cohen, Trump’s, Steve Bannon, Rudy Giuliani, Paul Manafort Organizations: Republican, Team Trump, Trump, fixer Locations: North Dakota, Texas, Trump II

☆ How Has Trump Changed the G.O.P.? His Criminal-Trial Guest List Tells the Tale.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Shane Goldmacher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Republican Party has changed a lot since Donald J. Trump last spent this much time at Trump Tower. Stuck in New York City four days a week during his criminal trial, Mr. Trump is now back in the same 66th-floor penthouse suite where he weathered so many scandals during his 2016 presidential run. Back then, Mr. Trump was the Republican nominee, but still very much a party outsider. After the “Access Hollywood” video broke in October 2016 and he was heard bragging about grabbing women’s genitals, he spent the weekend in Trump Tower watching defections. Mr. Vance began his day at Trump Tower and then went inside the courthouse on the same day that some of the “Access Hollywood” episode was recounted and a secret recording played in which Mr. Trump discussed payoffs to bury harmful stories.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, J.D, Vance of, Vance Organizations: Republican Party, Trump, New York City, Republican, Trump Tower Locations: New York, Vance of Ohio

☆ Maryland U.S. Senate Primary Election Results
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Larry Hogan, a former two-term Maryland governor and an unabashed G.O.P. critic of Donald J. Trump, is the favorite in a crowded Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Benjamin L. Cardin, a longtime Democratic incumbent. In the Democratic primary, Angela Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive, is facing Rep. David Trone, a third-term congressman and owner of Total Wine & More, an alcohol retailer.

Persons: Larry Hogan, Donald J, Trump, Benjamin L, Cardin, Angela Alsobrooks, Prince George’s, David Trone Organizations: Republican, U.S, Senate, Democratic Locations: Maryland, Prince George’s County

☆ Opinion | Is There a Post-Religious Right?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

My one-liner “captured a widely shared assumption” that Trump’s rise signaled “the birth of an irreligious right animated by white racial grievance,” he wrote. The old religious right may have suffered a fatal blow in 2016. But what succeeded it was not a post-religious racialist party, as some feared and others hoped. was preparing to establish white supremacy now are more likely to denounce its ambitions as “Christian nationalist.” Whatever else one makes of this charge, it implies an acknowledgment that a post-religious right has failed to materialize. But when Schmitz says a post-religious right has “failed to materialize” I have to strongly disagree.

Persons: Donald Trump, Matthew Schmitz, “, ”, that’s, Schmitz, Mitt Romney, Republican pollster Patrick Ruffini, Vance, George W, Bush, Trump, Norman Vincent Peale Organizations: Republican, Trump, Christian, Republican Party Locations: American, Ohio

☆ Ted Cruz, Better Known For Derailing Bills, Tries on a New Hat: Legislator
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Kayla Guo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senator Ted Cruz is rebranding — at least for now. But for the first time this week, Mr. Cruz, now the senior Republican on the Commerce Committee, embraced a wholly unfamiliar role: managing a major piece of legislation on the Senate floor. It came as Mr. Cruz, who is running for re-election in November, is trying to moderate his reputation in Texas and present himself as capable of bipartisanship. That involved protecting the package from the sort of legislative and procedural bombs he has lobbed proudly throughout his career. “I will admit that I’ve had a couple of chuckles about it,” Senator Susan Collins of Maine, the top Republican on the Appropriations Committee, said with a smile.

Persons: Ted Cruz, Cruz, “, I’ve, Susan Collins of Organizations: Texas Republican, Affordable, Republican, Commerce, Federal Aviation Administration Locations: Texas, Susan Collins of Maine

☆ Fresh Off Defeat in Speaker Fight, Greene Is ‘Thrilled’ With the Chaos She Wrought
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As Republicans and Democrats booed her loudly Wednesday when she called a snap vote on the House floor to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, paused briefly to narrate the drama to viewers back home. “This is the uniparty, for the American people watching,” Ms. Greene sneered, peering over her glasses at her colleagues like a disappointed schoolteacher. Ms. Greene went on to take her shot at Mr. Johnson and miss, an outcome that she knew was a certainty. The move buoyed Mr. Johnson, confirming his status as the leader of an unlikely bipartisan governing coalition in the House that Ms. Greene considers the ultimate enemy. And it isolated Ms. Greene on Capitol Hill, putting her back where she was when she arrived in Washington three years ago: a provocateur and subject of derision who appears to revel in causing huge headaches for her colleagues.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ms, Greene sneered, Greene, Johnson, revel Organizations: Democrats, Republican, Republicans, Capitol Locations: Georgia, Washington

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