Marjorie Greene

Former President Trump is deep in his dark MAGA era as he delivers an unorthodox closing message in an unprecedented election cycle.Yes, but: While Democrats hammer Trump on his recent vulgar and sometimes violent rhetoric, House Speaker Mike Johnson brushed the comments aside Sunday as typical hyperbole.Here's what you may have missed when newsmakers hit the airwaves this Sunday, October 20.1. Johnson: Trump's crude comment just rally "fun" House Speaker Mike Johnson discusses Trump's crude joke about Arnold Palmer in an Oct. 20 interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union."House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and CNN's Jake Tapper clashed Sunday over Trump's recent eyebrow-raising comments.The big picture: Earlier in the campaign cycle, some Republicans urged Trump to stick to the script. But now, they're brushing aside questions about his rhetoric, saying political dialogue should be about policy — even when the former president is speaking publicly about a golf pro's genitalia.The GOP nominee opened his rally Saturday with a long story about famed athlete Arnold Palmer while campaigning in the town where the legendary golfer was born."Arnold Palmer was all man, and I say that in all due respect to women," Trump said. "This is a guy that was all man.""When he took the showers with other pros, they came out of there. They said, 'Oh my God. That's unbelievable,'" Trump continued.Zoom out: Trump also stirred controversy this week when he characterized Democrats as the "enemy from within" and suggested using the military on Election Day should there be chaos.Later in the week, he doubled down, naming both Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and "the Pelosis" when discussing the "enemy," calling the couple "so sick" and "evil."What he's saying: Johnson first contended that the race "shouldn't be about personalities" and instead be focused on policy.But pressed on Trump's crude words and concerns about his mental acuity, Johnson dismissed apprehension about the former president's stamina, pointing to his lengthy rally speeches. On Trump's off-color story, Johnson said, "He has fun at the rallies; he says things that are off-the-cuff."Johnson also argued Trump's threats against the "enemy" were not directed at his political opponents but rather at "marauding gangs of dangerous, violent people," to which Tapper replied with a clip of Trump naming Schiff and the Pelosis when discussing "the enemy from within."His dismissal sparked a fiery exchange between the two, with Tapper saying, "If a Democratic presidential candidate said that you and your wife were evil, and that the military should be used against you, I would say that's disgusting."The Louisiana Republican again argued Trump was not talking about using the National Guard and the military against Democrats but rather to "keep the peace in our streets." Johnson painted Trump as the "most attack, maligned political figure in U.S. history" and contended voters are willing "to give a little on his ... social media posts and some fun language he uses at rallies."Zoom out: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), who endorsed former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley over Trump before she suspended her campaign, told ABC's Martha Raddatz Sunday that while he doesn't "like the profanity" or the "personal attacks," the former president's jabs won't "move the dial.""It's an outrageous statement by Donald Trump — OK, must be a Friday night, right? It's just par for the course," he said, arguing the Harris campaign's efforts to highlight Trump's rhetoric will not sway swing state voters.2. Georgia official denies voter fraud claims Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger speaks during an appearance on CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Oct. 20.With just over two weeks until Election Day, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger denied that there is voter fraud in the state after an incident with a voting machine surfaced last week on social media.Driving the news: Raffensperger confirmed on "Face the Nation" that Whitfield County experienced an issue with a ballot but said user error was to blame."The lady thought she had pressed a certain, you know, selection, and then when she printed out the ballot ... she saw that, and so then she made them aware of it, and it got corrected," he said.Raffensperger cautioned that the situation was "blown out of proportion" by "people that like to use, you know, Twitter and other forms of social media."Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who represents Whitfield County, was among those who shared the story on X.Zoom out: Raffensperger also threw cold water on comments made Saturday by Trump. The former president claimed that it will take at least seven days to calculate results since paper ballots will be used in the election.The Georgia Secretary of State confirmed that all of the state's ballots will be cast via paper, but around 75% of the results will be delivered by 8 pm ET on election night."We will be waiting for is the overseas ballots that come in no later than Friday, and so those will then be the final numbers. And we'll just see if that makes the difference in the total vote totals," he said.Between the lines: Over 1.3 million votes have been cast in Georgia ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5. Those numbers are a state record.North Carolina also set an in-person early voting record on Thursday with over 350,000 ballots cast.3. Musk voter giveaway should be investigated: Shapiro Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks with NBC's Kristen Welker during an Oct. 20 interview on "Meet the Press."Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a former attorney general, called tech mogul Elon Musk's pledge to give money to registered swing state voters who sign a conservative-leaning petition "deeply concerning."Catch up quick: Musk announced Saturday that his super PAC would award $1 million daily to a signee of the petition for the "First and Second Amendments."Musk made his announcement at a town hall in Pennsylvania, where he gave a check to a rally attendee.Earlier this month, Musk said that for each swing state voter an individual refers, that person gets $47. For Pennsylvania voters, the offer grew to $100 this week.Driving the news: "I think there are real questions with how he is spending money in this race, how the dark money is flowing not just into Pennsylvania but apparently now into the pockets of Pennsylvanians," Shapiro said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."Pressed on whether the financial incentive could be illegal, Shapiro replied, "I think it's something that law enforcement could take a look at."Zoom out: Musk gave nearly $75 million in three months to his pro-Trump America PAC, per FEC filings released earlier this month.The world's richest man, who once said he would not donate to campaigns, has funneled tens of millions into re-electing the former president and has become a vocal surrogate for the MAGA movement.More from Axios' Sunday coverage:Lindsey Graham to Republicans backing Harris: "What the hell are you doing?"How Israel decimated Hamas and Hezbollah leadership in three monthsHarris turns 60: How her age compares to past presidents

The following is a transcript of an interview with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that aired on Oct. 20, 2024.

In a tight race, Trump desperately needs all the votes he can get, and if getting them means lying to and further harming victims in this unfortunate corner of a key swing state, he seems to be deplorably fine with that.

Letter writers endorse Virginia Beach City Council member Rosemary Wilson for reelection, urge voters to elect former President Donald Trump for president, and discuss MAGA.

The voting machine company reached a record-breaking settlement last year after suing Fox News for falsely claiming its machines were fraudulent.

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas graced the stage of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Tuesday night. Crockett was named the national co-chair for the Harris-Walz presidential campaign in August, only weeks after she gave a moving speech at the Democratic National Convention. "You know, when you sign up for public service, you expect that you're going to go in and hopefully effectuate the policies that you are elected to actually go and, you know, help the people,” Crockett said when asked if her first year in Congress had met her expectations. “And then you end up in random fights with random people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, and you're thinking, 'Am I back in high school or elementary?' Like you're really wondering, like, ‘what am I doing here?’”

Crockett has seen a national rise in her first term following her heated exchange with Greene and speaking at the Democratic National Convention.

Voters in a ring of congressional districts encircling New York City where Republican candidates often do well but Donald Trump struggled in 2020 could decide which party controls the U.S. House for the next two years

A second Donald Trump presidency would usher in a new type of class warfare — empowering populists to steamroll mainstream experts on issues such as climate change, economics and public health.Why it matters: This year's devastating hurricane season has exposed the perils of Trump's war on climate experts, who have long warned that human-caused global warming is exacerbating extreme weather.Through warming ocean and air temperatures, climate change makes hurricanes like Helene and Milton more destructive — and more likely to rapidly intensify all the way through landfall.The catastrophic back-to-back storms tore through the Southeast just weeks after climate scientists reported Earth's hottest summer on record.Zoom in: Trump, who is potentially 23 days from winning back the White House, has sought to weaponize the Biden administration's hurricane response while still downplaying the existence of climate change.He's called climate change a "hoax" and a "scam," railed against President Biden's clean energy policies, and urged Big Oil executives to fund his campaign in exchange for him slashing fossil fuel regulations."Remember when they used to say 'global warming?' They don't say that anymore. They say 'climate change' because the planet's actually getting cooler," Trump falsely claimed at a rally last month.Flashback: As president, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement and publicly disavowed a landmark climate report by his own government — a preview of how he's likely to treat climate experts in a second term. Trump also stunned his advisers by suggesting that national security officials explore the use of nuclear bombs to stop hurricanes from hitting the U.S., as Axios scooped in 2019.The big picture: The MAGA movement's crusade against experts has become fundamental to its anti-establishment identity.Take Trump's populist trade policies: Mainstream economists overwhelmingly oppose his plans for massive tariffs. But the disaffected MAGA base considers that criticism a badge of honor."You say trust the experts, but those same experts for 40 years said that if we shipped our manufacturing base off to China, we'd get cheaper goods," Sen. JD Vance said during last week's VP debate. "They lied about that."Between the lines: Anti-expert sentiment exploded in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a crisis in which many Americans felt betrayed by health authorities they once trusted.29% of U.S. adults in 2021 expressed a great deal of confidence in medical scientists to act in the best interests of the public, down from 40% in November 2020, according to Pew Research Center.Vaccine skepticism is especially partisan: Just 52% of Republicans believe the COVID vaccine is "very" or "somewhat" safe, compared to 91% of Democrats, according to a Politico/Morning Consult poll last year.Trump has seized on that phenomenon, forging an unusual alliance with anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. grounded in their supporters' mutual distrust of public health experts.What to watch: By reflexively rejecting expert opinions, some pro-Trump Republicans have left themselves vulnerable to conspiracy theories.Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), for example, ignited a feud among House Republicans this week by claiming that the government can control the weather.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shot down that conspiracy theory at a press conference Thursday, but then drew a false equivalence to climate change."This is on both sides," DeSantis claimed. "You have some people think government can do this, and others think it's all because of fossil fuels. ... It is hurricane season, you are going to have tropical weather."

With less than four weeks until Nov. 5, the inundation of election news — and more importantly non-news — is at a fever pitch.

Editorial cartoon Dave Whamond draws the wild theories of Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Trump and his supporters are serving up conspiracy theories as historic storms batter the Southeast. People have a civic duty to halt their harmful spread.

The Georgia legislator has previously promoted conspiracy theories, including how space lasers caused a forest fire in California and the QAnon movement.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia-based conspiracy theorist who moonlights as a congresswoman, was at it again on Thursday, posting this semi-cryptic message on X: “Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”The “Jewish space laser” aficionado’s claim about a nebulous “they” controlling the weather came only a few hours after she posted a map purporting to show the damage that Hurricane Helene wrought on predominantly conservative voting areas. Not that it needs saying, but Democratic-leaning areas were ravaged too. As the Associated Press noted on Sept. 30 regarding just one area, “Asheville, [North Carolina,] which was devastated by the storm, is solidly Democratic, as is much of Buncombe County, which surrounds it.”As of Friday afternoon, Helene has claimed over 200 lives.

The Georgia Republican previously attributed wildfires to space lasers

State Sen. Kevin Corbin calls out “conspiracy theory junk” about unburied bodies and FEMA stealing money.

Right-wingers have long promoted wild theories about weather control, and Greene, a Donald Trump ally, gave them a big boost.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Thursday night wrote a cryptic tweet about unnamed persons being able to manipulate the weather -- and it drew instant ridicule."Yes they can control the weather," Greene posted just after 11 p.m. ET. "It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done."Greene did not elaborate on the ways that "they" can control the weather, or even explain who "they" are.But given her history of promoting conspiracy theories, including when she infamously hypothesized that the Rothschild family was using space lasers to start forest fires in California, many of her followers were quick to pounce with mockery.ALSO READ: Dems fear Mike Johnson has laid the groundwork for a nightmare scenario on Jan. 6, 2025"This is so offensive and untrue," joked comedian and actor Patton Oswalt. "Mel Brooks, please send a thunderstorm to wreck her house.""If this were true 'they' would’ve dropped a house on her already," observed author Dan Savage."This is a member of the Congress of the United States," marveled Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA). "For real. No joke."Former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA) expressed a similar sentiment."This person is in Congress," he wrote. "This ignorance, this lunacy, is why we have a government teetering and lurching. Her stupidity is a disease. She’s not alone either."Anti-Trump attorney George Conway picked up on anti-Semitic currents in Greene's post."Your point is what?" he asked. "That Moses parted the Red Sea? Are you saying he had a space laser?"And Trump biographer Tim O'Brien mocked Greene by reminding her of former President Donald Trump's mishaps in responding to natural disasters."Of course. With a Sharpie or by nuking hurricanes. 'They' should just do that," he joked. — (@) — (@) — (@)

Democratic congressional candidate Trisha Calvarese launched a TV and digital campaign Thursday, slamming Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert for opposing veterans health care legislation in an ad featuring the widow of the soldier the bill was named for.

Now, lawmakers from one of the most chaotic and unproductive legislative sessions in modern times are trying to persuade voters to keep them on the job.

Trump Media & Technology Group Corp (NASDAQ:DJT) stock, which prices Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s moves has continued upward momentum since Friday.Last week, Trump met Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky in Trump Tower, and the latter agreed to share details of his “victory plan” with the former.Both of them expressed their solidarity over an end to the war that Russia initiated with its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the BBC reports.Also Read: Marjorie Taylor Greene Stays Loyal To Trump, Keeps DJT Stock, Buys Into Warren Buffett’s Berkshire In Latest TradesZelensky ...Full story available on Benzinga.com

The far-right conspiracy theorist's "MAN OF THE PEOPLE" post drew ire online.

The bill, introduced on Sept. 22, sprinted through both chambers of Congress on Sept. 25.

Republican Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana offered up a mealy-mouthed nonapology on Thursday for posting a deeply racist diatribe against Haitian people on his social media account. Reporters followed him to an elevator at the Capitol, where one of them asked Higgins whether or not he “believed those things” he wrote about Haitians in a Wednesday post on X. “Those things” included claiming that Haitian people participate in “eating pets,” practice “vudu,” and come from the “nastiest country in the western hemisphere” before demanding that “All these thugs better get their mind right and their ass out of our country before January 20th.” Higgins claimed he was talking about “Haitian gangs” before saying he listened to the concerns of one congressional “colleague from Florida” and having “prayed about it, but just a few seconds,” he then took the post down.“And I hadn’t even seen it,” Higgins added. “At that point I hadn’t even seen the post. I have still not seen it. Never saw it when it was up, never saw it since it’s been down. I don’t even have Twitter on my phone, ya understand.”

Congress has kept the government’s lights on. But by failing to do much more, it carved its own niche in history.

Majorie Taylor Greene disclosed new stock transactions this week, which come as public efforts to ban members of Congress from trading continue to grow over potential conflicts of interest.Here are the latest trades by the Republican House member from Georgia.What Happened: Greene has increased her frequency of trading disclosures in recent months with several large batches of stock purchases announced recently after a two-year hiatus of disclosures.On Sept. 23, Greene disclosed her latest transactions, as reported by Benzinga's Government Trades page.Here are the stocks Greene bought, with each one disclosed as a value of $1,000 to $15,000:Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)Berkshire Hathaway B (NYSE:BRK)Blackstone Inc (NYSE:BX)Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH)CrowdStrike Holdings (NASDAQ:CRWD)Intel Corp (NASDAQ:Full story available on Benzinga.com

On Sept. 13th, Eugene Mattecheck Jr. in a (letter to the editor) said Harris is co-opting Trump's popular policies. Name one? And yes, Eugene, as you said, stupidity did show up at the debate. A few years back Trump said...

This is the final part of a three-part series looking at how various factors in the presidential race could lead to Kamala Harris winning big this year. You can find the first and second parts here.

Billions of dollars allocated for Ukraine will expire at the end of the month if Congress does not act, according to a warning from the Biden administration.

'Failing to close our southern border'

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in Emancipation Hall in the Capitol on Wednesday.

Elon Musk and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Wednesday both took to X to decry a rumor that an explosive device was discovered near the Long Island site where former President Trump is set to hold a rally Wednesday night.Why it matters: The rumor surfaced just days after Trump was targeted in an apparent second assassination attempt and further underscored the security concerns that have permeated the 2024 presidential race.However, the rumor of a bomb threat ultimately turned out to be false.State of play: The rumor circulated among conservative outlets on Wednesday morning.Reporter James Lalino wrote on X that an explosive device had been found in a vehicle along the perimeter area where the Trump rally is slated to take place. The "driver ended up running into the woods," he added.Outlets like the Daily Mail and X account Amuse also picked up the story.Zoom in: "Wow," Musk wrote on X while reposting a story about the bomb threat."THEY WILL NOT STOP UNTIL THEY KILL TRUMP!" Greene posted on X alongside a screenshot of the Daily Mail's bomb threat story.The big picture: Nassau County Police Department Commissioner Patrick Ryder confirmed in a statement Wednesday that "reports of explosives being found at the site are unfounded."An individual who might have been training a bomb detection dog at the site "falsely reported explosives being found," Ryder added. Police detained that person for questioning.Representatives for X and Greene did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.Go deeper: "We live in danger times": Secret Service after Trump apparent assassination attempt

History is full of instances where a popular delusion has caused immense harm. Often the mechanism is some unjustified attitude, prejudice or personal attachment, fanned into a flame by ambitious self-interest and accepted and acted upon by a public too busy or unwilling to consider the matter and its claimed justification fully. Maybe a little “patriotism and intelligence” are in order.

Perhaps our best defense is to use education to inoculate the public from the mutating threat of disinformation.

"It’s finally occurred to the Democrats that Trump and the Republicans are bullies and cowards who will fold"

Tensions are running high again within the House GOP as Speaker Mike Johnson pushes ahead with a vote on his government funding plan that some Republicans oppose.

House members in both parties are perplexed about House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) decision to revive a short-term government funding bill that he pulled last week.House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), asked if he has any sense of why Johnson is reviving the bill, told Axios, "I have no idea."Why it matters: Even some Republicans are questioning Johnson's strategic decision-making, with some warning that his decision to hold a vote on the measure could actually hurt him in the long run."I don't know how he thinks it's going to pass ... where are the votes coming from?" said Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas).Another House Republican, speaking on the condition of anonymity, called Johnson's plan "puzzling" and predicted that it will frustrate some GOP lawmakers.Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, told reporters: "There's an old saying in Arkansas that you don't learn nothing the second time you get kicked in the head by a mule."Driving the news: The House is set to vote Wednesday on a six-month government funding bill that includes the SAVE Act – legislation to require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.Johnson pulled a vote on the same bill last week in the face of mounting Republican opposition.Several right-wing Republicans who opposed the measure – including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) and Cory Mills (R-Fla.) — told Axios on Tuesday that they remain opposed.Johnson said Tuesday that "Congress has an immediate obligation to ... fund the federal government and ensure the security of our elections," saying he is putting up the bill again because "we owe this to our constituents."Zoom in: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) told reporters that he had flipped some GOP "no" votes.But Nehls told Axios the bill's right-wing opponents are "dug in."What they're saying: Some Republicans worry that continuing to try to pass a bill that is doomed in the Senate anyway may backfire on House Republicans.The Republican who spoke anonymously said that members who vote for the bill Tuesday may not support the "clean," three-month funding bill that lawmakers widely expect the House will ultimately vote on to avert a government shutdown."You may lose more Republicans at the end when you really need them ... because you know this is going to fail," they said.Said Womack: "If you're fighting a losing battle, then I think you do have to go to a Plan B, and I really don't know what that is."The other side: House Democratic leadership spent part of their Tuesday meeting trying to understand Johnson's strategy, according to one senior House Democrat."The speculation [is] that it has to fail before he can do anything else," the lawmaker said.Another topic that was discussed: The possibility of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) getting started on a funding measure rather than waiting for the House, a strategy that several top House Democrats told Axios they would support."If he has a vehicle and the votes, I'd encourage him to move ahead," said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), a leadership member.

She thinks 9/11 was an "inside job," drops racist and homophobic bombs and has been denounced by the hard right of her Republican Party -- and now she's flying around the country with Donald Trump.Meet Laura Loomer, the latest fringe figure to set up in the presidential candidate's inner circle, and who has managed to shock even Trump's most extreme allies as he seeks to reclaim the White House.Loomer, a 31-year-old social media influencer and provocateur, has managed to squeeze into Trump's entourage as he is struggling to win over the independents and moderates needed to prevail in November's election against Kamala Harris, a race that is coming down to the wire.But instead of opening the Republican Party as a big tent, Trump appears to have cozied up to a self-declared Islamophobe who spews toxic remarks about gay and transgender Americans, and insists his bogus debate claims of Haitian migrants eating pet dogs resonated with voters concerned about immigration.Asked Friday about her incendiary posts and conspiracy theories, Trump -- a voracious consumer of social media who has previously amplified Loomer's posts on his own account -- shrugged them off, telling reporters in California: "I don't know that much about it."Trump declined to criticize Loomer, instead hailing her as a "free spirit" supporter with "strong opinions."Trump has spent time with Loomer despite her being booted from multiple social media platforms. Last year a clip posted by Loomer shows Trump sitting with her at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey and praising her as "a very opinionated lady."The controversy mushroomed this week.On Wednesday the ebullient Loomer flew on Trump's plane and was seen alongside him at a ceremony commemorating the 9/11 attacks anniversary in New York. The day before, she was backstage at the Republican flagbearer's debate against Harris in Philadelphia.Earlier in the week Loomer alarmed some of the billionaire's main backers when she told her 1.3 million X followers that if Harris, whose mother was Indian, wins the election, "the White House will smell like curry."- 'Extremely racist' -It proved to be too much for several Republicans in Trump's orbit, including some who themselves are known for their aggressive provocations."This is appalling and extremely racist," responded congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right firebrand, adding such commentary "does not represent who we are as Republicans or MAGA."Republican US Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, one of the election's critical swing states, launched a blistering salvo against Loomer, calling her "a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans.""A (Democratic) plant couldn't do a better job than she is doing to hurt President Trump's chances of winning re-election," he posted on X. "Enough."She has also faced backlash from Republicans in Florida, the state where Trump resides, and where she twice ran unsuccessfully for Congress.Loomer, who has been a guest at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, clapped back Friday with a slew of insults against Greene, and said haters from within her party are "simply jealous that they were not on the plane with President Trump."The self-styled "investigative journalist" is accused by her many detractors of being racist, homophobic, and Islamophobic. Her outrageous outbursts, like those of her mentor 47 years her senior, send social media platforms into a frenzy.She has called Islam a "cancer," and claimed President Joe Biden was somehow behind the assassination attempt that nearly killed Trump in July.The White House weighed in Thursday to say no leader should associate with someone who spreads "this kind of racist poison."Anthony Scaramucci, very briefly Trump's White House communications director in 2017, believes Loomer has supplied the candidate with some of his most vitriolic messages."She's lighting matches into his mouth," he told CNN.Despite repeatedly bragging about his toughness against world leaders, Trump has made no effort to tamp down Loomer's extremism."Laura has to say what she wants," Trump said Friday. "I can't tell Laura what to do."

Kamala Harris appealed to moderate voters Friday in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania, reiterating that she is a firearm owner who wants to preserve Americans' gun rights while maintaining "reasonable" gun safety laws.The US vice president gave her first solo sit-down interview since she became the Democratic nominee to a local news station in Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, where analysts believe her race for the White House against Republican Donald Trump could hinge."We're not taking anybody's guns away. I support the Second Amendment (of the US Constitution) and I support reasonable gun safety laws," Harris told ABC affiliate WPVI.Guns rights have been a contentious issue in American politics for decades. Meanwhile Trump has riled up supporters on the campaign trail by saying Harris wants to "confiscate your guns."Harris in the interview cited her raw experience as a prosecutor and how it brought her intimately close to the victims of gun violence."I have personally prosecuted homicide cases," she said. "I have personally looked at autopsies. I have personally seen what assault weapons do to the human body."And so I feel very strongly that it is consistent with the Second Amendment and your right to own a gun to also say we need an assault weapons ban. They're literally tools of war."Polls show most Republicans are opposed to a ban on semi-automatic rifles, known by some as assault weapons, including popular AR-15 style rifles that have been used in many mass shootings.But Harris said she also backs more popular policies including universal background checks on gun purchasers. "The majority of NRA members support that," she said, referring to the powerful lobbying group, the National Rifle Association.The 59-year-old White House hopeful surprised many during this week's debate with Trump when she identified herself and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, as gun owners.She reiterated that again during her 11-minute interview on Friday, while also repeating her campaign pitch of unity and a new direction for the country."Most Americans want a leader who brings us together as Americans, and not someone who professes to be a leader who is trying to have us point our fingers at each other," she said, referring to Trump."I think people are exhausted with that to be honest."© Agence France-Presse

A "Marxist" and a "radical" who wants to "destroy" America: as Democrats rally around the candidacy of Kamala Harris, Republicans have begun employing significantly more negative and aggressive rhetoric than they had against Joe Biden.An AFP analysis of the language used in nearly 120 hours of televised speeches and remarks by both parties' candidates and their surrogates, from May 1 to September 1, reveals the strategies Republicans have adopted to undermine the Democratic candidate's credibility.After dismissing President Biden as "crooked," "bad" and "sleepy," Trump and his supporters now mock Harris as a "border czar," for what they say is her badly failed work in curbing undocumented migration to the United States.That nickname has popped up 80 times in rallies -- once every 14 times the former California senator's name is mentioned.Republicans have repeatedly accused Harris of an "open border" policy, which they say allows "millions of illegal aliens" to flood into the country.The negative rhetoric is much more prominent now -- 30 percent more -- than it was against Biden before he dropped out of the race on July 21. Trump supporters appearing on television associate her with negative words like "crime," "destroy," "suffer" and "bad."At the same time, Democrats have been using much more positive, enthusiastic language since Harris succeeded Biden as the Democrats' flag-bearer, with words like "freedom," "joy," "win" and "care" being used 30 percent more often on talk shows and 70 percent more in rallies.- 'Radical left' -Trump and his surrogates have portrayed Harris as far more radical than Biden, applying the labels "left" and "radical" to her twice as often as they did to him.And since July 21, their use of the term "liberal" in describing Harris has exploded -- used eight times more in rallies and six times more in talk shows -- while adjectives like "socialist" and "Marxist," rarely applied to Biden, have become commonplace in Republicans' vocabulary.In the United States, the "Red Scare" -- fear of subversion by far-left elements, including immigrants -- hit its peak in the early 1950s. But years after the Cold War ended, any hint of communist sympathies remains anathema among US politicians.This, presumably, was behind Trump finally settling on "Comrade Kamala" as his favored nickname for his Democratic rival -- he has used that term at least 30 times in his rallies.Through the entirety of Republican remarks analyzed by AFP, "Comrade" and the name of the vice president represent the seventh-most common pairing of words.The two words most frequently linked, not surprisingly, are "Biden" and "Harris," as Republicans seek to leverage Biden's unpopularity -- even after he dropped out of the race. The president's name comes up every five or six times that Harris is mentioned.By comparison, Democrats are only half as likely to link the names of Biden and their new candidate.They describe Harris with words including "leader" and "ready" -- ready to be president, that is.Also among the top 20 terms used to describe her are "fight," "freedom" and "believe" -- reflecting the renewed sense of hope that her rapid ascension has brought to many Democrats.

Analyst Judi James told Daily Express US Donald Trump showed signs of "body bristling" when asked about Laura Loomer, amid concerns from Republican allies over her influence on the Republican campaign.

RANCHO PALOS VERDES — Donald Trump refused on Friday to condemn recent racist and conspiratorial comments from right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer, who traveled with him earlier this week to Tuesday night’s presidential debate and several 9/11 memorial events. “Laura’s been a supporter of mine,” Trump told reporters at a press conference near Los Angeles, where [...]The post Trump Refuses to Criticize Laura Loomer Amid Concerns From Republican Allies About Her Influence appeared first on GV Wire.

Loomer, a conservative commentator, attended an anniversary ceremony with Trump at Ground Zero and posted about a 9/11 conspiracy theory days later.

The former president refused on Friday to weigh in on recent racist and conspiratorial comments from the right-wing provocateur who traveled with him earlier this week to the debate and several 9/11 memorial events.

Donald Trump’s call for mandating free access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) has puzzled congressional Republicans, drawing a mix of skepticism and opposition.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., conducts a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center after a House Republican Conference meeting on Tuesday.

Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) opening bid to avert a government shutdown appears doomed to fail in the House this week amid widespread — and growing — Republican opposition, thwarting the top lawmaker’s hopes of the proposal squeezing Democrats in both chambers. At least six GOP lawmakers announced that they will vote against Johnson’s plan — [...]

Trump’s remarks escalated existing claims by conservatives that educators are “grooming” or “indoctrinating” children to become gay or transgender.