Even as US former president Donald Trump gears up to announce his intentions to run for the 2024 presidential elections, several of his allies in the Republican National Committee have expressed concerns.

They fear that his announcement on Tuesday (today) at 9 pm (local time) could cost them the Georgia seat, where control of the Senate could be on the line in a runoff election next month.

It comes in the wake of lukewarm midterm elections results, which didn’t see a “red wave” as was predicted by the pollsters. Moreover, most of the candidates endorsed by Trump have lost badly.

Senate candidates in Pennsylvania, Dr Mehmet Oz, and New Hampshire, Don Bolduc, lost to their Democratic opponents, according to NBC News projections. While Trump-backed Republican Blake Masters trailed incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Kelly by almost 6 percentage points in the Arizona Senate race where Kelly is the projected winner.

According to CNBC analysis, Trump endorsed only six Republicans, of which five of them lost.

<h2>Donald Trump's white house bid sparking divisions among Republicans</h2>

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Some of the Republicans have openly urged the party to move on from Trump. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu (R), who won re-election on Tuesday, called the prospect of Trump running the 2024 elections so early a “silly decision.”&nbsp;

“He stands to potentially muck up the opportunity for [Herschel] Walker to win in Georgia in his runoff,” Sununu said in a SiriusXM interview on Friday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/republican-election-denier-kari-lake-has-lost-governors-race-in-arizona-msnbc-forecast-says-534195" hreflang="en">Election denier Kari Lake has lost governor's race in Arizona, reports suggest</a>

“I think what the former president doesn’t understand is if he announces … he’s not going to keep anyone out of the race,” he said.

“But no one else is going to announce until summer or fall for a whole variety of fundraising reasons and all of this. So it’s going to be a very awkward thing with only him in the race. No one’s going to really care. It’s just going to be weird.”&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/recent-statements-by-republicans-hint-they-might-deny-midterm-election-results-530731">Recent statements by Republicans hint they might deny midterm election results</a>

Alabama congressman and once-zealous Trump supporter, Mo Brooks, went as far as to say, “It would be a bad mistake for the Republicans to have&nbsp;Donald Trump&nbsp;as their nominee in 2024.”

Speaking to AL.com, Brooks, an Alabama congressman, added: “Donald Trump has proven himself to be dishonest, disloyal, incompetent, crude and a lot of other things that alienate so many independents and Republicans. Even a candidate who campaigns from his basement can beat him.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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Even as US former president Donald Trump gears up to announce his intentions to run for the 2024 presidential elections, several of his allies in the Republican National Committee have expressed concerns.

Even as US former president Donald Trump gears up to announce his intentions to run for the 2024 presidential elections, several of his allies in the Republican National Committee have expressed concerns. They fear that his announcement on Tuesday (today) at 9 pm (local time) could cost them the Georgia seat, where control of the Senate could be on the line in a runoff election next month. It comes in the wake of lukewarm midterm elections results, which didn’t see a “red wave” as was predicted by the pollsters. Moreover, most of the candidates endorsed by Trump have lost badly. Senate candidates in Pennsylvania, Dr Mehmet Oz, and New Hampshire, Don Bolduc, lost to their Democratic opponents, according to NBC News projections. While Trump-backed Republican Blake Masters trailed incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Kelly by almost 6 percentage points in the Arizona Senate race where Kelly is the projected winner. According to CNBC analysis, Trump endorsed only six Republicans, of which five of them lost. Donald Trump's white house bid sparking divisions among Republicans Some of the Republicans have openly urged the party to move on from Trump. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu (R), who won re-election on Tuesday, called the prospect of Trump running the 2024 elections so early a “silly decision.” “He stands to potentially muck up the opportunity for [Herschel] Walker to win in Georgia in his runoff,” Sununu said in a SiriusXM interview on Friday. Also read | Election denier Kari Lake has lost governor's race in Arizona, reports suggest “I think what the former president doesn’t understand is if he announces … he’s not going to keep anyone out of the race,” he said. “But no one else is going to announce until summer or fall for a whole variety of fundraising reasons and all of this. So it’s going to be a very awkward thing with only him in the race. No one’s going to really care. It’s just going to be weird.” Also read | Recent statements by Republicans hint they might deny midterm election results Alabama congressman and once-zealous Trump supporter, Mo Brooks, went as far as to say, “It would be a bad mistake for the Republicans to have Donald Trump as their nominee in 2024.” Speaking to AL.com, Brooks, an Alabama congressman, added: “Donald Trump has proven himself to be dishonest, disloyal, incompetent, crude and a lot of other things that alienate so many independents and Republicans. Even a candidate who campaigns from his basement can beat him.” (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

As Donald Trump readies to make 2024 prez announcement, several Republicans express concern

Former US President Donald Trump is expected to officially launch his White House campaign later today, even when Republicans asked him to step away from polls after Trump loyalists underperformed in midterms.

Donald Trump's white house bid sparking divisions among Republicans

US President Joe Biden expressed happiness after his Democrat party managed to hold the fort and retain the Senate, after a narrow victory. Speaking at a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders in Phnom Penh on Sunday, Biden said, "I know I'm coming in stronger," before adding, "I feel good and I'm looking forward to the next couple years.

US President Joe Biden expressed happiness after his Democrat party managed to hold the fort and retain the Senate, after a narrow victory. Speaking at a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders in Phnom Penh on Sunday, Biden said, "I know I'm coming in stronger," before adding, "I feel good and I'm looking forward to the next couple years." Prior to Sunday, it was believed that the race to the Senate will only be decided after the runoff election in Georgia, scheduled to take place next month. However, the final tally rolled in from Nevada where incumbent Democrat leader Catherine Cortez Masto beat Republican challenger Adam Laxalt, a former state attorney general and a Trump backer in a closely fought contest. Read more: Democrats retain control of US Senate after Cortez Masto wins Nevada: Reports Masto's win means that Democrats have reached the magical figure of 50 seats for an effective majority in the senate with one race still undecided. Even if Democrats and Republicans have 50 seats each, Democrats would have a majority considering Vice President Kamala Harris has the casting vote. The victory by Masto comes in the backdrop of Democrat Senator Mark Kelly's victory in Arizona, a day before. WATCH | Everything you need to know about the US midterm elections × The victory in Senate means that Biden will be able to confirm his choice of judicial nominees. The federal courts will now have Biden-backed judges while the US Supreme Court may also have such judges if one of the nine seats becomes vacant. Furthermore, a majority in the upper chamber means that Democrats will be able to pass the controversial bills, which otherwise would have required 60 votes. Read more: Democrat Senator Mark Kelly retains Arizona, party just a win short from majority: Reports (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

'I feel good. I know I'm coming in stronger', says Joe Biden after Democrats retain the Senate

Republicans and Democrats are in a tight race for control of the US Congress, as counting continues following the midterm elections.

US awaits verdict on midterm elections

Results are still being declared in the US mid-term elections, with control of Congress hanging in the balance. Republicans are likely to take control of the House of Representatives, but the Senate fight remains on a knife-edge.

US Midterm Elections 2022: Republicans and Democrats are neck to neck in senate race

Millions have voted in the crucial US midterm polls that could define America's future, early results have begun coming in. The Democrats have shown surprising strength in the midterm elections as results kicked in.

Democrats block the 'red wave'; US awaits verdict on midterm elections

Polls have started closing in high stakes US Midterm Elections as millions of Americans cast their vote that will shape the future of United States of America. Polls have started to close in some parts of Indiana and Kentucky. These polls are shaping up to be the most consequential in the nation's history.

US Midterm Elections: Big win for Republicans in Florida

US Midterm Elections: Neck-and-neck battle for US senate; Republicans retain Governor, Senate seats

In a few hours from now, the voting will start for the midterm elections in the United States. Democrats and Republicans are in their final stretch of campaigning. These polls will decide who will run the Congress. The results will set the tone for the next two years. Here's all you need to know about the midterm elections.

US Midterm Election 2022: 435 house seats, 35 senate seats up for grabs

Here's some advice for anyone following the US midterm elections on Nov. 8: Be ready for a long night and maybe days of waiting before it's clear whether Republicans or President Joe Biden's Democrats will control Congress.

All 435 seats in the US&nbsp;House of Representatives are up for grabs, as are 35 US Senate seats and 36 governorships.

Republicans would need to pick up five seats to take a majority in the House and just one to control the Senate. Nonpartisan election forecasters and polls suggest Republicans have a very strong chance of winning a House majority, with control of the Senate likely to be closer fought.

A massive wave of Republican support could lead to declarations of victory hours after polls close.

But with dozens of races expected to be close and key states like Pennsylvania already warning it could take days to count every ballot, experts say there's a good chance America goes to bed on election night without knowing who won.

"When it comes to knowing the results, we should move away from talking about Election Day and think instead about election week," said Nathan Gonzales, who publishes the nonpartisan newsletter Inside Elections.

The earliest vote tallies will be skewed by how quickly states count mail ballots.

Because Democrats vote by mail more often than Republicans, states that let officials get an early jump on counting mail ballots could report big Democratic leads early on that evaporate as vote counters work through piles of Republican-leaning ballots cast on election day.

In the&nbsp;"blue mirage" states — which include Florida and North Carolina — election officials are allowed to remove mail ballots from their envelopes before Election Day and load them in vote counting machines, allowing for speedy counting.

States including Pennsylvania and Wisconsin don't allow officials to open the envelopes until Election Day, leading to a possible "red mirage" in which Republican-leaning Election Day ballots are reported earlier, with many Democratic-leaning mail ballots counted later.

Experts like Joe Lenski, co-founder of Edison Research, which will be tracking hundreds of races on Nov. 8 and supplying Reuters and other media organizations with results, will keep an eye on the mix of different types of ballots each state is counting throughout the night.

"Blue mirage, red mirage, whatever. You just have to look at what types of votes are getting reported to know where you are in that state," said Lenski.

SO WHEN DO WE KNOW WHICH PARTY WON?

The first wave of vote tallies are expected on the East Coast between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET (0000-0100 GMT Wednesday, Nov. 9). An early indication of Republican success could come if the races expected to be close — like Virginia's 7th congressional district or a U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina — turn out to be Democratic routs.

By around 10 pm or 11 pm ET, when polls in the Midwest will be closed for an hour or more, it's possible Republicans will have enough momentum for experts at US media organizations to project control of the House, said Kyle Kondik, a political analyst at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.

If the fight for the House still looks close as vote tallies start coming in from the West Coast — where there could be more than a dozen tight House races — it could be days before control of the chamber is known, experts said.

California typically takes weeks to count all its ballots, in part because it counts ballots postmarked by Election Day even if they arrive days afterward. Nevada and Washington state also allow late ballots if postmarked by Nov. 8, slowing down the march to final results.

"If the House is really on the edge, that would matter," said Kondik.

It may take longer, perhaps weeks longer, to know which party will control the Senate, with close contests in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia likely to determine final control.

If Georgia's Senate race is as close as expected and no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a run-off election would be scheduled for Dec. 6, possibly leaving control of the chamber in limbo until then.

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

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Here's some advice for anyone following the US midterm elections on Nov. 8: Be ready for a long night and maybe days of waiting before it's clear whether Republicans or President Joe Biden's Democrats will control Congress.

Here's some advice for anyone following the US midterm elections on Nov. 8: Be ready for a long night and maybe days of waiting before it's clear whether Republicans or President Joe Biden's Democrats will control Congress. All 435 seats in the US House of Representatives are up for grabs, as are 35 US Senate seats and 36 governorships. Republicans would need to pick up five seats to take a majority in the House and just one to control the Senate. Nonpartisan election forecasters and polls suggest Republicans have a very strong chance of winning a House majority, with control of the Senate likely to be closer fought. A massive wave of Republican support could lead to declarations of victory hours after polls close. But with dozens of races expected to be close and key states like Pennsylvania already warning it could take days to count every ballot, experts say there's a good chance America goes to bed on election night without knowing who won. "When it comes to knowing the results, we should move away from talking about Election Day and think instead about election week," said Nathan Gonzales, who publishes the nonpartisan newsletter Inside Elections. The earliest vote tallies will be skewed by how quickly states count mail ballots. Because Democrats vote by mail more often than Republicans, states that let officials get an early jump on counting mail ballots could report big Democratic leads early on that evaporate as vote counters work through piles of Republican-leaning ballots cast on election day. In the "blue mirage" states — which include Florida and North Carolina — election officials are allowed to remove mail ballots from their envelopes before Election Day and load them in vote counting machines, allowing for speedy counting. States including Pennsylvania and Wisconsin don't allow officials to open the envelopes until Election Day, leading to a possible "red mirage" in which Republican-leaning Election Day ballots are reported earlier, with many Democratic-leaning mail ballots counted later. Experts like Joe Lenski, co-founder of Edison Research, which will be tracking hundreds of races on Nov. 8 and supplying Reuters and other media organizations with results, will keep an eye on the mix of different types of ballots each state is counting throughout the night. "Blue mirage, red mirage, whatever. You just have to look at what types of votes are getting reported to know where you are in that state," said Lenski. SO WHEN DO WE KNOW WHICH PARTY WON? The first wave of vote tallies are expected on the East Coast between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET (0000-0100 GMT Wednesday, Nov. 9). An early indication of Republican success could come if the races expected to be close — like Virginia's 7th congressional district or a U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina — turn out to be Democratic routs. By around 10 pm or 11 pm ET, when polls in the Midwest will be closed for an hour or more, it's possible Republicans will have enough momentum for experts at US media organizations to project control of the House, said Kyle Kondik, a political analyst at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. If the fight for the House still looks close as vote tallies start coming in from the West Coast — where there could be more than a dozen tight House races — it could be days before control of the chamber is known, experts said. California typically takes weeks to count all its ballots, in part because it counts ballots postmarked by Election Day even if they arrive days afterward. Nevada and Washington state also allow late ballots if postmarked by Nov. 8, slowing down the march to final results. "If the House is really on the edge, that would matter," said Kondik. It may take longer, perhaps weeks longer, to know which party will control the Senate, with close contests in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia likely to determine final control. If Georgia's Senate race is as close as expected and no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a run-off election would be scheduled for Dec. 6, possibly leaving control of the chamber in limbo until then. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

How long will it take to know who won in the US midterm elections?

US President Joe Biden said warned that it would be a threat to democracy if some Republican candidates refused to accept the results from next week's midterm elections if they lose.

US President Joe Biden warns future of democracy at risk as midterms loom

The upcoming American midterm elections are creating history; the good kind. For the first time, the elections have LGBTQ candidates running in all 50 US states and the capital Washington.

As per AFP, the monumental milestone comes as the LGBTQ community has become an increasingly significant voting constituency. Analysts predict that the surge in transgender and gay voters might redraw the electoral landscape over the next generation, "nudging the conservative US heartland in a more liberal direction."

Watch |&nbsp;US Midterms 2022: Democrats and Republicans vying for control of Senate

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Currently, the community represents around 10 per cent of American voters, however, as per an October report by a lobby group in collaboration with&nbsp;Bowling Green State University, Ohio, the number will by the end of this decade rise to one in seven or 14-plus per cent.

"Bigots want us to stay home and stay quiet, but their attacks are backfiring and instead have motivated a new wave of LGBTQ leaders to run for office," says Annise Parker, head of the LGBTQ Victory Fund and former Houston mayor.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-midterm-elections-biden-targets-desantis-marco-rubio-during-campaign-rally-in-florida-530463" hreflang="en">US midterm elections: Biden targets DeSantis, Marco Rubio during campaign rally in Florida</a>

Parker's organisation in a recent report found that since 2020 there has been an 18 per cent increase in LGBTQ hopefuls who successfully made it onto ballots.

For the November midterms, 1,065 hopefuls ran primary campaigns and a historic 678 successfully made it onto ballots. AFP reports that almost 90 per cent of the LGBTQ candidates who entered this year's primary races belong to the Democrat party.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/democracy-is-at-stake-in-us-midterms-says-obama-at-georgia-rally-529489" hreflang="en">Democracy is at stake in US midterms, says Obama at Georgia rally</a>

Another significant first for the community is Vermont House candidate Becca Balint who would be the only lesbian ever sent by the state to Congress.

Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which is the United States' largest gay rights group pointed out that the candidate statistics stand for significant progress in 2022, a year that saw more than 340 anti-LGBTQ bill proposals across the country. These bills include the controversial 'Don't Say Gay' bills and the ones seeking to ban transgender children from participating in school sports.

(With inputs from agencies)

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You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

The upcoming American midterm elections are creating history; the good kind. For the first time, the elections have LGBTQ candidates running in all 50 US states and the capital Washington.

The upcoming American midterm elections are creating history; the good kind. For the first time, the elections have LGBTQ candidates running in all 50 US states and the capital Washington. As per AFP, the monumental milestone comes as the LGBTQ community has become an increasingly significant voting constituency. Analysts predict that the surge in transgender and gay voters might redraw the electoral landscape over the next generation, "nudging the conservative US heartland in a more liberal direction." Watch | US Midterms 2022: Democrats and Republicans vying for control of Senate Currently, the community represents around 10 per cent of American voters, however, as per an October report by a lobby group in collaboration with Bowling Green State University, Ohio, the number will by the end of this decade rise to one in seven or 14-plus per cent. "Bigots want us to stay home and stay quiet, but their attacks are backfiring and instead have motivated a new wave of LGBTQ leaders to run for office," says Annise Parker, head of the LGBTQ Victory Fund and former Houston mayor. Also read | US midterm elections: Biden targets DeSantis, Marco Rubio during campaign rally in Florida Parker's organisation in a recent report found that since 2020 there has been an 18 per cent increase in LGBTQ hopefuls who successfully made it onto ballots. For the November midterms, 1,065 hopefuls ran primary campaigns and a historic 678 successfully made it onto ballots. AFP reports that almost 90 per cent of the LGBTQ candidates who entered this year's primary races belong to the Democrat party. Also read | Democracy is at stake in US midterms, says Obama at Georgia rally Another significant first for the community is Vermont House candidate Becca Balint who would be the only lesbian ever sent by the state to Congress. Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which is the United States' largest gay rights group pointed out that the candidate statistics stand for significant progress in 2022, a year that saw more than 340 anti-LGBTQ bill proposals across the country. These bills include the controversial 'Don't Say Gay' bills and the ones seeking to ban transgender children from participating in school sports. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

US mid-term elections 2022: In a first, LGBTQ candidates to contest from all 50 states

With election day a week away Democrats and Republicans across the United States are fighting for control of the House of Representatives. Will there be a red wave or is there hope for the Democrats to save themselves, Susan Tehrani reports from New York.

US Midterms 2022: Democrats and Republicans vying for control of Senate

A US Democratic leader's staffer found snooping on behalf of the Chinese embassy has been fired after an investigation was carried into the matter. Reportedly, the aide named Barbara Hamlett worked as a scheduler for Democratic Rep.

A US Democratic leader's staffer found snooping on behalf of the Chinese embassy has been fired after an investigation was carried into the matter. Reportedly, the aide named Barbara Hamlett worked as a scheduler for Democratic Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia, said an ANI report. According to the investigation report, during her employment Hamlett used the position to contact the congressional staff through phone calls, emails, and office visits and invited them to meetings on behalf of officials of the Chinese embassy. The purpose of the meetings was to extract information from the influential leaders to be used for Chinese interests. Read more: China accused of operating two illegal police stations in the Netherlands by the Dutch government Beyer’s deputy chief of staff Aaron Fritschner, however, told media that the congressman was unaware of Hamlett's actions. “Congressman Beyer was totally unaware of these activities prior to being contacted by the House Sergeant at Arms,” according to a National Review report. "While Congressman Beyer had no inkling of this staffer's actions and acted promptly upon learning of them, he understands that his constituents may be shocked to learn of this, just as he was," said Fritschner. Fritschner added that Beyer remained a "fierce critic of China's record" and that "he will continue to oppose the CCP's totalitarian repression of its citizens, and hold himself and his staff to the highest professional and ethical standards." Notably, Beyer had travelled alongside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during her recent trip to Taiwan. The investigators are trying to ascertain if Hamlett had been in touch with the Chinese embassy even then. The rather shocking expose comes in the backdrop of several high-profile cases of Chinese citizens being arrested by the authorities. As reported by WION, earlier this week, the US Department of Justice charged 13 Chinese citizens, including two PRC intelligence officers, for trying to disrupt a US prosecution of the Chinese telecommunication firm Huawei. Read more: ‘China disrupting Huawei prosecution’, says US Justice Dept after 2 spies charged Guochun He and Zheng Wang—the two Chinese intelligence officers who remain at large—were accused of buying out a US government employee to provide confidential information about the Justice Department’s probe against Huawei. The likes of Hamlett and the 13 others arrested in the Huawei case are often linked to China's United Front army. In the past, the United Front has been described by Xi Jinping as his secret 'magic weapon'. The operations of most of the members in the United Front are covert and spread beyond the middle kingdom. This year marks the 100th anniversary of China's United Front. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

US Congressman Don Beyer's staffer fired after being caught spying for the Chinese

One of the high-profile casualties in the aftermath of the 20th CPC Congress has been&nbsp;Chen Quanguo who has been removed from the party's Central Committee. Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson, two competitors within the Conservative party, met in person late on Saturday as they prepared to compete for control of their splintered ruling party, as per reports. In other news, ahead of the November midterm elections, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has sued Alphabet Inc’s Google claiming that their campaign emails are being routed to the user’s spam folders.&nbsp;

Click in headlines to read more:&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/cheng-quanguo-architect-of-the-uyghur-genocide-ousted-from-chinas-top-leadership-body-527672">Cheng Quanguo, architect of the 'Uyghur genocide' ousted from China’s top leadership body</a>

Chen Quanguo, the former party secretary of Tibet and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has been shown the door by Xi Jinping after the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Congress that closed on Saturday. Reportedly, Chen's name is missing from the newly elected Central Committee, which is regarded as China's top leadership body.

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2022/10/23/305612-copy-of-untitled.png" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uks-johnson-sunak-meet-for-talks-amid-battle-for-tory-leadership-527664">UK's Johnson, Sunak meet for talks amid battle for Tory leadership</a>

Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson, two competitors within the Conservative party, met in person late on Saturday as they prepared to compete for control of their splintered ruling party, as per reports. The two formerly led Britain's government.

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2022/10/23/305608-congresss-first-non-gandhi-president-in-24-years-1.png" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/republican-committee-sues-google-claiming-campaign-mails-being-sent-to-spam-folders-527674">Republican committee sues Google claiming campaign mails being sent to spam folders</a>

Ahead of the November midterm elections, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has sued Alphabet Inc’s Google claiming that their campaign emails are being routed to the user’s spam folders—a charge the tech firm denies.

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2022/10/23/305613-mai.jpg" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/isros-heaviest-rocket-successfully-places-36-oneweb-satellites-into-orbits-527670">ISRO's heaviest rocket successfully places 36 OneWeb satellites into orbits</a>

In order to solidify its position in the worldwide market for commercial satellite launches, India's space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched 36 satellites using its biggest rocket just after midnight on Sunday. The rocket successfully places 36 OneWeb satellites into orbits, as confirmed by ISRO.&nbsp;

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2022/10/23/305611-1666465000isro.jpg" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/russia-ukraine-war-darkness-engulfs-ukrainian-cities-over-a-million-household-without-power-527649">WATCH |&nbsp;Russia-Ukraine War: Darkness engulfs Ukrainian cities, over a million household without power</a>

As the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, braces power blackouts after Russia reigned missiles in the country's electricity infrastructure, patients and staff or a hospital in Kiev have been putting on a brave face despite the situation.

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&nbsp;

One of the high-profile casualties in the aftermath of the 20th CPC Congress has been Chen Quanguo who has been removed from the party's Central Committee. Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson, two competitors within the Conservative party, met in person late on Saturday as they prepared to compete for control of their splintered ruling party, as per reports.

One of the high-profile casualties in the aftermath of the 20th CPC Congress has been Chen Quanguo who has been removed from the party's Central Committee. Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson, two competitors within the Conservative party, met in person late on Saturday as they prepared to compete for control of their splintered ruling party, as per reports. In other news, ahead of the November midterm elections, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has sued Alphabet Inc’s Google claiming that their campaign emails are being routed to the user’s spam folders. Click in headlines to read more: Cheng Quanguo, architect of the 'Uyghur genocide' ousted from China’s top leadership body Chen Quanguo, the former party secretary of Tibet and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has been shown the door by Xi Jinping after the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Congress that closed on Saturday. Reportedly, Chen's name is missing from the newly elected Central Committee, which is regarded as China's top leadership body. UK's Johnson, Sunak meet for talks amid battle for Tory leadership Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson, two competitors within the Conservative party, met in person late on Saturday as they prepared to compete for control of their splintered ruling party, as per reports. The two formerly led Britain's government. Republican committee sues Google claiming campaign mails being sent to spam folders Ahead of the November midterm elections, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has sued Alphabet Inc’s Google claiming that their campaign emails are being routed to the user’s spam folders—a charge the tech firm denies. ISRO's heaviest rocket successfully places 36 OneWeb satellites into orbits In order to solidify its position in the worldwide market for commercial satellite launches, India's space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched 36 satellites using its biggest rocket just after midnight on Sunday. The rocket successfully places 36 OneWeb satellites into orbits, as confirmed by ISRO. WATCH | Russia-Ukraine War: Darkness engulfs Ukrainian cities, over a million household without power As the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, braces power blackouts after Russia reigned missiles in the country's electricity infrastructure, patients and staff or a hospital in Kiev have been putting on a brave face despite the situation. ×

Morning news brief: Republicans sue Google, Johnson & Sunak meet for talks and more

Ahead of the November midterm elections, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has sued Alphabet Inc’s Google claiming that their campaign emails are being routed to the user’s spam folders—a charge the tech firm denies.

In the lawsuit filed in the US District Court in California, the committee has claimed that Google is "discriminating" against the party by "throttling its email messages because of the RNC’s political affiliation and views.”

Republicans for long accused the tech companies of gagging conservative views and suppressing their freedom of expression.&nbsp;

“Google has relegated millions of RNC emails en masse to potential donors’ and supporters’ spam folders during pivotal points in election fundraising and community building. The timing of Google’s most egregious filtering is particularly damning,” the RNC said in its lawsuit, reports Reuters news agency.

Spam mails are unsolicited or unwarranted and are redirected to the user’s spam folder, instead of appearing in their inbox. Hence, it becomes difficult to notice if the mail is sent to a spam folder as it gets deleted every 30 days.

The Republican committee claimed that this has been going on for almost 10 months despite Google's efforts to sort out the issue.

It further claimed that routing of its emails to spam folders had resulted in revenue loss and that more money would be gone in coming weeks as midterm elections loom

Meanwhile, Google spokesperson José Castañeda has denied the allegations in a statement.

“As we have repeatedly said, we simply don't filter emails based on political affiliation. Gmail’s spam filters reflect users’ actions.”

"We provide training and guidelines to campaigns, we recently launched an FEC-approved pilot for political senders, and we continue to work to maximize email deliverability while minimising unwanted spam," he said, referring to the Federal Election Commission.

Since August Google has been working to make political campaigns bypass spam filters under its pilot programme.

Under this programme, the filters are changed for political emails, allowing them to bypass the company’s algorithms for re-routing emails into spam. It will be routed to the spam folder only if users take action to mark them as spam.

(With inputs from agencies)

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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

Ahead of the November midterm elections, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has sued Alphabet Inc’s Google claiming that their campaign emails are being routed to the user’s spam folders—a charge the tech firm denies.

Ahead of the November midterm elections, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has sued Alphabet Inc’s Google claiming that their campaign emails are being routed to the user’s spam folders—a charge the tech firm denies. In the lawsuit filed in the US District Court in California, the committee has claimed that Google is "discriminating" against the party by "throttling its email messages because of the RNC’s political affiliation and views.” Republicans for long accused the tech companies of gagging conservative views and suppressing their freedom of expression. “Google has relegated millions of RNC emails en masse to potential donors’ and supporters’ spam folders during pivotal points in election fundraising and community building. The timing of Google’s most egregious filtering is particularly damning,” the RNC said in its lawsuit, reports Reuters news agency. Spam mails are unsolicited or unwarranted and are redirected to the user’s spam folder, instead of appearing in their inbox. Hence, it becomes difficult to notice if the mail is sent to a spam folder as it gets deleted every 30 days. The Republican committee claimed that this has been going on for almost 10 months despite Google's efforts to sort out the issue. It further claimed that routing of its emails to spam folders had resulted in revenue loss and that more money would be gone in coming weeks as midterm elections loom Meanwhile, Google spokesperson José Castañeda has denied the allegations in a statement. “As we have repeatedly said, we simply don't filter emails based on political affiliation. Gmail’s spam filters reflect users’ actions.” "We provide training and guidelines to campaigns, we recently launched an FEC-approved pilot for political senders, and we continue to work to maximize email deliverability while minimising unwanted spam," he said, referring to the Federal Election Commission. Since August Google has been working to make political campaigns bypass spam filters under its pilot programme. Under this programme, the filters are changed for political emails, allowing them to bypass the company’s algorithms for re-routing emails into spam. It will be routed to the spam folder only if users take action to mark them as spam. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Republican committee sues Google, claims campaign mails being sent to spam folders

Former US President Donald Trump on Friday was served a subpoena by a nine-member House of Representatives committee to testify and provide documents related to the January 6 US Capitol riots, allegedly started by his supporters.

Former US President Donald Trump on Friday was served a subpoena by a nine-member House of Representatives committee to testify and provide documents related to the January 6 US Capitol riots, allegedly started by his supporters. In a letter written to Trump, the committee summoned the Republican leader and alleged that he was the one pulling the strings. "As demonstrated in our hearings, we have assembled overwhelming evidence, including from dozens of your former appointees and staff, that you personally orchestrated and oversaw a multi-part effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and to obstruct the peaceful transition of power," read the letter. WATCH | Jan 6 Capitol Riots Probe: Former President Donald Trump's tweet blamed for inciting violence × The committee also said that it would not be a new precedent that a former or sitting president had been called for a congressional hearing. Citing instances of Abraham Lincoln and Gerald Ford attending the Congressional testimony, the panel added that Trump was at the forefront of trying to overturn elections. "In short, you were at the center of the first and only effort by any US president to overturn an election and obstruct the peaceful transition of power, ultimately culminating in a bloody attack on our own Capitol and on the Congress itself," it read further. Read more: Donald Trump 'wanted to join US Capitol riot', says former White House top aide According to experts, Trump is highly unlikely to attend the hearing. He will attempt to run the clock and wait for the November midterm elections as several reports suggest that Republicans are in with a chance to win the House which will end the current committee's mandate by early next year. As reported extensively by WION, in the aftermath of the US presidential elections, Trump supporters allegedly attempted to overturn the results. The Republican leader was accused of posting messages online to incite violence. The committee believes that Trump was the one that egged his legion of followers to march on the Capitol. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

House panel summons Trump to testify in relation to January 6 US Capitol riot

Days after launching the application portal for student-loan forgiveness, the Biden administration has been dealt a blow. Reportedly, a US appeals court on Friday issued a stay on the plan, temporarily blocking the federal government from cancelling any loans.

Days after launching the application portal for student-loan forgiveness, the Biden administration has been dealt a blow. Reportedly, a US appeals court on Friday issued a stay on the plan, temporarily blocking the federal government from cancelling any loans. The eighth US Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the decision citing it was considering a request for an injunction under a lawsuit filed by a coalition of six Republican-led states viz. Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and South Carolina. Watch | Joe Biden's student loan deductions to affect already skyrocketing inflation? × Ever since the announcement regarding the programme was made, Republicans continue to claim that it is a waste of government funds that could be put to better use. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sounded optimistic despite the temporary halt and encourage the students to enroll themselves on the list. "We encourage eligible borrowers to join the nearly 22 million Americans whose information the Department of Education already has," said Jean-Pierre. "It is important to note that the order does not reverse the trial court's dismissal of the case or suggest that the case has merit," she added. "It merely prevents debt from being discharged until the (appeals) court makes a decision." Unveiled in August, the programme will provide a $10,000 relief for borrowers with salaries less than $125,000. For recipients of Pell Grants, the relief doubles to $20,000. As per news reports, the plan is going to cost the government an estimated $400 billion. Read more: Joe Biden's 'game-changing' student loan forgiveness progamme launched; 8 million applications in already As reported by WION, earlier this week, Biden launched the portal amid much fanfare and said that eight million Americans had already enrolled in the programme during its soft launch. "The new student loan application is now open. If you have federal student debt, please visit StudentAid.gov. It’s easy, simple and fast and it’s a new day for millions of Americans all across our nation," said Biden. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

US court issues a stay order blocking Biden's student loan forgiveness plan

President Joe Biden is not ruling himself out of the race of giving another crack at the president's post. Biden said while he has not made a final decision just yet, it is his 'intention' to run again and that his wife thinks that he shouldn't walk away from it.

President Joe Biden is not ruling himself out of the race of giving another crack at the president's post. Biden said while he has not made a final decision just yet, it is his 'intention' to run again and that his wife thinks that he shouldn't walk away from it. “My wife thinks that we’re doing something very important, and I shouldn’t walk away from it,” said Biden, referring to the first lady and his wife Jill Biden. The US president made the statement in an interview at the Delaware State University in Dover. Biden added that he has time to make the decision. “The reason I’m not making a judgment about formally running or not running, once I make that judgment, a whole series of regulations kick in and I have to be – I treat myself as a candidate from that moment on. I have not made that formal decision, but it’s my intention – my intention to run again. And we have time to make that decision,” said Biden. Read more: US President Joe Biden requests oil firms to increase production, share profits with consumers Biden's intention of running in the Presidential race once again rests heavily on the upcoming November midterm election results. If the Republicans, the current heavy favourites to win the House of Representatives manage to do so, the Democrats will have a difficult time passing important bills. Then, there is the age factor as well, At 79, Biden is already the oldest US president in history. By the next time, he will be well into his 80s. However, when quizzed about what his late son Beau would have said to detractors saying his dad is too old for the President's job, Biden said: “It’s not so much [what] he’d say to those people. What he’d say to me in my view. The only reason to be involved in public life is can you make life better for other people. And depending on who the opponent is, if they have a view that is such the antithesis of what I believe democracy and I believe is good for average Americans, then his argument was, dad, you have an obligation to do something.” If Biden does put his hand up for the presidential race, he might be up against Donald Trump yet again as the Republican has repeatedly flirted with the idea of a comeback. While Biden mulls the decision, a Harvard University poll conducted earlier this year showed that 71 per cent of Americans do not want Biden to run for re-election. Read more: New poll shows 71% Americans do not want Biden to run for re-election Out of these, about one-third of respondents said he is too old, 45 per cent said Biden should not make another bid because he is a bad president, and about one-quarter said because it is time for a change. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Joe Biden intends to run for president again, says wife Jill doesn’t want him to 'walk away'

One of life's staggering mysteries is how every other book or novel ends up on some kind of best seller's list. Now it looks like Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner have certainly solved that mystery, per a report by Forbes.

One of life's staggering mysteries is how every other book or novel ends up on some kind of best seller's list. Now it looks like Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner have certainly solved that mystery, per a report by Forbes. Kushner released his memoir titled “Breaking History: A White House Memoir” on August 23. The book was received moderately well but it didn't exactly break any new frontiers, both collection-wise and in terms of making it to any bestsellers list. However, two weeks later, Save America Joint Fundraising Committee, one of Donald Trump's political committees that raises money for him, surreptitiously bought $131,000 worth of books, according to a filing made with the Federal Election Commission. Read more: Russia-Ukraine war would not have taken place had Trump still been president, claims Jared Kushner However, this wasn't to be the end of the situation as the same committee, on September 11, ordered another bulk purchase of books worth $27,000 - taking the total to $158,000. And like clockwork, four days later, Kushner's tome appeared in the New York Bestseller list, amongst several other books. It went on to stay on the list for the next five weeks before, presumably, the sales of the book, which may have been artificially inflated, nosedived and was forced off the list. The committee did not explicitly say if books it bought were indeed Kushner's. The purchases were mentioned simply as 'collateral: books' in the election filing. But the doubt is reinforced, as the committee is currently selling Kushner's work in exchange for donations of $75 or more, according to Forbes, thereby making sure that the book continues to do business on paper. Read more: Jared Kushner was treated for thyroid cancer during his time in White House The 500-page book was panned by critics for glossing over the true secrets of White House and focusing on making Kushner look as the ultimate protagonist to tun the show while being in trump's close circle. "The biggest problem (although there are many) with Kushner’s book whether by omission, contradiction, or a self-serving recasting — is the way it glosses over the subtext that came to define and complicate Kushner’s wide-ranging White House portfolio: money," read a review by Vicky Ward, author of 'Kushner Inc'. Read more: 'Confidence Man' : Maggie Haberman's book on Donald Trump has some shocking revelations (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Did Trump's political committee artificially inflate sales of Kushner's 'bestseller' book?

Former US Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday announced she was quitting the Democratic Party and urged fellow 'independent-minded' Democrats to join her.

Former US Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday announced she was quitting the Democratic Party and urged fellow 'independent-minded' Democrats to join her. Gabbard, who incidentally was the first Hindu-American to run for the Presidential race, took to her social media accounts to post the announcement. In the 30-minute video, she did not hold back and took the Democrat Party to the cleaners by referring to it as an 'elitist cabal of warmongers'. "I can no longer remain in today's Democratic Party that is now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue and stoke anti-white racism," she said. Read more: Hinduphobia is very real, I've experienced in each of my campaigns: Tulsi Gabbard Gabbard added that the so-called woke Democratic Party ideologues were taking over the US and that her former party undermined the basic freedom of people. "I believe in a government that is of, by, and for the people. Unfortunately, today's Democratic Party does not. Instead, it stands for a government of, by, and for the powerful elite." I can no longer remain in today’s Democratic Party that is now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue & stoke anti-white racism, actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms, are… pic.twitter.com/oAuTnxZldf — Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) October 11, 2022 × The former Congresswoman, who made history in 2012 by becoming the first American Samoan and practicing Hindu to win election to Hawaii's 2nd district and enter the US House of Representatives, also took on President Joe Biden. “President Biden campaigned on a message of unity, healing the partisan divide bringing the country together. He just gave a big speech saying supporters of President (Donald) Trump are the most extremist group in our country and a threat to our democracy. That’s half the country,” she said. Read more: Tulsi Gabbard condemns Durga Puja violence in Bangladesh "I’m calling on my fellow common sense independent minded Democrats to join me in leaving the Democratic Party. If you can no longer stomach the direction that so-called woke Democratic Party ideologues are taking our country, I invite you to join me," Gabbard signed off as saying. In another post, Gabbard mentioned that the decision to quit the Democratic Party was not made in a haste. She discussed the possibility with Joe Rogan on his famous 'The Joe Rogan Experience' podcast. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Tulsi Gabbard leaves Democratic Party, calls it an 'elitist cabal of warmongers'

Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez resigned from her post on Monday following the leak of an audio tape where she could be heard making racist remarks and belittling her council colleagues and their children.&nbsp;

Taking responsibility for her actions, Martinez said there were no excuses for her action.&nbsp;

“I sincerely apologize to the people I hurt with my words: to my colleagues, their families, especially to Mike, Sean, and your son,"&nbsp; she said in a statement released by her office.&nbsp;

“As a mother, I know better and I am sorry. I am truly ashamed. I know this is the result of my own actions. I’m sorry to your entire family for putting you through this.”

“As someone who believes deeply in the empowerment of communities of color, I recognize my comments undercut that goal,” Martinez continued. “Going forward, reconciliation will be my priority. I have already reached out to many of my Black colleagues and other Black leaders to express my regret in order for us to heal.”

In the leaked tape, which was recorded more than a year ago and remained private until Sunday, Martinez referred to Councilman&nbsp;Mike Bonin’s son as “Parece changuito,” or “like a monkey.”

“They’re raising him like a little white kid which I was like, this kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner and then I’ll bring him back," she could be heard saying.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/harvey-weinstein-back-on-trial-five-years-after-metoo-movement-shook-up-the-world-523770">Read more:&nbsp;Harvey Weinstein back on trial, five years after #MeToo movement shook the world</a>

Additionally, in a conversation with&nbsp;Councilmembers Gil Cedillo, Kevin de León and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, the former LA Council chief referred to Bonin as a “little bitch”.&nbsp;

Martinez's verbal tirade continued as she mocked Oaxacans by saying,&nbsp;“F*** that guy...He’s with the Blacks”&nbsp;

“I was like, I don’t know where these people are from, I don’t know what village they came [from], how they got here."

Herrera, who was present in the room when Martinez made the awful statements apologised and asked for forgivenes.

On Sunday night, Herrera apologized and asked for forgiveness, saying there is “no justification and no excuse for the vile remarks made in that room.”

“And I didn’t step up to stop them and I will have to bear the burden of that cross moving forward,” he added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/thousands-take-to-streets-across-us-states-for-abortion-rights-protests-ahead-of-midterm-election-523668">Read more:&nbsp;Thousands hit the streets across US states for abortion rights ahead of midterm election</a>

While Martinez has resigned as the chief she remains on the council seat with more of her colleagues demanding that she resign from that post as well.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
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Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez resigned from her post on Monday following the leak of an audio tape where she could be heard making racist remarks and belittling her council colleagues and their children.

Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez resigned from her post on Monday following the leak of an audio tape where she could be heard making racist remarks and belittling her council colleagues and their children. Taking responsibility for her actions, Martinez said there were no excuses for her action. “I sincerely apologize to the people I hurt with my words: to my colleagues, their families, especially to Mike, Sean, and your son," she said in a statement released by her office. “As a mother, I know better and I am sorry. I am truly ashamed. I know this is the result of my own actions. I’m sorry to your entire family for putting you through this.” “As someone who believes deeply in the empowerment of communities of color, I recognize my comments undercut that goal,” Martinez continued. “Going forward, reconciliation will be my priority. I have already reached out to many of my Black colleagues and other Black leaders to express my regret in order for us to heal.” In the leaked tape, which was recorded more than a year ago and remained private until Sunday, Martinez referred to Councilman Mike Bonin’s son as “Parece changuito,” or “like a monkey.” “They’re raising him like a little white kid which I was like, this kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner and then I’ll bring him back," she could be heard saying. Read more: Harvey Weinstein back on trial, five years after #MeToo movement shook the world Additionally, in a conversation with Councilmembers Gil Cedillo, Kevin de León and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, the former LA Council chief referred to Bonin as a “little bitch”. Martinez's verbal tirade continued as she mocked Oaxacans by saying, “F*** that guy...He’s with the Blacks” “I was like, I don’t know where these people are from, I don’t know what village they came [from], how they got here." Herrera, who was present in the room when Martinez made the awful statements apologised and asked for forgivenes. On Sunday night, Herrera apologized and asked for forgiveness, saying there is “no justification and no excuse for the vile remarks made in that room.” “And I didn’t step up to stop them and I will have to bear the burden of that cross moving forward,” he added. Read more: Thousands hit the streets across US states for abortion rights ahead of midterm election While Martinez has resigned as the chief she remains on the council seat with more of her colleagues demanding that she resign from that post as well. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

LA City Council president resigns after her racist audiotape goes viral

If reports are to be believed, the White House is spending as much as $265,000 in salaries to fend off the legal battles coming its way. According to a New York Post report, the Joe Biden administration is expecting a flurry of subpoenas as the opposition targets the government for its mishandling of the Covid pandemic, the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the Hunter Biden saga.

If reports are to be believed, the White House is spending as much as $265,000 in salaries to fend off the legal battles coming its way. According to a New York Post report, the Joe Biden administration is expecting a flurry of subpoenas as the opposition targets the government for its mishandling of the Covid pandemic, the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the Hunter Biden saga. The White House has swung into preparations already. According to official records, Biden poached Richard A. Sauber, a top attorney from the Department of Veterans Affairs, to act as his deputy counsel and handle oversight probes. Moreover, to keep the communication channels clear and non-messy, the White House also hired Ian Sams who led Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign in 2020. Both individuals are set to pocket $155,000 and $110,000 respectively. Read more: White House clarifies Biden's 'Armageddon' remark, says no indications Russia preparing to use nukes With the midterm election less than a month away and Democrats likely to lose the House, the expenditures and the staff is expected to balloon further as the GOP goes on an offensive. “Americans deserve transparency from President Biden about his family’s suspicious business dealings. But instead of providing transparency, the White House is hiring staff at the American taxpayers’ expense to stonewall congressional oversight and accountability," said Republican leader James Comer. Read more: Poll: Biden, his party struggle ahead of midterms, as most Dems look elsewhere for 2024 Comer might be heading the House Oversight Committee soon if Republicans manage to win the House in the upcoming election. He has been actively batting to launch a campaign against the Democrats for their expenditure which is being footed by the public. President Joe Biden has his hands full already with an economy that is certainly not in a healthy shape. Add to it the recent revelations by a report which suggest that his son Hunter Biden may be prosecuted by the FBI for tax crimes. Read more: FBI has enough evidence to prosecute Hunter Biden for tax crimes, report says Hunter Biden’s business dealings and consultancies in Ukraine and China have been the subject of scrutiny for a long time, besides inviting questions about the ethics of his connections to foreign businesses given his father’s political influence. Trump was impeached by the US House of Representatives in 2019 for trying to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into digging up what he alleged was compromising information on Hunter Biden. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Biden administration splurging $265,000 to protect itself from legal troubles

As arguments over politics in America’s two-party system grow hostile, political scientists have produced a string of studies and surveys to probe the potential of widespread political violence or even civil war. Such fears are understandable in a country that has more guns than people (332 million inhabitants, 434 million guns). Concern grew after the January 6 storming of the US&nbsp;Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump who believed Democrats had rigged the elections and stolen victory from their leader.

One survey, in particular, stood out for me. It was conducted by the research firm Ipsos for the Violence Prevention Research Program of the University of California, Davis, which described it as the first of its kind to explore the 8,620 participants’ “personal willingness to engage in specific political violence scenarios.”

Key results

50.1 per cent agreed that “in the next several years there will be civil war in the United States.” 67.2 per cent saw a serious threat to American democracy. 42.4 per cent agreed that having a strong leader for America is more important than having a democracy. A similar percentage thought that native-born white people are being replaced by immigrants. And one in five thought that political violence is sometimes justifiable.

The survey was conducted four months before America’s midterm elections which will decide whether the Democratic Party can maintain its narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate. 435 seats in the House and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested.

As the elections, scheduled on November 8 draws&nbsp;closer, rhetoric on both sides of the political divide has become ever more heated. President Joe Biden described the most vocal strain of the Republican Party as “semi-fascism.” Majorities in both parties, according to the Pew Research Center, a Washington-based think tank, view members of the other party as immoral, dishonest, and closed-minded.

This ranks relatively low on the toxic insult score. A study published in the Journal of Democracy by Rachel Kleinfeld, an expert on troubled democracies, found that both Democrats and Republicans harboured high levels of “dehumanising thought”.&nbsp;39 per cent of Democrats and 41 per cent of Republicans saw the other side as “downright evil". 16 per cent of Democrats and 20 per cent of Republicans said their opponents were “like animals.”

A history of political violence

Such feelings, she said, can point to psychological levels of violence, although this is a politely phrased understatement. The 1994 genocide in Rwanda was partly driven by radio broadcasts calling for the extermination of Tutsi “cockroaches.” During the holocaust, Nazis referred to Jews as “rats” and "subhuman".

Kleinfeld points out that political violence has a long history in the United States. In the late 1960s and 1970s, far-left groups carried out bombings and kidnappings. From the late 1970s, political violence began shifting to the right in the form of white supremacists, anti-abortion and militia groups.

In the past few years, government efforts to suppress and counter right-wing violence have primarily&nbsp;focused on groups such as the Oath Keepers and the Patriot Front. Drawing from the Global Terrorism Database and FBI statistics, Kleinfeld found that people committing right-wing violence often differ from the image of the typical terrorist.

“They often hold jobs, are married and have children, “ she found. “Those who attend church or belong to community groups are more likely to hold violent, conspiratorial beliefs. These are not isolated ‘lone wolves’, they are part of a broad community that echoes their ideas.”

Talks of civil war become mainstream

Only a few years ago, talk of widespread political violence or a second civil war was confined to the darkest corners of the Internet. No longer. It has become mainstream since followers of Donald Trump, many wearing sweatshirts saying MAGA CIVIL WAR January 6, 2021, stormed the Capitol to stop, for the first time in American history, the peaceful transfer of power.

In late August, Biden added to the steadily heating rhetoric in advance of the elections by singling out ”MAGA Republicans,” essentially Trump’s base, as followers of a philosophy “like semi-fascism.” (MAGA stands for Make America Great Again, the slogan that helped Trump win the 2016 elections).

Though Biden referred to just a part of the Republican Party, establishment party leaders promptly declared he had besmirched the entire party and more than 70 million Americans who voted for Trump. The temperature in America’s toxic political environment promptly became even hotter.

One of the most discussed contributions to the debate over the prospect of political violence has been a book titled 'How civil wars start and How to stop them'. The author, Barbara F. Walters, is a professor of International Relations at the University of California, San Diego, and serves on an advisory council run by the Central Intelligence Agency called the Political Instability Task Force.

In her book, which made it onto the New York Times bestseller list earlier this year, she cites examples from Iraq, Syria, Yugoslavia, Ireland, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, South Africa and the Philippines.

The task force looked at a wide range of variables, including poverty, ethnic diversity, population size, inequality and corruption to help researchers make predictions. To their surprise, the best predictors of instability were not poverty and income but a political system in the middle.

How does the United States fare in this way of looking at instability?

Walters comes to a sobering conclusion, “We are closer to civil war than any of us would like to believe.”

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

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&nbsp;

As arguments over politics in America’s two-party system grow hostile, political scientists have produced a string of studies and surveys to probe the potential of widespread political violence or even civil war.

As arguments over politics in America’s two-party system grow hostile, political scientists have produced a string of studies and surveys to probe the potential of widespread political violence or even civil war. Such fears are understandable in a country that has more guns than people (332 million inhabitants, 434 million guns). Concern grew after the January 6 storming of the US Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump who believed Democrats had rigged the elections and stolen victory from their leader. One survey, in particular, stood out for me. It was conducted by the research firm Ipsos for the Violence Prevention Research Program of the University of California, Davis, which described it as the first of its kind to explore the 8,620 participants’ “personal willingness to engage in specific political violence scenarios.” Key results 50.1 per cent agreed that “in the next several years there will be civil war in the United States.” 67.2 per cent saw a serious threat to American democracy. 42.4 per cent agreed that having a strong leader for America is more important than having a democracy. A similar percentage thought that native-born white people are being replaced by immigrants. And one in five thought that political violence is sometimes justifiable. The survey was conducted four months before America’s midterm elections which will decide whether the Democratic Party can maintain its narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate. 435 seats in the House and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested. As the elections, scheduled on November 8 draws closer, rhetoric on both sides of the political divide has become ever more heated. President Joe Biden described the most vocal strain of the Republican Party as “semi-fascism.” Majorities in both parties, according to the Pew Research Center, a Washington-based think tank, view members of the other party as immoral, dishonest, and closed-minded. This ranks relatively low on the toxic insult score. A study published in the Journal of Democracy by Rachel Kleinfeld, an expert on troubled democracies, found that both Democrats and Republicans harboured high levels of “dehumanising thought”. 39 per cent of Democrats and 41 per cent of Republicans saw the other side as “downright evil". 16 per cent of Democrats and 20 per cent of Republicans said their opponents were “like animals.” A history of political violence Such feelings, she said, can point to psychological levels of violence, although this is a politely phrased understatement. The 1994 genocide in Rwanda was partly driven by radio broadcasts calling for the extermination of Tutsi “cockroaches.” During the holocaust, Nazis referred to Jews as “rats” and "subhuman". Kleinfeld points out that political violence has a long history in the United States. In the late 1960s and 1970s, far-left groups carried out bombings and kidnappings. From the late 1970s, political violence began shifting to the right in the form of white supremacists, anti-abortion and militia groups. In the past few years, government efforts to suppress and counter right-wing violence have primarily focused on groups such as the Oath Keepers and the Patriot Front. Drawing from the Global Terrorism Database and FBI statistics, Kleinfeld found that people committing right-wing violence often differ from the image of the typical terrorist. “They often hold jobs, are married and have children, “ she found. “Those who attend church or belong to community groups are more likely to hold violent, conspiratorial beliefs. These are not isolated ‘lone wolves’, they are part of a broad community that echoes their ideas.” Talks of civil war become mainstream Only a few years ago, talk of widespread political violence or a second civil war was confined to the darkest corners of the Internet. No longer. It has become mainstream since followers of Donald Trump, many wearing sweatshirts saying MAGA CIVIL WAR January 6, 2021, stormed the Capitol to stop, for the first time in American history, the peaceful transfer of power. In late August, Biden added to the steadily heating rhetoric in advance of the elections by singling out ”MAGA Republicans,” essentially Trump’s base, as followers of a philosophy “like semi-fascism.” (MAGA stands for Make America Great Again, the slogan that helped Trump win the 2016 elections). Though Biden referred to just a part of the Republican Party, establishment party leaders promptly declared he had besmirched the entire party and more than 70 million Americans who voted for Trump. The temperature in America’s toxic political environment promptly became even hotter. One of the most discussed contributions to the debate over the prospect of political violence has been a book titled 'How civil wars start and How to stop them'. The author, Barbara F. Walters, is a professor of International Relations at the University of California, San Diego, and serves on an advisory council run by the Central Intelligence Agency called the Political Instability Task Force. In her book, which made it onto the New York Times bestseller list earlier this year, she cites examples from Iraq, Syria, Yugoslavia, Ireland, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, South Africa and the Philippines. The task force looked at a wide range of variables, including poverty, ethnic diversity, population size, inequality and corruption to help researchers make predictions. To their surprise, the best predictors of instability were not poverty and income but a political system in the middle. How does the United States fare in this way of looking at instability? Walters comes to a sobering conclusion, “We are closer to civil war than any of us would like to believe.” (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Dark days ahead for America? Is a civil war brewing?

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict becomes tenser in the backdrop of Putin's fiery speech and Zelensky signing the NATO application form, the US has approved a $12.3 billion aid package for Kyiv.

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict becomes tenser in the backdrop of Putin's fiery speech and Zelensky signing the NATO application form, the US has approved a $12.3 billion aid package for Kyiv. Reportedly, the US Congress on Friday approved the sum as part of the stopgap spending bill to ensure that critical infrastructure in Ukraine remains running. It was passed by 230 votes to 201 with 10 Republicans favouring the spending. Of the $12.3 billion, $3 billion will be for arms, supplies, and salaries for Ukraine's military. Meanwhile, $4.5 billion will keep Kyiv's finances stable and the government functioning. The bill summary added that the legislation would appropriate $35 million "to prepare for and respond to potential nuclear and radiological incidents in Ukraine." "This new grant assistance is a further demonstration of US confidence in Ukraine and will support critical government operations and provide relief to Ukrainian people suffering under Russia's brutal war," said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. "Critically, this funding will also help bolster Ukraine's valiant resistance to Putin's illegal war of aggression. We call on fellow donors to not only speed up their existing disbursements to Ukraine, but also to increase their scale of assistance," she added. Almost $54 billion in aid money to Ukraine has been approved un until now by Washington this year. As reported by WION, in August, the US sent $4.5 billion tranche of payment, thereby completing the $7.5 billion aid package signed by President Joe Biden in May. Read more: USA to provide additional $4.5 billion to Ukraine However, with the war guzzling out the funds quickly and the US reaching its saturation point, experts have cast worries over Ukraine's inability to raise funds or access financing from external markets. If the current trend continues, Ukraine's annual deficit could rise to 25 per cent of GDP, which only stood at 3.5 per cent prior to the war. Meanwhile, the naysayers back in the US have critiqued the Biden government saying that his own people are undergoing an economic crisis, only exacerbated by hurricane Ian. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

US Congress approves $12.3 billion aid package for Ukraine

US President Joe Biden has once again invited controversy after his rather uncomfortable statement about a friendship with a 12-year-old girl went viral on social media platforms.&nbsp;

Reportedly, Biden was addressing teachers at the National Education Association headquarters in Washinton DC on Saturday when he made the digression. During the speech, Biden recognised a member of the audience and stopped and pointed at the person.&nbsp;

"You gotta say hi to me.&nbsp;We go back a long way. She was 12, I was 30. But anyway, this woman helped me get an awful lot done," the US President said referring to the audience member.

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"She was 12 and I was 30." 
 
- Joe Biden <a href="https://t.co/bmit4z9oqa">pic.twitter.com/bmit4z9oqa</a>
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1573360055407484928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2022</a></blockquote>
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It is pertinent to note that Biden did not clear what the woman, who was a preteen at the time, did for him.&nbsp;While the audience, mostly comprising of teachers and union members laughed at Biden's remark, the netizens were shocked.

One of the netizens commented on the video saying, "This is just plain creepy," while another stated, "Joe Biden leaves half of us stunned and the other half totally creeped-out with his bizarre remark."

Read more:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/location-is-everything-donald-trump-mocks-joe-biden-after-queen-elizabeth-iis-funeral-517943">&nbsp;'Location is everything': Trump mocks Biden for getting back seat at Queen Elizabeth funeral</a>

The US President has a history of being labelled 'creepy'&nbsp;by the netizens for his actions. On multiple occasions, Biden has been caught on camera attempting to sniff women.

Moreover, several women have complained about Biden's past behaviour. Reportedly,&nbsp;former Nevada state assembly woman Lucy Flores in an essay stated that Biden invaded her personal space by smelling her hair and planting a slow kiss on the back of her head.

Similarly,&nbsp;Democratic aide&nbsp;Amy Lappos&nbsp;said Biden once put his hand around her neck and pulled her in to rub noses. 
 
WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>&nbsp;

&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden has once again invited controversy after his rather uncomfortable statement about a friendship with a 12-year-old girl went viral on social media platforms.

US President Joe Biden has once again invited controversy after his rather uncomfortable statement about a friendship with a 12-year-old girl went viral on social media platforms. Reportedly, Biden was addressing teachers at the National Education Association headquarters in Washinton DC on Saturday when he made the digression. During the speech, Biden recognised a member of the audience and stopped and pointed at the person. "You gotta say hi to me. We go back a long way. She was 12, I was 30. But anyway, this woman helped me get an awful lot done," the US President said referring to the audience member. "She was 12 and I was 30." - Joe Biden pic.twitter.com/bmit4z9oqa — Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 23, 2022 × It is pertinent to note that Biden did not clear what the woman, who was a preteen at the time, did for him. While the audience, mostly comprising of teachers and union members laughed at Biden's remark, the netizens were shocked. One of the netizens commented on the video saying, "This is just plain creepy," while another stated, "Joe Biden leaves half of us stunned and the other half totally creeped-out with his bizarre remark." Read more: 'Location is everything': Trump mocks Biden for getting back seat at Queen Elizabeth funeral The US President has a history of being labelled 'creepy' by the netizens for his actions. On multiple occasions, Biden has been caught on camera attempting to sniff women. Moreover, several women have complained about Biden's past behaviour. Reportedly, former Nevada state assembly woman Lucy Flores in an essay stated that Biden invaded her personal space by smelling her hair and planting a slow kiss on the back of her head. Similarly, Democratic aide Amy Lappos said Biden once put his hand around her neck and pulled her in to rub noses. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

'She was 12, I was 30', Biden's uncomfortable remark shocks the internet

Nearly two years after President Donald Trump refused to accept his defeat in the 2020 election, some of his most loyal Republican acolytes might follow in his footsteps.

When asked, six Trump-backed Republican nominees for governor and the Senate in midterm battlegrounds would not commit to accepting this year’s election results, and another six Republicans ignored or declined to answer a question about embracing the November outcome. All of them, along with many other GOP candidates, have preemptively cast doubt on how their states count votes.

The New York Times contacted Republican and Democratic candidates or their aides in 20 key contests for governor and the Senate. All of the Democrats said, or have said publicly, that they would respect the November results — including Stacey Abrams of Georgia, who refused to concede her 2018 defeat to Brian Kemp in the state’s race for governor. Kemp, now running against her for another term, “will of course accept the outcome of the 2022 election,” said his press secretary, Tate Mitchell.

But several Republicans endorsed by Trump are hesitant to say that they will not fight the results.

Among the party’s Senate candidates, Rep. Ted Budd in North Carolina, Blake Masters in Arizona, Kelly Tshibaka in Alaska and J.D. Vance in Ohio all declined to commit to accepting the 2022 results. So did Tudor Dixon, the Republican nominee for governor of Michigan, and Geoff Diehl, who won the GOP primary for governor of Massachusetts this month.

The candidates and their aides offered an array of explanations. Some blamed Democratic state election officials or made unsubstantiated claims that their opponents would cheat. In Alaska, a spokesperson for Tshibaka pointed to a new ranked choice voting system that has been criticised by Republicans and already helped deliver victory to a Democrat in a House special election this year.

An aide to Dixon, Sara Broadwater, said “there’s no reason to believe” that Michigan election officials, including Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic secretary of state, “are very serious about secure elections.”

To some degree, the stances by these Republican candidates — which echo Trump’s comments before the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections — may amount to political posturing, in an effort to appeal to GOP voters who do not believe the former president lost in 2020. An aide to one Republican nominee insisted that the candidate would accept this year’s results, but the aide declined to be publicly identified saying so.

And unlike Trump two years ago, the candidates who suggest they might dispute the November results do not hold executive office and lack control of the levers of government power. If any were to reject a fair defeat, they would be far less likely to ignite the kind of democratic crisis that Trump set off after his 2020 loss.

But they do have loud megaphones in a highly polarized media environment, and any unwarranted challenges from the candidates and their allies could fuel anger, confusion and misinformation.

“The danger of a Trumpist coup is far from over,” said Rosa Brooks, a law professor at Georgetown University who in early 2020 convened a group to brainstorm ways Trump could disrupt that year’s election. “As long as we have a significant number of Americans who don’t accept principles of democracy and the rule of law, our democracy remains in jeopardy.”

The positions of these Republican candidates also reflect how, over the past two years, some of those aligned with Trump increasingly reject the idea that it is possible for their side to lose a legitimate election.

“You accept the results of the election if the election is fair and honest,” said John Fredericks, a syndicated talk radio host who was a chair of Trump’s campaigns in Virginia in 2016 and 2020. “If it’s not fair and honest, you don’t.”

Still, many Republican candidates, including several who have cast doubt on the 2020 outcome, said they would recognize this year’s results. Darren Bailey, the Republican nominee for governor of Illinois — who said in a June interview that he did not know if the 2020 election had been decided fairly — responded that “yes,” he would accept the 2022 result.

In Nevada, the campaign of Adam Laxalt, the Republican nominee for Senate, said he would not challenge the final results — even though Laxalt, a former state attorney general, helped lead the effort to overturn Trump’s 2020 defeat in the state, spoke last year about plans to file lawsuits to contest the 2022 election and called voter fraud the “biggest issue” in his campaign.

“Of course he’ll accept Nevada’s certified election results, even if your failing publication won’t,” said Brian Freimuth, a spokesperson for Laxalt.

And Dr Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, who said during his successful Republican primary campaign for Senate that “we cannot move on” from the 2020 election, promised to uphold voters’ will.

“Yes, Dr&nbsp;Oz will accept the result of the PA Senate race in November,” Rachel Tripp, an Oz spokesperson, wrote in a text message.

Three other Republican Senate candidates — Herschel Walker in Georgia, Joe O’Dea in Colorado and Sen. Lisa Murkowski in Alaska — committed to embracing their state’s election results. So did several Republicans running for governor, including Kemp, Joe Lombardo in Nevada and Christine Drazan of Oregon.

Aides to several Republican nominees for governor who have questioned the 2020 election’s legitimacy did not respond to repeated requests for comment on their own races in November. Those candidates included Doug Mastriano of Pennsylvania, Kari Lake of Arizona, Tim Michels of Wisconsin and Dan Cox of Maryland.

Lake was asked in a radio interview this month whether she would concede a defeat to Katie Hobbs, her Democratic rival and Arizona’s secretary of state. “I’m not losing to Katie Hobbs,” Lake replied.

Hobbs’ spokesperson, Sarah Robinson, said her candidate “will accept the results of the election in November.”

Aides to Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Don Bolduc, the Republican Senate nominee in New Hampshire, declined to answer questions about acknowledging the results. Johnson has been a prolific spreader of misinformation about the 2020 election and the Capitol riot. Bolduc claimed that the 2020 contest was stolen from Trump until Thursday when he announced two days after winning his primary that President Joe Biden had won legitimately.

During a Republican primary debate in Michigan in June, Dixon would not commit to honouring the results of the primary — which she went on to win — or the general election, preemptively accusing Benson, the secretary of state, of election fraud.

“If we see the secretary of state running a fair election the way she should be, then that’s a different story,” Dixon said. “We have to see what she’s going to do to make sure it’s going to be a fair election.”

In a statement, a representative for Benson said she and her staff “work tirelessly to ensure the state’s elections are secure and accurate, and expect every candidate and election official to respect the will of the people.”

In Arizona — where Republicans spent months on a government-funded review of 2020 ballots that failed to show any evidence of fraud — Masters, the Trump-backed Republican nominee for Senate, baselessly predicted to supporters in July that even if he defeated Sen. Mark Kelly, the incumbent Democrat, enough votes would somehow be produced to flip the result.

“There’s always cheating, probably, in every election,” Masters said. “The question is, what’s the cheating capacity?”

A Masters aide, Katie Miller, sent the Times an August article in The Arizona Republic in which Masters said there was “evidence of incompetence” but not of fraud in the state’s primary election. Miller declined to say if Masters would respect the November results.

Kelly “has total trust in Arizona’s electoral process,” said a spokesperson, Sarah Guggenheimer.

An aide to Vance, Taylor Van Kirk, cited the candidate’s primary-season endorsement from Ohio’s Republican secretary of state, Frank LaRose. At the time, Vance predicted “a successfully run primary election.” But Van Kirk would not say if Vance would recognize the November outcome. Vance did not respond to messages.

Vance’s Democratic opponent, Rep. Tim Ryan, “will accept the results of the election,” said his spokesperson, Jordan Fuja.

In Alaska, Republican hesitancy to accept election results centres on the new ranked choice voting system. After losing an August special election for the House, Sarah Palin warned baselessly that the method was “very, very potentially fraught with fraud.”

Tim Murtaugh, a spokesperson for Tshibaka, who is challenging Murkowski, a fellow Republican, said his candidate would not commit to honouring the race’s outcome. Murtaugh said — not without merit — that the new voting system “was installed to protect Lisa Murkowski.”

Murkowski’s spokesperson, Shea Siegert, said that “the Alaskan people can trust” the state’s elections.

Jonathan Felts, a spokesperson for Budd, North Carolina’s Republican nominee for Senate — who in Congress voted against certifying the 2020 election — declined to say if Budd would uphold the state’s results and claimed without evidence that Cheri Beasley, the Democratic nominee and a former state Supreme Court justice, might try to disenfranchise voters.

Beasley said, “I trust that our 2022 election will be administered fairly.”

Officials on other Republican campaigns expressed worries that if voters heard too much scepticism about the validity of this year’s elections, it could lead to a replay of the Georgia Senate races in January 2021, when Democrats eked out two narrow victories after Trump spent weeks railing falsely about election fraud.

“The most important thing is to not get depressed about the elections and say, ‘Oh, it’s going to be stolen, so what’s the point of doing this?’” Diehl, the Republican nominee for governor of Massachusetts, said in a recent radio interview.

Diehl’s spokesperson, Peggy Rose, replied “no comment” when asked if he would agree to the outcome of the November election.

His Democratic opponent, Maura Healey, the state’s attorney general, said, “We will always accept the will of the people.”

Nearly two years after President Donald Trump refused to accept his defeat in the 2020 election, some of his most loyal Republican acolytes might follow in his footsteps.

Nearly two years after President Donald Trump refused to accept his defeat in the 2020 election, some of his most loyal Republican acolytes might follow in his footsteps. When asked, six Trump-backed Republican nominees for governor and the Senate in midterm battlegrounds would not commit to accepting this year’s election results, and another six Republicans ignored or declined to answer a question about embracing the November outcome. All of them, along with many other GOP candidates, have preemptively cast doubt on how their states count votes. The New York Times contacted Republican and Democratic candidates or their aides in 20 key contests for governor and the Senate. All of the Democrats said, or have said publicly, that they would respect the November results — including Stacey Abrams of Georgia, who refused to concede her 2018 defeat to Brian Kemp in the state’s race for governor. Kemp, now running against her for another term, “will of course accept the outcome of the 2022 election,” said his press secretary, Tate Mitchell. But several Republicans endorsed by Trump are hesitant to say that they will not fight the results. Among the party’s Senate candidates, Rep. Ted Budd in North Carolina, Blake Masters in Arizona, Kelly Tshibaka in Alaska and J.D. Vance in Ohio all declined to commit to accepting the 2022 results. So did Tudor Dixon, the Republican nominee for governor of Michigan, and Geoff Diehl, who won the GOP primary for governor of Massachusetts this month. The candidates and their aides offered an array of explanations. Some blamed Democratic state election officials or made unsubstantiated claims that their opponents would cheat. In Alaska, a spokesperson for Tshibaka pointed to a new ranked choice voting system that has been criticised by Republicans and already helped deliver victory to a Democrat in a House special election this year. An aide to Dixon, Sara Broadwater, said “there’s no reason to believe” that Michigan election officials, including Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic secretary of state, “are very serious about secure elections.” To some degree, the stances by these Republican candidates — which echo Trump’s comments before the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections — may amount to political posturing, in an effort to appeal to GOP voters who do not believe the former president lost in 2020. An aide to one Republican nominee insisted that the candidate would accept this year’s results, but the aide declined to be publicly identified saying so. And unlike Trump two years ago, the candidates who suggest they might dispute the November results do not hold executive office and lack control of the levers of government power. If any were to reject a fair defeat, they would be far less likely to ignite the kind of democratic crisis that Trump set off after his 2020 loss. But they do have loud megaphones in a highly polarized media environment, and any unwarranted challenges from the candidates and their allies could fuel anger, confusion and misinformation. “The danger of a Trumpist coup is far from over,” said Rosa Brooks, a law professor at Georgetown University who in early 2020 convened a group to brainstorm ways Trump could disrupt that year’s election. “As long as we have a significant number of Americans who don’t accept principles of democracy and the rule of law, our democracy remains in jeopardy.” The positions of these Republican candidates also reflect how, over the past two years, some of those aligned with Trump increasingly reject the idea that it is possible for their side to lose a legitimate election. “You accept the results of the election if the election is fair and honest,” said John Fredericks, a syndicated talk radio host who was a chair of Trump’s campaigns in Virginia in 2016 and 2020. “If it’s not fair and honest, you don’t.” Still, many Republican candidates, including several who have cast doubt on the 2020 outcome, said they would recognize this year’s results. Darren Bailey, the Republican nominee for governor of Illinois — who said in a June interview that he did not know if the 2020 election had been decided fairly — responded that “yes,” he would accept the 2022 result. In Nevada, the campaign of Adam Laxalt, the Republican nominee for Senate, said he would not challenge the final results — even though Laxalt, a former state attorney general, helped lead the effort to overturn Trump’s 2020 defeat in the state, spoke last year about plans to file lawsuits to contest the 2022 election and called voter fraud the “biggest issue” in his campaign. “Of course he’ll accept Nevada’s certified election results, even if your failing publication won’t,” said Brian Freimuth, a spokesperson for Laxalt. And Dr Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, who said during his successful Republican primary campaign for Senate that “we cannot move on” from the 2020 election, promised to uphold voters’ will. “Yes, Dr Oz will accept the result of the PA Senate race in November,” Rachel Tripp, an Oz spokesperson, wrote in a text message. Three other Republican Senate candidates — Herschel Walker in Georgia, Joe O’Dea in Colorado and Sen. Lisa Murkowski in Alaska — committed to embracing their state’s election results. So did several Republicans running for governor, including Kemp, Joe Lombardo in Nevada and Christine Drazan of Oregon. Aides to several Republican nominees for governor who have questioned the 2020 election’s legitimacy did not respond to repeated requests for comment on their own races in November. Those candidates included Doug Mastriano of Pennsylvania, Kari Lake of Arizona, Tim Michels of Wisconsin and Dan Cox of Maryland. Lake was asked in a radio interview this month whether she would concede a defeat to Katie Hobbs, her Democratic rival and Arizona’s secretary of state. “I’m not losing to Katie Hobbs,” Lake replied. Hobbs’ spokesperson, Sarah Robinson, said her candidate “will accept the results of the election in November.” Aides to Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Don Bolduc, the Republican Senate nominee in New Hampshire, declined to answer questions about acknowledging the results. Johnson has been a prolific spreader of misinformation about the 2020 election and the Capitol riot. Bolduc claimed that the 2020 contest was stolen from Trump until Thursday when he announced two days after winning his primary that President Joe Biden had won legitimately. During a Republican primary debate in Michigan in June, Dixon would not commit to honouring the results of the primary — which she went on to win — or the general election, preemptively accusing Benson, the secretary of state, of election fraud. “If we see the secretary of state running a fair election the way she should be, then that’s a different story,” Dixon said. “We have to see what she’s going to do to make sure it’s going to be a fair election.” In a statement, a representative for Benson said she and her staff “work tirelessly to ensure the state’s elections are secure and accurate, and expect every candidate and election official to respect the will of the people.” In Arizona — where Republicans spent months on a government-funded review of 2020 ballots that failed to show any evidence of fraud — Masters, the Trump-backed Republican nominee for Senate, baselessly predicted to supporters in July that even if he defeated Sen. Mark Kelly, the incumbent Democrat, enough votes would somehow be produced to flip the result. “There’s always cheating, probably, in every election,” Masters said. “The question is, what’s the cheating capacity?” A Masters aide, Katie Miller, sent the Times an August article in The Arizona Republic in which Masters said there was “evidence of incompetence” but not of fraud in the state’s primary election. Miller declined to say if Masters would respect the November results. Kelly “has total trust in Arizona’s electoral process,” said a spokesperson, Sarah Guggenheimer. An aide to Vance, Taylor Van Kirk, cited the candidate’s primary-season endorsement from Ohio’s Republican secretary of state, Frank LaRose. At the time, Vance predicted “a successfully run primary election.” But Van Kirk would not say if Vance would recognize the November outcome. Vance did not respond to messages. Vance’s Democratic opponent, Rep. Tim Ryan, “will accept the results of the election,” said his spokesperson, Jordan Fuja. In Alaska, Republican hesitancy to accept election results centres on the new ranked choice voting system. After losing an August special election for the House, Sarah Palin warned baselessly that the method was “very, very potentially fraught with fraud.” Tim Murtaugh, a spokesperson for Tshibaka, who is challenging Murkowski, a fellow Republican, said his candidate would not commit to honouring the race’s outcome. Murtaugh said — not without merit — that the new voting system “was installed to protect Lisa Murkowski.” Murkowski’s spokesperson, Shea Siegert, said that “the Alaskan people can trust” the state’s elections. Jonathan Felts, a spokesperson for Budd, North Carolina’s Republican nominee for Senate — who in Congress voted against certifying the 2020 election — declined to say if Budd would uphold the state’s results and claimed without evidence that Cheri Beasley, the Democratic nominee and a former state Supreme Court justice, might try to disenfranchise voters. Beasley said, “I trust that our 2022 election will be administered fairly.” Officials on other Republican campaigns expressed worries that if voters heard too much scepticism about the validity of this year’s elections, it could lead to a replay of the Georgia Senate races in January 2021, when Democrats eked out two narrow victories after Trump spent weeks railing falsely about election fraud. “The most important thing is to not get depressed about the elections and say, ‘Oh, it’s going to be stolen, so what’s the point of doing this?’” Diehl, the Republican nominee for governor of Massachusetts, said in a recent radio interview. Diehl’s spokesperson, Peggy Rose, replied “no comment” when asked if he would agree to the outcome of the November election. His Democratic opponent, Maura Healey, the state’s attorney general, said, “We will always accept the will of the people.”

Echoing Trump, these Republicans won’t promise to accept 2022 results

A new group of migrants, bused in from Texas, arrived in Washington DC on Thursday morning. They were left stranded next to the US Naval Observatory, the home to Vice President Kamala Harris.

Republicans are playing up immigration issues before November midterm elections as&nbsp;Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took credit Thursday for sending two planeloads of undocumented Venezuelans from&nbsp;Texas&nbsp;to wealthy Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.&nbsp;

This is part of a&nbsp;of a five-month-old&nbsp;operation started by&nbsp;Texas&nbsp;Republican Governor Greg Abbott. The aim was to put pressure Democrats on the immigration issue.&nbsp;

In response, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Republican governors are using migrants as "political pawns". News agencies reported that around 50 of the migrants, including children, landed Wednesday on the island.&nbsp;

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took credit of sending two planeloads of undocumented Venezuelans from Texas to wealthy Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.&nbsp;

ALSO READ&nbsp; | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-judge-appoints-special-master-in-donald-trump-document-case-516648">US judge appoints 'special master' in Donald Trump document case</a>&nbsp;

On being asked about the decision by the Florida governor to fly migrants to Martha's Vineyard, Jean-Pierre said the move was a "premeditated political stunt."&nbsp;

"There's a process in place. We have had a process in place. There's a legal way of doing this and for managing migrants. Republican governors interfering in that process and using migrants as political pawns is shameful, is reckless and just plain wrong," Jean-Pierre said.&nbsp;

According to state data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, Texas has bused more than 7,000 migrants to Washington, DC and New York City since April, spending nearly $13 million on the initiative through August 8.&nbsp;

A local state legislator said Dylan Fernandes, "Immigrants are being dropped off on Martha's Vineyard by chartered flights from Texas. Many don't know where they are. They say they were told they would be given housing and jobs."&nbsp;

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden weighed in and slammed the moves as Republicans "playing politics with human beings."&nbsp;

"What they're doing is simply wrong. It's un-American. It's reckless,"&nbsp;said Biden at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus event Thursday evening.&nbsp;

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A new group of migrants, bused in from Texas, arrived in Washington DC on Thursday morning. They were left stranded next to the US Naval Observatory, the home to Vice President Kamala Harris.

A new group of migrants, bused in from Texas, arrived in Washington DC on Thursday morning. They were left stranded next to the US Naval Observatory, the home to Vice President Kamala Harris. Republicans are playing up immigration issues before November midterm elections as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took credit Thursday for sending two planeloads of undocumented Venezuelans from Texas to wealthy Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. This is part of a of a five-month-old operation started by Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott. The aim was to put pressure Democrats on the immigration issue. In response, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Republican governors are using migrants as "political pawns". News agencies reported that around 50 of the migrants, including children, landed Wednesday on the island. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took credit of sending two planeloads of undocumented Venezuelans from Texas to wealthy Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. ALSO READ | US judge appoints 'special master' in Donald Trump document case On being asked about the decision by the Florida governor to fly migrants to Martha's Vineyard, Jean-Pierre said the move was a "premeditated political stunt." "There's a process in place. We have had a process in place. There's a legal way of doing this and for managing migrants. Republican governors interfering in that process and using migrants as political pawns is shameful, is reckless and just plain wrong," Jean-Pierre said. According to state data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, Texas has bused more than 7,000 migrants to Washington, DC and New York City since April, spending nearly $13 million on the initiative through August 8. A local state legislator said Dylan Fernandes, "Immigrants are being dropped off on Martha's Vineyard by chartered flights from Texas. Many don't know where they are. They say they were told they would be given housing and jobs." Meanwhile, President Joe Biden weighed in and slammed the moves as Republicans "playing politics with human beings." "What they're doing is simply wrong. It's un-American. It's reckless," said Biden at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus event Thursday evening. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

'It's un-American. It's reckless': White House says Republicans using migrants as 'political pawns'

Australia, like much of the world, is mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II but Republicans in Australia are already questioning the relevance of the institution of monarchy. The British monarch is Head of State in Australia.

UK: Ties with monarchy a longstanding debate in Australia, PM to attend Queen's funeral

UK: A complicated colonial legacy back in focus, Antigua and Barbuda to hold republic referendum

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed the&nbsp;Inflation Reduction Act, a much toned-down version of his election manifesto promise of the Build Back Better plan. Biden signed the bill with&nbsp;West Virginia Democrat senator Joe Manchin III by his side, whose decisive vote led to the passing of the legislation.&nbsp;

"The Inflation Reduction Act will help save money on prescription drugs, cut health care premiums, cut energy costs, take aggressive action on climate, and make large corporations pay their fair share in taxes. We got it done," the US president tweeted.

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The Inflation Reduction Act will help save money on prescription drugs, cut health care premiums, cut energy costs, take aggressive action on climate, and make large corporations pay their fair share in taxes. 
 
We got it done. <a href="https://t.co/XjdkNkOpov">pic.twitter.com/XjdkNkOpov</a>
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1559631898619641857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“I’m keeping my campaign commitment. No one...let me emphasize this, no one earning less than $400,000 a year will pay a penny more federal tax,” said Biden after signing the bill and handing the pen to Manchin.&nbsp;

Biden also took the opportunity to target the GOP lawmakers who were not in favour of the bill.&nbsp;

"In this historic moment, Democrats sided with the American people and every single Republican sided with the special interests.&nbsp;Every single Republican in Congress voted against this bill." said the US President.

Timeline and significance of the Act

As <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/democrat-senator-joe-manchin-takes-a-volta-face-supports-bidens-build-back-better-plan-501491">reported </a>by WION extensively, the Inflation reduction Act is being touted as the biggest financial package when it comes to tackling climate change, lowering prescription drug prices and high inflation.

By hiking the corporate minimum tax on big companies to 15 per cent, the new tax policy&nbsp;is expected to generate&nbsp;$739 billion by the end of the decade. Moreover,&nbsp;$369 billion will be spent on climate and energy reforms while $64 billion will be used to beef up the Affordable Care Act.&nbsp;&nbsp;

However, for a long time, the bill and its previous iterations lingered in nothingness as the&nbsp;West Virginia senator continued to harangue the Biden administration.&nbsp;With the Democrats having a razor-thin majority in the Senate, Manchin's vote became all the more necessary.&nbsp;

Manchin had applied brakes on the new tax and healthcare reforms&nbsp;by stating that he will wait for the July inflation numbers to come up first.&nbsp;

Such was Biden's helplessness that he was <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-mulls-declaring-climate-change-emergency-but-can-he-fight-off-his-colleagues-498760">mulling </a>bringing a climate emergency plan. However, the President backtracked at the last minute and unveiled a $2.3 billion&nbsp;plan to fight climate change.&nbsp;

However, after Manchin received the nod to several of his demands, including a gas pipeline in his home state of West Virginia, he agreed to the passing of the law.&nbsp;

Read More:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/democrat-senator-joe-manchin-takes-a-volta-face-supports-bidens-build-back-better-plan-501491">Democrat Senator Joe Manchin takes a volta-face; supports Biden's 'Build Back Better' plan</a>

Ahead of the November midterm election, Biden is looking to use the passing of the act to woo the voters. The Democrats have not fared well in approval ratings and Biden is staring at an uphill task, in the backdrop of historic inflation rates and a contracting economy.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;

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US President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed the Inflation Reduction Act, a much toned-down version of his election manifesto promise of the Build Back Better plan. Biden signed the bill with West Virginia Democrat senator Joe Manchin III by his side, whose decisive vote led to the passing of the legislation.

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed the Inflation Reduction Act, a much toned-down version of his election manifesto promise of the Build Back Better plan. Biden signed the bill with West Virginia Democrat senator Joe Manchin III by his side, whose decisive vote led to the passing of the legislation. "The Inflation Reduction Act will help save money on prescription drugs, cut health care premiums, cut energy costs, take aggressive action on climate, and make large corporations pay their fair share in taxes. We got it done," the US president tweeted. The Inflation Reduction Act will help save money on prescription drugs, cut health care premiums, cut energy costs, take aggressive action on climate, and make large corporations pay their fair share in taxes. We got it done. pic.twitter.com/XjdkNkOpov — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 16, 2022 × “I’m keeping my campaign commitment. No one...let me emphasize this, no one earning less than $400,000 a year will pay a penny more federal tax,” said Biden after signing the bill and handing the pen to Manchin. Biden also took the opportunity to target the GOP lawmakers who were not in favour of the bill. "In this historic moment, Democrats sided with the American people and every single Republican sided with the special interests. Every single Republican in Congress voted against this bill." said the US President. Timeline and significance of the Act As reported by WION extensively, the Inflation reduction Act is being touted as the biggest financial package when it comes to tackling climate change, lowering prescription drug prices and high inflation. By hiking the corporate minimum tax on big companies to 15 per cent, the new tax policy is expected to generate $739 billion by the end of the decade. Moreover, $369 billion will be spent on climate and energy reforms while $64 billion will be used to beef up the Affordable Care Act. However, for a long time, the bill and its previous iterations lingered in nothingness as the West Virginia senator continued to harangue the Biden administration. With the Democrats having a razor-thin majority in the Senate, Manchin's vote became all the more necessary. Manchin had applied brakes on the new tax and healthcare reforms by stating that he will wait for the July inflation numbers to come up first. Such was Biden's helplessness that he was mulling bringing a climate emergency plan. However, the President backtracked at the last minute and unveiled a $2.3 billion plan to fight climate change. However, after Manchin received the nod to several of his demands, including a gas pipeline in his home state of West Virginia, he agreed to the passing of the law. Read More: Democrat Senator Joe Manchin takes a volta-face; supports Biden's 'Build Back Better' plan Ahead of the November midterm election, Biden is looking to use the passing of the act to woo the voters. The Democrats have not fared well in approval ratings and Biden is staring at an uphill task, in the backdrop of historic inflation rates and a contracting economy. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Biden signs the Inflation Reduction Act, a toned down version of his Build Back Better plan

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