NationalWatch

US Rushes Nuclear Warheads to Europe, Russia Warns of Response (Newsmax)

Guy Faulconbridge Saturday, 29 October 2022 12:07 PM EDT

Russia said Saturday the accelerated deployment of modernized U.S. B61 tactical nuclear weapons at NATO bases in Europe would lower the "nuclear threshold" and Russia would take the move into account in its military planning.

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Russia's invasion of Ukraine has triggered the gravest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis when the two Cold War superpowers came closest to nuclear war.

Russia has around 2,000 working tactical nuclear weapons while the United States has around 200 such weapons, half of which are at bases in Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Politico reported Oct. 26 the United States told a closed NATO meeting this month it would accelerate the deployment of a modernized version of the B61, the B61-12, with the new weapons arriving at European bases in December, several months earlier than planned.

"We cannot ignore the plans to modernize nuclear weapons, those free-fall bombs that are in Europe," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told state RIA news agency.

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The 12-ft B61-12 gravity bomb carries a lower yield nuclear warhead than many earlier versions but is more accurate and can penetrate below ground, according to research by the Federation of American Scientists published in 2014.

"The United States is modernizing them, increasing their accuracy and reducing the power of the nuclear charge, that is, they turn these weapons into 'battlefield weapons', thereby reducing the nuclear threshold," Grushko said.

The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment out of U.S. business hours. Politico quoted a spokesman as saying nuclear details would not be discussed but that the modernisation of B61 weapons had been underway for years.

Amid the Ukraine crisis, President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said Russia will defend its territory with all available means, including nuclear weapons, if attacked. The comments raised particular concern in the West after Moscow declared last month it had annexed four Ukrainian regions that its forces control parts of. Putin says the West has engaged in nuclear blackmail against Russia.

Nuclear Weapons

President Joe Biden said Oct. 6 that Putin had brought the world closer to "Armageddon" than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis, though Biden later said he did not think Putin would use a tactical nuclear weapon.

Putin has not mentioned using a tactical nuclear weapon but has said he suspects Ukraine could detonate a "dirty bomb," a claim Ukraine and the West say is false.

The U.S. B61 nuclear bomb was first tested in Nevada shortly after the Cuban Missile Crisis. Under Barack Obama, U.S. president from 2009 to 2017, the development of a new version of the bomb, the B61-12, was approved.

Russia's Grushko said that Moscow would also have to take account of the Lockheed Martin F-35 which would drop such a bomb. NATO, he said, had already strengthened the nuclear parts of its military planning.

NATO "has already made decisions to strengthen the nuclear component in the alliance's military plans," Grushko said.

Russia's ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, said on Saturday on Telegram that the new B61 bombs had a "strategic significance" as Russia's tactical nuclear weapons were in storage, yet these U.S. bombs would be just a short flight from Russia's borders.

The B61-12 will replace three other variants of the B61 currently in stockpiles, numbers 3, 4, and 7, according to the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration in a factsheet last year.

The United States, according the U.S. 2022 Nuclear Posture Review published Thursday, will bolster nuclear deterrence with the F-35, the B61-12 bombs and a nuclear-armed air-launched cruise missile.

"These flexible, tailorable capabilities are key to ensuring that Russia's leadership does not miscalculate regarding the consequences of nuclear use on any scale, thereby reducing their confidence in both initiating conventional war against NATO and considering the employment of non-strategic nuclear weapons in such a conflict," the review said.

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OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 5:25 PM PT – Friday, October 28, 2022

45th President Donald J. Trump encourages supporters to buy a new book by Senator Ted Cruz.

In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump said Cruz (R-Texas) had the courage and wisdom to write the book ‘Justice Corrupted: How the Left Weaponized our Legal System.’

Trump claimed that the book explains topics that people, including Republicans, are afraid to discuss. Some of those topics include lawless prosecutors, arrogant judges and the politicized justice system.

The former president extended his support, saying that the book is a must-read for those interested in election fraud.

Original Article Oann

Obama, Campaigning in Georgia, Warns of Threats to Democracy

BILL BARROW Friday, 28 October 2022 10:22 PM EDT

Former President Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail Friday in Georgia, using his first stop on a multi-state tour to frame the 2022 midterm elections as a referendum on democracy and to urge voters not to see Republicans as an answer to their economic woes.

It was a delicate balance, as the former president acknowledged the pain of inflation and tried to explain why President Joe Biden and Democrats shouldn't take all the blame as they face the prospects of losing narrow majorities in the House and Senate when votes are tallied Nov. 8. But Obama argued that Republicans who are intent on making it harder for people to vote and — like former President Donald Trump — are willing to ignore the results, can't be trusted to care about Americans' wallets either.

“That basic foundation of our democracy is being called into question right now,” Obama told more than 5,000 voters gathered outside Atlanta. “Democrats aren’t perfect. I’m the first one to admit it. … But right now, with a few notable exceptions, most of the GOP and a whole bunch of these candidates are not even pretending that the rules apply to them.”

With Biden's approval ratings in the low 40s, Democrats hope Obama's emergence in the closing weeks of the campaign boosts the party's slate in a tough national environment. He shared the stage Friday with Sen. Raphael Warnock, who faces a tough reelection fight from Republican Herschel Walker, and Stacey Abrams, who is trying to unseat Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who defeated her narrowly four years ago.

Obama will travel Saturday to Michigan and Wisconsin, followed by stops next week in Nevada and Pennsylvania.

For Obama personally, the campaign blitz is an opportunity to do something he was unable to do in two midterms during his presidency: help Democrats succeed in national midterms when they already hold the White House. For his party, it’s an opportunity to leverage Obama’s rebound in popularity since his last midterm defeats in 2014. Their hope is that the former president can sell arguments that Biden, his former vice president, has struggled to land.

Biden was in Pennsylvania on Friday with Vice President Kamala Harris and plans to be in Georgia next week, potentially in a joint rally with Obama and statewide Democratic candidates. But he has not been welcomed as a surrogate for many Democratic candidates across the country, including Warnock.

“Obama occupies a rare place in our politics today,” said David Axelrod, who helped shape Obama’s campaigns from his days in the Illinois state Senate through two presidential elections. “He obviously has great appeal to Democrats. But he’s also well-liked by independent voters.”

Obama tried to show off that reach Friday. The first Black president drew a hero's welcome from a majority Black audience, and he offered plenty of applause lines for Democrats. But he saved plenty of his argument, especially on the economy, for moderates, independents and casual voters, including a defense of Biden, who Obama said is “fighting for you every day.”

He called inflation “a legacy of the pandemic,” the resulting supply chain disruption and the Ukraine war's effects on global oil markets — a sweeping retort to Republican attempts to cast sole blame on Democrats' spending bills.

“What is their answer? … They want to give the rich tax cuts,” Obama said of the GOP. “That’s their answer to everything. When inflation is low, let’s cut taxes. When unemployment is high, let’s cut taxes. If there was an asteroid heading toward Earth, they would all get in a room and say, you know what we need? We need tax cuts for the wealthy. How’s that going to help you?”

Biden has sought to make similar arguments, and was buoyed this week with news of 2.6% economic growth in the third quarter after two consecutive quarters of negative growth.

Yet Lis Smith, a Democratic strategist, said Obama is better positioned to convince voters who haven't decided whom to vote for or whether to vote at all.

“If it’s just a straight-up referendum on Democrats and the economy, then we’re screwed,” Smith said. “But you have to make the election a choice between the two parties, crystallize the differences.”

Obama, she said, did that in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections “by winning over a lot of working-class white voters and others we don’t always think about as part of the ‘Obama coalition.’”

Obama left office in January 2017 with a 59% approval rating, and Gallup measured his post-presidential approval at 63% the following year, the last time the organization surveyed former presidents. That’s considerably higher than his ratings in 2010, when Democrats lost control of the House in a midterm election that Obama called a “shellacking.” In his second midterm election four years later, the GOP regained control of the Senate.

Still, Bakari Sellers, a prominent Democratic commentator, said Obama's broader popularity shouldn't obscure how much his “special connection” with Black voters and other non-white voters can help Democrats.

The Atlanta rally brought Obama together with Warnock, the first Black U.S. senator in Georgia history, and Abrams, who’s vying to become the first Black female governor in American history.

In Michigan, Obama will campaign in Detroit with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is being challenged by Republican Tudor Dixon, and in Wisconsin he’ll be in Milwaukee with Senate candidate Mandela Barnes, who is trying to oust Republican Sen. Ron Johnson. Each city is where the state's Black population is most concentrated. Obama’s Pennsylvania swing will include Philadelphia, another city where Democrats must get a strong turnout from Black voters to win competitive races for Senate and governor.

With the Senate now split 50-50 between the two major parties and Vice President Kamala Harris giving Democrats the deciding vote, any Senate contest could end up deciding which party controls the chamber for the next two years. Among the tightest Senate battlegrounds, Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are three where Black turnout could be most critical to Democratic fortunes.

Axelrod said Obama's turnabout from his own midterm floggings to being Democrats' leading surrogate is, in part, a rite of passage for any former president. “Most of them — maybe not President Trump, but most of them — are viewed more favorably after they leave office,” Axelrod said.

Notably, during Obama’s presidency, former President Bill Clinton was the in-demand heavyweight surrogate, especially for moderates trying to survive Republican surges in 2010 and 2014.

Axelrod said Obama and Clinton have a similar approach.

“What Clinton and Obama share is a kind of unique ability to colloquialize complicated political arguments of the time, just talk in common-sense terms,” Axelrod said. “They’re storytellers.”

Original Article

Trump Attorney Eastman Appeals Judge's Email Turnover Order

(Newsmax/"John Bachman Now")

By Charles Kim | Friday, 28 October 2022 10:27 PM EDT

On Friday, former President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign attorney John Eastman appealed federal Judge David Carter's ruling this month to turn emails over to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol after Carter denied a stay to the order.

Eastman asked Carter for the stay Thursday after Carter determined the emails in question were not protected as attorney-client privilege, which Carter denied, sending the case to the appeals court, The Hill reported.

According to the report, the emails included a note from Eastman to Trump letting him know that alleged election fraud numbers cited in a prior court certification were inaccurate, which Carter ruled were likely the "furtherance of a crime," excluding them from the privilege protection.

"Although the president signed a verification for [the state court filing] back on Dec. 1, he has since been made aware that some of the allegations (and evidence proffered by the experts) has been inaccurate," The Hill reported Eastman saying. "For him to sign a new verification with that knowledge (and incorporation by reference) would not be accurate."

Carter, however, said in his ruling that Trump knew the numbers were not accurate, but certified them to the court in a subsequent filing and publicly discussed them.

"The emails show that President Trump knew that the specific numbers of voter fraud were wrong but continued to tout those numbers, both in court and to the public," The Hill reported Carter writing. "The court finds that these emails are sufficiently related to and in furtherance of a conspiracy to defraud the United States."

Eastman, in taking the issue to the federal appeals court, maintains that the information filed with the court "show[s] that no false information was knowingly submitted by the president or his attorneys and that the complaint was not filed for an improper purpose."

In March, Carter determined that it was "more likely than not" Trump committed a crime in trying to obstruct Congress and its certification of the 2020 election, the New York Daily News reported in March.

"The illegality of the plan was obvious," the publication reported Carter saying at the time in an order detailing efforts by Trump and his ally Eastman to overturn the election. The ruling said, "It is more likely than not that President Trump and Dr. Eastman dishonestly conspired to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021."

Original Article

Trump Attorney Eastman Appeals Judge's Email Turnover Order

(Newsmax/"John Bachman Now")

By Charles Kim | Friday, 28 October 2022 10:27 PM EDT

On Friday, former President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign attorney John Eastman appealed federal Judge David Carter's ruling this month to turn emails over to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol after Carter denied a stay to the order.

Eastman asked Carter for the stay Thursday after Carter determined the emails in question were not protected as attorney-client privilege, which Carter denied, sending the case to the appeals court, The Hill reported.

According to the report, the emails included a note from Eastman to Trump letting him know that alleged election fraud numbers cited in a prior court certification were inaccurate, which Carter ruled were likely the "furtherance of a crime," excluding them from the privilege protection.

"Although the president signed a verification for [the state court filing] back on Dec. 1, he has since been made aware that some of the allegations (and evidence proffered by the experts) has been inaccurate," The Hill reported Eastman saying. "For him to sign a new verification with that knowledge (and incorporation by reference) would not be accurate."

Carter, however, said in his ruling that Trump knew the numbers were not accurate, but certified them to the court in a subsequent filing and publicly discussed them.

"The emails show that President Trump knew that the specific numbers of voter fraud were wrong but continued to tout those numbers, both in court and to the public," The Hill reported Carter writing. "The court finds that these emails are sufficiently related to and in furtherance of a conspiracy to defraud the United States."

Eastman, in taking the issue to the federal appeals court, maintains that the information filed with the court "show[s] that no false information was knowingly submitted by the president or his attorneys and that the complaint was not filed for an improper purpose."

In March, Carter determined that it was "more likely than not" Trump committed a crime in trying to obstruct Congress and its certification of the 2020 election, the New York Daily News reported in March.

"The illegality of the plan was obvious," the publication reported Carter saying at the time in an order detailing efforts by Trump and his ally Eastman to overturn the election. The ruling said, "It is more likely than not that President Trump and Dr. Eastman dishonestly conspired to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021."

Analysis: Trump Headed For Major Endorsement Victory on Election Day

(Newsmax/"John Bachman Now")

By Luca Cacciatore | Friday, 28 October 2022 09:17 PM EDT

Former President Donald Trump is gearing up for a substantial victory on Nov. 8, with a new analysis by Newsweek specifically pointing out his key Senate endorsements.

Six of Trump's 22 endorsed candidates are in toss-up races now breaking for Republicans in recent polls. That includes Herschel Walker in Georgia, Adam Laxalt in Nevada, Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, Blake Masters in Arizona, J.D. Vance in Ohio and incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson in Wisconsin.

An InsiderAdvantage poll conducted on Oct. 27 shows Walker leading incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock, his Democrat opponent, by three percentage points: 48% to 45%. The same poll earlier this month had Warnock up three himself.

Meanwhile, a recent co/efficient survey has Oz leading Democrat John Fetterman by three points following their Tuesday debate: 48% to 45%.

But most receiving Trump's support, 60%, are in solid Republican seats. Among them are incumbent GOP Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Mike Lee of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Tim Scott of North Carolina.

Only two of his endorsements — Leora Levy in Connecticut and Kelly Tshibaka in Alaska — are predicted to lose decisively. Tshibaka is facing incumbent Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who is projected to win the seat due to Alaska's ranked-choice voting system.

The analysis comes roughly 10 days from Election Day, where a RealClearPolitics average shows Republicans leading by 2.9 percentage points, 48% to 45.1%.

Original Article

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 12:33 PM PT – Friday, October 28, 2022

Former President Donald J. Trump took a shot at current President Joe Biden while he hit the links with pro golfers in Florida.

On Thursday, Trump played in the LIV Golf pro-am tournament held at his Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami, Florida. He played alongside his son Eric and golfers Sergio Garcia and Brooks Koepka.

While speaking to reporters, Trump called out the PGA tour for refusing to work with LIV Golf, saying they mishandled the matter badly.

Trump also praised LIV Golf by stating that the Saudi’s have done a fantastic job with the venture.

Original Article Oann

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 12:10 PM PT – Friday, October 28, 2022

Democrats are scrambling to keep their hold of the federal government as Republican candidates are gaining ground.

On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was caught on a hot mic telling Joe Biden that Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) is being overtaken by Trump-endorsed Herschel Walker. However, Schumer expressed that John Fetterman (D-Ga.) may still have a chance, despite his performance on the debate stage.
This comes just less than two-weeks until the midterm elections.

Original Article Oann

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 11:46 AM PT – Friday, October 28, 2022

45th President Donald J. Trump says he is “very happy that Twitter is now in sane hands.”

Trump celebrated Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter in a Truth Social post on Friday. He said that Twitter must now work very hard to get rid of bots and fake accounts.

The celebration comes after Musk notably fired the executive who had a pivotal role in banning Trump from the site as one of his first moves in charge. However, in his post, Trump did not say if he plans on returning to Twitter if his ban is lifted.

The former president also touted the success of his site, calling Truth Social somewhat of a phenomenon and pointing out that it outperformed all other platforms last week.

Original Article Oann

Sen. Cruz to Newsmax: Democratic Party Supports Racism (Newsmax/"The Chris Salcedo Show")

By Solange Reyner | Friday, 28 October 2022 06:30 PM EDT

Today's Democratic Party supports racism and its history of pitting Americans against each other is "really dangerous," says Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Fla.

"The Democrat party has always supported racism," Cruz said Friday during an appearance on Newsmax TV's "Chris Salcedo Show" while discussing his book, "Justice Corrupted: How the Left Weaponized Our Legal System."

"The Ku Klux Klan was founded by Democrats, Nathan Bedford Forrest, the founder of the Klan, was a delegate to the 1860 Democrat National Convention. If you look at Jim Crow laws, Jim Crow laws were written by Democrat politicians to prevent the voters, many of them African American voters, from voting the Democrat politicians out of office.

"If you look now today, just a year ago, the then incumbent Democrat governor of Virginia in his yearbook had put a picture of a man dressed in a Ku Klux Klan outfit and he had said when that first broke a picture of a man in a Klan outfit and a man in blackface, he said yeah, I could have been one of those two guys. As I say in the book, 'Listen, if you cannot say categorically, I have never dressed up as a Klansman, maybe you shouldn't be running for elected office.'"

Cruz also suggested elite universities like Harvard Yale "actively discriminate against Asian Americans.

"They have quotas to keep them out because they're concerned if they just had admissions based on merit, too many Asian Americans would get in and I think that's wrong, I think discrimination based on race is wrong and should be illegal and is illegal."

President Joe Biden, he added, is perpetuating the issue.

"Under President Trump, the Department of Justice had opened a civil rights investigation and was going after Yale for discriminating against Asian Americans. What did Joe Biden do within days of Biden becoming president? The Biden Department of Justice dismissed the lawsuit because today's Democrats embrace racism and racism is integral to critical race theory. It's based on racism, it's based on turning the races against each other, it teaches that America is fundamentally an irredeemably racist it's a terrible lie."

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Original Article

Trump on Jerry Lee Lewis: He Was 'Beloved by Everyone' (Francois Durand/Getty Images)

By Nicole Wells | Friday, 28 October 2022 06:25 PM EDT

As the world mourned the death of irrepressible rock 'n' roll trailblazer Jerry Lee Lewis, former President Donald Trump issued a statement on the death of the electrifying performer who called himself "The Killer."

"Jerry Lee Lewis was beloved by everyone, a real bundle of talent, energy, and everything else necessary to be a star," Trump said. "He just passed away. Our warmest regards to his wife, Judith, and family. He will be missed!"

Best known for hits "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," the piano-pounding Lewis was able to sustain a career over six decades despite personal scandal that rocked and nearly ended his career.

The last surviving member of a generation of legendary performers that included Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Little Richard, Lewis died Friday morning at home in Memphis, Tennessee, according to his representative Zach Farnum. He was 87.

CNN reports that, when reached by phone, Farnum said Lewis died of natural causes.

News of his death came two days after TMZ inaccurately reported, and later retracted, that he had passed away.

While Lewis toured England in 1958, the press learned he married his 13-year-old cousin Myra Gale Brown, while still being married to his first wife. The tour was canceled, Lewis was blacklisted from the radio and his earnings collapsed to virtually nothing overnight.

In the following decades, Lewis battled drug and alcohol addiction and struggled with legal disputes and physical illness.

He reinvented himself as a country artist in the 1960s and revived his career, going on to win three Grammys and record with some of the industry's biggest stars.

Original Article

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 9:58 AM PT – Friday, October 28, 2022

Elon Musk has officially taken over Twitter. The first thing he did as the new head of the social media company was fire a number of the company’s chief executives.

Twitter CEO, Parag Agrawal, and Chief Financial Officer, Ned Segal, left the company’s San Francisco headquarters earlier on Thursday. In addition, Musk fired Twitter’s Chief Lawyer, Vijaya Gadde, who allegedly was behind the decision to ban Donald Trump.

Musk also reportedly backtracked on his plan to dismiss 75% of Twitter staff. However, he still plans to integrate the company into his bigger project known as “X.”

Musk stressed that he will ensure freedom of speech and impartiality on Twitter moving forward. On Thursday night, the new Twitter owner tweeted “the bird is freed.”

Original Article Oann

Poll: Most Voters Don't Want Biden or Trump in 2024

(Newsmax/"The Chris Salcedo Show")

By Luca Cacciatore | Friday, 28 October 2022 05:04 PM EDT

A new USA Today/Suffolk University survey found that most likely voters support President Joe Biden in a potential rematch with former President Donald Trump, but it remains close.

In the poll, Biden leads Trump among respondents by four percentage points, 46% to 42%. That's the same as Biden's popular vote advantage against Trump in the 2020 presidential election, a 4.2-point margin.

But even more substantial is the measure to which voters don't want to see the matchup reoccur.

Around 64% of voters don't want Biden to run again in 2024, compared to 26% who do. In addition, 68% said they don't want Trump to run again either, compared to 27% who would support it.

Democrats and Republicans are virtually split on whether they want to see Biden or Trump, respectively, win their parties' nominations. Only 45% of Democrats said they want Biden to run again, with 43% answering the opposite.

Trump's numbers within the GOP were better, earning 56% of likely Republican voters' support, compared to 39% who said they wanted someone else.

Meanwhile, Biden's job approval is underwater by nine percentage points, with 53% disapproval to 44% who approve of his performance.

The poll of 1,000 likely voters was taken by landline and cellphone from Oct. 19 to Oct. 24. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Original Article

'Vicious, Biased': Trump Assails Judge in N.Y. Fraud Lawsuit (AP)

MICHAEL R. SISAK Friday, 28 October 2022 03:52 PM EDT

Donald Trump is lashing out at the judge handling the New York attorney general's fraud lawsuit against him and his company, calling him “vicious, biased, and mean” in a social media post just days before the case’s first court hearing.

The former president, who has been on the losing side of Judge Arthur Engoron’s rulings in the past, coupled Friday’s criticism with complaints that — as a politician — he shouldn't be forced to deal with legal action until after the midterm elections on Nov. 8.

In a separate case, opening statements are set for Monday in the Trump Organization’s criminal tax fraud trial following the completion of jury selection Friday.

Trump, who has been laying groundwork for a possible comeback run for president in 2024, grumbled in a post on his Truth Social platform about having to deal with simultaneous court action on the eve of an election that could put Republicans back in control of one or both houses of Congress.

“In breaking with a long standing and powerful tradition where cases involving politicos are not to be brought or tried just prior to, or during, a major Election (the Midterms), I have THREE, all run and inspired by Democrats, who absolutely refused to move the date,” Trump wrote. “They demanded it be now. So much for tradition and unwritten rules and laws!!!”

There are currently three active cases involving Trump or the Trump Organization active in New York courts.

The company’s criminal tax fraud trial, which involves allegations that senior executives received off-the-books compensation, could last into December. Six alternate jurors were picked Friday to complete the panel needed for the trial.

On Monday, jury selection is scheduled to begin in the Bronx in a civil lawsuit brought by protesters who say they were roughed up by Trump’s security guards.

Trump’s outburst about Engoron came in the third case, a civil lawsuit filed by Attorney General Letitia James, after an administrative judge refused Tuesday to have the matter reassigned to another judge.

Engoron repeatedly had ruled against Trump in disputes over subpoenas, holding him in contempt and fining him $110,000 for being slow to turn over documents and forcing him to sit for a deposition — testimony in which Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination more than 400 times.

On Truth Social, Trump said the only person worse than James was Engoron.

“His name is Arthur Engoron & he is a vicious, biased, and mean ‘rubber stamp’ for the Communist takeover of the great & prosperous American company that I have built over a long period of years," Trump wrote.

A court spokesperson said Engoron, a judge since 2003, had no comment.

James' lawsuit, the product of a three-year investigation in Trump's business practices, alleges that he and the Trump Organization inflated his net worth by billions of dollars and misled banks and others for years about the value of assets, including golf courses, hotels and his Mar-a-Lago estate.

James, a Democrat, is seeking $250 million and a permanent ban on Trump, a Republican, doing business in the state.

At a hearing scheduled for Thursday, Engoron will weigh James' request for an independent monitor to oversee the Trump Organization’s activities after she alleged the company was taking steps to dodge potential penalties, such as incorporating a new entity named Trump Organization II.

At the same time, the FBI is continuing to investigate Trump’s storage of sensitive government documents at Mar-a-Lago, a special grand jury in Georgia is investigating whether Trump or others attempted to influence state election officials and, last week, the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol breach issued a subpoena to Trump.

Original Article

Obama to Turn His Dem Star Power on Key Ga. Senate Race (AP)

James Oliphant Friday, 28 October 2022 03:44 PM EDT

Democrats will call in their biggest star, Barack Obama, on Friday in the hopes that the former president can excite voters in Georgia and help the party hold onto a critical U.S. Senate seat.

Obama, a two-term Democrat who left office in 2017, will stump in Atlanta for Sen. Raphael Warnock, who faces Donald Trump-backed Republican challenger Herschel Walker, and Stacey Abrams, who is running against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.

Polls show the race between Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker to be tight, while Abrams has consistently trailed Kemp in that race.

Georgia is a top takeover target for Republicans, who need to pick up just one seat to gain control of the Senate. The historically conservative state elected President Joe Biden and both Warnock and Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff two years ago, suggesting the stirrings of a political realignment.

"Georgia played a determinative role last cycle and could likely be in the same position in a few weeks," said Eric Schultz, a spokesman for Obama. "Given the stakes of this year’s elections, our goal is simple: inspire voters to cast their ballots."

Obama's trip comes as Democrats are growing increasingly anxious about the Senate race. For months, Warnock had held a steady polling edge over Walker, a former football star at the University of Georgia who has dogged by questions about his turbulent personal life.

Walker has since closed the gap. On Thursday, the Senate's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, was caught by a television camera microphone at an event telling Biden the race in Georgia was going "downhill."

"It's hard to believe that they will go for Herschel Walker," Schumer told Biden.

Walker has faced allegations of domestic violence from his ex-wife. More recently, two women have claimed that Walker pressured them to have abortions during their relationships, allegations he has denied.

Walker opposes abortion but has been inconsistent regarding whether it should be allowed in cases of rape or incest or to safeguard the health of the mother. Warnock, senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, supports abortion rights.

On Friday, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, an arm of the party that backs Warnock, launched a new TV ad highlighting the domestic violence allegations as part of a $7 million investment in the race's closing days.

Prior to the evening event with Obama, Warnock campaigned in rural Dalton, north of Atlanta. Walker meanwhile was stumping in the southeastern part of the state along side evangelical activist Ralph Reed.

On his campaign Facebook page, Walker posted the video with Schumer and Biden, saying, "The momentum is on our side, but the game's not over until the clock hits zero."

Obama's appearance is the start of a five-state tour that will take him to the battleground states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. That last appearance, on the Saturday before the Nov. 8 midterm elections, will be joint with President Joe Biden, who has held back from campaigning in some key battlegrounds as he struggles with low public approval ratings.

Beyond Georgia, Republicans have focused their efforts on flipping a Democratic Senate seat in Arizona or Nevada.

Georgia has seen a record-breaking number of early voters, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office. More than 1.1 million residents have already voted as of Thursday, far ahead of the total (730,706) at this point in 2018, the year of the last midterm election.

A surge of Black voters helped power Warnock’s victory two years ago, and he will need them again to win, said Andra Gillespie, a political science professor at Emory University in Atlanta.

“African-American voters are going to be crucial (for) Democrats’ chances,” Gillespie said. “Bringing in President Obama helps to underscore the importance of African-American vote, while also exciting other voters.”

Republicans are also expected to win enough seats to take over the U.S. House of Representatives. Controlling both chambers will enable them to stonewall Biden’s agenda, block his executive branch nominees and launch investigations of his administration.

Original Article

Ye's Twitter Now Visible Again (Newsmax)

By Jeffrey Rodack | Friday, 28 October 2022 11:54 AM EDT

Kanye West's Twitter account was visible again Friday — not even 24 hours after Elon Musk completed his purchase of the social media giant.

Twitter had suspended his account after West, who now goes by the name of Ye, posted antisemitic comments earlier in October.

Axios reported it could not independently confirm whether Twitter granted Ye access to the account or if he had posting privileges.

As of late Friday morning, the most recent tweet from Ye was Oct. 8.

Musk has said he would reinstate Donald Trump's account, but the former president previously said he would not return.

Reuters noted Trump was banned from Twitter after the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.

Trump on Friday said he was happy Twitter Inc. was in "sane hands" after Musk formally took over but did not say whether he would return.

Michigan GOP Hopeful Barrett to Newsmax: Slotkin 'Can Keep' Cheney's Nod Michigan state Sen. Tom Barrett. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Friday, 28 October 2022 11:22 AM EDT

Michigan state Sen. Tom Barrett Friday told Newsmax that U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin "can keep" the endorsement she's gotten from GOP Rep. Liz Cheney in the race for Michigan's 7th Congressional District, as he plans to work once elected to the House to keep the United States out of foreign conflicts.

"I spent 22 years of my life in the Army," Barrett, the GOP nominee for the race, told Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "I committed my entire adult life to the Army. I got deployed to Iraq in Liz Cheney's father's war. And what does she do? She turns around and endorses my opponent in this race against me."

Cheney was defeated in the primary to keep her Wyoming seat after she became the vice-chair of the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attacks and after her strong opposition to former President Donald Trump, and her endorsement of a Democrat brought her under further fire from conservatives.

Barrett told Newsmax that Cheney backed Slotkin as a "desperate attempt to get her across the finish line and preserve Nancy Pelosi's tenure as speaker of the House and the Democrats' majority in Congress."

He added that he has had "tremendous experiences" in the military, but he does not favor sending American troops to every single conflict around the world.

"My opponent and Liz Cheney are the warhawks," Barrett said, accusing the two of being part of the "establishment forces" that want to keep him out of Congress.

"Elissa Slotkin wants war with China, and I want to keep American troops home," he also said.

Meanwhile, Barrett said he thinks his campaign is on the cusp of turning the seat, created through redistricting that encompasses almost all the area he holds in the state Senate, from blue to red.

The race has proven to be the most expensive congressional race in the country, with almost $30 million spent, said Barrett.

"The lion's share of that is by my opponent who is trying to preserve Nancy Pelosi's 10 years as speaker of the House and the Democrats' grip on America," said Barrett. "We can't allow that to happen … we are in a dead heat right now in our polls. We just need the effort to get over the last hurdle."

The district, he added, is a "bellwether" location that must be won.

"The biggest issues that folks are talking about in my district are the costs of living challenges that families like mine are facing," said Barrett. "My wife and I are raising four little kids here, right in the heart of this district."

"The cost of living, whether that's inflation at the grocery store or higher gas prices at the gas pump families simply can't afford to live under Joe Biden and Elissa Slotkin and their policies," Barrett said. "My opponents voted for every single runaway spending bill that Joe Biden has put before her."

Crime is also a serious issue in the 7th District, which includes Lansing, which has been named as the ninth most dangerous city nationally on the FBI's violent crimes list, said Barrett.

"We have a wide-open border," he said. "Fentanyl overdose deaths are literally killing more Americans now than ever before in history. The leading cause of death of Americans my age in this country is fentanyl because we have an unsecured border and Joe Biden and Elissa Slotkin refused to do anything about it."

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Fred Fleitz to Newsmax: US, Saudi Relationship Downhill Since Biden's Campaign Mohammed bin Salman (Abaca Press/AP)

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Friday, 28 October 2022 08:27 AM EDT

The relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia is not only about energy, but it is a matter of "crucial security" that has been in trouble since President Joe Biden said during his 2020 campaign that he would make the nation a "pariah" on the world stage, Fred Fleitz, the vice-chair of the America First Policy Institute Center for American Security, told Newsmax.

"He shunned them repeatedly at the beginning of his administration, and the relationship went downhill since then," Fleitz, a Newsmax contributor and former chief of staff to the National Security Council, told Friday's "Wake Up America."

Fleitz pointed out The New York Times detailed how, when Biden visited Saudi Arabia over the summer, he thought he had reached a secret deal to increase oil production before the year's end.

"The Saudis not only didn't honor that deal, but they also decreased oil production just before the election," Fleitz said. "Let's be clear: They were sending a message to Joe Biden that they don't like the way they've been treated."

In comparison, former President Donald Trump, in comparison to Biden, knew the United States must have "good relationships with nations that may not have perfect human rights records," Fleitz added.

"Most presidents have recognized that," he said. "Joe Biden has worked in the foreign policy world for decades. One would think he understood that."

By shunning the Saudis, the United States also invited China and Russia to enter the region, and "they already have," Fleitz added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his foreign minister to Saudi Arabia "almost immediately" after Biden took office to take advantage of the wavering relationship between the United States and the Middle East nation, he pointed out.

"The Russians have struck a defense agreement and the Saudis even have started pricing some oil in Chinese currency," Fleitz said.

Meanwhile, Putin in a Thursday speech referred to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as "grandma," and Fleitz said that is because the Russian leader liked Trump, but also "likes to try to get the attention of the U.S. to try to throw us off balance."

The Russian leader is in trouble in Ukraine, he continued, and is "looking for a way out."

Fleitz said he would like to see negotiations underway in the ongoing war, adding he is concerned about Putin's claims of the potential use of nuclear weapons or a dirty bomb in Ukraine.

"There should be some kind of forum underway in Vienna with our allies and U.S. representatives talking about how to end the war, an exchange of POWS, and the reconstruction of Ukraine," Fleitz said. "While the Ukrainian army is on the march and making gains, I understand they don't want to back down and they don't want to make a deal with a leader who they think is a war criminal, but ultimately, I think it's going to come down to that."

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Original Article

Fred Fleitz to Newsmax: US, Saudi Relationship Downhill Since Biden's Campaign Mohammed bin Salman (Abaca Press/AP)

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Friday, 28 October 2022 08:54 AM EDT

The relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia is not only about energy, but it is a matter of "crucial security" that has been in trouble since President Joe Biden said during his 2020 campaign that he would make the nation a "pariah" on the world stage, Fred Fleitz, the vice-chair of the America First Policy Institute Center for American Security, told Newsmax.

"He shunned them repeatedly at the beginning of his administration, and the relationship went downhill since then," Fleitz, a Newsmax contributor and former chief of staff to the National Security Council, told Friday's "Wake Up America."

Fleitz pointed out The New York Times detailed how, when Biden visited Saudi Arabia over the summer, he thought he had reached a secret deal to increase oil production before the year's end.

"The Saudis not only didn't honor that deal, but they also decreased oil production just before the election," Fleitz said. "Let's be clear: They were sending a message to Joe Biden that they don't like the way they've been treated."

In comparison, former President Donald Trump, in comparison to Biden, knew the United States must have "good relationships with nations that may not have perfect human rights records," Fleitz added.

"Most presidents have recognized that," he said. "Joe Biden has worked in the foreign policy world for decades. One would think he understood that."

By shunning the Saudis, the United States also invited China and Russia to enter the region, and "they already have," Fleitz added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his foreign minister to Saudi Arabia "almost immediately" after Biden took office to take advantage of the wavering relationship between the United States and the Middle East nation, he pointed out.

"The Russians have struck a defense agreement and the Saudis even have started pricing some oil in Chinese currency," Fleitz said.

Meanwhile, Putin in a Thursday speech referred to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as "grandma," and Fleitz said that is because the Russian leader liked Trump, but also "likes to try to get the attention of the U.S. to try to throw us off balance."

The Russian leader is in trouble in Ukraine, he continued, and is "looking for a way out."

Fleitz said he would like to see negotiations underway in the ongoing war, adding he is concerned about Putin's claims of the potential use of nuclear weapons or a dirty bomb in Ukraine.

"There should be some kind of forum underway in Vienna with our allies and U.S. representatives talking about how to end the war, an exchange of POWS, and the reconstruction of Ukraine," Fleitz said. "While the Ukrainian army is on the march and making gains, I understand they don't want to back down and they don't want to make a deal with a leader who they think is a war criminal, but ultimately, I think it's going to come down to that."

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Conservatives Blast Cheney for Endorsing Democrat

(Newsmax/"Eric Bolling The Balance")

By Jeremy Frankel | Thursday, 27 October 2022 10:47 PM EDT

Conservatives slammed Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., for endorsing a Democrat, Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.

Cheney announced her endorsement Thursday in a statement, saying she is "proud" to support Slotkin. The statement also said that Cheney will campaign with Slotkin next week at an "Evening for Patriotism and Bipartisanship" in Michigan.

In the endorsement, Cheney called Slotkin an "honorable public servant" who "wants what's best for the country and is in this for the right reasons."

Several prominent conservatives spoke out about Cheney's endorsement.

NewsBusters executive editor Tim Graham tweeted regarding Cheney's endorsement of a Democrat, "When you do this, you're not really conservative or Republican." National Review contributor Pradheep Shanker commented similarly in a tweet, "At this point, Cheney is a Democrat. That is fine…but she should declare as one.”

Editor-in-chief of the Federalist and Fox News contributor Mollie Hemingway noted that the Wyoming Republican Party censured Cheney for her vote to impeach then-President Donald Trump and that Cheney was removed from House leadership as well, saying, “People who have been removed by their state GOP from party rolls, been removed from GOP leadership, are hand selected by Dem leaders to run anti-GOP operations, been utterly renounced by GOP voters and support election of Democrats are many things. ‘GOP’ is not one of them.”

Slotkin's opponent, state Sen. Tom Barrett, tweeted approvingly of Cheney's endorsement, saying, "It's no surprise the Cheney family is joining her and it exposes the permanent Washington establishment's War-First, America-Last agenda. Elissa Slotkin can keep Liz Cheney while I work to keep America out of senseless wars."

Cheney lost her Republican primary to attorney Harriet Hageman in August by over 37 points.

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