Democratic North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper launches US Senate bid
Cooper, 68, moved after two-term Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he would retire following President Donald Trump's attacks on him in the leadup to the chamber's vote on the sweeping tax-cut and spending bill.
That new law with its estimated $3-trillion price tag is a top target for Cooper's campaign, as his party aims to win back power in a chamber that Republicans control 53-47.
"Politicians in D.C. are running up our debt, ripping away our healthcare, disrespecting our veterans, cutting help for the poor, and even putting Medicare and Social Security at risk just to give tax breaks to billionaires," Cooper said in his campaign video. "That's wrong, and I've had enough."
Cooper's track record of winning in the competitive state that voted for Trump in presidential elections positions him as the frontrunner in the Democratic primary against former U.S. Representative Wiley Nickel.
Last week, Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law, said she would not run for the open seat, setting up a potential general election matchup with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley.
Democrats face a challenge to win back the Senate, as they would need to defend seats in Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire where incumbents are retiring, and flip at least four Republican-held seats for a majority.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
37 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Trump's Ukraine peace plan now runs straight through an old friend
After championing Vladimir Putin indefatigably for months, Donald Trump is poised this week to punish Russia's invasion of Ukraine for the first time. But it is India, not Russia, that appears likely to bear the brunt. Facing a self-imposed deadline – shortened from 50 to 12 days – the US president has until Friday to unveil measures aimed at forcing Putin to consider a ceasefire. With bipartisan support in Congress for tough sanctions, Mr Trump has threatened to throttle Russia's war economy by imposing 100 per cent tariffs on any country buying its oil. Such a move would have a significant impact, said Timothy Ash, associate fellow at Chatham House, the international affairs think tank: 'Russia's exports would slow to a trickle. Its fiscal revenues would stop almost completely. We would see major runs on banks and the currency come under severe pressure.' Focus on Moscow's oil exports But, Mr Ash added, while the impact on Moscow would be severe, it would also unleash turmoil on world markets, send oil prices sky-rocketing and chill the global economy. So outlandish did the threat seem that investors initially dismissed it as bluster from a president long open about his warm relations with Putin. But in recent days, he has begun shaping a more modest sanctions package targeting states whose purchases of Russian oil help fund the war. So far his focus has been selective. He has avoided threatening China – Russia's biggest energy customer – and Turkey, the third largest. Instead, he has singled out India, the second-largest buyer. Last week, Mr Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods to 25 per cent, above the rate applied to Asian competitors, and promised an additional penalty for Delhi's oil purchases from Russia. 'They're fuelling the war machine, and if they're going to do that, then I'm not happy,' he told CNBC on Tuesday, saying he would unveil the new tariff within 24 hours. India's role in sustaining Russia's economy is clear. Before the 2022 invasion, Russian oil accounted for just 0.2 per cent of India's imports; today it is 45 percent – around two million barrels a day – bringing Moscow £41bn in revenue last year, according to Delhi's Global Trade Research Initiative. Even so, China buys more – 47 per cent of Russia's oil, compared with India's 37 per cent. Mr Trump's circumspection as far as Beijing is concerned probably reflects geopolitical caution: Washington and Beijing only recently stabilised relations after a damaging trade war and Mr Trump is hoping to stage a triumphant summit with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, before the end of the year. That he feels freer to confront India suggests ulterior motives. Despite the president's warm personal ties with Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, US relations with the country he leads have soured. Trade negotiations have stalled, frustrating Mr Trump. He was also reportedly incensed when Pakistan, not India, praised his mediation and even nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize after the India-Pakistan clashes in May. Mr Modi, by contrast, played down Mr Trump's role and has paid the price for his perceived ingratitude. In June, Mr Trump invited Asim Munir, Pakistan's powerful army chief, to lunch at the White House, pledged to improve relations with India's chief enemy and announced plans to help develop its oil reserves. Scepticism over Mr Trump's sudden concern about Indian oil imports is heightened by his previous reluctance to impose new sanctions on Russia – or even uphold the old ones. Enforcement of existing restrictions has significantly weakened since he returned to the White House, critics say. Not only did he decline to appoint a new head of the State Department's Office of Sanctions Co-ordination, he has also proved reluctant to co-ordinate with the EU on sanctions enforcement, European officials complain. 'He feels played and he's angry' Front companies helping Moscow evade restrictions have proliferated, critics say – a claim the White House denies. Some analysts believe Mr Trump has had a genuine change of heart, after concluding that only meaningful pressure on Putin – who believes he has the battlefield advantage – will bring him to the negotiating table. With some experts warning a Russian victory is no longer unthinkable, the president seems determined to act. Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a prominent US think tank, said: 'I think Trump has come around to the realisation that convincing Putin to back away from his maximalist war aims will take more than nice conversations. 'I think in many respects you're looking at an American president who feels played by Putin, and he's angry. And now that he has pivoted, he does not want to go down in history as the American president who lost Ukraine.' It is doubtful that focusing on India alone will work, particularly as Mr Modi shows no sign of yielding. Mr Trump insists that secondary tariffs could cut Russian oil revenues enough to force Putin to rethink his strategy. The US president said last week: 'If energy goes down enough, Putin is going to stop killing people. If you get energy down, another $10 a barrel, he's going to have no choice because his economy stinks.' But experts warned that tariffs and sanctions alone might not be enough, certainly if they were imposed on India alone. As Mr Kupchan noted: 'Increasing economic pressure is necessary, but it's only one plank of a set of policies. The more important element is getting arms to Ukraine and helping it build its own military-industrial base. 'I don't think we can strangle the Russian economy. Ultimately, Ukraine needs the capability to stop Putin.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
US special envoy Witkoff lands in Moscow, source tells Reuters
MOSCOW, Aug 6 (Reuters) - U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Moscow and was greeted at the airport by Russia's investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, a source involved in the preparation of the visit told Reuters on Wednesday. U.S. President Donald Trump, who warned that he would impose sanctions on Russia if Moscow does not agree to a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine before Friday, had said earlier that Witkoff might be travelling to Moscow this week. A source familiar with the plan told Reuters on Tuesday that Witkoff would meet with Russian leadership on Wednesday.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Judge considers whether Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention center violates environmental law
A federal judge on Wednesday was hearing arguments over whether to stop construction of an immigration detention center built in the middle of the Florida Everglades and dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz' because it didn't follow environmental laws. Until the laws are followed, environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe said U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams should issue a preliminary injunction to halt operations and further construction. The suit claims the project threatens environmentally sensitive wetlands that are home to protected plants and animals and would reverse billions of dollars' worth of environmental restoration. The lawsuit in Miami against federal and state authorities is one of two legal challenges to the South Florida detention center which was built more than a month ago by the state of Florida on an isolated airstrip owned by Miami-Dade County. A second lawsuit brought by civil rights groups says detainees' constitutional rights are being violated since they are barred from meeting lawyers, are being held without any charges, and a federal immigration court has canceled bond hearings. A hearing in that case is scheduled for Aug. 18. Under a 55-year-old federal environmental law, federal agencies should have examined how the detention center's construction would impact the environment, identified ways to minimize the impact and followed other procedural rules such as allowing public comment, according to the environmental groups and the tribe. It makes no difference that the detention center holding hundreds of detainees was built by the state of Florida since federal agencies have authority over immigration, the suit said. 'The construction of a detention center is an action that is necessarily subject to federal control and responsibility,' they said in a recent court filing. 'The State of Florida has no authority or jurisdiction to enforce federal immigration law.' Attorneys for federal and state agencies last week asked Williams to dismiss or transfer the injunction request, saying the lawsuit was filed in the wrong jurisdiction. Even though the property is owned by Miami-Dade County, Florida's southern district is the wrong venue for the lawsuit since the detention center is located in neighboring Collier County, which is in the state's middle district, they said. Williams had yet to rule on that argument. The lawsuits were being heard as Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ′ administration apparently was preparing to build a second immigration detention center at a Florida National Guard training center in north Florida. At least one contract has been awarded for what's labeled in state records as the 'North Detention Facility.' ___
