Latest news with #politics
Bloomberg
36 minutes ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Trump to Spend Rare DC Weekend Harrying Senate on Tax Bill
This is Washington Edition, the newsletter about money, power and politics in the nation's capital. Every Friday, White House correspondent Akayla Gardner delivers a roundup of the key news and events in politics, policy and economics that you need to know. Sign up here and follow us at @bpolitics. Email our editors here. President Donald Trump wants senators working through the weekend on his megabill of priorities from tax cuts to immigration. He's spending a rare weekend in Washington, too — skipping his usual trek to New Jersey — as he seeks to get fellow Republicans in line.
Daily Mail
43 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Rod Stewart urges voters to 'give Nigel Farage a chance' as he reveals what he really thinks about Keir Starmer
Rod Stewart has urged voters to give Nigel Farage a chance as he criticised both Sir Keir Starmer and the Conservatives. The singer, who is well known for hits such as Baby Jane and Maggie May, said he thinks the Reform UK leader is coming across well. Meanwhile, Sir Rod, 80, was critical of the Prime Minister's decision to cut off fishing in Scotland and give it back to the EU, saying this move has not made him popular. He also thinks the nation is fed up of the Tories. The rock legend told The Times: 'We've got to give Farage a chance. He's coming across well. Nigel? 'What options have we got? I know some of his family, I know his brother, and I quite like him.' Sir Rod, who is due to sing at Glastonbury on Sunday, explained that he doesn't think he is out of touch with ordinary people, even though he his 'extremely wealthy'. His comments on the UK's political landscape come after he previously spoke about about a problem with potholes around his £4.6million Essex mansion. In 2022, he delighted fans as he donned a high-vis jacket to fill in the craters outside his home. Sir Rod had said he was driven to take action 'as no-one can be bothered to do it'. The issue, however, continued to persist even after the local council said it would re-lay the road to fix the issues with the surface. And last November, he announced he was considering selling his Italian supercar collection over the pothole issue. Sir Rod wrote in a post on Instagram: 'I am extremely fortunate and eternally grateful to be the owner of these five beautiful hybrid sports cars, which, in my opinion, are true "works of art". 'Unfortunately, because of the potholes on our roads, I may have to find new owners for them. 'I've been driving these iconic Italian cars since the seventies, and I absolutely love and adore them.' Sir Rod was also quick to nip any criticism of his broadside in the bud. He added: 'This post is for my fans—thank you, as you are the sole reason I own them. And to all the trolls… don't bother; I never read the comments.' Sir Rod is due to perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset on Sunday. The legend who has not sung at the event since 2002, confirmed that his Faces co-star and Rolling Stones guitarist, Ronnie Wood, will be making an appearance.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Mamdani's primary win exposes Democrat divide as top leaders withhold endorsements
Zohran Mamdani's primary night success shocked the political establishment this week, exposing a generational divide among New York Democrats. New York Democrat Rep. Tom Suozzi endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the race for City Hall on Tuesday night. The moderate Democrat confirmed Wednesday that he "had serious concerns about Assemblyman Mamdani before [Tuesday], and that is one of the reasons I endorsed his opponent. Those concerns remain." While fellow self-described democratic socialist, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., threw her political weight behind Mamdani ahead of his primary win, national congressional Democratic leaders, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, did not outright endorse Mamdani after he declared victory. "He ran an impressive campaign that connected with New Yorkers about affordability, fairness, & opportunity," Schumer said Wednesday. When pressed by reporters about his non-endorsement, Schumer refused to elaborate on what Mamdani's win meant for the Democratic Party's future. Jeffries congratulated Mamdani on his "decisive primary victory," and confirmed his plan to speak with the presumptive nominee the day after he declared victory. Yet, the House Democratic leader refused to formally endorse Mamdani. Mamdani, whose campaign galvanized supporters on the ground and on social media, has proposed what conservatives deem radical ideas, like government-run grocery stores, free bus service, tuition-free city universities, rent freezes and free childcare, among others. Schumer and Jeffries did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's inquiry about their non-endorsements and whether the New York Democrats plan to rally behind Mamdani in November. Moderate New York Democrats, including Sen. Kristen Gillibrand and Reps. Ritchie Torres, Adriano Espaillat and Pat Ryan, are also yet to endorse Mamdani. Those congressional Democrats, as well as Suozzi, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital inquiry about whether they planned to endorse Mamdani. Torres had also endorsed Cuomo in the primary. And Espaillat congratulated Mamdani on Wednesday but did not outright endorse him. Rep. Dan Goldman, who endorsed state Sen. Zellnor Myrie in the Democratic primary, has not yet endorsed Mamdani since his primary win, and did not immediately respond to an inquiry about whether he would. Meanwhile, longtime New York Democratic congressman, Jerry Nadler, clearly endorsed Mamdani on Wednesday, comparing his victory Tuesday to President Barack Obama's political rise. "Zohran is someone who will be a partner with me in Washington to take on Donald Trump. I've spoken to him today about his commitment to fighting antisemitism, and we'll work with all New Yorkers to fight against all bigotry and hate," Nadler said, in an apparent reference to accusations that Mamdani is antisemitic, particularly over his refusal to condemn the controversial rallying cry, "Globalize the intifada." Like Suozzi, New York Democrat Rep. Lauren Gillen refused to endorse Mamdani, writing on social media Wednesday, "Socialist Zohran Mamdani is too extreme to lead New York City." "His entire campaign has been built on unachievable promises and higher taxes, which is the last thing New York needs. Beyond that, Mr. Mamdani has called to defund the police and has demonstrated a deeply disturbing pattern of unacceptable antisemitic comments which stoke hate at a time when antisemitism is skyrocketing. He is the absolute wrong choice for New York." Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani for comment. Sources confirmed to Fox News Digital Thursday that Cuomo is not dropping out of the race. The former governor will keep the spot he secured earlier this year on the "Fight & Deliver" ballot line. But the sources said that Cuomo had not committed yet to running an active general election campaign through the summer and into the autumn. And Mayor Eric Adams announced his re-election campaign Thursday on the steps of New York City Hall. He decided to run as an independent amid low approval ratings and his since-dropped federal corruption charges. Former federal prosecutor Jim Walden is also running as an Independent, and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa will once again be the Republican nominee in November's mayoral election.
CTV News
an hour ago
- Business
- CTV News
Canada's trade negotiations with the U.S. is like the ‘mouse and the elephant': Business analyst
Watch Business analyst Ian Lee says U.S. President Trump is using tariffs as a 'sledgehammer' to push Canada into removing 'protectionist' measures.
The Sun
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Starmer is a clueless, cowardly windsock whose deceit has taken him from loveless landslide to landfill
FOR what it is worth, I am neither surprised nor disappointed by Sir Keir Starmer's calamitous first year as Prime Minister. Sir Shifty was always going to be a dud in Downing Street just as he was in opposition. What has really shocked me — along with millions of Sun readers — is his swift and spiteful attack on the social fabric which binds our nation and our trust in democracy. On July 4 last year, Britain carelessly elected an activist regime, whose sole but unstated objective is to unravel everything that makes us British. In the blink of an eye we have been divided by a narrow socialist cult against an overwhelming majority of decent, fair-minded law-abiding citizens. We are being routinely lied to, ordered to believe the unbelievable and threatened with jail if we refuse. For all his fine words to Nato and to Parliament, Starmer and his socialist rabble are intent on attacking the foundations of our democracy — the rule of law and the defence of the nation. Left-wing zealots Thin-skinned Starmer is not just clueless as a political leader. He is a coward who runs like a yellow streak from every tough decision that crosses his desk. Indeed, our windsock PM has just surrendere d even the pretence of leadership. This week, he became the publicly humiliated hostage of the Corbynite left he once boasted of defeating. Close to collapse, Downing Street has abjectly surrendered over a piffling £5billion cut in the bloated welfare bill. This places Starmer at the mercy of Jeremy's loony left. Two-Tier Keir might continue to strut the world stage as an international statesman. But this emperor has no clothes. If he cannot cut a few quid off the handouts to nine million people on employment-related benefits, how can he persuade left-wing zealots to cough up billions for defence? Or to cut illegal immigration and 'smash the gangs'? The people smugglers backed by the Kremlin's Vladimir Putin — as The Sun revealed this week — will keep sending us tens of thousands of bearded young men of fighting age. Corbynites do not believe in borders. Nor do they believe in crime and punishment — unless there is a Tory in the dock. Sir Shifty stubbornly defied calls for a proper inquiry into the rape of thousands of white teenage girls by mainly Pakistani gangs in mainly Labour-controlled authorities. Cabinet ministers were licensed to smear protesters as 'far right dog-whistlers'. A backlash was inevitable. Thousands of angry voters fled from Labour. Along with Tory defectors, they swelled the ranks of Reform UK and turned insurgent Nigel Farage into the man most likely to be our next PM. Now, in a screeching U-turn, there will be a national grooming gang inquiry after all. So, landslide to landfill in a single year. Farage is entitled to celebrate. He has reaped the whirlwind from the collapse of two-party politics. Still, Reform has only five MPs and virtually nobody in the House of Lords. Nor is it any consolation that Labour's Pyrrhic victory last July was entirely due to 14 years of dismal Tory failure. David Cameron, George Osborne, Theresa May, Liz Truss and — not least — Boris Johnson have much to answer for. 4 Along with Rishi Sunak, Boris hammered the final nails into the Tory coffin with Covid lockdowns and one million new migrants in a single year. The result was a great Fourth of July belch of anti-Tory revulsion, which handed Labour class warriors their 'loveless landslide' and absolute power for five years. We know now that it was a victory based on lies. Deceit runs through Starmer's brand of politics like 'Brighton' through a stick of rock. Deceit is more than telling blatant porkies, such as promising not to raise tax or National Insurance. It means concealing the truth, like Labour's plan to axe the Winter Fuel Allowance. It involves gaslighting — coercing people to believe in fairytales, such as green energy, bending the knee to Black Lives Matter or claiming women can have a penis. And there are petty deceits, such as the gifts to our multi-millionaire PM of free suits and specs, and designer frocks for Lady Starmer, from an ambitious party donor. Sir Shifty stubbornly defied calls for a proper inquiry into the rape of thousands of white teenage girls by mainly Pakistani gangs in mainly Labour-controlled authorities. Starmer's Labour was deep in such tacky mire before last year's election, and it has continued in that style since. We were told porkies about £20billion 'black holes' in Britain's genuinely improving economy. We were promised the 'adults were back in charge', only to see Chancellor Rachel Reeves send borrowing into orbit while trashing our reputation as a magnet for foreign investment. We were told lies about gifting the strategically vital Chagos islands to China's military ally, Mauritius, with the true cost to the taxpayer being in excess of £30BILLION over 99 years. Starmer promised Labour would repair the sacred NHS, only for Health Secretary Wes Streeting to admit it is getting worse. But if there is one single issue that sums up the cant, hypocrisy and contempt for voters by both major parties, it is the flood of uncontrolled mass immigration. 4 4 Labour's traditional working class supporters, many in Red Wall seats, were shamed and silenced after Gordon Brown opened the floodgates to cheap imported labour. Those daring to protest are slandered as 'racist' or 'Islamophobic'. Yet the UK population has boomed by millions since, with a dire impact on the wages and living standards of voters Labour took for granted. Rightly or wrongly — rightly in my view — voters believe this inevitable clash of cultures has led to dangerous divisions in cities and major towns. It remains shocking that police failed to act against Pakistani grooming gangs for fear of stoking 'community tensions'. Growing anger Last year's Southport riots, stridently denounced by Starmer, were blamed on police silence over the racial background of the man who fatally stabbed three schoolgirls at a Taylor Swift dance class. There is growing anger over Labour's plans to create new blasphemy laws, meaning criticism of Islam would be a criminal offence, while police turn a blind eye to intimidation by pro-Palestinian protesters. Keir Starmer is a lifelong pro-Palestinian. His party and his government are beholden to Muslims who vote Labour. Labour lives in fear of moves by Muslim hardliners to set up their own party in Parliament with enough MPs to dictate coalition terms. The question now is whether Starmer can cling on for four more years as Prime Minister. Can his Labour government survive in power? More to the point, how do we as a country escape from the vicious cocktail of tension, deceit and distrust created not just by Sir Shifty's Labour, but by every government since Tony Blair took office in 1997? People want to feel change so speed up delivery. There is still time to turn it around By David Blunkett, Former Home Secretary IF I wrote here that everything had gone well in the last year in politics, you would stop reading. So this is an honest appraisal of how I think the Government, which I support, has fared since winning the election on July 4. The first big decision, which was intended to secure the confidence of the international bond markets, created a major political hit. Namely, the now-reversed decision on Winter Fuel Allowance, affecting up to 10million people in retirement. The intention was to offer economic rectitude and stability, but the consequence was an immediate collapse in popularity. This was matched by the 'miserabilist' messages that they were picking up the pieces from years of chaos. It was true that there were major gaps in public finances, which somehow had to be filled if services weren't to fall apart. But the electorate had already got that message. That's why, across the whole of the country, the Conservatives lost so badly. What people wanted was hope, and what they got was downbeat at best, doom and gloom at worst. Steadying the ship and balancing the books is worthy, but in a world of political turmoil, of populists and chancers, the electorate were looking for precisely what Keir Starmer had promised — 'change'. The truth is, there has been genuine action to put things right. Enormous cash for the NHS; a commitment to a dramatic housebuilding target; and investment in transport, clean energy and education to bring success in the long term. The problem is that they are 'long term' at a moment when so many people are looking for dramatic improvement in the here and now. That is why the opinion polls are so devastating for the two traditional mainstream political parties. As with American President Donald Trump, the audacious, bizarre, sometimes off-the-wall and completely incredible catch people's attention. The 'same old' of tinkering and ticking along feels like business as usual. But it is 'business as usual' that many people just do not want. So, if the first 12 months have been a learning curve, what are the lessons for the years ahead? Quite simply, build on what you've done best. 'The best' includes Britain's standing on the world stage. Dealing with world security and defence; alliances to tackle conflict across the world; reaching trade deals and even managing to square the circle of relationships with the US President. All of this in the last six months has been both impressive and vitally necessary. More of this decisiveness, and grasping of nettles here at home, would make all the difference. For instance, stop using phrases like 'working at pace' and actually get on with the job. One of the features of the last year, and long before that, is a kind of inertia. I'm sure that civil servants genuinely believe they're working hard. I'm sure that ministers believe they have joined up policies and that, when they pull a lever, something is happening on the ground. For millions of voters, however, nothing has changed. That is why action in the pipeline now needs to be accelerated. That is why relentless focus on delivery at local level is so vital, and tangible change in the lives of men and women who can only watch on as global conflict and turmoil unfold. However — and it has to be said — not everything is down to government. The lousy service you receive (public or private), gross incompetence and indifference to the wellbeing of others is as likely to be the fault of someone living down your street as it is elected politicians. This government has three years to demonstrate that they can really make a difference. Three years in which to stop Reform UK leader Nigel Farage deluding the nation into believing there are simple and easy answers to the greatest questions of our time. Failure to live up to those expectations or get it wrong, the consequences will be felt for generations to come. Self-evidently, I didn't get everything right in my time in government. So, learning from mistakes and shifting up a gear is the way forward for Keir Starmer and his ministerial team. There is still time to turn this around.
