Latest from Telegraph
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Marjorie Taylor Greene says Zohran Mamdani is ‘smart and unique'
Marjorie Taylor Greene has praised socialist Democrat Zohran Mamdani 's mayoral campaign as 'unique and very smart'. The Maga loyalist said while she disagrees with everything the New York Democrat says, she was impressed by his ability to talk 'directly to the people' during his campaign. Mr Mamdani, 33, clinched the Democratic nomination earlier this week, beating Andrew Cuomo after appealing to New Yorkers with viral videos promising everything from free bus rides to controlling food prices. With staunchly Left-wing, pro-Palestine views, Mr Mamdani has been fiercely criticised by Republicans and some Democrats. But his campaigning talent has received plaudits from an unlikely source: one of Donald Trump's biggest supporters. Ms Taylor Greene suggested the GOP could learn from Mr Mamdani's successful campaign, which will see him contest the November election as a front runner in a city that has not elected a Republican since 2005. 'I've watched quite a few of [Mamdani's] videos and he did something pretty unique and very smart, even though I don't agree with anything he says', the congresswoman told Real America's Voice. Ms Taylor Greene added: 'He really ran a campaign where he talked directly to the people. He was focused on their issues, focused on their problems and talking to the people about his solutions even though his solutions were insane, they're socialist, probably communist, but he was talking directly to the people.' She said: 'When we're not talking to the people and not working on the people's problems we lose the people and the people will turn elsewhere.' Mr Mamdani is a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause with a string of celebrity endorsements and more than a million followers on Instagram.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Kamala Harris governor run threatened by donors' cold feet
Donors do not want Kamala Harris to run for California governor over fears her presidential election loss makes her a liability to the Democrats. The former presidential candidate is considering whether to launch a bid to replace Gavin Newsom as governor when his term ends next year, relying on the advice of her closest allies as she weighs up the decision. But Golden State donors have warned her campaign would be a 'traumatising' reminder of last year's election. One Democrat who donated six-figures to her campaign said: 'Kamala just reminds you we are in this complete sh--storm. 'With Biden, we got bamboozled... I think she did the best she could in that situation, but obviously she knew about the cognitive decline too,' Politico reported. 'I've written so many checks because I knew the Trump administration would be horrible, but we're living in a nightmare because of the Democrats. I'm furious at them, truly.' Ms Harris, 60, has kept a low profile since leaving Washington, DC, in January and returning to California. She has a holiday planned for July and allies hope she will make a decision about whether to run by late summer. She was criticised for rubbing shoulders with A-list stars at the Met Gala last month after her campaign spent $1billion in three months, including on a string of celebrity performances. Ms Harris is said to be deciding whether to enter the gubernatorial race, run for president in 2028 or explore positions outside of elected office. One California fundraiser told Politico that donors believe Ms Harris's campaign would 'bring up the whole pathetic last presidential [race], which no one wants to hear about again. And then it's the whole 'did you know Joe Biden?' thing.'' 'She still would probably lead, but honestly, no one is incredibly pumped.' 'There was more enthusiasm at first,' Mather Martin, a San Francisco-based fundraiser who has worked on Ms Harris's campaigns before, said. 'I think it waned a bit.' Ms Harris's allies are said to be assured Democrats would coalesce around her. They also note she has advantages over the other contenders including a being a recognised name and the ability to fundraise. Christopher Galdieri, politics professor at Saint Anselm, said while some California Democrats might be unenthused by the possibility of Ms Harris running, he does not think that will stop them donating to her campaign. 'I don't know that those donors are saying that they wouldn't write checks if it came down to it... especially if you have a situation where a you know, heavyweight candidate enters the race is favoured to get nominated, favoured to win the election', he told The Telegraph. He added: 'I think those donors would figure out how to get over it and write checks quickly just because, in a purely instrumental sense, do you want to be the big name democratic donor who didn't write a check for the incoming governor of the state?' The GOP is said to be keen to face off against Ms Harris again, with more contenders poised to jump into the race were she to declare. The Republican machine will have ample material to attack the former vice president with in light of the damning allegations in the book Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, which claimed that Mr Biden's inner circle shielded the public from the extent of his decline while serving as president. Mr Biden said the allegations were 'wrong' and 'there's nothing to sustain' them. Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat who is running for governor, has accused Ms Harris of being complicit in masking the reality of Mr Biden's decline.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Putin: I'm ready to scale back military spending
Vladimir Putin has announced plans to scale back military spending after Kremlin officials warned that Russia is 'on the brink of recession'. The Russian leader said he would reduce defence spending 'next year and the year after, over the next three-year period' at an economic summit of five post-Soviet states in Minsk on Friday. Responding to Nato's plans to raise defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP, Putin said the alliance's members would spend on 'purchases from the USA and on supporting their military-industrial complex'. 'So who is preparing for some kind of aggressive actions? Us or them?' he added. The comments came after Maxim Reshetnikov, the Russian minister of economic development, last week announced that the country is 'on the brink of going into a recession'. Elvira Nabiullina, the Russian Central Bank governor, also warned that the country's wartime economic momentum – driven by massive state defence sector spending – was grinding to a halt. 'We grew for two years at a fairly high pace because free resources were activated,' she said. 'We need to understand that many of those resources have truly been exhausted.' Russia's economy grew by 4.3 per cent in 2024, however, in an effort to kerb rampant inflation, interest rates were held at a staggering 21 per cent since October, before being cut marginally to 20 per cent this month as pressure eased slightly. Inflation has largely been driven by sanctions creating higher import costs. Wage growth has also soared to a 16-year high due to labour shortages caused by syphoning off workers into the defence sectors and the military. Moscow's Higher School of Economics estimated that there was a deficit of 2.6 million employees at the end of 2024. The Kremlin has also offered high wages and generous signing-on bonuses to soldiers in an effort to fill the ranks on the front line. Although the military-industrial complex has benefitted from increased state spending, private-sector industries have been impacted by lower demand, rising costs and large debt exposure due to sky-high interest rates. Russian banking officials have privately warned of a risk of a crisis over the coming year due to a growing number of businesses unable to make loan payments, Bloomberg News reported. Future costs could include that of reintegrating veterans of the war in Ukraine. Of the almost 140,000 Russian soldiers who have returned to civilian life, half reportedly remain unemployed. Putin, however, brushed off claims that the Russian economy was faltering at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum last week. He said: 'As far as the 'murder' of the Russian economy is concerned, as a famous writer once said – 'rumours of my death are greatly exaggerated'.'
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Pictured: Lauren Sanchez marries Jeff Bezos in Dolce and Gabbana couture gown
Lauren Sánchez married Jeff Bezos on Friday in a Dolce & Gabbana gown in front of guests including Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, most of the Kardashians, a strong contingent of Trump-Kushners and Queen Rania of Jordan. The figure-hugging lace creation was inspired by the one Sophia Loren wore in the 1958 film Houseboat. The bride told Vogue: 'It went from 'I want a simple, sexy modern dress' to 'I want something that evokes a moment,' and where I am right now. It is a departure from what people expect…but it's very much me.' It seemed fitting that Dolce & Gabbana would have some part in the high-profile affair. It is the ultimate Italian 'dolce vita' label, and this wedding is in Venice after all. The rumour mill was already in overdrive, but the biggest clue came when Domenico Dolce was spotted amongst the couple's guests on Thursday evening. The Italian duo have form when it comes to high-profile weddings: Lady Kitty Spencer's in 2021 and Kourtney Kardashian's in 2022 were practically Dolce & Gabbana-branded events. They do serious glamour, they do couture, they do tradition, they're not precious about the celebrities they work with and they can meet the dress codes for the highest profile occasions – Melania Trump's ensemble for the late Pope Francis's funeral, complete with mantilla, is a case in point. The new Mrs Bezos, it's safe to say, has a strong personal aesthetic. After all, this is the woman who wore exposed white lace lingerie to the presidential inauguration in January. Understated isn't in her vocabulary (or so we thought until earlier on Friday, when she travelled to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, where the ceremony took place, in an ivory Dior skirt suit and silk head scarf) And so the wedding dress itself, as you'd hope with an unlimited budget, ticked every box: the dramatic, body-conscious silhouette. The detailing in the lace and tulle veil. The 180 silk chiffon-covered priest buttons, an indication of the visibly intricate craft that comes with an haute couture creation. She has heeded one tradition though: that of wearing white. For modern brides, this is less about one's virginal status, and more about a visual indicator that one is the main attraction at a wedding – Sánchez Bezos has certainly achieved that. This moment concludes weeks of feverish speculation about which label landed the commission of the bride's 'main' wedding dress – the one she wears for the marriage ceremony itself, and which features in the first pictures of the couple as husband and wife. Sánchez Bezos has the privilege of being able to have whatever she wants. Even designers who might otherwise turn away the commission have their price – and with the rumoured help of Anna Wintour (who announced on Thursday that she would be stepping down as editor-in-chief of American Vogue after 37 years) access is all but guaranteed. Also among the runners and riders were Oscar de la Renta and Galia Lahav, as well as long shots Sarah Burton for Givenchy and Jonathan Anderson for Dior (who, incidentally, made his debut for the storied house in Paris while Bezos and Sánchez were saying their vows in Venice). And they may yet have their moment – this is doubtless one of several bridal looks. When you're marrying the world's third richest man, you can have as many couture wedding outfits as you please. Evidently, Mrs B has been having fun assembling a 'dolce vita' wardrobe for the three-day event, choosing an archive 2003 Alexander McQueen dress for dinner on Wednesday, and a gold corseted Schiaparelli couture dress for Thursday's pre-wedding party. According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, she was overheard telling the Kardashians: 'Girls, I'm living a fairytale. I'm on cloud nine in a wonderful city, with the man I love. I couldn't be happier.' The bride and groom's beaming smiles on Friday speak volumes. All the same, sustaining the limelight in such high-profile company is an art – and the new Mrs Bezos has proved herself to be a master.
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Furious Trump walks away from Canada trade talks
Donald Trump has walked away from trade talks with Canada in response to a digital services tax he described as a 'blatant attack on our country'. The president said he had immediately ended discussions taking place to address the series of tariffs he placed on the country earlier this year. In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said his administration had been informed that Canada was planning to proceed with a three per cent tax on technology companies such as Meta, Uber, Amazon and Google, on revenue earned from Canadian customers. Because the tax is retroactive, the American companies could face a bill of as much as $2bn by the end of the month. On Thursday, Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary, said the Group of Seven nations would put a pause on the taxes for US tech companies. In exchange, he said Republicans in Congress were planning to halt a so-called revenge tax on foreign investors. 'Based on this egregious tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on trade with Canada, effective immediately,' Mr Trump wrote. 'We will let Canada know the tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period.' Canada is the US's second biggest trading partner after Mexico, and bought around $350bn (£255) worth of American goods last year, according to official data. In exchange, it exported $412bn (£300) of goods. Canadians were stunned when Mr Trump announced major tariffs on its northern neighbour, as well as Mexico. Canada hit back at the 25 per cent levy on steel and aluminium, with a similar tariff on a range of US items. Mark Carney has said the trading relationship between the two countries had been changed forever. Anger over the tariffs was one of the reasons Mr Carney's beleaguered Liberal Party was re-elected, despite being poised to lose to the Conservative Party in a general election in May. Mr Carney who previously led both the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada, took a hard line against the US president as he continued to make '51st state' jibes. There was no immediate response from Mr Carney's office on Friday's development. It comes as Mr Trump's government is set to reimpose a number of high tariffs that he announced in April on almost all of America's trading partners. Of those nations, only two countries, Britain and China, have agreements with the US to even a framework of a trade deal.
