Author: Reporter

Trump implies reporters should be shot during latest tirade to incite violence against his enemies

Donald Trump gave a profane and conspiracy-laden speech two days before the presidential election, talking about reporters being shot and suggesting he “shouldn’t have left” the White House after his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden. In remarks on November 3 that bore no resemblance to his usual ranting campaign speeches, the convicted felon repeatedly cast doubt on the integrity of the vote and resurrected old grievances about being prosecuted after trying to overturn his defeat four years ago. Trump intensified his verbal attacks against a “grossly incompetent” national leadership and the American media, steering his Pennsylvania rally at...

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How we got here: Looking back at an election cycle unlike any other that finally ends on Tuesday

It is the election that no one could have foreseen. Not so long ago, Donald Trump was marinating in self-pity at Mar-a-Lago after being impeached twice and voted out of the White House. Even some of his closest allies were looking forward to a future without the charismatic yet erratic billionaire leading the Republican Party, especially after his failed attempt to overturn an election ended in violence and shame. When Trump announced his comeback bid two years ago, the New York Post buried the article on page 26. At the same time, Kamala Harris was languishing as a low-profile...

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Corrupted Faith: How White Christian Nationalists twist scriptures to politically smear Kamala Harris

Christian nationalist leaders are telling followers that Vice President Kamala Harris is under the influence of a “Jezebel spirit,” using a term with deeply racist and misogynistic roots that is setting off alarm bells for religious and political scholars. The concept is inspired by the biblical story of the evil Queen Jezebel, who persecuted prophets and was punished with a horrible death. The word “Jezebel” was used during slavery and throughout U.S. history to describe Black women, casting them as overtly sexual and untrustworthy. In the context of “Jezebel spirit,” the term has sinister connotations, suggesting the person is...

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Republicans flood Senate race in Wisconsin with dark money to support a carpetbagging millionaire

Sensing an opportunity in swing-state Wisconsin, Republicans are pouring money into the bid to unseat incumbent Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin in that state’s closely watched Senate race. Democrats also have dialed up their efforts in the contest, which remains crucial to their hopes of maintaining their Senate majority. They maintain an overall spending advantage and insist that the contest was always going to tighten as Election Day nears. A loss in Wisconsin to GOP nominee Eric Hovde would make preserving Democrats’ majority extremely difficult in a national landscape in which Republicans have far fewer seats to defend this year....

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Partisan divide: American voters increasingly view political rivals with animosity

President Joe Biden tried to explain that he does not really think Donald Trump’s supporters are “garbage,” but that does not mean that other people do not believe the label occasionally fits. “I would say that some of them are garbage,” said Samantha Leister, 32, who went to see Kamala Harris at a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. As for the rest of them? Leister, whose parents and father-in-law are backing Trump, says they are “misguided.” That same day, at Trump’s rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the idea of voting for Harris was impossible to fathom. “I just think they...

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Targeting voters: Fake political ads on social media use misinformation to push financial scams

The online advertisement to Donald Trump supporters was clear enough: Click here, and receive a free Trump 2024 flag and a commemorative coin. All in exchange for taking a quick survey and providing a credit card number for the $5 shipping and handling. “You’ll get two free gifts just by taking this quick poll in support of Trump,” said the ad’s narrator. The ad — which has appeared on Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms — did not mention the $80 charge that would later appear on credit card statements. Those who clicked were scammed. Political advertisements on social media...

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