Author: Reporter

The last time Donald Trump ran for president, the lawyers most directly involved in his efforts to overturn the election wound up sanctioned, criminally prosecuted or even sued for millions of dollars. This time around, Republican party leaders are working to present a more organized, skilled legal operation even as Trump continues to deny he lost the 2020 election and sows doubt about the integrity of the upcoming one. “It has been very important to make sure that in every aspect, we are going to have a fully professional operation,” said RNC Chairman Michael Whatley. As Republicans and Democrats...

Tech mogul Elon Musk, speaking at a town hall on October 26 in Pennsylvania to support Republican Donald Trump, played down the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and exhorted supporters to cast votes early in the presidential swing state while describing mail ballots as a “recipe for fraud.” The freewheeling session inside a ballroom at a hotel in downtown Lancaster touched on a dizzying range of topics, from space exploration and the Tesla cybertruck to immigration and the efficacy of psychiatric drugs. The town hall was part of Musk’s efforts through his super PAC to help boost...

Wherever House Speaker Mike Johnson goes, Donald Trump, seemingly, is not far away. At a campaign stop for a House Republican candidate outside of Toledo, Johnson held up his cell phone as he has a dozen times before, and started filming — “Hey, Mr. President!” The crowd at the county GOP headquarters a couple hundred people deep knew what to do next. “Is President Trump going to win Ohio?” They roared. As Johnson travels the country trying to save his House Republican majority, and his own job as speaker, he has linked ever more tightly to Trump, a once...

Groups in Russia created and helped spread viral disinformation targeting Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, a senior U.S. intelligence official said in October. The content, which includes baseless accusations about the Minnesota governor’s time as a teacher, contains several indications that it was manipulated, said the official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Analysts identified clues that linked the content to Russian disinformation operations, said the official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the office of the director. Digital researchers had already linked the video to Russia, but the...