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White House weighs possibility of Biden addressing UFOs

White House aides are weighing whether to have President Biden address the public about a series of unidentified flying objects that were shot down by the U.S. military in recent days, according to an official familiar with the conversations.

Biden has faced an onslaught of criticisms by Republicans in particular who have said the president needs to be more communicative with the public about the issue, particularly after three separate unknown aerial objects were shot down three days in a row last weekend.

One White House official said there has been growing chatter in the building about Biden addressing the issue at some point, possibly this week before he leaves the country for Poland on Monday.

But the White House and its allies also believe there is little to gain from rushing Biden out when officials are still gathering information about the weekend’s incidents, deferring instead to Pentagon officials and White House national security spokesperson John Kirby to be the public faces addressing the actions.

“To date, I think they’ve been happy about having Kirby out there fielding questions on this,” one White House ally said. “Until we know more, it’s okay to have him out there taking questions and then they’ll find the right moment for the president to address it.”

Democratic strategist Rodell Mollineau, who served as a senior communications aide to the late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said he understands the calculus of not putting Biden out there on the issue yet. 

“It would be a reiteration of what’s already out there,” Mollineau said. “The question is, ‘What is the end goal and are the nerves of the American people that heightened?’ Or is this the media and some of the president’s detractors trying to elongate a story?” 

Mollineau said Biden weighing in on the issue may have an adverse effect.

“The moment he comes out – this might seem counterintuitive – it doesn’t lower anxiety, it likely heightens it,” Mollineau said. 

Kirby took questions from the White House briefing room last Friday just as news broke of an object being shot down over Alaskan airspace, and he did so again on Monday after two more objects were shot down over the weekend. 

The veteran spokesman, who previously served as press secretary at the Pentagon, held a virtual briefing with reporters on Tuesday, and he has been a frequent presence on television providing updates on what is known, and what officials are still trying to learn about the objects.

On Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin became the first Cabinet official to speak with reporters about the objects struck down over the weekend when he landed in Brussels for a NATO meeting. During a press briefing Tuesday alongside Austin, Joint Chief’s Chairman Mark Milley confirmed to reporters that the first missile to target the object over Lake Huron on Sunday had missed its target.

But Biden hasn’t spoken of the objects that were shot down over the weekend, fueling criticism by some lawmakers on Capitol Hill dissatisfied with his administration’s briefings on the matters.

“The president owes the American people an explanation, direct and on camera, of what we know about these ‘objects’ and what steps he’s taking to protect American’s sovereign airspace,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said in a statement. 

Reporters have also pressed the White House at briefings this week about when Biden might address the public about the objects, noting the unusual nature of the circumstances, but officials there have been mum on the president speaking directly to the matter.

“What we’re trying to do here is provide as much information as we can,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. “The president clearly has been briefed on a regular basis on this, on a daily basis, on what has occurred in the last 10 days or so. But I just don’t have anything to preview as to if the President is going to be speaking on this in the upcoming days.”

NBC News first reported on talks of Biden giving remarks about the downed objects.

On Tuesday, Kirby said there have been no indications thus far that the three objects shot down over the weekend were connected to a broader Chinese spy balloon program, or that they were connected to a foreign intelligence gathering effort.

Officials have been unable to collect the debris from the three objects to date because of weather conditions and where they were shot down. Two were shot down in frozen wilderness, while a third was shot down over Lake Huron.

Biden has addressed in interviews the Chinese surveillance balloon he ordered shot down over South Carolina more than a week ago after it traversed much of the U.S. He told PBS Newshour that he did not believe the balloon incident would worsen U.S.-China relations, and he told Telemundo that he did not view the balloon entering U.S. airspace as a major incursion.

But Biden has not spoken publicly about the three objects that were shot down last weekend, leading to Republican criticism about his silence on the issue.

“I think at this juncture, the president needs to talk straight up to the American people,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said on Fox News on Wednesday.

Several Democrats have said in recent days the administration could be more transparent in providing information about the recent incidents, though they have largely avoided directly criticizing Biden for not delivering remarks.

“You know, in the absence of information, people will fill that gap with anxiety and other stuff. So, I wish the administration was a little quicker to tell us everything they know,” Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said on Sunday just hours before the third object was shot down.

The White House itself has had to address the potential for extraterrestrial activity after such questions rose when Pentagon officials said they wouldn’t rule it out.

“I don’t think the American people need to worry about aliens, with respect to these craft.  Period.  I don’t think there’s any more that needs to be said there,” Kirby told reporters in the briefing room this week.

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) will lead a Senate investigation into why it took so long for the Defense Department to detect Chinese spy balloons that floated over the United States this month and in previous years, which has revealed embarrassing gaps in the nation’s air defense.

“We still have questions about why they didn’t discover these balloons sooner, these objects sooner,” Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday. “Sen. Tester is going to lead our caucus in investigating this. It’s a good question. We need to answer it.”  

Some have suggested that Biden’s decision to not address the issue in public could leave an opening for lawmakers and commentators to fill the void with unconfirmed information that just makes the problem worse.

“It’s human nature to have some fear of the unknown,” Mollineau said. 

But, he added, “Lawmakers are taking advantage of this situation to stoke fear and anxiety and perpetuate conspiracy theories. I think those that are trying to use this for their own purposes aren’t making this any easier.” 

Source: TEST FEED1

Haley calls for US to move on from 'faded names of the past'

Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, called on Wednesday for the United States to move on from a rapidly aging generation of politicians, pitching her newly minted campaign for the White House as a chance for voters to install a younger and more diverse leader.

“We’re ready — ready to move past the stale ideas and faded names of the past,” Haley said, speaking to a crowd of supporters in Charleston, S.C. “And we are more than ready for a new generation to lead us into the future.”

Haley on Tuesday became the second Republican to jump into the party’s presidential nominating contest and the first to mount a formal challenge to former President Trump. Her candidacy — and how Trump handles it — is a crucial test case for other Republicans eyeing the White House.

The former South Carolina governor worked at points in her speech to strike a unifying tone, telling supporters that “America is better than all of the division and distractions that we have today.” 

“And I am confident that the American people agree,” she added. 

Woven throughout her remarks were a series of traditional Republican talking points: the need to confront a dangerous world, including a rising China, as well as a call to ramp up security at the U.S. southern border. But it also included red-meat issues designed to entice the GOP’s conservative base.

At one comment that drew a relatively lukewarm response from the audience, Haley brought up so-called election integrity, pledging to make “voter ID the law of the land” and ensure that “everyone has full confidence in our elections.” She also vowed to “stop the surge of drugs and illegal immigration,” echoing the rhetoric used by Trump when he announced his first bid for the White House in 2015.

At another point, she demanded mandatory “mental competency tests” for office-holders over the age of 75, playing into a frequent conservative claim that President Biden isn’t mentally fit to serve in the White House. But that remark was also a tacit swipe at Trump, who would be 78 by the time of his second swearing-in.

Haley also waded into culture war issues throughout her speech, pushing back on accusations that the U.S. is a racist country.  

“A self-loathing has swept our country. It’s in the classroom, the boardroom and the backrooms of government,” Haley said. “Every day, we’re told America is flawed, rotten and full of hate. Joe and Kamala even say America is racist. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Her speech came as an attempt to bridge the gap between the Trump-aligned mainstream of the GOP and the faction of more traditional Republicans who have felt isolated from the party under Trump’s leadership.

The former governor touted her own identity as the daughter of Indian immigrants. 

“My parents left India in search of a better life, they lived in South Carolina. Our town came to love us, but it wasn’t always easy, we were the only Indian family,” Haley said. 

She also leaned into her identity as a woman but also pushed back against the idea of identity politics.

“May the best woman win,” Haley said to applause. “All kidding aside, this is not about identity politics. I don’t believe in that and I don’t believe in glass ceilings either.” 

In becoming the first Republican to challenge Trump for the GOP nod, Haley is hoping to capitalize on the relatively empty field to force a close look from Republican primary voters and donors. But she also faces a tough path. 

Early polling shows her struggling to lift her support out of the single-digits, while Trump remains the ostensible front-runner. So far, only Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who hasn’t yet announced a campaign, has emerged in polling as a viable alternative to Trump.

At the same time, she has irked both Trump’s allies and his detractors. The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump group, criticized Haley’s candidacy on Tuesday, casting her as a once-promising politician who sold out to the former president for political gain. 

Trump’s campaign, meanwhile, responded to Haley’s entrance into the race on Wednesday, blasting out an email including Haley’s prior stances on issues like entitlement reform and her past remarks saying Hillary Clinton inspired her to run for public office. 

But Haley’s allies are quick to note that she’s won tough races before, noting how she came from behind in her 2010 bid for the GOP’s South Carolina gubernatorial nomination, defeating Republican heavyweights, including now-Gov. Henry McMaster.

She also has a strong base of support in her home state. On Wednesday, Rep. Ralph Norman (S.C.) became the first Republican member of Congress to throw his support behind Haley.

“It’s time for a reset and a new chapter in national Republican politics, and there’s no better person to help write that new chapter than our former governor and my good friend, Nikki Haley!” Norman tweeted.

Source: TEST FEED1

Trump attacks Haley on Medicare, Social Security cuts

Former President Trump on Wednesday attacked new Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, his former United Nations ambassador, for her previous support of cutting Medicare and Social Security.

In an email titled “The Real Nikki Haley” sent minutes after her official campaign launch event, the Trump campaign noted Haley supported former Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) plan to eliminate Medicare and turn it into a voucher system. 

He also highlighted a 2010 Fox News interview where Haley indicated Congress should be looking to cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Trump has leaned into attacking his current and potential 2024 rivals on entitlements, looking to exploit divisions in the Republican Party over the issue — just as President Biden and the Democrats are doing.

Biden used his State of the Union address last week to accuse Republicans of wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare, baiting them into loudly booing his remarks. 

Trump is pushing a similar attack on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has not officially declared his candidacy but is seen as Trump’s main rival for the 2024 GOP nomination.

While Republicans have long favored cutting or even eliminating Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, Trump’s 2016 campaign marked a stark recalibration of those long-held positions, beginning on the very first day of his candidacy in 2015 when he vowed to “save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security — without cuts.”

But as president, every one of his White House budget proposals included cuts to Social Security and Medicare programs.

Republican leaders are facing pressure from their right flank to slash federal spending and rein in deficits, and entitlements have emerged as ground zero in that debate. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Haley criticizes US 'self-loathing': America is not a racist country

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticized what she said was a “self-loathing” taking over the U.S. and dismissed accusations that the country is racist during her campaign launch Wednesday in Charleston, S.C.

“A self-loathing has swept our country. It’s in the classroom, the boardroom and the backrooms of government,” Haley said, speaking to supporters. “Every day, we’re told America is flawed, rotten and full of hate. Joe [Biden] and Kamala [Harris] even say America is racist. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

The remarks show how Haley is wading into culture war issues as a part of her campaign. In her launch video released on Tuesday, Haley’s campaign showed a montage of photos, including one from The 1619 Project and a sign reading “Racism is a pandemic.” 

“Some look at our past as evidence that America’s founding principles are bad. They say the promise of freedom is just made up,” Haley said in the video. “Some think our ideas are not just wrong but racist and evil. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Haley, who is the daughter of Indian immigrants, also used her launch address on Wednesday to highlight her own background. 

“I am a proud daughter of Indian immigrants,” Haley said. “My parents left India in search of a better life. They lived in South Carolina. Our town came to love us, but it wasn’t always easy. We were the only Indian family.” 

Haley is the second Republican to throw their hat into the 2024 primary ring, following her ex-boss former President Trump. Haley previously served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under the Trump administration. 

On Wednesday, she also called for new blood in GOP leadership. 

“We’re ready — ready to move past the stale ideas and faded names of the past,” Haley said. “And we are more than ready for a new generation to lead us into the future.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Haley calls for 'mental competency tests' for politicians over 75

Nikki Haley, the newly minted Republican presidential candidate, called on Wednesday for mandatory “mental competency tests” for politicians older than 75, an implied dig at President Biden and her onetime boss, former President Trump.

Speaking at a rally in Charleston, S.C., kicking off her 2024 White House bid, Haley ran through a litany of political promises, including enacting term limits for members of Congress and cracking down on illegal immigration. 

But it was a vow to impose mandatory cognitive tests on older officeholders that underscored the central message of her campaign: that the United States needs a younger leader after previously electing two of the oldest men to ever occupy the White House.

“In the America I see, the permanent politician will finally retire,” Haley said. “We’ll have term limits for Congress and mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old.”

Her remarks reflect a growing sentiment within both parties that their standard-bearers — Biden in the Democrats’ case, and Trump for Republicans — are simply too old to continue on in the White House. Trump would be 78 by the time he’d be hypothetically sworn in again as president, while Biden would be 82.

Republicans in particular have repeatedly questioned Biden’s cognitive state, seizing on a series of gaffes to argue that he’s not mentally fit to serve in the White House.

Haley announced her campaign on Tuesday in a video posted online, becoming the first major Republican to mount a challenge to Trump, who is once again seeking the GOP’s presidential nod. She’s expected to travel to Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states to hold Republican nominating contests, later this week. 

While Haley may be one of the first 2024 candidates out of the gate, she still faces a rocky path to securing her party’s nomination. For the time being, Trump remains the GOP contest’s ostensible front-runner, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appears to be the most viable alternative. Haley’s support, meanwhile, is mired in the single digits.

Source: TEST FEED1

Judge denies Trump's offer to give DNA in E. Jean Carroll case, calling it delay tactic

A federal judge on Wednesday denied former President Trump’s “quid pro quo” offer to provide his DNA in a case accusing him of sexual assault, slamming it as a delay tactic.

Trump previously repelled efforts by author E. Jean Carroll — who accused Trump of raping her in the mid-1990s — to secure a DNA sample from the former president. Trump vehemently denies the assault, and Carroll wanted to test it against samples from the dress she said she wore that day.

But Trump’s attorney, Joseph Tacopina, offered last week to provide the DNA sample if Carroll agreed to provide a missing appendix from the DNA report on the dress in exchange. Carroll’s attorneys rebuffed the offer.

“There is no justification for any such deal,” ruled Judge Lewis Kaplan. “Either Ms. Carroll is obliged to supply the omitted appendix or she is not. Either Mr. Trump is obliged to provide a DNA sample or he is not. Neither is a quid pro quo for the other.”

“And the short answer to Mr Trump’s request is clear,” Kaplan added. “Mr. Trump is not entitled to the undisclosed appendix. The time for pretrial discovery in both cases is over, and Mr. Trump never previously asked for it.”

Trump’s team had argued that producing the appendix was needed for due process reasons, suggesting he needed it to prepare for trial.

Tacopina declined to comment on the ruling.

Kaplan, who was nominated by former President Clinton to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, went on to criticize how the former president’s request would only delay the trial, which is scheduled for April.

The judge noted Trump’s previous attempts to delay the litigation and wrote that he is only now bringing up the request after discovery closed, despite knowing about the missing appendix for months.

“It is entirely clear that granting Mr. Trump’s request would be only the first step in introducing a complicated new subject into this case that both sides elected not to pursue over a period of years,” Kaplan wrote.

Carroll, a longtime columnist for Elle magazine, first sued Trump for defamation for statements he made about the alleged incident, which Carroll’s attorneys argue cast doubt on her credibility and demeaned her appearance. The alleged defamation includes a 2019 interview with The Hill in which Trump said Carroll was “totally lying” and “not my type.”

That case will likely turn on whether Trump’s statements were made within the scope of his employment as president, which would effectively protect him from the lawsuit. 

The dispute remains unresolved in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but Kaplan has allowed the proceedings to move forward as the parties await the decision.

Carroll also filed a second lawsuit against Trump in November for the alleged assault itself once a New York law took effect that temporarily lifted the statute of limitations. Carroll also added a new allegation of defamation that occurred after Trump’s time in office.

Trump’s attorneys have attempted to throw out the second suit by arguing the law is invalid under the New York Constitution’s due process protections and that Carroll’s claim of defamation does not meet the legal standard for relief.

Kaplan denied Trump’s request to dismiss the suit last month, allowing the case to move forward.

Source: TEST FEED1

Watch live: Nikki Haley officially announces White House bid 

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) on Wednesday is slated to deliver a formal announcement that she will run for the White House in 2024 in a challenge to former President Trump for the GOP’s nomination.

Haley is the first Republican to jump in the race after Trump’s announcement.

The former governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations announced her bid in a video on Tuesday, calling for new leadership in a party that she acknowledged had repeatedly failed to capture the popular vote in most presidential elections over the past three-plus decades.

“Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven out of the last eight presidential elections. That has to change,” Haley said. “Joe Biden’s record is abysmal, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Washington establishment has failed us over and over and over again. It’s time for a new generation of leadership.”

While Haley may be the first Republican to challenge Trump for the nomination, she likely won’t be the last. In addition to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott are believed to be moving toward White House bids.

The event from Charleston, S.C., is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET.

Watch the video above.

Source: TEST FEED1

House Freedom Caucus member Ralph Norman endorses Nikki Haley for president

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) endorsed former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) for president on Wednesday, her first endorsement from the South Carolina congressional delegation.

“We are at a pivotal point in our nation.  While the Republican candidates, values, and messages have done very well here in South Carolina, that hasn’t been the case everywhere across our great nation,” Norman said in a tweet on Wednesday.

“It’s time for a reset and a new chapter in national Republican politics, and there’s no better person to help write that new chapter than our former governor and my good friend, Nikki Haley!” Norman said.

Norman is a member of the hard-line conservative House Freedom Caucus and was one of the 20 House Republicans withholding support from Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for Speaker in order to secure concessions on spending and rules to empower rank-and-file members. Norman pushed for the House to pass a plan to balance the federal budget.

After the Speaker vote, McCarthy appointed Norman and two other hard-line conservative lawmakers to the House Rules Committee, which controls legislation that can go to the House floor.

Norman has also been a supporter of former President Trump and voted against certifying the 2020 Electoral College results from Pennsylvania on Jan. 6, 2021. Text messages reported by Talking Points Memo show that Norman texted White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Jan. 17, 2021, encouraging Trump to invoke “Marshall [sic] Law” to investigate alleged election fraud.

Norman and Haley both served in the South Carolina State House starting in 2005, and he was an early supporter of her run for governor.

In comments to Fox News, Norman said that Trump “was exactly who the Republican Party needed at the time” in 2016 because he “reminded us how to fight what we believe,” but that the GOP has since “entered a season of change.”

“We’re at a pivotal juncture, and most of the Republicans I know are now looking for new leadership with a new vision at the top of the ticket. Nikki Haley has that vision, and she’s going to be an outstanding President,” Norman told Fox News.

Haley is set to hold a presidential announcement event in Charleston, S.C., on Wednesday. She is the second person to jump into what is expected to become a crowded GOP presidential primary.

Other South Carolina congressional lawmakers have praised Haley as she entered the presidential race, but stopped short of an official endorsement. 

“She has performed at the highest level in every elected and appointed position she has held,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said in a tweet on Tuesday.

“I think it’s exciting. She is more than qualified for the job. She’s got experience on the global scale,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) told CNN on Tuesday. Haley endorsed Mace in her 2022 primary as Trump endorsed a GOP challenger.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (R) is also considered to be a potential presidential candidate, and will attend a presidential forum alongside Haley in South Carolina next month.

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Special counsel alleges crime to compel testimony from Trump lawyer

The Justice Department is looking to compel an attorney for former President Trump to testify before a grand jury in the case involving the possible mishandling of classified documents, seeking to pierce attorney-client privilege by contending he may have aided in a crime.

Justice Department prosecutors wish to speak with Trump attorney Evan Corcoran, multiple outlets reported late Tuesday, seeking approval from a judge in a sealed filing to invoke the crime-fraud exception.

The rare move to push for such cooperation from an attorney can only be ignited when legal advice was given in furtherance of a crime, a key issue for prosecutors as they investigate an obstruction of justice charge in connection with their search of Mar-a-Lago.

Corcoran did not immediately respond to request for comment, nor did a spokesman for the special counsel. 

The investigation was launched after a months-long battle to recover presidential records from Trump’s Florida home, when an initial batch of returned documents included nearly 200 documents with classified markings.

Corcoran would later turn over more than 30 documents to prosecutors following a subpoena, later drafting an attestation he handed to colleague Christina Bobb to sign indicating that all remaining classified records had been returned.

Corcoran appeared before a grand jury last month, and it’s not clear what matters the Justice Department wishes to speak to him about where he may have asserted he was unable to do so due to attorney-client privilege.

The matter is set to be decided by Judge Beryl Howell, the chief judge for the U.S. District Court for D.C., who has largely sided with the Justice Department on matters of privilege in the Mar-a-Lago case.

Trump’s team in January turned over an additional classified record and a laptop to the Justice Department amid ongoing efforts to determine whether all classified records at Mar-a-Lago have been returned.

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Club for Growth defends Rick Scott from McConnell’s 'false attacks'

The Club for Growth, a prominent conservative advocacy group, is backing Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-Fla.) reelection bid and pushing back against what it says are the “false attacks” of “establishment Republicans” like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.).  

“Rick Scott is a proven conservative who has promoted economic growth and fought reckless spending in the U.S. Senate,” said Club for Growth PAC President David McIntosh.

“While other Republicans have caved to massive tax-and-spend packages that have strained our economy, Rick Scott has consistently championed small government solutions centered around fiscal responsibility, and because of that he’s faced the unfounded and false attacks of liberal Democrats like President Biden and even establishment Republicans like Leader McConnell,” he said.  

The group’s statement comes after McConnell panned Scott’s proposal to sunset all federal legislation after five years, which was included in the 12-point plan he introduced last year as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.  

“That’s not a Republican plan. That was the Rick Scott plan,” McConnell told radio host Terry Meiners. 

The Senate Republican leader disavowed Scott’s proposal again on Tuesday, responding to a line in President Biden’s State of the Union address asserting “some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset every five years.”  

“It continues to come up. The president was talking about it in the State of the Union,” he told reporters. “So let me say it one more time. There is no agenda on the part of Senate Republicans to revisit Medicare or Social Security. Period.” 

Scott says that critics who say he wants to sunset Medicare and Social Security are twisting the intention of his proposal. He says he fully expects Congress to reauthorize Medicare and Social Security if they are due to sunset and explains that his proposal is aimed at weeding out wasteful and ineffective federal programs.  

McConnell and the Club for Growth have feuded over political strategy and the direction of the Republican Party for years.  

The group backed conservative challenger Chris McDaniel, a Tea Party Republican, when he ran against the late Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), whom McConnell backed, in the 2014 Senate Republican primary. 

And last year the Club for Growth poured $5.5 million into the Arizona Senate race in the final days to help conservative candidate Blake Masters after a super PAC affiliated with McConnell, the Senate Leadership Fund, canceled nearly $10 million in television ads in the race.  

Source: TEST FEED1