Today in History for May 23rd
Highlights of this day in history: Top Nazi official Heinrich Himmler commits suicide; Nazi SS officer Adolf Eichmann arrested; Bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow fatally shot; Oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, golf legend Sam Snead die. (May 23)
news.yahoo.comAlbanese elected Australia's leader in complex poll result
Australians awoke to a new prime minister in Anthony Albanese, the center-left Labor Party leader whose ascension to the nation’s top job from being raised in social housing by a single mother on a disability pension was said to reflect the country's changed fabric.
Valley, state leaders welcome halt to border policy’s end
U.S. District Judge Robert Summerhays out of Louisiana ordered that Title 42 remain in place while a lawsuit led by Arizona and Louisiana goes to court. These states and 22 others argue that by attempting to phase out Title 42 the administration failed to consider the effects of its removal on border states. “I have made my concerns regarding the lifting of Title 42 very clear. Greg Abbott continued his criticism of President Joe Biden’s border policies in his reaction to Friday’s ruling. “We remain vigilant in fighting the lifting of Title 42 expulsions.”
myrgv.comGinni Thomas' emails deepen her involvement in 2020 election
Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and a conservative political activist, urged Republican lawmakers in Arizona after the 2020 presidential election to choose their own slate of electors, arguing that results giving Joe Biden a victory in the state were marred by fraud. The revelations first published by The Washington Post on Friday show that Thomas was more involved than previously known in efforts, based on unsubstantiated claims of fraud, to overturn Biden's victory and keep then-President Donald Trump in office. In the days after The Associated Press and other news organizations called the presidential election for Biden, Thomas emailed two lawmakers in Arizona to urge them to choose “a clean slate of Electors” and “stand strong in the face of political and media pressure.”
news.yahoo.comGinni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court justice, pressed Ariz. lawmakers to help reverse Trump’s loss, emails show
In sending the emails, Thomas played a role in the extraordinary scheme to keep Trump in office by substituting the will of legislatures for the will of voters. “Article II of the United States Constitution gives you an awesome responsibility: to choose our state’s Electors,” read the Nov. 9 email. “Before you choose your state’s Electors ... consider what will happen to the nation we all love if you don’t stand up and lead,” the email said. Efforts to persuade state lawmakers to name new electors are among the issues under examination by the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Thomas sent the emails via freeroots.com, a website meant to give political organizers an efficient means of conducting email campaigns.
washingtonpost.comThe AP Interview: US trade rep. sees opportunity in recovery
The top U.S. trade negotiator says with world economies all suffering from more than two years of the coronavirus pandemic and global supply problems exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States has an “incredible opportunity” to engage with other nations and forge new partnerships and agreements.
Japan welcomes new US Indo-Pacific economic initiative
Japan is welcoming a new U.S. economic initiative for the Indo-Pacific that President Joe Biden is expected to roll out during a visit to Tokyo next week because it demonstrates American commitment to a regional economic order that is not just about market access.
Biden's approval dips to lowest of presidency: AP-NORC poll
President Joe Biden’s approval rating dipped to the lowest point of his presidency in May, a new poll shows, with deepening pessimism emerging among members of his own Democratic Party. Only 39% of U.S. adults approve of Biden’s performance as president, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Research, dipping from already negative ratings a month earlier. In AP-NORC polls conducted in 2021, Biden’s approval rating among Democrats never dropped below 82%.
news.yahoo.comPentagon spokesman John Kirby moving to White House
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby is joining the White House, according to a person familiar with the matter, adding star power to the President Joe Biden's National Security Council. Kirby, who also served as the top spokesman at the Pentagon and the State Department during the Obama administration, is expected to take handle strategic communications for the NSC, as the West Wing navigates a range of foreign policy challenges, from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to North Korea's nuclear program. Kirby has been a fixture on cable news, particularly during the Ukraine crisis, and is valued in the administration for seeming to handle even the thorniest foreign policy questions with ease.
news.yahoo.comWhat Is the ‘Quad’ and Should China Fear It?
As the White House tries to demonstrate that the war in Ukraine hasn’t distracted America from pressing priorities in Asia, the Biden administration is once again looking to “the Quad.” The informal grouping brings together the US, Japan, India and Australia in an alliance of democracies with shared economic and security interests that span the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The point is to maintain a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” but the unstated priority is countering China’s growing power, which
washingtonpost.comTexas Republicans Chip Roy and Louie Gohmert among few to vote against U.S. House bill to help poor mothers access formula
The bill, which passed in the House, would expand the formula brand choices available to mothers on a federal assistance program in an attempt to mitigate a disruptive baby formula shortage around the country.
Prosecutors debunk Colorado clerk's 2020 election claims
Prosecutors in a western Colorado county say they found no evidence of tampering in the 2020 presidential election as alleged by a clerk who has become a prominent voice among those promoting former President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election.