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       Former Trump aide says Trump "gleefully" watched footage of the Capitol riot on 6 January

       Former President Donald Trump held secret meetings in the run-up to the 6 January attack on the Capitol, according to his former press secretary.

       Stephanie Grisham told the House select committee investigating the insurrection that the then-president met with people in ‘off-the-books’ rendezvous that only a small number of aides were made aware of, according to reports.

       Ms Grisham, who resigned from her role as Melania Trump’s chief of staff in the wake of the violent riots, said she was not able to provide details of who Mr Trump held the secret meetings with, but reportedly provided the committee with the names of his then-aides who might know.

       The details of Ms Grisham’s interview have not yet been confirmed by the committee, but come as Mr Trump was dealt a blow by the Supreme Court, which rejected his bid to block the release of White House documents about the riot.

       The 6 January committee has been battling the former president for access to the records, which include diaries and visitor logs, but Mr Trump had argued the materials should be kept confidential under executive privilege.

       However, his request was rejected by the Supreme Court on Wednesday in a near-unanimous decision.

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       Key points Supreme Court allows release of January 6 Trump White House docs Trump held secret meetings ahead of capitol riot, former press secretary claims Biden: ‘I didn’t over-promise’

       Show latest update 1642689417 Trump held ‘secret meetings’ in days before riots

       Donald Trump held secret meetings in the days before the 6 January Capitol riots, according to former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham. Jade Bremner reports.

       Trump held ‘secret meetings’ before 6 January, says former press secretary Stephanie Grisham told the 6 January Committee that off-the-books meetings were organised by the former president in the lead up to the insurrection

       Harriet Sinclair 20 January 2022 14:36

       1642683634 Biden’s marathon news conference represents ‘quite the change’

       President Joe Biden’s two-hour-long news conference on Wednesday evening was his lengthiest by far, the significance of which was picked up by several journalists who were present.

       “Pres Biden, in the longest news conference in presidential history, made news, pushed back on critics, called out lies, took responsibility for mistakes he believes he made, expressed surprise at GOP, talked foreign policy and didn’t lash out on reporters,” PBS anchor Yamiche Alcindor wrote on Twitter.

       She went on to state that this represented “Quite the change” from his previous conferences.

       Thomas Fenton 20 January 2022 13:00

       1642680034 The White House moves quickly to clarify Biden’s ‘minor incursion’ remark

       The White House scrambled to correct one of President Joe Biden’s gaffes on Wednesday after he suggested Russia would not face sanctions over a “minor incursion” into Ukraine.

       Press Secretary Jen Psaki insisted that any Russian military campaign would be met with a “swift, severe and united response” amid mounting fears of an invasion.

       “President Biden has been clear with the Russian President: If any Russian military forces move across the Ukrainian border, that’s a renewed invasion, and it will be met with a swift, severe, and united response from the United States and our Allies,” Ms Psaki said in a statement.

       “President Biden also knows from long experience that the Russians have an extensive playbook of aggression short of military action, including cyberattacks and paramilitary tactics.

       “And he affirmed today that those acts of Russian aggression will be met with a decisive, reciprocal, and united response.”

       Thomas Fenton 20 January 2022 12:00

       1642676539 Biden’s approval rating hits new low at one year mark in AP-NORC poll

       President Joe Biden ends his first year in the White House with a clear majority of Americans for the first time disapproving of his handling of the presidency in the face of an unrelenting pandemic and roaring inflation, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

       More Americans disapprove than approve of how Biden is handling his job as president, 56% to 43%. As of now, just 28% of Americans say they want Biden to run for re-election in 2024, including only 48% of Democrats.

       Asked on Wednesday at a wide-ranging news conference about his flagging popularity, Biden responded, “I don’t believe the polls.”

       It’s a stark reversal from early in Biden’s presidency.

       Read more:

       Biden approval hits new low at one year mark: AP-NORC poll President Joe Biden ends his first year in the White House with a clear majority of Americans for the first time disapproving of his handling of the presidency in the face of an unrelenting pandemic and roaring inflation

       Thomas Fenton 20 January 2022 11:02

       1642674689 ICYMI - Joe Biden shrugs off question on ‘mental fitness’ from Newsmax reporter

       President Joe Biden shrugged off a right-wing television reporter’s question about a recent poll showing that many Americans are questioning whether he is mentally sharp enough to be president.

       Speaking at his second White House press conference since taking office on Wednesday, Mr Biden was asked by Newsmax White House reporter James Rosen about a recent poll conducted by Politico which found 48 per cent of respondents disagreeing with the statement: “Joe Biden is mentally fit”.

       In response, Mr Biden quipped that he would let the press corps “make the judgement of whether they’re correct”.

       Andrew Feinberg reports:

       Joe Biden shrugs off question on ‘mental fitness’ from conservative reporter President Joe Biden shrugged off a right-wing television reporter’s question about a recent poll showing that many Americans are questioning whether he is mentally sharp enough to be president.

       Thomas Fenton 20 January 2022 10:31

       1642670754 Biden predicts Russia will attack Ukraine but warns Putin of a ‘stiff price’

       Joe Biden has said he thinks Russia will make a move on Ukraine, warning Moscow it would face a “stiff price” for an attack yet suggesting that a “minor incursion” might be treated differently by the US and its allies.

       The US president’s comments at a White House news conference on Wednesday injected uncertainty into how the West would respond should Russian President Vladimir Putin order an invasion of Ukraine.

       The White House later clarified that any Russian military action would be met with a “swift, severe” response.

       Alexandra Alper reports:

       Biden predicts Russia will attack Ukraine but warns Putin of a ‘stiff price’ US president Joe Biden thinks Russia will ‘move in’ on Ukraine as tensions continue to rise

       Eleanor Sly 20 January 2022 09:25

       1642668354 ‘This is a moral moment’: Warnock tells senators ‘history is watching us’ as voting rights bill collapses

       Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock – a senior pastor at Georgia’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr preached up until his death – issued a pointed rebuke at his Senate colleagues who have invoked the words of the late civil rights leader while obstructing the passage of a bill to protect and expand voting rights.

       “You cannot honour Martin Luther King and work to dismantle his legacy at the same time,” he said.

       He continued: “I will not sit quietly while some make Dr King the victim of identity theft … You do not get to offer praises in memory of Dr King and then marshal the same kinds of states rights arguments that were used against Dr King and against the civil rights movement.”

       Alex Woodward has more:

       Raphael Warnock tells senators ‘history is watching’ as voting rights bill collapses ‘We have been summoned here by history’

       Eleanor Sly 20 January 2022 08:45

       1642665544 Vice president Kamala Harris: ‘The United States Senate must do everything in its power to protect the right to vote'

       The vice president of the United States Kamala Harris posted a video on Twitter, The United States Senate must do everything in its power to protect the right to vote.

       Ms Harris wrote on Twitter: “The United States Senate must do everything in its power to protect the right to vote”

       And added in the video: “Be sure: history is watching and I know the American people are watching.”

       “It is fundamental to our democracy and it is non-negotiable”

       Eleanor Sly 20 January 2022 07:59

       1642661894 Biden leans over microphone and slowly whispers response

       In an unusual sight, president Joe Biden on Wednesday replied to a journalist by leaning into his microphone during the press conference, in what appeared to be an attempt to underline his concern.

       The journalist had asked Mr Biden’s response to the “parents that are at odds about closing schools and remote learning”

       In a normal tone, the president says: “First of all I will put into perspective what you asked,” he said.

       He then leaned over the microphone and whispered: “Very few schools are closing.”

       “I don’t think it’s deliberate on your part, but you phrase the question so that anyone watching the television will think ‘my god, all these schools must be closing. What are we going to do?’”

       “95% are still open.”

       Watch the video here

       Arpan Rai 20 January 2022 06:58

       1642660195 Biden says he doesn’t believe in polls as his ratings drop

       Joe Biden said he does not trust the public opinion polls which have been suggesting that his approval ratings are on a downward trend among moderates and independents.

       “I don’t believe the polls,” Mr Biden said after he was asked about his plans to again woo the moderates and independents who elected him to power in 2020 but are not impressed with his job performance.

       The latest Gallup figures show the president’s approval rating has dipped from 61 per cent to 33 per cent in the year since he took office in January 2021.

       Several reasons have been pointed to for the drop, including rising Covid-19 cases, a surging inflation rate and the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan led by the US military.

       The ratings have now reached a point where they match the ratings of his predecessor Donald Trump at the same time in his term.

       Mr Biden has the second-lowest approval rating of any president after one year in office. Only Mr Trump reached a lower figure.

       Arpan Rai 20 January 2022 06:29

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