Former US President Donald Trump addresses the crowd at a rally in South Carolina
Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows is facing further scrutiny over his voting history after it emerged he registered for the 2020 election at an address in Carolina of the North that he would never have used.
Mr Meadows, who as a senior Trump official was a major proponent of the false theory that the election was stolen by massive fraud, registered to vote by mail citing the address of a rental house with which he has no clear connection. The North Carolina Attorney General has now called for an investigation into the allegations.
Meanwhile, far-right Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn found a new audience on Russian state television, which showed a video of recent remarks in which he described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “thug”.
The North Carolina representative is one of many GOP members who are drawing heavy criticism for their remarks about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His colleague Marjorie Taylor Greene was singled out this week for repeating pro-Russian conspiracy theories about the Biden administration and the United States in general.
Marjorie Taylor Greene condemns Covid recalls with false claim about polio vaccines
Trump loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene inadvertently proved her wrong on the House floor by complaining about Covid-19 vaccine recalls.
Ms Greene spoke out to attack coronavirus vaccines, particularly the idea that booster shots might be needed to keep Americans safe from the virus and its variants.
“Now, I don’t know about you guys, but a lot of us were vaccinated as kids against polio, we had our MMR, and I’ve never seen the CDC come out and say ‘oh, you gotta get your second polio shot, you gotta get your third, you gotta get your fourth,” she said.
“And it could continue. I think the question we should all be asking ourselves is ‘when does it stop? and ‘when will enough vaccines be enough?'”
Critics of Ms Greene were quick to point out that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) actually recommends four doses of the polio vaccine.
The Independents Craig Graziosi reports:
Megan SheetsMarch 18, 2022 10:30 p.m.
Lauren Boebert Says Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Shows Why the US Shouldn’t Have Gun Safety Laws
Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert appeared to use the crisis in Ukraine to oppose gun laws in the United States.
The controversial Colorado Republican made the claim in a tweet on Thursday, writing, “Personally, I’m glad the left can finally recognize the importance of armed civilians, guns, border security, nationalism and justice. patriotism.
“Now we just have to make them recognize the importance of these things HERE rather than in other countries.”
Megan SheetsMarch 18, 2022 9:45 p.m.
PSAKI shames Tom Cotton for calling Biden weak against Ukraine
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has slammed a group of Republicans – including Senator Tom Cotton – who have called for US military aid to be sent to Ukraine despite voting against a proposed financing law intended to achieve this specific objective.
Mr Cotton, who began voicing his concerns on Twitter, called for “more timidity and half measures”, saying it was “time to send Ukraine the weapons it needs to put end to this invasion.
Ms. Psaki, who responded in the same medium as Mr. Cotton’s rebukes, got a quick response.
Read the full article from The Independents Craig Graziosi below.
Johanna ChisholmMarch 18, 2022 9:15 p.m.
Marjorie Taylor Greene hits back at reporter over Russian propaganda questions
Marjorie Taylor Greene reached breaking point when pressed by reporter over allegations she had become a parrot for Kremlin propaganda
The accusation, which has been leveled against the Republican in recent weeks following her controversial and false remarks about the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, caught Ms Greene so off guard that she physically forced her to stop immediately.
“Okay, first of all, this is ridiculous and you need to stop,” the Republican representative from Georgia can be heard saying in a video.
“I have no sympathy for Putin and Russia,” Ms Green retorted.
Read the full story of The Independent below.
Johanna ChisholmMarch 18, 2022 8:36 p.m.
McCarthy slams Madison Cawthorn for calling Zelensky a ‘thug’
House Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was upset by comments made by North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “thug.”
However, he was not disturbed enough to withdraw his support for the Republican congressman when he was re-elected.
“Madison is wrong,” Mr McCarthy said, after confirming he had spoken to Mr Cawthorn. “If there’s a ‘thug’ in this world, it’s [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.
When later asked by a reporter if he supported the North Carolina representative’s re-election campaign, Mr McCarthy replied with a short and simple “yes”.
Read the full story of The Independents Gustaf Kilander below.
Johanna ChisholmMarch 18, 2022 8:04 p.m.
Marjorie Taylor Greene inadvertently gets vaccine recalls wrong
U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene inadvertently soaked herself on Friday as she tried to prove to the House that Covid-19 vaccine boosters weren’t doing an effective job of protecting against infection.
Ms Greene spoke out to attack coronavirus vaccines, particularly the idea that booster shots might be needed to keep Americans safe from the virus and its variants.
“Now, I don’t know about you guys, but a lot of us were vaccinated as kids against polio, we had our MMR, and I’ve never seen the CDC come out and say ‘oh, you gotta get your second polio shot, you gotta get your third, you gotta get your fourth,” she said.
The Georgia rep’s baseless claims were shut down, however, after critics were quick to point out that, yes, you can (and should, as the CDC recommends) get more than one vaccine to protect you against poliomyelitis. A total of four doses, in fact.
Read the full story of The Independents Craig Graziosi below.
Johanna ChisholmMarch 18, 2022 7:35 p.m.
Fox News’ Ukrainian coverage hailed by Russian foreign minister
Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin’s foreign minister, used an English-language interview on the state-sponsored propaganda network RT to give Fox News credit for airing “some alternative views” (read: fake pro-Russian stories) about the Kremlin attack on Ukraine.
Andrew NaughtyMarch 18, 2022 7:00 p.m.
ICYMI: Jen Psaki knocks out Josh Hawley on her Kentanji Brown Jackson attack
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley is leading a Republican attack on Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson for her past handling of cases involving child sex offenses, claiming without providing much context that she was unduly soft on defendants who have been convicted.
After Mr Hawley started a thread on Twitter and repeated his complaints on Fox News, the issue was raised at a White House press briefing, where Jen Psaki had a response ready.
Andrew NaughtyMarch 18, 2022 6:30 p.m.
Where was Pence on January 6?
Politics‘s Kyle Cheney reports a bizarre development in the case of an accused Jan. 6 rioter who faces trial after pleading not guilty to a misdemeanor for his behavior that day.
The judge handling the case gave the go-ahead for Couy Griffin’s defense team to question the Secret Service about Mike Pence’s whereabouts during the riot. According to the report, they claim the Vice President’s evacuation took him out of the Capitol, meaning Mr. Griffin did not breach a Secret Service protected area.
As Mr. Cheney reports, prosecutors “say the argument is nonsense,” pointing out that “not only was Pence in the Capitol complex for the duration of the riot, they say, but it wouldn’t have helped.” matter if he left, since the trespassing law he is accused of only requires that Pence intend to return.”
Andrew NaughtyMarch 18, 2022 6:00 p.m.
Grim new details in Whitmer kidnapping plot trial
Four men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer are currently on trial over the incident, which saw their small militia group infiltrated by the FBI before their arrest. Recordings played in court showed one of the men discussing how he would have liked to see the Democratic governor ‘handcuffed on a table while we all posed and took pictures of ourselves as if we had just done the greatest drug trafficking of… history”.
While the defense says the men only persisted in their plot because an FBI informant encouraged them, the prosecution argues the men had violent intent regardless of their group’s trajectory.
Andrew NaughtyMarch 18, 2022 5:30 p.m.
