Trump news – live: Ex-president expected to testify for New York AG real estate probe ‘in coming days’

Department of Justice investigators leading the federal probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election have filed a lawsuit against former White House adviser Peter Navarro to recover emails relevant to its investigation into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The emails in question were sent from Mr Navarro’s personal email account, but have been determined to be presidential records – and thus US government property.

The probe has also reportedly subpoenaed former deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin, who served under chief counsel Pat Cipollone. The counsel’s office is thought to have been crucial in refusing to let former president Donald Trump politicize the executive branch’s legal apparatus to secure a second term.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s children Donald Jr and Ivanka have both been deposed in another investigation, this time the New York attorney general’s long-running probe in to the Trump Organization’s real estate dealings and alleged record of over- and under-valuing properties to obtain favourable loan terms while minimizing tax obligations.

Key points

• Federal grand jury subpoenas Pat Cipollone

• Trump Pentagon officials’s phones were ‘wiped’ of Jan 6 messages

• Trump-backed candidate in Arizona nailbiter

• Eric Schmitt wins over Eric Greitens in Missouri

• Report says Jan 6 probe to subpoena Alex Jones’ texts and emails obtained at trial

• CNN reports former Trump deputy White House counsel subpoenaed by Jan 6 probe

Trump expected to testify in coming days in New York AG probe in real estate business

19:31 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump is expected to be questioned under oath in the coming days in the New York attorney general’s long-running investigation into his dealings as a real estate mogul.

The deposition could be a critical moment in the investigation of allegations that the Republican billionaire’s company, the Trump Organization, misled banks and tax authorities about the value of prized assets like golf courses and skyscrapers.

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office said in May that it was nearing the end of its probe and that investigators have amassed substantial evidence that could support legal action against Trump, his company or both.

Read more:

Trump testimony expected soon in NY civil investigation

Josh Hawley explains why he voted against Finland and Sweden joining Nato

19:20 , Oliver O'Connell

The US Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to approve a treaty to add Sweden and Finland to Nato, amidst Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. There was only one dissenting voice. Josh Hawley of Missouri was the only senator from either party to oppose the treaty, which passed 95-1.

On Wednesday, Mr Hawley, who is said to be harbouring presidential ambitions in 2024, appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News programme to explain his vote.

Abe Asher reports.

Josh Hawley tells Tucker Carlson why he voted against Finland and Sweden joining Nato

Judge refuses to delay Oath Keepers’ trial over Jan 6 hearings

18:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Members of the far-right Oath Keepers‘ extremist group charged in the 6 January 202 attack on the US Capitol will face jurors this fall after a judge on Tuesday denied defense attorneys’ bid to delay the high-profile trial until next year.

Lawyers for Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, and other associates of the antigovernment group argued a trial beginning in September would be tainted by publicity surrounding recent Jan. 6 House committee hearings and that attorneys still have too much evidence to sort through.

But US District Judge Amit Mehta said he is confident the court will find a fair jury for the Oath Keepers’ case in Washington next month and that he’s obligated to oversee a speedy trial for the defendants, who have been locked up for months. Moving the trial would also “wreak havoc” on the court’s calendar, which is filled with trials into next year, he said.

Judge won't delay Oath Keepers' trial over Jan. 6 hearings

ICYMI: DoJ suing Peter Navarro

18:20 , Oliver O'Connell

More than 18 months after the Trump administration’s last day in office, the US government is still trying to recover federal records from one of former president Donald Trump’s closest advisers.

On Wednesday, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against ex-White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy director Peter Navarro, alleging that Mr Navarro has refused to turn over emails sent and recieved from his personal email account that have been determined to be presidential records — and thus the property of the United States.

Mr Navarro, who in June was indicted on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the House January 6 select committee, was found to have conducted government business on his personal ProtonMail email account by investigators working for the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

Department of Justice sues ex-Trump aide Peter Navarro to recover White House emails

Report: John Eastman wanted to challenge Senate results too

17:50 , Andrew Naughtie

The ex-law professor who hatched former president Donald Trump’s failed plan to keep Congress from certifying his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden continued arguing for Republicans loyal to Mr Trump to press on with searches for alleged election fraud after Mr Trump’s term ended.

According to the New York Times, former Chapman University law professor John Eastman sent an email to Trump lawyer Rudolph Giuliani on 2the day Mr Biden was sworn in as president advocating that Republicans challenge the results of the recent Georgia special elections in which Peach State voters had elected two Democratic senators.

“A lot of us have now staked our reputations on the claims of election fraud, and this would be a way to gather proof,” Mr Eastman wrote, according to the Times. “If we get proof of fraud on Jan. 5, it will likely also demonstrate the fraud on Nov. 3, thereby vindicating President Trump’s claims and serving as a strong bulwark against Senate impeachment trial”.

Andrew Feinberg has the story.

Trump ‘coup memo’ lawyer also wanted to challenge Senate election results

Georgia: Herschel Walker finally agrees to debate Raphael Warnock

17:20 , Andrew Naughtie

Republicans are worried that Herschel Walker could lose them the Georgia Senate race, what with his consistently erratic public behaviour and a litany of personal scandals (including past domestic violence allegations). He refused to debate his rivals in the GOP primary, and initially refused to go on stage with incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock – bizarrely claiming on Fox News that the senator had offered to debate him because there were things he did not want to discuss.

But now, it seems the situation has changed, and Mr Warnock has agreed to debate on 14 October. Here’s more from The Hill.

Rusty Bowers defiant after primary loss

16:50 , Andrew Naughtie

The Arizona legislator who recently testified to the House January 6 select committee about ex-president Donald Trump’s push to overturn the 2020 election has no regrets about his actions despite losing Tuesday’s primary election to a Trump-endorsed challenger.

Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers lost his Republican primary for a state Senate seat in the eastern suburbs of Phoenix by a nearly two-to-one margin, bringing his political career to an apparent end due to the Grand Canyon State’s legislative term limits.

But Mr Bowers told the Associated Press he would not change anything about his conduct over the last year and a half.

“I would do it again in a heartbeat,” he said. “I’d do it 50 times in a row.”

Andrew Feinberg reports:

Jan 6 witness defiant after losing primary: ‘I would do it again in a heartbeat’

A Jan 6 link at the Alex Jones trial

16:21 , Andrew Naughtie

InfoWars shock jock and far-right agitator Alex Jones is in court facing a defamation lawsuit from the parents of a child killed at Sandy Hook – but his case has taken on a wider significance thanks to an error by his attorney, who accidentally shared a digital copy of Mr Jones’s phone that included every text message he sent and received in the last two years.

The news from the courtroom today is that the texts include “intimate messages” to Trump confidante and Republican machinator Roger Stone – and that the plaintiffs’ legal team intend to turn them over to law enforcement and the Jan 6 select committee, possibly as soon as today.

Dispatch: Why is Mitch McConnell lowering expectations for the midterms?

16:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Writing for The Independent’s Inside Washington newsletter, Eric Garcia examines why Mitch McConnell is trying to damp down any expectation that his party will take control of the Senate in November:

Read the full dispatch below.

Mitch McConnell is suddenly trying to lower expectations for the midterms. Why?

Did John Kelly eavesdrop on Donald Trump?

15:45 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump reportedly issued an order banning White House advisers from listening to his telephone conversations after he was informed that his second chief of staff, John Kelly, had done so during his tenure as the then-president’s top aide.

According to the New York Post, Jared Kushner writes in his upcoming memoir Breaking History that Mr Trump was “unaware that the former Marine Corps general-turned-White House chief of staff was listening to his phone calls” — a standard practice in previous administrations — until after he replaced Mr Kelly in late 2018.

The Post also reported that Mr Kushner, who was a senior adviser in Mr Trump’s White House and is also his son-in-law, reveals how Mr Kelly’s replacement, ex-South Carolina congressman turned Office of Management and Budget boss Mick Mulvaney, informed Mr Trump that Mr Kelly had listened in on his calls just before his last day.

Andrew Feinberg has this report.

Trump’s WH chief of staff John Kelly listened to all of his calls, Kushner claims

Vanquished anti-Trump Republican appears with extreme candidate he blamed Democrats for backing

15:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Congressman Peter Meijer was one of only 10 house Republicans who voted to convict Donald Trump after the 6 January insurrection, but the Democrats nonetheless contributed to the primary campaign waged against him by a MAGA-leaning extremist from within the GOP.

Mr Meijer and many anti-Trump commentators have been scathing in their response to the news that the Democratic Party would make such a bet on a notionally beatable far-right candidate – but the defeated congressman’s umbrage seems to have its limit, as he introduced his former challenger at an event just yesterday.

Jan 6 rioter blames riot on Trump rally

14:45 , Andrew Naughtie

A Trump supporter who participated in the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol has filed a letter seeking leniency in his sentencing – and his message to the judge essentially pins the blame for the lethal events of that day onto the former president:

DeSantis spokeswoman trails “MAJOR announcement"

14:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is increasingly spoken of as a potential presidential candidate in 2024, is apparently set to make a newsworthy announcement of some sort today – according to his notoriously pugnacious spokeswoman Christina Pushaw, anyway.

Given that the governor is running for re-election this year and has so far declined to comment either way on the next race, it seems likely the announcement will be about something completely different. The current leading DeSantis-related story is his dismissal of governmental action against monkeypox, but stay tuned in case the agenda shifts...

DoJ suing Peter Navarro

13:45 , Andrew Naughtie

More than 18 months after the Trump administration’s last day in office, the US government is still trying to recover federal records from one of former president Donald Trump’s closest advisers.

On Wednesday, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against ex-White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy director Peter Navarro, alleging that Mr Navarro has refused to turn over emails sent and recieved from his personal email account that have been determined to be presidential records — and thus the property of the United States.

Mr Navarro, who in June was indicted on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the House January 6 select committee, was found to have conducted government business on his personal ProtonMail email account by investigators working for the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

Department of Justice sues ex-Trump aide Peter Navarro to recover White House emails

ICYMI: Ivanka Trump and Donald Jr deposed in NY probe

13:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr have reportedly been deposed in the New York attorney general’s civil investigation into the Trump Organisation’s finances.

While Mr Trump Jr was deposed last Thursday, his sister’s deposition took place on Wednesday, CNN reported. According to the report, Mr Trump Jr did not assert his fifth amendment rights and responded to questions. The details of the questions posed to him and his answers have not yet been made public.

The former president is expected to testify later this month.

Namita Singh has the story.

Ivanka and Don Jr depose in New York’s Trump Organisation probe, report says

Ex-White House legal staffer subpoenaed

12:45 , Andrew Naughtie

The Justice Department’s probe into the January 6 attack on Congress and the attempt to overturn the 2020 election by Donald Trump is chugging along and has progressed to a subpoena targeting a former top White House official.

CNN reported on Wednesday that Patrick Philbin, an attorney who worked in the White House counsel’s office under Pat Cipollone, was subpoenaed for documents and testimony as the grand jury investigation continues in Washington.

The Justice Department’s probe of the attack on Congress and the weeks leading up to it has been shrouded in secrecy for months. No charges have been filed or publicly sought by the agency thus far regarding blame for the attack itself, while hundreds of participants in the riot itself have been charged and convicted of various crimes.

Read more from John Bowden:

Former deputy White House counsel subpoenaed in Jan 6 probe, report says

Trump announces Wisconsin rally speakers

12:00 , Andrew Naughtie

In his enduring fixation on the 2020 election, Donald Trump is currently focused on Wisconsin in particular, where he claims top Republicans are refusing to fully act on evidence that massive voter fraud threw the state for Joe Biden. There is in fact no such evidence, but the president is nonetheless endorsing primary contenders to push his message – and will be hosting some at a rally in Waukesha on Friday.

Among those to be featured are gubernatorial primary candidate Tim Michels, who has refused to rule out signing legislation that would overturn the 2020 result (a move that legal experts say would hold no water), and Adam Steen, the primary challenger to GOP state house speaker Robin Vos – a candidate known for his extreme views:

Arizona: Trump-backed candidate declares victory before race called

11:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Kari Lake, Donald Trump’s chosen candidate for governor of Arizona, has not yet been formally declared the winner of her primary – but that hasn’t stopped her claiming victory.

Weirder still, she did so while also claiming that the election had been tainted by fraud, but that she had overcome it.

“We out-voted the fraud, we didn’t listen to what the fake news had to say,” she told reporters at a press conference yesterday. “The MAGA movement rose up and voted like their lives depended on it.”

Ms Lake is notorious both for railing against the mainstream media and for refusing to provide evidence of the alleged voter fraud that she accuses journalists of failing to expose.

She currently leads her closest rival, Karrin Taylor Robson, by about 12,000 votes. Around 18 per cent of the vote remains to be counted.

Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr sit for depositions

10:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Donald Trump’s children Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr sat for depositions as part of the New York attorney general’s civil investigation into the Trump Organization’s finances, reported CNN quoting sources.

While Ms Trump’s behind-closed-doors deposition took place on Wednesday, her brother sat for his last Thursday.

Mr Trump Jr who runs the Trump Organization with his brother Eric, answered the state’s questions.

However, it is not clear what questions he was asked.The former president is expected to testify later this month.

Trump claims Senate electoral count reform effort proves Pence could’ve overturned 2020 election

09:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump is claiming a Senate effort to clarify how Congress counts electoral votes after a presidential election is proof that his baseless theories on how former Vice President Mike Pence could’ve overturned the 2020 election for him were not as baseless, as nearly all reputable legal scholars have said.

Mr Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Wednesday to weigh in on the proposed legislation, which is sponsored by Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, as well as a bipartisan group of 14 other senators.

Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC.

Trump claims Senate electoral reform proves Pence could’ve overturned 2020 election

Kansas abortion vote: New hopes for Democrats in midterms?

09:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Democrats displayed a newfound sense of optimism about the election-year political climate Wednesday after voters in traditionally conservative Kansas overwhelmingly backed a measure protecting abortion rights.

At the White House, President Joe Biden hailed the vote in Kansas as the direct result of outrage at the Supreme Court’s decision in June to repeal a woman’s constitutional right to obtain an abortion.

Republicans and the high court “don’t have a clue about the power of American women,” Biden said. “Last night in Kansas, they found out.”

Abortion vote in Kansas sparks new hope for Dems in midterms

Trump ally Navarro sued for alleged unofficial email account

08:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

The Justice Department filed a suit on Wednesday against Peter Navarro, former advisor to Donald Trump.

The justice department said that Mr Navarro used an unofficial email account while working in the White House and wrongfully retained presidential records.

The legal action comes just weeks after Mr Navarro was indicted on criminal charges after refusing to cooperate with the 6 January committee probing last year’s Capitol riot.

GOP eyes Nashville after redrawn congressional maps

08:00 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Tennessee Republicans will settle today a nine-way primary in a reconfigured congressional district in Nashville they are hoping to flip.

Redrawn congressional districts helped put Tennessee among the states where Republicans hope to flip a seat in a push to reclaim control of the US House.

Read this report from the Associated Press:

GOP eyes Nashville seat for flip; Dems vie to face governor

Election skeptics rise in GOP races to run state elections

07:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The Trump-endorsed state lawmaker who won the GOP nomination for Arizona secretary of state is the latest candidate to advance to the November ballot for a post overseeing state elections while denying the results of the last one.

The early success of such candidates is raising concerns about what happens if those who lack faith in elections are put in charge of running them.

Election skeptics rise in GOP races to run state elections

Herschel Walker accepts debate invite, but not any of the three Warnock chose

05:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Georgia Republican Herschel Walker has accepted an invitation in his U.S. Senate race to debate Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock, but it’s not one of the three debate invitations Warnock earlier accepted, leaving it unclear whether the two will actually clash in person before the November general election.

Walker’s campaign said Wednesday that the candidate had accepted an invitation from Nexstar Media Group and other television stations to debate Warnock in Savannah on Oct. 13.

Walker accepts debate invite, but not one that Warnock chose

Jan 6 probe to subpoena Alex Jones’ texts and emails obtained in Sandy Hook trial, according to report

04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The January 6 committee is preparing to subpoena Alex Jones’ texts and emails that were accidentally sent to an attorney for the Sandy Hook victims, according to a report.

Attorney Mark Bankston revealed he had mistakenly received a trove of thousands of Jones’ private communications during the Infowars founder’s defamation trial on Wednesday.

Within minutes of the stunning revelation, the House committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol began preparing to subpoena the messages, a source told Rolling Stone.

Bevan Hurley reports.

Jan 6 committee to subpoena Alex Jones’ texts and emails obtained in Sandy Hook trial

Trump ally Navarro sued by DoJ for alleged unofficial email account

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The Justice Department filed suit Wednesday against Peter Navarro, claiming the former adviser to Donald Trump used an unofficial email account while working in the White House and wrongfully retained presidential records.

The lawsuit in federal court in Washington claims Navarro used at least one “non-official” email account — a ProtonMail account — to send and receive emails. The legal action comes just weeks after Navarro was indicted on criminal charges after refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

The civil case alleges that by using the unofficial email account, Navarro failed to turn over presidential records to the National Archives and Records Administration.

Trump ally Navarro sued for alleged unofficial email account

Schmitt wins GOP Senate primary in Missouri after Trump double-endorsement

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the Republican Senate primary on Tuesday after former president Donald Trump simply endorsed “Eric”, which is also the first name of one of his opponents.

Mr Schmitt beat disgraced former governor Eric Greitens, as well as conservative activist Mark McCloskey and Representatives Vicky Hartzler and Billy Long.

Mr Trump declined to throw his support behind a specific candidate in the race and announced on Monday his support for “Eric”, after which both candidates celebrated his endorsement.

Another Eric, The Independent’s Eric Garcia, reports.

Eric Schmitt wins Missouri GOP Senate primary after Trump double-endorsement

DoJ details threats against election workers

02:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The U.S. Justice Department has charged five people for making threats of violence against election workers amid a rising wave of harassment and intimidation tied to the 2020 presidential election, a top official told U.S. senators Wednesday.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite said one charge has led to a conviction so far through a task force launched last year as reports of threats to election officials, workers and volunteers raised concerns about safety and the security of future elections.

Overall, the department has investigated more than 1,000 harassing and threatening messages directed at election workers. Roughly 100 of those have risen to the level of potential prosecution. Polite estimated at least three more people have been charged for such threats at the state level.

Justice Department details threats against election workers

Former sheriff Arpaio narrows rival's lead in comeback attempt

01:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Joe Arpaio, the 90-year-old former Phoenix metro sheriff who was ousted in 2016 by voters frustrated with his headline-grabbing tactics and legal troubles, has narrowed his opponent’s lead in the race for mayor of the affluent suburb where he has lived for more than two decades.

But the former six-term Republican sheriff of Maricopa County was still trailing Wednesday in his bid to unseat Ginny Dickey, a Democrat serving her second term as mayor of Fountain Hills on the edge of the Phoenix metropolitan area.

Arizona's Arpaio narrows rival's lead in comeback attempt

Michigan Republicans refuse to concede after brutal primary losses

Thursday 4 August 2022 00:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Two far-right candidates running for office in Michigan are taking pages out of Donald Trump’s playbook and crying fraud after suffering defeats in their respective primary elections on Tuesday.

Their actions could be a sign of a new normal emerging for Republicans: The outright refusal to admit defeat, even in races against fellow Republicans.

John Bowden reports.

Michigan Republicans refuse to concede after brutal primary losses

Biden signs executive order to protect interstate travel for abortion

Wednesday 3 August 2022 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden has issued an executive order directing his health secretary to consider taking actions to support patients traveling out of state for abortion care.

The president’s directive – his second to bolster federal support for reproductive healthcare after the US Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion – arrives as anti-abortion state lawmakers draft severe restrictions on care in the wake of the ruling.

His latest order on 3 August directs US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to consider allowing states with legal abortion access to use Medicaid waivers to support low-income out-of-state patients forced to travel for their care.

Alex Woodward reports.

Biden signs executive order to protect interstate travel for abortion

Senate votes 95-1 to allow Finland and Sweden to join Nato

Wednesday 3 August 2022 23:29 , Oliver O'Connell

The US Senate on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to give its’ assent to making Finland and Sweden the 31st and 32nd members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, just under three months after President Joe Biden recommended that both nations be allowed to join the 73-year-old defensive alliance.

Andrew Feinberg has the details from Washington, DC.

US Senate votes 95-1 to allow Finland and Sweden to join Nato

Chair of powerful House committee doesn’t believe Biden will run for reelection in 2024

Wednesday 3 August 2022 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The chair of the powerful House oversight committee, Representative Carolyn Maloney, said on Tuesday that she does not think President Joe Biden will mount a campaign for a second term in 2024.

Speaking during a primary debate for candidates vying for the Democratic Party’s nomination in New York’s 12th congressional district, Ms Maloney and other candidates were asked whether Mr Biden should run for re-election.

She responded: “I don’t believe he’s running for re-election”.

Democratic chair of House oversight committee doesn’t believe Biden will run in 2024

US ‘does not want a crisis’ because of Pelosi’s Taiwan trip, says White House

Wednesday 3 August 2022 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the United States does not seek to turn House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan into a crisis with China.

Ms Jean-Pierre made the remark during a White House press briefing on Wednesday after Ms Pelosi became the highest-ranking US government official to visit Taiwan.

Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.

White House says US ‘does not want a crisis’ because of Pelosi’s Taiwan trip

Voices: All eyes are on Kyrsten Sinema now — from both parties

Wednesday 3 August 2022 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

It turns out that getting Senator Joe Manchin on board was the easy part for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

After Manchin and Schumer announced their agreement on the Inflation Reduction Act, many Democrats on the House and Senate side either praised the spending bill or at least seemed optimistic about its measures to mitigate climate change and lower prescription drug costs.

The mercurial Manchin has been touting the legislation everywhere he can, even defending it on Fox News – the same network where he infamously killed Build Back Better last year.

But since Democrats have only 50 seats, that means they need every Senator in their conference plus Vice President Kamala Harris to break a tie. All eyes are now on Kyrsten Sinema, the first Democrat to win a Senate seat from Arizona in 30 years.

Read on:

All eyes are on Kyrsten Sinema now — from both parties

Indiana Rep Jackie Walorski killed in car crash

Wednesday 3 August 2022 21:41 , Oliver O'Connell

US Representative Jackie Walorski, a Republican from Indiana’s 2nd district, was killed in an automobile accident on Wednesday.

According to multiple news outlets Ms Walorski died following a crash in Elkhart County at 12.32 pm local time.

Ms Walorski’s communications director, Emma Thompson, was named among the deceased, as was a local Republican Party official. According to the news station, Ms Walorski’s vehicle was struck head-on by a driver who crossed over into oncoming traffic; the driver of that vehicle died as well.

Congresswoman Jackie Walorski killed in car crash

Could Detroit be left without Black representation?

Wednesday 3 August 2022 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

State Rep Shri Thanedar won Michigan’s 13th Congressional Democratic primary, topping a field of nine candidates in a district that covers most of Detroit and potentially leaving the predominantly Black city next term without Black representation in Congress for the first time since the early 1950s.

Results from Tuesday’s election show Mr Thanedar, an immigrant from India, defeating state Rep. Adam Hollier and attorney Portia Roberson.

“This race was not about me,” Mr Thanedar said in a statement. “Michigan’s 13th Congressional district is one of the poorest in the country, and I will fight for economic and racial justice in Congress.”

Primary vote could mean no Black Detroit member in Congress

Trump congratulates MAGA primary winners (and himself)

Wednesday 3 August 2022 21:09 , Oliver O'Connell

Still taking a victory lap from last night’s primary wins for candidates endorsed by him, the former president took to Truth Social again this afternoon to congratulate the winners.

BIG, HISTORIC WINS for Trump-endorsed candidates across the Country last night! Now 15-0 in Senate primaries, Perfect Records in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, and Missouri. Congratulations to our MAGA Candidates!

Report says Jan 6 probe to subpoena Alex Jones’ texts and emails obtained at trial

Wednesday 3 August 2022 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The January 6 committee is preparing to subpoena Alex Jones’ texts and emails that were accidentally sent to an attorney for the Sandy Hook victims, according to a report.

Attorney Mark Bankston revealed he had mistakenly received a trove of thousands of Jones’ private communications during the Infowars founder’s defamation trial on Wednesday.

Within a few hours, the House committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol began preparing to subpoena the messages, a source told Rolling Stone.

Bevan Hurley is tracking this breaking news story.

Jan 6 committee to subpoena Alex Jones’ texts and emails obtained in Sandy Hook trial

CNN reports former Trump deputy White House counsel subpoenaed by Jan 6 probe

Wednesday 3 August 2022 20:32 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Deputy White House Counsel Patrick Philbin has been subpoenaed in the January 6 federal criminal probe being conducted by the Justice Department.

Missouri man who pointed gun at BLM protesters gets just 3% of vote in run for GOP Senate nomination

Wednesday 3 August 2022 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis attorney who shot to fame when he and his wife threatened Black Lives Matter protesters with guns outside their home in the summer of 2020, lost in the Republican primary for US Senate in Missouri on Tuesday night.

Mr McCloskey received just three percent of the vote in the hotly contested primary to replace retiring Sen. Roy Blunt, finishing in fifth place behind victor Eric Schmitt and three other candidates.

Abe Asher reports.

Missouri man who pointed gun at BLM protesters loses GOP Senate primary

Trump-endorsed Blake Masters wins GOP nomination for Senate in Arizona

Wednesday 3 August 2022 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Venture capitalist Blake Masters won the Republican nomination for Senate in Arizona, after former president Donald Trump’s endorsement catapulted him to the front of the pack of candidates.

Mr Masters beat Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and businessman Jim Lamon in the Republican primary on Tuesday. Mr Masters earned attention after he ran ads saying that he believed that the former president won the 2020 presidential election.

Eric Garcia reports on last night’s primary results.

Blake Masters wins the Republican nomination for Senate

Pence campaigning for ‘proven conservative’ Kleefisch in Wisconsin gubernatorial primary

Wednesday 3 August 2022 19:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Vice President Mike Pence campaigned Wednesday with his pick in battleground Wisconsin’s Republican gubernatorial primary, calling Rebecca Kleefisch “a proven conservative” as she faces an opponent endorsed by Donald Trump.

Trump plans to hold a rally Friday for Tim Michels just miles from where Pence appeared for Kleefisch in conservative Waukesha County, a Milwaukee suburb that’s long been key to Republicans.

Pence touts Wisconsin GOP governor candidate Kleefisch

QAnon’s infamous Ron Watkins falls short in Arizona

Wednesday 3 August 2022 18:45 , Andrew Naughtie

The man who is alleged to have been in control of the QAnon conspiracy cult through secretive postings on an imageboard he helps run is set to come dead last in the crowded primary for Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District.

Ron Watkins was trailing six other Republican candidates on Wednesday morning as 72 per cent of the votes were counted; more results are expected today but the overall dynamic of the race is not likely to change.

Mr Watkins’s candidacy would have been utterly unremarkable were it not for the control he allegedly has over a pseudonymous identity on the imageboard 8kun, which is owned by his father Jim and Ron ran as site administrator until at least 2020.

According to journalists and at least one instance where Mr Watkins appeared to slip up and admit to controlling the account, Mr Watkins has likely been authoring the so-called “Q drops” which have defined the beliefs of the QAnon movement for years.

John Bowden reports:

Alleged QAnon mastermind set to come in last in House primary

Analysis: Kansas abortion fightback should leave GOP worried

Wednesday 3 August 2022 18:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Writing on last night’s stunning vote that saw Kansas voters decline to throw out a constitutional right to abortion,The Independent’s Holly Baxter writes that the Republican Party may not understand its base as well as it likes to think:

Read the full piece below.

Kansas voted against banning abortion. Republicans should’ve seen this coming

Rusty Bowers out

Wednesday 3 August 2022 17:45 , Andrew Naughtie

Among the anti-Trump Republicans turfed out last night was Rusty Bowers, the speaker of the Arizona state house, who testified earlier this summer at a public hearing of the 6 January committee, describing how Rudy Giuliani and others in the Trump orbit tried to pressure him into taking actions he knew were illegal in order to overturn the 2020 election.

In an interview this past weekend, Mr Bowers criticised not just Mr Trump but also his Republican followers for their fetishisation of cruelty and authoritarianism.

“They rule by thuggery and intimidation,” he said. “So you know, they found a niche, they found a way and it’s fear, and people can use fear, demagogues like to use fear as a weapon. And they weaponise everything, and we all know it. But that’s not leadership to me to use thuggery.”

Here’s what Mr Trump had to say about the primary result on Truth Social:

Anti-Trump Republicans debate colleague’s primary loss

Wednesday 3 August 2022 17:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Adam Kinzinger, a Republican congressman who sits on the 6 January select committee, has been vocal in his criticism of the Democrats’ strategy of boosting extreme congressional candidates in select GOP primaries in an attempt to choose their weakest opponent.

After Peter Meijer, who voted to impeach Mr Trump over the Capitol riot, lost his primary last night, Mr Kinzinger went on CNN to restate his position on the subject – one where many Democrats wary of playing with fire agree with him.

He soon found himself contradicted by former congressman Joe Walsh, a onetime Tea Partier-turned-furious Trump critic, who argued the Republicans have only themselves to blame. But Mr Kinzinger is having none of it:

Trump: Electoral Count Act reform effort proves Pence could have overturned election

Wednesday 3 August 2022 16:45 , Andrew Naughtie

Former president Donald Trump is claiming a Senate effort to clarify how Congress counts electoral votes after a presidential election is proof that his baseless theories on how former Vice President Mike Pence could’ve overturned the 2020 election for him were not as baseless, as nearly all reputable legal scholars have said.

Mr Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Wednesday to weigh in on the proposed legislation, which is sponsored by Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, as well as a bipartisan group of 14 other senators.

“Senators are meeting right now on reforming the Electoral Count Act so that a Vice President can no longer do what EVERYBODY, except for certain Conservative legal scholars, said was not allowed to be done. So they all lied,” he wrote, adding that Mr Pence “could have sent fraudulent votes back to State Legislatures” in his view.

Read more below from Andrew Feinberg.

Trump claims Senate electoral reform proves Pence could’ve overturned 2020 election

Blake Masters wins AZ Senate primary

Wednesday 3 August 2022 16:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Venture capitalist Blake Masters won the Republican nomination for Senate in Arizona, after former president Donald Trump’s endorsement catapulted him to the front of the pack of candidates.

Mr Masters beat Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and businessman Jim Lamon in the Republican primary on Tuesday. Mr Masters earned attention after he ran ads saying that he believed that the former president won the 2020 presidential election.

He also enjoys the support of venture capitalist and Trump ally Peter Thiel, his mentor in business and for whom he worked as chief operating officer of Thiel Capital. Mr Thiel poured millions into Arizona, specifically dropping at least $5m into Saving Arizona political action committee.

Eric Garcia reports:

Blake Masters wins the Republican nomination for Senate

GOP Congressman condemns Saudi-backed Golf series held at Trump resort

Wednesday 3 August 2022 15:45 , Andrew Naughtie

Chip Roy, a Texas congressman who first signed up to the effort to overturn the 2020 election but later soured on it, has taken a swing at Donald Trump’s decision to host the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series – an event that drew the outrage of families of 9/11 survivors:

Trump demands more credit for endorsement success

Wednesday 3 August 2022 15:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Hungry as ever for approval and praise, Donald Trump has been “truthing” about the success of many (note: not all) of his endorsees last night – and characteristically complaining that he doesn’t get the credit he deserves:

GOP congressman who voted to impeach Trump loses primary

Wednesday 3 August 2022 14:45 , Andrew Naughtie

Representative Peter Meijer, one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former president Donald Trump last year, lost his primary in Michigan’s 3rd District to challenger John Gibbs, whom Mr Trump supported.

Mr Meijer was first elected in 2020 to replace Representative Justin Amash, a Republican-turned-independent who voted to impeach Mr Trump in the former president’s first trial in 2019.

Mr Gibbs won with 51.8 per cent to Mr Meijer’s 48.2 per cent, with more than half of the vote reported.

Eric Garcia has more:

Republican Rep Peter Meijer, who voted to impeach Trump, loses Michigan primary

Pat Cipollone subpoenaed in DoJ Jan 6 probe

Wednesday 3 August 2022 13:46 , Andrew Naughtie

Former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone is reportedly in talks to appear before the federal grand jury investigating Mr Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election and the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

According to ABC News, Mr Cipollone has been served with a subpoena from the District of Columbia-based grand jury. His attorneys are “expected to engage in negotiations around any appearance, while weighing concerns regarding potential claims of executive privilege”.

Last month, Mr Cipollone testified before the House January 6 select committee following negotiations between his attorneys and committee representatives. His agreement with the panel allowed him to decline to answer questions about conversations with Mr Trump.

Andrew Feinberg has the story.

Ex-White House lawyer Pat Cipollone subpoenaed in DoJ Jan 6 probe

ICYMI: Trump is ‘significant drag’ on GOP Senate chances, poll finds

Wednesday 3 August 2022 13:00 , Andrew Naughtie

A recent poll commissioned by former Trump adviser John Bolton’s political action committee found that the former president’s name remains toxic among independent voters.

Read the full story here:

Trump is ‘significant drag’ on GOP Senate chances, poll finds

Nail-biter in Arizona gubernatorial primary

Wednesday 3 August 2022 12:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Donald Trump may have scored a comfortable win with Blake Masters, but Arizona’s other headline race is looking much tighter. With 80 per cent of the vote counted, Kari Lake, the ex-president’s exuberantly right-wing endorsee, is currently less than two points ahead of her main rival, Karrin Taylor Robson.

Ms Lake has drawn controversy not just for relentlessly promoting false conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, but for dramatically changing her views on social issues including gender identity to match the current conservative movement’s anti-drag, anti-trans and generally anti-LGBT+ bent.

Johanna Chisholm has more on Ms Lake’s metamorphosis.

Trump-backed Arizona governor candidate branded a ‘hypocrite’ by drag queen