Biden says US will airdrop aid to Gaza as Israel policy becomes election issue: Live

The Pennsylvania senator claimed that “Hamas alone owns this calamity” and rejected widespread international condemnation — including from the Biden administration — of the “massacre” in a post on X/Twitter on Friday.

“I reject statements from nations with atrocious human rights records: China, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey,” Mr Fetterman wrote.

“Without a doubt, this is a humanitarian tragedy. Hamas alone owns this calamity. We must demand Hamas free the hostages and surrender — ending suffering, death and chaos.”

Nikki Haley has won her first Senate endorsement in the Republican primary from Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

The senator is a frequent critic of former president Donald Trump.

“America needs someone with the right values, vigor, and judgment to serve as our next President—and in this race, there is no one better than her,” she says of Ms Haley.

Super Tuesday is just four days away…

The Florida House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow 18-year-olds to buy firearms, lowering the previous age minimum of 21.

The Republican-controlled state House passed the controversial measure that would permit 18-year-olds to purchase rifles and shotguns on 1 March in a 76-35 vote. The state Senate has not yet voted on the bill.

According to gun safety group Everytown, federal law mandates someone be at least 21 to buy a handgun from a licensed firearm dealer, however, it only mandates a person to be 18 to buy a long gun — including an assault weapon.

Opponents of the measure cited the 2018 Parkland shooting, in which a 19-year-old shot up Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 people and injuring 17 others.

When Anderson Clayton walks into the room casually dressed in a fun graphic tee, nearly everyone’s head turns and the noisy chatter lulls into excited whispers. Eyes remain locked on her as she begins embracing each of her fellow Democrat leaders.

Clayton is somewhat of a local celebrity in North Carolina, her energy enough to move an immovable object.

The rest of the country doesn’t realise that this 26-year-old is currently leading the Democratic Party in North Carolina, a pretty serious job at any age.

But for those at the Young Democrats of North Carolina Convention, not only is she the state party leader, she is the future.

The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York charged Jose Uribe, a New Jersey insurance broker, with seven counts, including conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services wire fraud, obstruction of justice and tax evasion.

He pleaded guilty to all counts on 1 March, altering his previous not-guilty plea.

Kelly Rissman has the details:

Andrew Feinberg reports from the White House for The Independent:

The United States will soon begin airdropping humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip to alleviate the ongoing humanitarian crisis brought on by Israel’s war against Hamas.

President Joe Biden on Friday confirmed that US forces would join the Jordanian Air Force, which has been conducting airdrops of food, medicine and other supplies in recent weeks.

Speaking alongside Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni in the Oval Office, Mr Biden referenced the tragic deaths of numerous Palestinians who were gathered near an aid convoy on Thursday, calling the loss of life “heartbreaking”.

“Innocent people got caught in a terrible war unable to feed their families and you saw the response when they tried to get aid,” he said. “We need to do more, and the United States will do more”.

This is a developing story…

Nikki Haley, the last Republican rival facing Donald Trump in the 2024 primaries, has called for all of his legal battles to be “dealt with” before the November election.

The former South Carolina governor is yet to win a state primary or caucus. On Thursday, days after losing big in Michigan, she appeared on NBC News’ Meet the Press and said: “I think all of the cases should be dealt with before November.”

“We need to know what’s going to happen before it, before the presidency happens, because after that, should he become president, I don’t think any of it’s going to get heard,” she added.

Photos of Darrell L McClanahan appearing to make a Nazi salute while standing in front of a burning cross resurfaced online this week, nearly two years after they were first published by the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Center on Extremism.

Bevan Hurley has the story:

After they got over the initial shock of McConnell’s announcement on Wednesday, the race to replace him – namely among the “Three Johns,” Senate Minority Whip John Thune, Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso and Senator John Cornyn of Texas – has begun at a quick pace. Friends of The Independent’s Inside Washington newsletter Stef Kight and Stephen Neukam at Axios reported that Trump wants National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines of Montana to run for the job.

But Republicans expressed scepticism about Trump playing a role in replacing McConnell, his longtime nemesis.