Republican infighting takes centre stage ahead of Ohio primary as Trump joins Bernie Moreno rally: Latest
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox
Get our free Inside Washington email
Donald Trump took to the stage in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday evening to campaign for former car salesman Bernie Moreno, who is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat Sherrod Brown for the state’s Senate seat.
Mr Moreno has been endorsed by Mr Trump as his MAGA representative in the race but faces stiff competition from state senator Matt Dolan and secretary of state Frank LaRose, widely seen as GOP establishment candidates.
The Republican presidential nominee hailed Mr Moreno as a “fantastic guy” during his 90-minute address at the Dayton Air Show and laid into Mr Dolan, who he labelled a “RINO” (Republican in Name Only).
“Bernie is running against a weak RINO named Matt Dolan,” Mr Trump said.
“He is trying to become the next Mitt Romney. I think Mitt Romney is his hero.”
He also attacked Mr Dolan over his family’s ownership of the Cleveland Guardians, the baseball team that recently changed its name from the Cleveland Indians.
“He’s easily pushed around by woke left-wing lunatics who renamed his family’s baseball team,” Mr Trump sneered.
“My attitude is anybody who changes the name from the Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians should not be a senator.”
Biden announces historic investment into women’s menopause health
The president issued the order at a White House Women’s History Month event on Monday morning, where he was joined by First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former first lady of California Maria Shriver.
The order allocates $12bn to and marks the “most comprehensive set” of executive action to improve research on women’s health, according to the White House.
However, this funding is not guaranteed. Given Congress has the “power of the purse,” lawmakers can move to deny the president his funding.
Katie Hawkinson reports from Washington, DC:
Oliver O’Connell19 March 2024 06:30
What to expect in Ohio’s Republican Senate primary
John Bowden reports for The Independent from the Buckeye State:
Oliver O’Connell19 March 2024 04:30
Trump endorsement looms large in Ohio Republican primary
Ohio presents a unique moment for Donald Trump’s control of the Republican Party. The former president’s tendency to put his thumb on the scale in competitive GOP primaries is irking more and more Republican officials, even as many publicly continue to endorse his presidential bid. He’s done it again in Ohio: endorsing car dealership owner Bernie Moreno in a three-way race against Matt Dolan and Frank LaRose, respectively a state senator and Ohio’s secretary of state. Despite Mr Trump endorsing Mr Moreno, Mr LaRose has reinforced his loyalty to the former president, suggesting there would be “no daylight” between the pair come Wednesday if he wins the primary.
Oliver O’Connell19 March 2024 02:30
MAGA candidate’s former mother-in-law pens scathing op-ed
A Trump-aligned candidate running for Congress in Nevada’s competitive 3rd district, was the subject of a scathing op-ed accusing her of infidelity, lying and raising a murderer – written by her former mother-in-law.
Mr Halseth was murdered in 2021 by the teenage daughter he shared with Ms Helgelien, Sierra Halseth, and her boyfriend Aaron Guerrero. The pair stabbed Mr Halseth before setting his house on fire and attempting to flee. They were caught and are now serving life sentences.
Ariana Baio has the story:
Oliver O’Connell19 March 2024 00:30
Caitlyn Jenner backs New York county’s ban on transgender female athletes
Former Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner on Monday said she supported a local New York official’s order banning female sports teams with transgender athletes from using county-owned facilities.
The ban applies to over 100 athletic facilities in New York City’s Long Island suburbs. Speaking alongside Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman at his office in Mineola, Jenner said allowing transgender athletes like herself to compete against other women will “ruin women’s sports” for years to come.
“Let’s stop it now while we can,” said the reality television star, who came out as a transgender woman in 2015.
The LGBT Network, a Long Island-based advocacy group, called Jenner’s comments a “baffling contradiction” to her own identity as a transgender woman that is “not only hypocritical but also harmful” to the LGBTQ community.
Obama jokes with reporters as he leaves Downing Street after visiting Sunak
Former US president Barack Obama met with Rishi Sunak in a “courtesy visit” to Downing Street on Monday 18 March. Mr Obama spent around an hour inside the No 10 study with the prime minister. He joked he was “tempted” to discuss the state of Russian democracy when members of the media asked him to stop as he left with the US ambassador to the UK, Jane D Hartley, just after 4pm. It is understood Mr Sunak and Mr Obama discussed a range of subjects, including artificial intelligence, in a largely one-on-one meeting.
Oliver O’Connell18 March 2024 22:30
SCOTUS extends block on controversial Texas immigration law
Just moments after the deadline passed for the Supreme Court to intervene on Texas’ controversial immigration bill SB4, Justice Samuel Alito issued an order temporarily pausing the bill from taking effect, this time indefinitely.
Oliver O’Connell18 March 2024 21:39
GOP senator gets Laken Riley’s name wrong while calling out Biden for same thing
Republican Senator John Barrasso had an embarrassing moment over the weekend when he mispronounced Laken Riley’s name during a Fox News segment calling out President Joe Biden for the exact same thing.
“Joe Biden apologised for the murder of Lincoln – I’m sorry, of Laken Riley,” Mr Barrasso said on the show.
Perhaps poorly timed, host Maria Bartiromo instantly responded: “I know Laken Riley’s family was outraged because President Biden got her name wrong.”
Oliver O’Connell18 March 2024 21:30
What to expect in Ohio’s Republican Senate primary
The Independent’s John Bowden reports from the Buckeye State ahead of tomorrow’s Republican Senate primary:
Oliver O’Connell18 March 2024 21:00
The First Amendment Supreme Court case right wingers are crazy for
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic – a time when social media was one of the few ways people could connect with each other and keep tabs on current events – the long-held debate around how to handle online misinformation spiralled.
Conspiracies about the integrity of US elections was soaring, misinformation about the origins of Covid-19 was rampant and speculation about the safety of vaccines was flooding social media.
Set against a backdrop of a highly politically polarising time, government officials decided some sort of regulation was needed.
Ariana Baio explains what happened next, and how a case ended up before the Supreme Court:
Oliver O’Connell18 March 2024 20:30
