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President Joe Biden and Donald Trump both inched closer to their respective party conventions on Tuesday after sweeping their primaries in the five states of Ohio, Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Arizona.
The final call, in Arizona, was made in favour of the two men shortly after 8pm local time by the Associated Press.
But all eyes were on the Republican Senate race in Ohio, which placed Mr Trump’s endorsement power under fresh scrutiny.
The presidential candidate’s MAGA representative in the race, former car salesman Bernie Moreno, overcame a pair of GOP establishment rivals, state senator Matt Dolan and secretary of state Frank LaRose, setting him to challenge Democrat Sherrod Brown.
The AP called the race in the Buckeye State for Mr Moreno shortly after 8.35pm local time.
The Republican presidential nominee had hailed his pick as a “fantastic guy” during a 90-minute address at the Dayton Air Show on Saturday and laid into Mr Dolan, whom he labelled “the next Mitt Romney”.
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s House Republican-led Biden impeachment inquiry hearing at times descended into farcical territory with testimony at times more focused on alleged impeachable offences from the Trump presidency.
Appeals court blocks controversial Texas immigration law
A federal appeals court has issued an order preventing Texas from arresting migrants suspected of entering the country illegally. The order comes hours after the Supreme Court gave the state the green light to enforce its controversial new immigration law.
The SB4 law makes it a crime for individuals to cross the US–Mexico border illegally and gives law enforcement the authority to charge them with a Class B misdemeanour, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail. Second offenders could face second-degree felony charges and up to 20 years in prison.
The decision to block the law by the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals comes weeks after a panel on the same court cleared the way for Texas to enforce it.
Ariana Baio and Namita Singh report:
Oliver O’Connell21 March 2024 08:15
ICYMI: Ohio candidate accidentally sends out concession speech
“Tonight did not go as we had hoped, but as we know, this race is decided in the primary. I want to give my congratulations to the Congressman-Elect,” Derek Myers said in the emailed statement sent at 3.19pm – nearly four hours before the poll’s closing time.
Ten minutes in, he sent a statement clarifying that the concession was an error.
Maroosha Muzaffar has the story…
Oliver O’Connell21 March 2024 07:15
Hot mic catches lawmaker swearing at colleague in military hearing
A US lawmaker appeared to drop the “F-bomb” during a House Foreign Affairs committee hearing on Tuesday 19 March. Two retired army generals testified about the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 to the Republican-led committee chaired by Michael McCaul. As the near four-hour session came to a close, California Republican Darrell Issa was told his time to speak had “expired” by Chairman McCaul and the pair went on to exchange words. During their discussion, it appeared the words “Go f*** yourself” were muttered, however it is unclear by who.
Oliver O’Connell21 March 2024 06:15
What does Bernie Moreno’s Ohio primary win mean for November?
John Bowden reports from Cleveland, Ohio:
Bernie Moreno decisively won the GOP nomination for US Senate in Ohio on Monday, the second candidate to be essentially carried to victory by former President Donald Trump in the state in two years.
He’ll join the other Republican with that distinction, JD Vance, in Ohio’s US Senate delegation next January if he is able to beat incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown in the fall. Mr Moreno actually ran against Mr Vance in the last election cycle but withdrew to clear the way for his one-time rival after the Hillbilly Elegy author won Mr Trump’s endorsement that year.
Tuesday evening’s victory is a sign of Donald Trump’s continued endorsement strength — particularly in the midwest and in states where he has less directly clashed with state Republican leaders.
Oliver O’Connell21 March 2024 05:15
Trump calls Navarro imprisonment a ‘disgrace’ as he votes in Florida
Donald Trump cast his ballot at a recreation centre in Palm Beach, Florida, before he told reporters that his former adviser Peter Navarro was treated “unfairly” by the Biden administration. Florida was one of five states holding presidential primaries on Tuesday 19 March as Joe Biden and Mr Trump continue to lock up support around the country after becoming their parties’ presumptive nominees. Navarro 74, was convicted last year after ignoring a subpoena from a House committee investigating the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot. He began a four-month jail term for contempt of Congress in federal prison on Tuesday. The former president criticised Navarro’s treatment as he left the polling station, calling it a “shame” and a “disgrace” to the nation.
Oliver O’Connell21 March 2024 04:15
ICYMI: Biden announces historic investment into women’s 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.
Katie Hawkinson reports from Washington, DC:
Oliver O’Connell21 March 2024 03:15
Johnson manages something McCarthy couldn’t… ignoring the far-right
On Tuesday morning, something remarkably unremarkable happened: The House and Senate Appropriations committees and congressional leadership announced they had crafted a deal to keep the government open for the rest of the fiscal year.
Congress had already passed six congressional spending bills earlier this month. But the final six were always going to be tougher to pass, specifically because of the fact that it would include funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which would give hard-right Republicans the ability to extract demands from the White House and a Democrat-controlled Senate.
Indeed, on Monday evening, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia — who helped oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker last year — sent a letter along with 41 other conservatives to House Speaker Mike Johnson, demanding changes to immigration policy. It also demanded that the government end diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the Pentagon.
But Johnson seems to have channeled his inner Michael Corleone and responded that “my final offer is this: nothing.”
Oliver O’Connell21 March 2024 02:15
RFK Jr insists ‘many’ family members are backing his campaign
Robert F Kennedy Jr has insisted that “many” of his family members back his independent presidential campaign after several members of the family seemingly snubbed him with a visit to the White House in which they heaped praise on President Joe Biden.
“Many other family members are working for my campaign,” he told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo, adding: “Many other family members support it.”
Martha McHardy has the story…
Oliver O’Connell21 March 2024 01:15
Lawmaker caught on hot mic branding Biden impeachment hearing ‘Jurassic Park’
A hot mic captured a lawmaker labelling the heated House Oversight Committee’s impeachment inquiry hearing into alleged corruption committed by the Bidens as “Jurassic Park,” encapsulating the hearing’s devolution into chaos.
Kelly Rissman has the story:
Oliver O’Connell21 March 2024 00:15
Watch: ‘Republicans not ready for prime time, let alone 10am’ says Fox News host
Oliver O’Connell20 March 2024 23:45
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