Takeaways from the 2024 US election trail: Dueling TV events, attack ads
Des Moines, Iowa Reuters Iowa Republicans will have dueling televised events to choose from on 10th January as they consider which candidate they want to face Joe Biden in November’s presidential election: the frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, going solo on one news channel or his two closest rivals squaring off against each other. On […]
Biden on Trump ‘dictator’ remark: “He’s saying it out loud”
Philadelphia, USReuters President Joe Biden told donors at a political fundraiser on Monday that former President Donald Trump is a threat to US democracy and said the Republican had pledged to be a dictator for a day if elected in 2024. “He’s saying it out loud,” said Biden, a Democrat who is running for reelection. […]
Updated: US House in limbo as Republican Scalise appears short of votes for speaker
Updated: 12:20pm (AEDT)Washington DC, USReuters Republicans who control the US House of Representatives on Wednesday nominated Steve Scalise to serve as speaker following last week’s ouster of Kevin McCarthy, but delayed further action when he appeared to be short of the support needed to win a vote of the full chamber. Scalise, now number two […]
Essay: We are defeating global poverty. US Congress could set us back
DAVID BECKMANN, president emeritus of Bread for the World and coordinator of the Circle of Protection, says – in an article first published on Religion News Service – that far-right Republicans are insisting on deep cuts in domestic and international poverty programs — though there is ample evidence both are working…
In the US, mainline clergy are more liberal than their congregants – survey
United States RNS A new US survey of mainline clergy finds those leading the historic denominations that once shaped the American Protestant scene are far more liberal than their congregants on a host of political and social issues. The Public Religion Research Institute survey of 3,066 mainline clergy, released on Thursday, shows that about half identify with […]
Democrats mock Biden impeachment, but it could affect re-election bid
Washington DC, US Reuters Asked about Republicans launching an impeachment inquiry into US President Joe Biden in Congress, Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman clutched his head in mock horror and declared “Oh my God, really?” before bursting into laughter. “Ooooh, don’t do it,” Fetterman said mockingly on Tuesday, as he walked off. US President Joe […]
Essay: The personal details of Northern Ireland’s main police force have been leaked – three reasons why that’s incredibly dangerous
KEVIN HEARTY, of Queens University Belfast, looks – in an article first published on The Conversation – at why this week’s data breach is so significant…
In the US, Utah district’s Bible ban spurs protest by parents, Republicans
Salt Lake City, United StatesAP Republican lawmakers rallied with more than one hundred Bible-toting parents and children at Utah’s State Capitol on Wednesday to protest a school district’s decision to remove the Bible from middle and elementary school libraries in the wake of a GOP-backed “sensitive materials” law passed two years ago. Concerned parents and […]
Essay: Playing chicken over debt and spending bills
As the US debt ceiling crisis continues, US Catholic commentator THOMAS REESE expresses his hope that US Congress could look seriously at government programs to make them better and more efficient rather than grandstanding for the media and their partisan base…
Republican leaders of Australia and NZ to pledge allegiance to King
Sydney, Australia/Wellington, New ZealandReuters The leaders of Australia and New Zealand will pledge their allegiance to King Charles at his coronation in London on Saturday even though both are life-long republicans who do not shy away from making their positions clear. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his New Zealand counterpart, Chris Hipkins, have travelled […]