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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sought to energize activists at a Democratic state convention in South Carolina, as the party's 2024 vice presidential nominee works to keep up the high national profile he gained when Kamala Harris selected him as her running mate. Walz, a former schoolteacher who went on to serve in Congress and then became his state’s governor, keynoted the South Carolina gathering in Columbia, traditionally a showcase for national-level Democrats and White House hopefuls. Speaking to convention delegates for more than half an hour, Walz used colorful language and spoke plainly as he lobbed...

Democratic strategist David Axelrod said President Trump’s remarks about taking over Gaza may give China ideas “as they eye Taiwan.” On Tuesday, Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu where he floated the idea of the U.S. taking over the Gaza Strip. He suggested Americans should be responsible for cleaning up and rebuilding the destructed region. Axelrod joined CNN on Tuesday and noted that world leaders typically don’t invade other countries because of the message it sends worldwide. He highlighted Trump’s 2022 comment when he called Russia’s move to invade Ukraine “genius.” If another country can “roll in” and...

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg hit back after President Trump criticized the Biden administration and diversity initiatives in the aftermath of a deadly midair collision outside Washington, D.C. “Despicable. As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch,” Buttigieg said in a post on social platform X. “President Trump now oversees the military and the FAA. One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped...

ROME — Belgium’s Prime Minister has protested remarks by Pope Francis condemning abortion as murder, insisting they constitute interference in the country’s internal affairs. During his recent visit to Belgium, the pontiff praised the late King Baudouin for his courage in choosing to temporarily “leave his position as king to avoid signing a murderous law,” which legalized abortion in 1990.

President Biden has committed 148 gaffes and verbal stumbles in public comments so far this year, which White House staff have scrambled to fix in official transcripts. Biden, 81, tripped over his tongue in at least 118 statements, speeches or comments between Jan. 1 and April 24, according to an analysis of White House records reviewed by the Daily Caller — meaning there were more glaring errors to correct than official announcements. The belated changes have been made either to keep the president’s words in line with public policy stances or change the meaning of his statements entirely. Last week,...

President Biden met with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar Friday, where the leader said he thinks there should be a cease-fire “as soon as possible” between Israel and Hamas. Varadkar said he was “keen” to speak with Biden about the war in Gaza, as the two leaders met at the White House to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. “You know, my – my view that we need to have a cease-fire as soon as possible to get food and medicine in, to get the hostages out,” Varadkar said. Biden interjected, saying “And I agree.” The Prime Minister continued, saying he and...

CNN analyst Van Jones said he was “shaking” watching GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on the debate stage Wednesday night, warning that the country is witnessing “the rise of an American demagogue.” In a panel discussion on CNN after the fourth GOP primary debate, Jones denounced Ramaswamy’s embrace of conspiracy theories and warned, “That guy is dangerous. That’s dangerous.” “And the smug, condescending way that he just spews this poison out, is very, very dangerous. Because he won’t stop Trump, but he’s going to outlive Trump by about 50 years,” he said.

A Bronx political activist is being ripped by fellow Democrats for spewing antisemitic remarks on social media after he crossed party lines in a heated New York City Council race to endorse a GOP candidate. The hateful remarks made by Efrain Gonzalez in old Facebook videos are being dredged up by Democrats after he switched party lines and endorse Republican Kristy Marmorato instead of incumbent Democrat Marjorie Velazquez in the Bronx’s 13th District. “Jews are the most corrupt real estate people in New York,” Gonzalez said in one video, which had posted earlier this year on the social media site....

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) is criticizing newly-elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for comments that suggest Johnson could support additional U.S. support for Ukraine. “To his great credit, the new Speaker has been a stalwart on the Ukraine issue — voting consistently against an endless conflict with no plan from the Biden administration,” Vance said on X, formerly Twitter. “It’s concerning to see him change his tune so quickly after being elevated to this role.

President Biden is delivering his annual address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York Tuesday morning. One central issue Biden is expected to address is international support for Ukraine as its struggle to expel Russian invaders turns from a hard summer counteroffensive toward its second winter. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also be in attendance. Russian President Vladimir Putin — who, like Chinese President Xi Jinping, skipped the recent G20 summit — will not. Biden will also likely speak about the climate crisis, as well as security for food and energy, building infrastructure globally and support for the economies...

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) Monday called on Democrats to “do something” about antisemitic remarks being made by members of their caucus, after Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) stirred up a firestorm for calling Israel a “racist state,” a comment she later walked back. Asked about Jayapal’s comments — which were made during a progressive conference Saturday — McCarthy noted Democrats who have come under fire in the past for making antisemitic remarks, telling reporters “this isn’t the first person in the Democratic conference that has continued to make antisemitic comments.”

Special counsel Jack Smith is delivering his first remarks Friday afternoon after a federal indictment against former President Trump over his handling of classified documents after leaving office was unsealed Friday. The indictment charges Trump with 37 counts, including allegations of attempting to block the government from recovering classified documents at his private Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced in November 2022 that Smith would serve as special counsel for the documents probe as well as another into allegations of attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) weighed in Monday on Donald Trump’s possible criminal indictment in New York, breaking a two-day long silence on the former president’s claim that he will be arrested this week. Asked about the rumored indictment during an event, DeSantis lambasted Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office is investigating hush money paid to a porn star on Trump’s behalf during his 2016 campaign, calling him a “Soros-funded prosecutor” and accusing him of “weaponizing” his office. “I’ve seen rumors swirl. I have not seen any facts yet, and so I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said...

President Biden is set to mark the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, putting the spotlight on individuals who have stood up for democracy amid discord among House Republicans, some of whom continue to downplay the riot. Biden will deliver remarks from the East Room of the White House. His speech will focus on those who stood up for democracy two years ago as rioters descended on the Capitol to try to stop the certification of the 2020 election results. Biden is expected to award the Presidential Citizens Medal, a major civilian honor,...

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Monday said her recent comment that the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack would have been armed and successful if she planned it was “sarcasm,” after she drew rebukes from the White House and Democratic leaders. “The White House needs to learn how sarcasm works,” Greene said in a statement. “My comments were making fun of Joe Biden and the Democrats, who have continuously made me a political target since January 6.”

CNN anchor Don Lemon said Wednesday night on his show “Don Lemon Tonight” that Republicans are hypocritical to criticize President Joe Biden for calling Republicans “semi-fascist” when former President Donald Trump “talked shit about everybody.” CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings said, “He ran his campaign on, ‘I’m going to unify the country.’ His message to the nation was we are all in this together. I’m going to unify the country. And now, he’s out saying two things. One, lots of y’all are fascists, and by the way, if you vote Republican, there’s a decent chance our democracy will no longer...

Monday on FNC’s “Fox & Friends,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich touted President Joe Biden’s comments that the United States would defend Taiwan should China invade. The comments were later walked back by the White House. Gingrich questioned why the White House would walk the president’s remarks back and said an attack on Taiwan would lead to the United States and China being in a “general war.”

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Friday defended his record on civil rights and race relations, blasting criticism sparked by voting remarks he made earlier this week, where he said he made an "inadvertent omission." McConnell immediately raised the issue as he started a press conference in Kentucky, saying that he wanted to "take an opportunity at the outset here to address the outrageous characterization of my history and record on voting rights and race relations."

President Biden gave remarks at the White House on military efforts to evacuate Americans and Afghans in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control. After announcing that approximately 18,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan since July, including 13,000 people since evacuation operations began on August 14, the president said, “any American who wants to come home, we will get you home.” President Biden went on to say, “this evacuation mission is dangerous,” and that he cannot guarantee the outcome.

Democrat Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR) called a person asking if the congressman would condemn the radical remarks made by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) comparing the United States and Israel to terrorist organizations a “jerk.” Republican National Congressional Committee (NRCC) Regional Press Secretary Courtney Parella tweeted a video of DeFazio being asked if he has an opinion on holding Omar accountable for her remarks. DeFazio proceeded to call the person a “jerk.”