Latest news with #politicalviolence
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Michigan Gov. Whitmer says Trump vowed to 'drop' idea of pardoning kidnapping plotters
DETROIT — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a radio interview that President Donald Trump had previously told her in the Oval Office he would not consider pardons for the men convicted of conspiring to kidnap her — a position he veered from this week, when he told reporters gathered in the White House that he would "take a look at it." Whitmer, speaking with Michigan Public Radio Network reporter Rick Pluta at the Detroit Regional Chamber Conference on Mackinac Island, said not condemning political violence "does a disservice to everyone." "I'll be honest with you, I talked to the president about a month ago and he asked me how I'd feel about this and I said I think it would be the wrong decision, I would oppose it, and he said 'Okay, I'll drop it,'" Whitmer said in an interview for the Michigan Public Radio Network that aired May 29. "Now we see this revelation. So, I'm not sure how to process it." Whitmer added she would be reaching out to Trump, a Republican, over the weekend. She previously visited the Oval Office and earned Trump's support for a new fighter mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, as well as for a facility designed to prevent invasive carp species from entering the Great Lakes. Trump praised Whitmer, a Democrat, during the April visit, saying: "She's really been doing an excellent job." Whitmer, who typically meets one-on-one with reporters at the conference, declined an interview request from the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, through her office. Trump, speaking in the Oval Office on May 28, told reporters he was considering a pardon for the convicted plotters. In Aug. 2022, Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. were convicted of conspiring to kidnap Whitmer in 2020 after being disgruntled with her government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. "It's been brought to my attention. I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job, I'll be honest with you," Trump said, of a potential pardon. "It looked to me like some people said some stupid things. You know, they were drinking, and I think they said stupid things." Whitmer noted the July assassination attempt on Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year, saying leaders must condemn political violence regardless of party. "I will just point out that when the man shot at the president when he was on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, I was one of the first officeholders on either side of the aisle to condemn it," Whitmer told Pluta. "Because anything short of condemnation creates a dangerous space for people that are sworn an oath to do the work of the public. We don't take up arms and harm one another. And so, I'm going to make my thoughts on this known to the White House again. And I hope that it's not an action that they take." During a Q&A session on the stage of the Mackinac Policy Conference, President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Tricia Keith asked Whitmer about the possibility of the Trump pardons. "Oh, what are you talking about?" Whitmer said. But after injecting some humor, she became serious. "No one should hesitate to condemn political violence," Whitmer said, adding that she hopes Trump doesn't follow through on the pardons he floated. Fox received a 16-year prison sentence, while Croft received a 19-year sentence after being convicted of an additional weapons charge. Both are currently serving their sentences at a maximum security federal prison in Colorado. In April, a U.S. 6th Circuit of Appeals panel denied their request for a new trial. Whitmer had previously condemned the kidnapping plot and called the convictions of Fox and Croft proof "that violence and threats have no place in our politics and those who seek to divide us will be held accountable." In total, 14 men were charged for their involvement with the plot. Prosecutors had mixed success across federal and state courts, landing nine convictions while five men were acquitted across state and federal courts. Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gretchen Whitmer says Trump promised not to pardon kidnapping plotters
Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Starmer told he should be ‘stabbed and shot' in threatening emails
Sir Keir Starmer was told he should be 'stabbed and shot to death' in a series of threatening emails, a court heard. Mark Tew, 63, is charged with sending the offensive material to the Prime Minister, a criminal barrister and former Conservative ministers, including Dame Priti Patel. The emails, which were sent between January and November 2021, were not read by the MPs themselves but were intercepted by their staff who subsequently notified the police, Southwark Crown Court heard. In one email allegedly sent to the then leader of the Opposition, Mr Tew wrote: 'You should be beaten up Starmer, stabbed to death, shot to dead. You gutless yellow b----- Starmer. Tell the truth you miserable uneducated tosser', the court heard. In another sent on March 11, Mr Tew was said to have written: 'Starmer, I've heard a lot of journalists are out to get you. 'To beat you up. To kick your f---ing head in. You gutless dirty bastard. You pathetic wimp. You f---ing coward Starmer. I hope they get you and bash the living daylights out of you.' Paul Jarvis, KC, prosecuting, said: 'The prosecution's case is that Mr Tew was a prolific emailer who would often send emails to politicians and, later, barristers to raise issues and complaints he had with them and others. 'The tone of those emails was frequently rude and discourteous but politicians in particular are expected to be thick-skinned and so while those emails were unpleasant, they were not we would suggest criminal. 'The eight emails that this case is concerned with were different. Their content was more than just rude and discourteous, but contained either a grossly offensive message or indeed threats or both.' The first of Mr Tew's messages was sent in January 2021 to Ms Patel, who was then the home secretary. He sent an email with an image of a man attached in which he wrote: 'Patel, you thick Ugandan b----, was this man in the IRA? He says he was in the IRA. Was he?', the court heard. Ms Patel's staff reported the email to the police, and Mr Tew was arrested for sending a malicious communication. He told the police he was autistic and suffered from several medical conditions for which he was receiving medication, the court heard. When the police seized his phone, they found the emails that had been sent to Sir Keir, as well as Rishi Sunak, the then chancellor, and Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary. Mr Tew, of Camden, north London denies six counts of sending an electronic communication with intent to cause stress or anxiety, and two counts of sending an indecent or grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause stress or anxiety.
CNN
3 days ago
- General
- CNN
Mexican politician gunned down at event
Mexican politician gunned down at event An attack on a political event in Mexico, where a mayoral candidate and three others were killed, is the latest in an uptick in political violence in the country. 01:52 - Source: CNN Vertical World News 16 videos Mexican politician gunned down at event An attack on a political event in Mexico, where a mayoral candidate and three others were killed, is the latest in an uptick in political violence in the country. 01:52 - Source: CNN Palestinians desperate for food rush US-backed aid site Scores of people rushed over fencing and through barricades in southern Gaza on the first day a US-Israeli-backed aid site was opened. CNN's Jeremy Diamond explains the desperate humanitarian situation that remains in the region. 01:22 - Source: CNN Journalists spit on at Jerusalem Day flag march Ultra-nationalist Israeli Jews chanted anti-Arab slogans as they marched through Jerusalem's Old City to mark Jerusalem Day. CNN's Oren Liebermann describes heavy police presence on the ground. Members of the crowd were seen spitting on journalists, including a CNN producer. 01:50 - Source: CNN Finland's president responds to Russian military activity along border CNN's Erin Burnett speaks with Finland's President Alexander Stubb about his country ramping up its military to deter potential Russian aggression. 02:16 - Source: CNN King Charles stresses Canada's 'self determination' amid pressure from US King Charles III delivered the ceremonial Speech from the Throne in the Canadian Senate. The address marks only the second time in Canadian history that the reigning sovereign has opened parliament, and the third time that the British monarch has delivered the address. 00:42 - Source: CNN Huge ship refloated after nearly crashing into house A larger container ship has been refloated after nearly crashing into a house in Norway. According to local police, the navigator had fallen asleep at the helm. 00:42 - Source: CNN Vehicle plows into crowd in Liverpool Police in the United Kingdom say a man has been arrested after a car plowed into Liverpool fans celebrating during the soccer club's Premier League trophy parade. 01:14 - Source: CNN Iran's Foreign Ministry on progress of Iran-US talks Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei gave an exclusive interview to CNN's Fred Pleitgen on the progress of continuing nuclear talks with the US. Baqaei told CNN that any attempt by the Trump administration to 'deprive' Iranians of their right to nuclear energy would be 'very problematic'. But he also said that there were many ways to come to a compromise. Iran and the United States concluded a fifth round of talks in Rome on Friday. 01:16 - Source: CNN Video of President Macron's wife 'pushing' him goes viral A video of French President Macron's wife pushing him as they disembarked a flight has caught the attention of Russian trolls after going viral. While Macron himself tried to downplay the video saying it merely showed a couple 'bickering,' it's not the first time Russian troll accounts and state media outlets have tried to use videos of the French president to spread disinformation. CNN's Saskya Vandoorne has more. 01:35 - Source: CNN Israeli strikes were one of this hostage's biggest fears in captivity An Israeli soldier released by Hamas during a ceasefire-hostage deal has said one of her biggest fears during captivity were strikes carried out by Israel. It's 'what endangered me more than anything,' Na'ama Levy said. The former hostage's comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that defeating Israel's enemies is the 'supreme objective' and more important than securing the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza. 00:57 - Source: CNN Nine of this doctor's children killed in Gaza Dr. Alaa al-Najjar left her ten children at home when she went to work in the emergency room at the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza. Hours later, the bodies of seven children - most of them badly burned - arrived at the hospital, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. They were Dr. Najjar's own children, killed in an Israeli strike on her home. The bodies of two more of her children – a 7-month-old and a 12-year-old who authorities presume to be dead – remain missing. 02:03 - Source: CNN Harvard foreign student describes atmosphere of 'pure panic' CNN spoke to 20-year-old Abdullah Shahid Sial, a rising junior and student body co-president at Harvard University, about his reaction to the Trump administration's decision to revoke the university's ability to enroll international students. A federal judge temporarily halted the Trump administration's ban on Friday, after the nation's oldest and wealthiest college filed a suit in federal court. 01:29 - Source: CNN This Indian YouTuber is accused of spying An Indian travel vlogger has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Pakistan just days after tensions soared between the two longtime rival nations following an attack last month that left 26 tourists dead in India-administered Kashmir. Police say that 'in the pursuit of views, followers, and viral content, she fell into a trap.' 01:46 - Source: CNN See what Gaza's hotels looked like before the war When Donald Trump announced his plans to turn war-torn Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East," many Palestinians were angered. CNN spoke to two hoteliers, who explained what life was like before the war and their hopes for the future. 01:51 - Source: CNN Mountaineers scaled Mt. Everest in less than a week Mountaineers usually spend weeks or months acclimating to high altitudes before ascending Mt. Everest. But one group accomplished the feat in less than a week after using an anesthetic gas that critics warn could be dangerous. 01:40 - Source: CNN See moment OceanGate team noticed something wrong Newly released video shows OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush's wife, Wendy Rush, who was working on the communications and tracking team, notice the sound of a 'bang' while monitoring the submersible. The Titan submersible imploded on June 18, 2023, killing all five passengers on board. 00:49 - Source: CNN
CNN
3 days ago
- General
- CNN
Political candidate wears body armor daily
Political candidate wears body armor daily CNN's David Culver met César Gutiérrez Priego as he was readying to campaign for office in Mexico City. Gutiérrez Priego, who is running for a seat on the Supreme Court in Mexico, shows Culver the safety precautions he takes with political violence in Mexico at an all-time high. See Culver's full reporting on CNN. 00:53 - Source: CNN Vertical World News 16 videos Political candidate wears body armor daily CNN's David Culver met César Gutiérrez Priego as he was readying to campaign for office in Mexico City. Gutiérrez Priego, who is running for a seat on the Supreme Court in Mexico, shows Culver the safety precautions he takes with political violence in Mexico at an all-time high. See Culver's full reporting on CNN. 00:53 - Source: CNN Palestinians desperate for food rush US-backed aid site Scores of people rushed over fencing and through barricades in southern Gaza on the first day a US-Israeli-backed aid site was opened. CNN's Jeremy Diamond explains the desperate humanitarian situation that remains in the region. 01:22 - Source: CNN Journalists spit on at Jerusalem Day flag march Ultra-nationalist Israeli Jews chanted anti-Arab slogans as they marched through Jerusalem's Old City to mark Jerusalem Day. CNN's Oren Liebermann describes heavy police presence on the ground. Members of the crowd were seen spitting on journalists, including a CNN producer. 01:50 - Source: CNN Finland's president responds to Russian military activity along border CNN's Erin Burnett speaks with Finland's President Alexander Stubb about his country ramping up its military to deter potential Russian aggression. 02:16 - Source: CNN King Charles stresses Canada's 'self determination' amid pressure from US King Charles III delivered the ceremonial Speech from the Throne in the Canadian Senate. The address marks only the second time in Canadian history that the reigning sovereign has opened parliament, and the third time that the British monarch has delivered the address. 00:42 - Source: CNN Huge ship refloated after nearly crashing into house A larger container ship has been refloated after nearly crashing into a house in Norway. According to local police, the navigator had fallen asleep at the helm. 00:42 - Source: CNN Vehicle plows into crowd in Liverpool Police in the United Kingdom say a man has been arrested after a car plowed into Liverpool fans celebrating during the soccer club's Premier League trophy parade. 01:14 - Source: CNN Iran's Foreign Ministry on progress of Iran-US talks Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei gave an exclusive interview to CNN's Fred Pleitgen on the progress of continuing nuclear talks with the US. Baqaei told CNN that any attempt by the Trump administration to 'deprive' Iranians of their right to nuclear energy would be 'very problematic'. But he also said that there were many ways to come to a compromise. Iran and the United States concluded a fifth round of talks in Rome on Friday. 01:16 - Source: CNN Video of President Macron's wife 'pushing' him goes viral A video of French President Macron's wife pushing him as they disembarked a flight has caught the attention of Russian trolls after going viral. While Macron himself tried to downplay the video saying it merely showed a couple 'bickering,' it's not the first time Russian troll accounts and state media outlets have tried to use videos of the French president to spread disinformation. CNN's Saskya Vandoorne has more. 01:35 - Source: CNN Israeli strikes were one of this hostage's biggest fears in captivity An Israeli soldier released by Hamas during a ceasefire-hostage deal has said one of her biggest fears during captivity were strikes carried out by Israel. It's 'what endangered me more than anything,' Na'ama Levy said. The former hostage's comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that defeating Israel's enemies is the 'supreme objective' and more important than securing the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza. 00:57 - Source: CNN Nine of this doctor's children killed in Gaza Dr. Alaa al-Najjar left her ten children at home when she went to work in the emergency room at the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza. Hours later, the bodies of seven children - most of them badly burned - arrived at the hospital, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. They were Dr. Najjar's own children, killed in an Israeli strike on her home. The bodies of two more of her children – a 7-month-old and a 12-year-old who authorities presume to be dead – remain missing. 02:03 - Source: CNN Harvard foreign student describes atmosphere of 'pure panic' CNN spoke to 20-year-old Abdullah Shahid Sial, a rising junior and student body co-president at Harvard University, about his reaction to the Trump administration's decision to revoke the university's ability to enroll international students. A federal judge temporarily halted the Trump administration's ban on Friday, after the nation's oldest and wealthiest college filed a suit in federal court. 01:29 - Source: CNN This Indian YouTuber is accused of spying An Indian travel vlogger has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Pakistan just days after tensions soared between the two longtime rival nations following an attack last month that left 26 tourists dead in India-administered Kashmir. Police say that 'in the pursuit of views, followers, and viral content, she fell into a trap.' 01:46 - Source: CNN See what Gaza's hotels looked like before the war When Donald Trump announced his plans to turn war-torn Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East," many Palestinians were angered. CNN spoke to two hoteliers, who explained what life was like before the war and their hopes for the future. 01:51 - Source: CNN Mountaineers scaled Mt. Everest in less than a week Mountaineers usually spend weeks or months acclimating to high altitudes before ascending Mt. Everest. But one group accomplished the feat in less than a week after using an anesthetic gas that critics warn could be dangerous. 01:40 - Source: CNN See moment OceanGate team noticed something wrong Newly released video shows OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush's wife, Wendy Rush, who was working on the communications and tracking team, notice the sound of a 'bang' while monitoring the submersible. The Titan submersible imploded on June 18, 2023, killing all five passengers on board. 00:49 - Source: CNN
CNN
3 days ago
- General
- CNN
Jewish congressman shares emotional message against political violence in wake of fatal shooting of Israeli Embassy staffers
A Jewish congressman on Wednesday shared his personal fears of political violence, as he reflected on last week's fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers and called on those protesting the war in Gaza to do so peacefully. Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman shared Wednesday that the killing of 'two innocent young people,' Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, 'was deeply personal and profoundly unsettling.' 'First, let me be as honest and as personal as it gets. I have had a hard time getting the image of being shot and killed out of my head. It happens almost every time I'm in a big crowd now,' the Ohio congressman, who's now in his second term, wrote in an emotional statement. 'Last Saturday at a rally back home, I decided not to have police protection. Standing in a crowd talking to constituents, I had the most vivid image: All of a sudden, I saw myself on the ground, dead from a gunshot. This is what actually happened a few days later to Yaron and Sarah.' Landsman told CNN in an interview following the release of his statement that he 'felt compelled to be as honest as possible, so that we can pull back from this moment and people stop to read it and think about it and we don't have to live like this. We can protect speech and each other simultaneously.' The congressman said he wants 'people to appreciate that organizing and advocating and pushing for something you believe in is so critically important, and that there is a difference between protest and chaos.' 'There is a difference between free speech and hate speech or violent speech,' he continued. 'And just to do everything in your power to make sure that you and others are in solidly in the camp of protest and free speech and nowhere near chaos and hate or violent speech.' In his statement, Landsman detailed how anti-Israel protesters have followed him for more than a year, including sleeping outside his home, and have threatened him and his family. 'They don't just protest. They get in my face, screaming about the 'genocide' I'm causing,' he wrote, while also stressing that most protesters aren't violent. Other Jewish members of Congress, he said, face similar situations, and some have 'constant police protection' while back in their home states. 'We worry about being on Capitol Hill, too. Without going into specific security concerns, we know that what happened to Yaron and Sarah could happen to one of us as we move around the Capitol,' he wrote. He compared the killing of Lischinsky and Milgrim to the 'outrageous murder' of 6-year-old Palestinian-American Wadea Al-Fayoume, whom authorities said was killed because he was Muslim. 'We allow people to 'otherize' and demonize folks, and we forget to appreciate that it often turns violent,' Landsman wrote. 'Everyone has to do a better job of ensuring disagreements don't lead to this disturbing and dangerous process.' He also attributed the violence against the Israeli Embassy staffers to the spreading of 'blood libels.' He continued his calls for a ceasefire in Israel's war against Hamas. He also called on the Senate to pass the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act, which the House passed last year. Landsman argued that the bill would be helpful in fighting antisemitism, along with colleges working with organizations such as the American Jewish Committee. 'I would encourage my colleagues to stop politicizing this, on both sides. Our safety and wellbeing are at stake, and antisemitism should be a nonpartisan, noncontroversial issue,' he wrote. Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, were leaving an event on May 21 at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, when a gunman opened fire, killing them, authorities said. 'It is so deeply painful and it shook all of us because one, two really wonderful people were executed. And two, this is what we have been telling people will happen if folks don't change the way they're talking about this,' Landsman told CNN.
