NCS founder and media mogul Ted Turner dies at 87
Ted Turner, the founder of tv news community NCS, has died on the age of 87.
The reason behind demise was not instantly launched, however Turner had revealed that he was affected by Lewy physique dementia, a progressive mind dysfunction, in 2018.
Turner grew to become one of the crucial highly effective figures in US media and leisure, after he launched NCS because the first 24-hour news channel in 1980. The community set a template for worldwide news protection of wars, trials, revolutions and artifical and pure disasters.
In 1996 Time Warner Inc purchased his Turner Broadcasting System for $7.5bn, creating the world’s largest communications firm, with properties akin to HBO, Warner Bros film studio, Time journal, NCS, Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies.
According to a news launch from Turner Enterprises, the media mogul was surrounded by his household on the time of his demise, and is survived by his 5 youngsters, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Key occasions
It’s value noting, forward of Howard Lutnick’s closed-door testimony earlier than House oversight committee members at present, that the commerce secretary has refused to reply questions on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein from lawmakers throughout congressional hearings on Capitol Hill during the last month.
In April, Represenative Madeleine Dean, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, requested whether or not the president expressed “concerns” concerning the commerce secretary’s relationship with Epstein. Lutnick refused to remark.
Instead, the commerce secretary insisted that he’ll reply absolutely to the oversight panel when he faces members.
At the time, Dean additionally famous that three feminine cupboard secretaries have been ousted from Trump’s White House: Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem and Lori Chavez-DeRemer. “If President Trump has even a shred of concern about accountability for Jeffrey Epstein’s enablers,” Dean mentioned to Lutnick, “he would fire you too”.
Adria R Walker
When Mississippi lawmakers met in 1861 and voted to secede from the union in an effort to proceed enslaving individuals, they did so in what’s now often known as the Old Capitol Museum. From 1839 to 1903, lawmakers met at a constructing that witnessed a few of the state’s most racist historical past.
And now, on 20 May, when members of Mississippi’s home convene for a particular session to redraw state supreme court districts, they are going to achieve this on the Old Capitol, ostensibly due to renovations in the home chamber.
Jason White, Mississippi’s Republican home speaker, advised native outlet WLBT that any particular session referred to as between now and January 2027 can be held within the Old Capitol home chamber. The state senate will nonetheless use the brand new capitol constructing.
The final time lawmakers met on the Old Capitol was in 2009, once they did so to ceremonially acknowledge restoration to the constructing, which had been broken throughout Hurricane Katrina. When lawmakers have wanted to satisfy outdoors the present capitol constructing beforehand, throughout in depth renovations within the Eighties, they met on the outdated Central highschool constructing, additionally in downtown Jackson.
For some, the home’s resolution to make use of the Old Capitol now could be troubling.
“I was a little taken aback with the location of the Old State Capitol,” Kabir Karriem, a Democratic state consultant who leads the Mississippi’s legislative Black caucus, mentioned. “Even though they said that they were doing some remodeling, the optics of it are horrific for 1.2 million Black folks here in the state of Mississippi.”
Prior to the supreme courtroom’s resolution in Louisiana v Callais final week, which severely weakened part 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Mississippi governor Tate Reeves referred to as lawmakers again to Jackson to redraw the state’s three supreme courtroom districts. Many legislators predict that lawmakers will redraw districts to dilute Black voting power.
Indiana outcomes present that Trump holds ‘unwavering allegiance’ of his base, says former Obama advisor
In response to the blow to Republican legislators in Indiana who misplaced their primaries to Trump-backed challengers, David Axelrod –a former senior advisor to Barack Obama – famous that “survival” was finally the explanation why so many GOP lawmakers proceed to assist the president, no matter coverage disagreements.
“‘[Trump] maintains the unwavering allegiance of his base and the threat to use it as cudgels against any apostates in primary elections,” Axelrod mentioned. “That’s why following through on his retribution threat against Indiana state senators for having the temerity (and courage) to oppose the extraordinary, mid-decade re-districting he demanded was so essential to the [White House].”
A reminder that my colleagues are protecting the most recent developments out of the Middle East at our devoted live weblog. This contains the response to Donald Trump’s abrupt resolution to halt Project Freedom – the administration’s operation to “guide” stranded ships by the strait of Hormuz because the naval blockade within the waterway continues.
On Truth Social, Trump expressed optimism that the Iran warfare “will be at an end” and the strait of Hormuz “open to all” if Iran agrees to the US’s truce proposal.
But he additionally vowed that the US would resume its bombing marketing campaign “at a much higher level and intensity” than earlier than if Iran doesn’t settle for phrases which have apparently already been agreed to.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy has introduced the strait of Hormuz might reopen following the top of “threats from aggressors”, based on state media.
Donald Trump is in Washington at present. He’ll spend the sooner a part of the day in conferences, earlier than becoming a member of the first girl, Melania Trump, for a navy Mother’s Day occasion within the East Room at 12:30pm ET. We’ll deliver you the most recent strains as that will get beneath means.
Former presidential candidate Ramaswamy wins Republican nomination to run for Ohio governor
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was the Republican option to run for Ohio governor following final evening’s main vote.
The staunch Donald Trump ally will face off towards former state well being division director Amy Acton, who received the Democratic nomination.
The different main Republican candidate was Casey Putsch, an web persona and auto racing engineer, who was defeated decisively.
Ramaswamy’s victory was celebrated in a Truth Social publish by president Trump final evening.
Anna Betts
The US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, will seem earlier than the House oversight and reform committee on Wednesday to reply questions over his previous ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Lutnick agreed in March to sit down for a transcribed interview with the committee following the justice division’s launch of hundreds of thousands of paperwork associated to Epstein, which included paperwork exhibiting that Lutnick continued correspondence with Epstein after the disgraced financier had been convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor. The session is a part of the committee’s broader investigation into Epstein.
“The Secretary looks forward to addressing any questions on the record when he testifies voluntarily before the Oversight Committee,” a commerce division spokesperson mentioned. “He looks forward to putting to rest the inaccurate and baseless claims in the media designed to distract from his historic work underway at the Commerce Department.”
The interview on Wednesday will happen behind closed doorways, with a transcript launched at a later date, because the committee has accomplished with the earlier transcribed interviews.
Washington believes it’s near reaching an settlement with Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz and finish the warfare, US news outlet Axios reported, citing two US officers.
According to Axios, the 2 sides are near agreeing on a “one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.”
It mentioned the deal would contain Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment and the United States agreeing to launch billions of {dollars} of frozen Iranian funds.
Washington is reportedly awaiting a response from Tehran on a number of key factors within the subsequent 48 hours.
“Nothing has been agreed yet, but the sources said this was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began,” Axios mentioned.
Cate Brown
A majority of Indiana Republican legislators whose opponents have been backed by Donald Trump misplaced their primaries on Tuesday, giving the president wins in a deep-red state simply months after lawmakers there rejected his redistricting plan.
Of the seven Trump-endorsed challengers to state senate candidates, at the least 5 received.
The vote become a statewide referendum on political retribution, and a check of Republican endurance after the get together’s state lawmakers resisted Donald Trump’s bruising marketing campaign to strain them into redrawing the congressional districts.
Seven state senators who voted towards Trump’s mid-decade redistricting push confronted challengers endorsed by the president, who said that “every one of these people should be ‘primaried’” after the trouble failed.
Trump-aligned darkish cash teams spent upwards of $7m on TV advertisements in Indiana this yr, based on a tally from AdImpact – the bulk spent concentrating on Republicans who allied themselves with Democrats within the December redistricting vote.
Jim Buck, a state senator from Kokomo, misplaced to a Trump-backed challenger after 18 years in workplace.
“We’ve never had Washington meddle into our elections like they have this time,” Buck told NPR. “Now I’ve got over $1m against me in one race.”
Commerce chief Howard Lutnick to face Epstein grilling in closed-door interview at present
Hello and welcome to the US politics live weblog.
Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick will turn into the most recent of Donald Trump’s cupboard to be questioned over ties to the late intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein when he sits for a closed-door transcribed interview with the Oversight Committee later at present.
Lutnick has acknowledged visiting Epstein’s non-public island in 2012 with relations – a visit that contradicted his earlier claim that he had severed ties with Epstein in 2005.
In March, the Department of Justice briefly deleted after which restored an undated photograph of Lutnick and Epstein in an island setting. CBS News reported that Lutnick and Epstein have been in enterprise collectively as just lately as 2014.
Photograph: Department of Justice
Lutnick solely agreed to the closed-door Capitol Hill testimony after Democrats on the committee publicly threatened to subpoena Lutnick if he refused to cooperate. Representative Ro Khanna of California told reporters that the votes have been there to compel his testimony.
But attending to this stage has solely been potential as a result of cooperation of Republicans on the committee. Republican consultant Nancy Mace of South Carolina referred to as for Lutnick’s look, whereas James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the panel, mentioned he had “proactively” agreed to the transcribed interview.
“I commend his demonstrated commitment to transparency and appreciate his willingness to engage with the Committee,” Comer mentioned in a press release on the time.
It in unclear what number of members will attend the interview however the commerce chief can count on to be probed over when his relationship with Epstein got here to an finish.
It comes as Politico reported final week that Mace has complained conversations with Epstein witnesses have been happening whereas members are out of city or touring.
“Some of these are being scheduled when we are not in session, and that makes it more difficult,” she mentioned. “They’re making it the most inconvenient for members of Congress to participate, and that is done on purpose.”
In different developments:
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A majority of Indiana Republican legislators whose opponents have been backed by Donald Trump misplaced their primaries on Tuesday, giving the president wins in a deep-red state simply months after lawmakers there rejected his redistricting plan. Of the seven Trump-endorsed challengers to state senate candidates, at the least 5 received. More here.
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Democratic senator Sherrod Brown and Republican senator Jon Husted received their get together’s nominations in Ohio’s main elections, based on the Associated Press – teeing them up for what is predicted to be a high-profile and costly Senate race in November’s midterm elections. More here.
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Senate Republicans have launched a brand new immigration enforcement funding bundle that features a proposed $1bn that might go to safety measures associated to the $400m ballroom that’s a part of Donald Trump’s “East Wing modernization project”. More here.
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Marco Rubio argued the US is in a “very fortunate” place as gas costs proceed to climb nationwide amid disruption sparked by the US-Israel warfare on Iran. With common US gas costs now approaching $4.50 a gallon – their highest stage in 4 years – the US secretary of state was requested on Tuesday how lengthy Americans ought to settle for them at such ranges. Other nations have been struggling “big time”, Rubio replied. More here.
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Seven of the main contenders in California’s unexpectedly dramatic race for governor confronted off on the talk stage Tuesday evening, with the stakes now greater as a result of ballots are within the mail. Becerra was a high goal, as anticipated, given his regular rise within the polls. More here.