Trump launches wide-ranging and unverified attack on integrity of US electoral system | First Thing
US president accused China of meddling in his 2020 election defeat and said system was ‘catastrophically’ unfair. Plus Christopher Nolan’s epic take on The Odyssey hits the big screen
Good morning. Donald Trump accused China of interfering with the 2020 election in a primetime televised address that laid bare his continuing obsession with his defeat to Joe Biden, but which opponents warned was a smokescreen for him to meddle in the forthcoming congressional midterms. Trump’s claims are unverified.
In a 25-minute speech, the US president cast extraordinary doubts on the integrity of the US electoral process, saying it was “catastrophically” short of standards of fairness and trust, while vulnerable to trespassing by foreign powers. Democrats warned that Trump was trying to sow confusion, spread misinformation and lay the groundwork to challenge the results of the midterm elections.
What was the aim of Trump’s address? In this analysis piece, Sam Levine explains how the president is using his office and US intelligence agencies to try to undermine confidence in elections. Instead of offering smoking-gun evidence, the release of new papers seemed to be a return to a classic Trump strategy of flooding the zone with information in an attempt to muddy the waters.
What did US networks do about broadcasting Trump’s allegations? The US’s largest television stations split on whether to air Trump’s White House address, which was filled with unproven accusations. While CNN, ABC and NBC chose not to air the speech live, CBS, Fox News and MS Now (formerly MSNBC) aired at least large portions of the speech live.
‘Enemies of civilization’: top Trump officials launch sweeping attack on left
In another prong of the administration’s attack on its opponents, top Trump officials hosted a gathering of 66 nations on Thursday to discuss the supposed threat of leftwing violence. The conference, convened by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, and attended by Stephen Miller, a top Trump adviser, and Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary, was billed as a “ministerial on the resurgence of political violence”.
The focus was solely on crushing leftist violence. It came as Donald Trump ramped up his efforts to label his political opponents, and a rising number of politicians identified with the Democratic Socialists of America, as “communists”. The officials did not mention episodes of rightwing attacks, such as the 6 January riot on Capitol Hill.
What did Rubio say? “They can call themselves anti-capitalist or anti-imperialist, communist, anarchist or Marxist. It’s always the same. It is a poisonous resentment cloaked in the language of equality and justice liberation – an overwhelming need to tear down, to wreck, what is beautiful and what is right on behalf of people who are only filled with ugliness,” he said. He called leftists “an encroaching darkness” and “the enemies of civilization”.
Marines board tanker amid blockade of Iranian ports as US expands strikes with attacks on bridges
American forces boarded a ship in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday as part of the renewed blockade of Iran’s ports that began earlier this week, the US military said. US Central Command also said it had “redirected” three commercial vessels “trying to run the blockade”.
The boarding of the vessel came as the US expanded its airstrike campaign against Iran with attacks on multiple bridges, in line with Donald Trump’s threats to destroy infrastructure, prompting Tehran to fire on Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. Attacking civilian infrastructure may constitute a war crime.
How could the conflict continue to escalate? Iran has asked its allies in Yemen, the Houthis, to be prepared to close the oil route through the Red Sea if the US targets Iranian energy infrastructure. The Houthi leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, also threatened that Saudi oil facilities could be targeted if Riyadh intervened in Yemen. The threat came after Saudi Arabia struck Sana’a airport, leading to retaliatory missile strikes from the Houthis on Saudi Arabia.
In other news …
Officials are looking at a Taco Bell lettuce supplier as a potential source of the cyclosporiasis outbreak, the parasitic illness that causes watery, explosive diarrhea, which has affected thousands of people.
A White House teleprompter operator has been put on leave over alleged bets on Trump speeches which Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, has labelled “deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace”.
The remains of LA millionaire Thelma Gaston, missing since 1981, have been identified after more than 40 years.
Two women who have accused the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court, Karim Khan, of sexual abuse have spoken out about their claims against the prominent British lawyer.
Stat of the day: General Mills recalls 736,000 Pillsbury rolls over glass contamination fears
A notice issued by the US Food and Drug Administration earlier this week says General Mills is recalling nearly 736,000 Pillsbury bread rolls over concerns they could contain glass. The items have been delivered to multiple states. More details here.
Culture pick: Nolan goes god-tier with breathtaking epic of men, monsters and moral metamorphosis
I am nervous about it having such a long runtime when I prefer my films a bit snappier, but then, I guess it is after all The Odyssey. Peter Bradshaw has no such qualms, saying Christopher Nolan has done full justice to the Homeric legend with a film that conveys the true cost of war. It has sparked a new appetite for an old classic, and Ioan Marc Jones has a guide to the translations, podcasts and audiobooks that make the original approachable, and Tom Shone has interviewed Nolan. It is worth noting there are dissenting voices about the production, though. Earlier this week, Mohamed Sleiman Labat wrote eloquently for the Guardian about how it feels to see a film lauded when it was made in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara, one of the world’s oft-neglected disputes.
Don’t miss this: Trump made $1.4bn from crypto in one year. Is Justin Sun the man who helped him do it?
Matt Shea looks at the entrepreneur who is known in Washington as the financial power behind the president’s crypto fortune and asks how Justin Sun’s business love-in with the Trump family spiralled into dueling lawsuits.
Climate check: Air quality plummets in 20 US states as smoke from Canadian wildfires spreads
Smoke from wildfires burning in south-central Canada and parts of Minnesota is spreading, prompting air quality alerts in more than 20 states, with millions of Americans expected to face unhealthy air conditions. Ed Markey, the Massachusetts junior senator, said the smoke was “darkening skies and getting in our lungs. The climate crisis is here and it does not stop at our borders.”
Last Thing: California firefighters give oxygen to suffering bird
If you’ve ever wanted to see a video clip of a pigeon being giving oxygen by a fire crew, today is your lucky day. A crew in Oakland spotted a pigeon “in distress” after a vehicle fire, and jumped into action. A firefighter administered oxygen with a mask placed over the bird’s face as it stood in the road. You can watch it here.
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