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Trump to leave town early Wednesday before Biden inauguration
Washington (AFP) - By the time Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US president Wednesday, his scandal-tainted predecessor Donald Trump will already be far away, having helicoptered out of the White House a last time earlier that morning, an official said Friday. Trump will be the first president in a century and a half to snub the inauguration of his successor. An official who asked not to be identified said Trump would go to his Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida, which is his legal residence and will become home after the White House. He is expected to be out of town well before Biden is sworn i...
AFP
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Trump to leave town early Wednesday before Biden inauguration
Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump will leave Washington on Wednesday morning, hours before the inauguration of his Democratic successor Joe Biden, an official said Friday on condition of anonymity. The outgoing president, who already announced he would not attend the swearing-in, will fly to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, where he intends to stay. After two months of refusing to acknowledge his defeat in the November 3 election, Trump finally promised a transition in recent days, but never congratulated Biden. In light of the coronavirus pandemic and last week's attack by Trump sup...
AFP
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Trump's Florida club warned over maskless New Year party
Miami (AFP) - President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida has received a warning from county authorities, following video of the luxury retreat's New Year's Eve party that showed a crowd of revelers ignoring Covid-19 restrictions. Despite a county rule that requires masks when not eating or drinking, "it seemed that based on the video evidence, there was a breakdown in enforcement of the mask orders that led to almost the entire room of guests being without masks during the later evening activities," said the warning letter and notice of violation from Palm Beach County, which was obta...
AFP
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Now that Trump is impeached (again), what's next?
Washington (AFP) - The US House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump on Wednesday for a second time -- just days before he is scheduled to leave office -- raising questions about what happens next. The House voted 232-197 to impeach the president, with 10 members of Trump's Republican Party joining 222 Democrats. Here are some of the possible scenarios after the House impeached Trump for inciting last week's attack by his supporters on the US Capitol as Congress certified Democrat Joe Biden's presidential election victory: Senate trialNow that Trump has been impeached, it is up ...
AFP
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Impeachment of a US president and how it works
Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump is on the brink of becoming the first US president to have been impeached twice, with the House of Representatives beginning a debate Wednesday on accusations he incited an insurrection at the US Capitol last week. No president has been ousted from office by impeachment, but even the threat can bring one down -- Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 to avoid certain removal in the Watergate scandal. Three presidents have beaten the process: the House formally impeached Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998, but in both cases they were acquitted in the Senate....
AFP
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Tumultuous week leading up to Trump impeachment vote
Washington (AFP) - The US House of Representatives is likely to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday for inciting a crowd to attack the US Capitol with his false claims of election fraud. Here is a chronology of some of the events of the past week leading up to the historic vote in the Democratic-controlled House: Trump rallyAs Congress met on January 6 to certify Democrat Joe Biden's victory in the November 3 presidential election, Trump held a "Save America" rally near the White House. Addressing the crowd, the Republican president repeated his baseless claims that the election was "s...
AFP
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Billionaire Republican donor Sheldon Adelson dies at 87
Washington (AFP) - Billionaire casino magnate and donor to Republican and Jewish causes Sheldon Adelson has died of cancer, his company said on Tuesday, eliciting tributes from two of the leaders he staunchly supported, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The son of a Boston taxi driver, Adelson brought new heights to the gambling industry around the world. He was equally known for his tireless advocacy for Israel and right-wing causes, and for his impassioned opposition to the Palestinian cause. Adelson's death was confirmed on Tuesday by Las Vegas Sands, ...
AFP
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In US House, a phalanx of fierce Trump loyalists
Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump's disastrous final weeks in office prompted a tanking of support from the US Senate's establishment Republicans, but loyalists in the House are mounting a defiant last stand -- and signaling that Trumpism may be here to stay. A Praetorian guard of sorts is standing firm in the lower chamber, backing Trump's baseless allegations of widespread election fraud and his futile, ten-week quest to overturn Joe Biden's White House victory. Their mission: to protect Trump's legacy, delegitimize the Biden presidency, and ensure that Trump's populist appeal can carry over b...
AFP
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Billionaire Republican donor Sheldon Adelson dies
Washington (AFP) - Billionaire casino magnate and Republican donor Sheldon Adelson has died, according to a statement released on Tuesday from the Las Vegas Sands company. "Our founder and visionary leader, Sheldon G. Adelson, passed away last night at the age of 87 from complications related to treatment for non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma," the statement said. A supporter of outgoing US President Donald Trump as well as Israel's Prime Minister Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Adelson rose to become one of the richest men on the planet thanks to his sprawling chain of casinos. Forbes estimated his ...
AFP
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Patriots coach Belichick refuses Medal of Freedom from Trump
New York (AFP) - New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Monday he would not accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump as planned this week after the "tragic" riot at the US Capitol last Wednesday. Belichick, who has guided the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, said in a written statement that he was "flattered" to be considered for the highest civilian honor in the United States but had decided against accepting. "Recently, I was offered the opportunity to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which I was flattered by out of respect for what the honor represents ...
AFP
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