A controversial $5,000-per-adult financial pledge by the president has sparked ethical debates after his speech at the Republican midterm convention, where he also criticized Democrats and defended his policies amid low approval ratings. The proposal, which could exceed $1 trillion, comes as Republicans seek to rally support ahead of critical midterm elections, though many candidates skipped the event. Meanwhile, the U.S. military reported another strike in the Caribbean, raising the death toll from such operations to at least 230, while authorities have also labeled a major Ecuadorian gang a terrorist organization over alleged ties to drug trafficking and violence.
Speaking in Dallas, the president raised ethical concerns with an apparent $1tn offer to the electorate. Plus the US citizens who are finding Scotland to be an irresistible lureGood morning. Donald Trump has pledged to pay every adult citizen in the US $5,000 if Republicans retain the House and Senate in the midterm elections. The outlandish proposal, which would cost over $1tn, immediately raised ethical concerns.Trump made the promise during a marathon speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas in which he assailed Democrats as “radical”, defended his unpopular war in Iran, and urged voters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot”. Trump claimed, without evidence, that his second term had been “the most successful two years, financially and every other way, in the history of the presidency”.Why did the Republicans hold a midterm convention? Republicans are gambling that the GOP’s first midterm convention can salvage their threatened House majority. However, Trump’s dismal approval rating drove many competitive candidates to skip the two-day event entirely.What has Trump said about the former attorney Michael Cohen? The US president has said he would consider pardoning Michael Cohen, the former fixer whom he once branded a “rat” for testifying against him. Cohen was Trump’s personal lawyer, but flipped in 2018, and pleaded guilty to federal crimes including facilitating a hush payment to the pornography star Stormy Daniels and lying under oath to Congress.How many people has the US killed in its campaign? Late Wednesday, US Southern Command announced the latest strike in the Caribbean Sea, saying it killed three people. That brought the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the US military to at least 230 in 69 strikes.What has the US announced about Ecuador’s gangs? The US has designated Ecuador’s Los Tiguerones gang as a terrorist organisation. Rubio said the gang was linked to narcotics trafficking, as well as attacks on civilians, law enforcement officers and journalists. “We are talking about terrorists who, in many cases, possess weapons and equipment resembling the national armies of certain countries,” he said. Continue reading...
