List of All Articles with Tag 'politics'

Quite a saying to use on television.

Rishi Sunak has declined the opportunity to 'buy' troubled Reading Football Club after he was propositioned by local BBC radio hosts in Berkshire. The prime minister joked that he was focused on supporting his own side, Southampton, despite having 'enormous' sympathy for fans, after the club was relegated. "No look, I’m a die-hard life-long Saints fan", he admitted. "We are having a disappointing start to season ourselves so I’m focusing on that at this moment.” Click here to sign up for our newsletters.

The Trump Organization said it sold its lease for a New York golf course with sweeping views of Manhattan to Bally's Corporation, ending several years of controversy.

Politicians try their hardest to look like normal people but they really struggle. This is especially true when they watch football - we all remember when Boris Johnson put kit on over his shirt and tie during the Euros, right? If you do remember that, than you'd have predicted a lot of embarrassing photo opps from politicians watching the Lionesses storm to success during the Women's World Cup this year. Beating a number of opponents, the team are to face Spain in the final on Sunday and politicians couldn't help but scrape into the action. Here are some politicians who made watching the World Cup this year seem very cringe. Why did this MP print out a piece of paper that said "Lionesses" on it to celebrate the match: Anneliese Dodds used England's 6-1 win over China in the group stage to promote Labour's Alistair Strathern and his campaign in Mid Bedfordshire. Wakeford especially gets cringe points for calling the adult team "girls". And awkwardly waving a couple of flags is pretty cringe, too: Who could forget this already classic Ed Davey photo... Poor MPs. They are just trying to have a good time but there's nothing they can do that they won't get rinsed for. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A clip of Nadine Dorries criticising MPs who don't listen to their constituents has resurfaced as the MP clings onto her seat despite saying she would resign. In 2014, the MP made a speech in the commons claiming MPs should respect the concerns of their local constituents rather than get involved in party political issues. She said: "Where MPs do fall down is where they ignore their constituents.” The Mid Bedfordshire MP also told her parliamentary colleagues that her constituents know she is not a “party political MP” and when she’s in her constituency, she “represents everybody, regardless of who they vote for”. She said: “They also know that I will go the extra mile. I don’t do surgeries once a month, I do them, most times, every week. “They know I don’t get involved in grubby games or political games in parliament. They know I represent them. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “I put my constituency before my party,” she added. This is ironic as in June the MP said she would resign with immediate effect having not got a seat in the House of Lords. But months later, she is still there, but she hasn't even spoke in the House of Commons since Boris Johnson resigned so doesn't exactly seem committed to her role. So much so that her own local council have called on her to step down because her constituents are being denied “effective representative” in parliament. Meanwhile, given she has consistently criticised PM Rishi Sunak and called him out for being posh. With that in mind, campaign group Best for Britain posted the clip of her 2014 speech on Twitter where it duly went viral, racking up over 1.2 million views at the time of writing. Very awkward indeed. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Ron DeSantis is traveling around the country letting everyone know that he's running for president right now. Every now and then he stops to interact with people and it's always an adventure. During one of this latest stops he was asked about his polling numbers, which one person said were "substantially behind" Donald Trump. Rather than take this one sitting down, DeSantis took control of the narrative, stretched out his face, said, "Not here!" and launched into an animated, maniacal laugh.

A gloating Donald Trump has unexpectedly reignited his feud with soccer star Megan Rapinoe after the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) crashed out of the Women’s World Cup with a shock defeat by Sweden. The reigning champions had not been at their best throughout the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, only narrowly escaping their group before losing 5-4 on penalties in a hard-fought battle against the Swedes on Sunday. Rapinoe, a late substitute, was one of three players to miss a crucial spotkick. The outcome was doubly cruel for the veteran winger as it came in what proved to be her final appearance for the USWNT, her glittering career on the world stage ending in bitter disappointment. The 38-year-old, a prominent LGBT+ rights activist and campaigner for equal pay in the women’s game, had previously announced her plan to retire at the end of the domestic season, where she plays for OL Reign in Seattle, Washington. Her misfortune was met with utter glee by the twice-impeached, thrice-indicted Mr Trump, who took a timeout from his myriad of legal problems to troll the team on Truth Social, suggesting their disappointing World Cup run was symptomatic of a broader national decline under President Joe Biden. “The ‘shocking and totally unexpected’ loss by the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team to Sweden is fully emblematic of what is happening to the our [sic] once great Nation under Crooked Joe Biden,” Trump posted on Sunday evening. “Many of our players were openly hostile to America - No other country behaved in such a manner, or even close. WOKE EQUALS FAILURE. Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell!!! MAGA.” Here’s a timeline of the war of the words between the Republican lawmaker and the soccer star: May 2019 Rapinoe first came to Trump’s attention just prior to the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France when she described herself in an interview with Yahoo! as a “walking protest against the Trump administration [because of] everything I stand for”. She continued: “I feel like it’s kind of defiance in and of itself to just be who I am and wear the jersey, and represent it. Because I’m as talented as I am, I get to be here, you don’t get to tell me if I can be here or not. “So it’s kind of a good ‘f*** you’ to any sort of inequality or bad sentiments that the [Trump] administration might have towards people who don’t look exactly like him. Which, God help us if we all looked like him. Scary. Really scary. Ahh, disturbing.” June 2019 What really piqued the then-president’s animosity towards the soccer star was a video interview Rapinoe gave to Eight by Eight magazine where she said she was “not going to the f***ing White House” in the event that the USWNT secured the World Cup win – an expression of the Californian’s deep-rooted disdain for the divisive policies of the Republican then occupying the Oval Office. The interview was recorded that January but resurfaced in June 2019, when the tournament was in full swing. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m not going to the f***ing White House,” she said. “No. I’m not going to the White House, I don’t think we’ll be invited, I doubt it.” She also advised her teammates to “think hard” before accepting any honours from Mr Trump’s administration. The president – who had already expressed disapproval for her pointed silence during the national anthem before games – was left fuming by the clip. He fired back against Rapinoe on Twitter, writing: “I am a big fan of the American Team, and Women’s Soccer, but Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job! “Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her & the team. Be proud of the Flag that you wear.” Rapinoe said at a subsequent press conference that she stood by her comments “with the exception of the expletive… My mom would be very upset about that”. July 2019 When the USWNT did indeed win the cup with a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands – with Rapinoe herself scoring from the penalty spot and being named player of the match – the soccer star stood by her word. She did pay a visit to Washington – but only as a guest of progressive Democratic lawmakers Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, a calculated snub to the blustering commander-in-chief. In the immediate aftermath, she told Time magazine that she believed Mr Trump was secretly a fan of hers. “You know he was watching that game. You know he had his McDonald’s lined up. And he was probably like, ‘You know what, I love that.’ I always felt Trump loved me,” she said. Rapinoe also addressed him directly during an interview with CNN, telling him: “Your message is excluding people. You’re excluding me, you’re excluding people that look like me, you’re excluding people of colour, you’re excluding Americans that maybe support you. “You’re harking back to an era that was not great for everyone. It might have been great for a few people, and maybe America is great for a few people right now, but it’s not great for enough Americans in this world. “You have an incredible responsibility as the chief of this country to take care of every single person, and you need to do better for everyone.” She also joked about the prospect of running for the top job herself, commenting: “It’s an absolute honour to lead this team out on the field. There’s no other place I would rather be. Even in a presidential race. I’m busy, I’m sorry.” August 2019 Later reflecting on the spat with Mr Trump and the vicious comments she and her loved ones had been subjected to as a result, she told The Guardian: “It’s ridiculous and absurd. People were like: ‘That was so intense!’ And I’m like: ‘Honestly, he’s a f***ing joke, so it wasn’t intense, because this is ridiculous.’” Speaking for herself and her twin sister Rachel, also a former professional footballer, Rapinoe added: “I wouldn’t say that we’re anti-authority, but when there’s a person who is abusing their power or manipulating people, whether it’s a teacher when I was younger or Donald Trump now, there’s nothing that fires me up and grinds my gears more. I was just like: ‘No. That’s not happening.’” Intriguingly, she also said of her own father during that interview: “I think my dad voted for Trump and I’ll say: ‘I don’t get it. How are you simultaneously as proud as punch of me, and watching Fox News all the time [who are doing] takedowns of your daughter?’” Aftermath (2020-23) Since those glory days, Megan Rapinoe has continued to use her celebrity to campaign for social justice issues, endorsing Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren for president in December 2019 and hosting a panel event at the 2020 Democratic National Convention in support of frontline healthcare workers at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Following her snub of the Trump administration, Rapinoe did finally come to the White House at the invitation of President Biden in March 2021 to speak about wage equality. In July 2022, she was then awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Mr Biden – marking the highest possible civilian honour. Mr Trump, meanwhile, has spent the same period camped out at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, plotting his political return, deriding his enemies online and wrangling lawyers as the state and federal investigations into his past continue. August 2023 On 6 August 2023, the USWNT crashed out of the World Cup following a disappointing penalty shootout. While Rapinoe sobbed on pitch, Mr Trump took to Truth Social to gloat about the loss. “Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell!!!” he cruelly jabbed. Read More Trump has meltdown attacking Biden, Megan Rapinoe and ‘wokeness’ for US Women’s World Cup loss – latest news Trump goes on unhinged Truth Social rant blaming Biden and ‘wokeness’ for USWNT’s World Cup loss From Megan Rapinoe’s miss to VAR drama: How the USA and Sweden’s penalty shoot-out unfolded Ofcom investigates GB News programmes over due impartiality rules Trump lawyer says his legal team is bracing for imminent Georgia indictment Trump insists he isn’t a ‘scared puppy’ in defiant attack on Nancy Pelosi

Donald Trump has gone on an unhinged Truth Social rant blaming President Joe Biden and “wokeness” for the US’s unexpected early defeat in the Women’s World Cup. The US Women’s National Soccer Team crashed out of the tournament on Sunday after losing 5-4 in a penalty shootout against Sweden – marking the team’s earliest-ever exit from the competition. In a tirade on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump revelled in the loss and bizarrely claimed it was a sign of the influence “Crooked Joe Biden” has had on the nation. As well as blaming his political rival, the former president also somehow argued it was because of “WOKE”-ness and cruelly trolled striker Megan Rapinoe for missing a penalty. “The “shocking and totally unexpected” loss by the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team to Sweden is fully emblematic of what is happening to the our once great Nation under Crooked Joe Biden,” he fumed. “Many of our players were openly hostile to America - No other country behaved in such a manner, or even close. WOKE EQUALS FAILURE. Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell!!! MAGA.” The former president has long had a contentious relationship with soccer star Rapinoe, who is well-known off the pitch for her social justice advocacy for racial equality, LGBT+ rights and women’s rights in sports. Back in 2019, Rapinoe sparked Mr Trump’s ire when she vowed that she would not go to Mr Trump’s White House if the national team won the World Cup. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m not going to the f***ing White House,” she told soccer magazine Eight by Eight that June. “No. I’m not going to the White House, I don’t think we’ll be invited, I doubt it.” The team did win the cup that year – and refused to go to the White House. Mr Trump made it clear he was unhappy with her comments at the time, fuming that she should “never disrespect our country, the White House or our flag, especially since so much has been done for her and the team”. Before this, Rapinoe had already been attacked by conservatives for taking the knee during the national anthem in support of Colin Kaepernick and calls for racial justice. She also sued the US Soccer Federation for gender discrimination and was pivotal to the women’s team gaining equal pay to the men’s. Last year, Mr Biden awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civilian honour. “Beyond the World Cup title to Olympic medals, Megan is a champion for essential American truth that everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect,” the president said at the award ceremony. Mr Trump’s latest angry diatribe involving Rapinoe was a marked difference to Mr Biden’s comments as he said the soccer team had made the US “proud”. “@USWNT, you’ve made your country proud,” he said in a post on Twitter. “Congratulations on an incredible run. This team is something special and I’m looking forward to seeing how you continue to inspire Americans with your grit and determination – on and off the field.” First Lady Jill Biden also praised the soccer team for their “grit and determination” which has inspired women and girls across the country. “Today, you inspired us with your grit and determination. We are proud of you,” she tweeted. “Always remember that you encourage women and girls everywhere to show up and fight for their dreams.” Zero goals were scored during Sunday’s 90-minute game between USA and Sweden, taking it to a penalty shootout. Rapinoe, Sophia Smith and Kelly O’Hara each missed penalties while Sweden soared to a win. The loss marked a shock end to Rapinoe’s stellar career as she had announced she would retire after the World Cup. The 38-year-old has played four times in the tournament, helping the team to victory in both the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. Read More Trump has meltdown attacking Biden, Megan Rapinoe and ‘wokeness’ for US Women’s World Cup loss – latest news Trump lawyer says his legal team is bracing for imminent Georgia indictment England vs Nigeria LIVE: Score and updates from Women’s World Cup as VAR denies Lionesses penalty Trucking giant Yellow Corp. declares bankruptcy after years of financial struggles Texas separates migrant families, detaining fathers on trespassing charges in latest border move Trump lawyer Alina Habba rants about Hunter Biden’s laptop outside arraignment court

VIDEO: Another weird Ron DeSantis campaign moment.

Former WWE superstar Steph De Lander, who wrestled for the company under the name of Persia Pirotta, claimed that she was once asked to perform at an impromptu show requested by Ron DeSantis. WWE's developmental class, the Performance Center, is based in Florida where DeSantis, who is currently campaigning to become the Republican presidential candidate for the 2024 election, just happens to be governor. During an interview with Vice Australia and New Zealand, De Lander said that she and a few other wrestlers were called in on a Saturday because DeSantis had asked for a wrestling show for his family. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter She said: "I’ve wrestled in front of him. I’ve wrestled for DeSantis. "I did meet him, yeah. He came to the PC once. We got called in on Saturday that Ron DeSantis wanted to have a wrestling show for his kids. "So him and his family came in, and they sat front row, and we all beat each other up on a Saturday morning because he wanted to take his kids to see the wrestling. "It is funny. If he becomes president, then I’ve technically wrestled in front of the president." 26-year-old DeLander competed for WWE under their NXT brand but was released in April 2022. The Australian has since gone on to wrestle for AEW, MLW, Impact, GCW and recently made her debut for DDT in Japan. In terms of Republicans, WWE is often more associated with DeSantis's opponent Donald Trump, who frequently appeared on WWE television prior to his political career and was inducted into the company's Hall of Fame in 2013. Meanwhile, DeSantis, despite the backing of Elon Musk, is struggling to gain momentum in the Republican race with Trump often gaining the upper hand thanks to his timely putdowns. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The United States has surpassed 400 mass shootings in 2023, setting the stage for a record-breaking year in gun violence without any significant federal firearm legislation on the horizon.

The World Cup that kicked off this week in Australia and New Zealand is a time to rejoice in the dominance of American women in international sports.