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Why Nikki Haley urges Republican voters to hold off on supporting Donald Trump

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3 months ago

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 GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley urged Republican voters to hold off on supporting former President Donald Trump until they know if he’s going to be convicted in any of the four criminal trials pending against him.

“I think the American people deserve to know what the situation is going to be,” Haley said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Former President Donald Trump currently faces four sets of criminal charges, two federal cases and state-level cases in Georgia and New York.

But Haley on Sunday went beyond targeting Trump over his sweeping indictments. Seeking to upset the former president in the South Carolina Republican primary on Feb. 24, Haley also said Trump should not be trying to block a congressional border bill. Instead, the former South Carolina governor told CNN a new border security plan should be passed as soon as possible.

Haley also used the interview to clarify recent comments she made about states and seceding, telling CNN that no state has the right to leave the country.

Haley on Sunday warned that, as Republican voters select their 2024 nominee to potentially face off against President Joe Biden, “For the next year, (Trump is) going to be sitting a courtroom.”

“I think it speaks for itself that he’s saying he’s going to be spending more time in a courtroom than he’s going to be spending on the campaign trail. We’ve got a country in disarray and a world on fire.”

Haley spoke on CNN days after a federal judge announced the indefinite delay of a March 4 scheduled trial in which Trump is accused of trying to steal the 2020 election from Biden. The trial is being delayed because Trump’s pre-trial appeals are taking up so much time.

Trump also faces three other criminal trials: A hush money case in New York state, a classified documents case in Florida and another election fraud case in the state of Georgia.

Trials in those cases are proposed for March, May and August, but pre-trial maneuvering could delay any or all of them.

Meanwhile, sandwiched between those potential trial dates, the Republican nominating convention starts July 15 in Milwaukee.

Trump in recent weeks has pushed House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. and other Republican leaders to kill a long-awaited bipartisan border security bill by arguing that Biden already has the power to stop illegal crossings.

But the former president’s critics have argued that Trump simply wants to stop lawmakers from working with Biden on major border legislation ahead of the election.

Haley, for example, told CNN on Sunday that said Trump “is absolutely playing politics” with the border.

“He shouldn’t be getting involved telling Republicans that wait until the election because we don’t want this to help Biden win. We can’t wait one more day.”

Trump allies immediately hit back at Haley following her interview.

“Nikki Haley reeks of desperation,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said, adding “it’s clear she knows she has no shot” and “is now auditioning for a cable news contract when her 15 minutes are over.”

Haley faced her own criticism on Sunday, too. The former United Nations ambassador sought to clean up recent comments she made suggesting that states – specifically Texas – could secede from the Union, an issue that helped trigger the Civil War.

In a recent radio interview, Haley said that “if Texas decides they want to do that, they can do that.” She said “if that whole state says, ‘We don’t want to be part of America anymore,’ I mean, that’s their decision to make.”

She also added: “Let’s talk about what’s reality. Texas isn’t going to secede.”

But Haley this week told CNN said she was referencing comments made during her 2010 campaign for South Carolina governor, and that she did not mean to express support for secession and the country breaking apart.

“The Constitution doesn’t allow for that,” Haley said.

She said lawmakers should understand the frustration that some state officials feel over the authority of the federal government, citing Texas and its treatment of the U.S.-Mexico border as a prime example.

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SA users of Starlink will be cut off at the end of the month

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2 weeks ago

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April 16, 2024

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Starlink users in South Africa are facing a major setback as the satellite internet service provider has issued a warning that their services will be terminated by the end of the month.

In an email sent to many South African users, Starlink stated that their internet access will cease on April 30 due to violation of its terms and conditions.

The email emphasized that using Starlink kits outside of designated areas, as indicated on the Starlink Availability Map, is against their terms. Consequently, users will only be able to access their Starlink account for updates after the termination.

Starlink, a company owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, operates a fleet of low earth orbit satellites that offer high-speed internet globally. Despite its potential to revolutionize connectivity, Starlink has been unable to obtain a license to operate in South Africa from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa).

Icasa’s requirements mandate that any applicant must have 30% ownership from historically disadvantaged groups to be considered for a license. However, many in South Africa resorted to creative methods to access Starlink services, including purchasing roaming packages from countries where Starlink is licensed.

However, Icasa clarified in a government gazette last November that using Starlink in this manner is illegal. Additionally, Starlink itself stated in the recent email to users that the ‘Mobile – Regional’ plans are meant for temporary travel and transit, not permanent use in a location. Continuous use of these plans outside the country where service was ordered will result in service restriction.

Starlink advised those interested in making its services available in their region to contact local authorities.

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Nigeria: chibok abduction anniversary spurs demands for justice

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2 weeks ago

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April 16, 2024

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Militants, alongside relatives of victims of the infamous abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls that sparked global outrage in 2014, gathered in Lagos on Sunday, April 14, to renew calls for the release of the remaining girls in captivity.

The Sunday meeting was organized to mark the 10th anniversary of the abduction that affected 276 schoolgirls from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, northeastern Nigeria.

“What I would ask the government is to find a way to work towards bringing back our sisters because I know it is only the government that can help us bring back these girls,” said Grace Dauda, a rescued Chibok schoolgirl.

Another rescued schoolgirl, Rebecca Malu, added, “They should stay safe. They should stay strong, one day, they will be released like us.”

While some girls managed to escape on their own, others have been freed over the years through intense campaigns by civil society organizations and government negotiations. But this human rights activist, Ayo Obe, is calling for more action from the authorities.

“We know that we started with missing persons numbering two hundred and fifty-six; it is already an improvement that we are down to 91. But of course, 91 is 91 lives unaccounted for. We appreciate the fact that so many of them escaped during the abduction itself. We appreciate the fact that the government has brought back so many more of them, but we say that we don’t stop here. We need the momentum that has happened since the mass return during the Buhari administration in 2016-2017 to be maintained. We expected that the remaining girls would have been brought back,” she said.

Mass school children kidnapping in Nigeria has continued nearly unabated since Chibok. Around 1,700 students have been kidnapped in raids since 2014 according to Amnesty International.

A member of the Bring Back Our Girls movement and convener of the 10th-year anniversary in Lagos, Opeyemi Adamolekun, lamented this as unfortunate.

“Unfortunately, it became political between 2014 and 2015, part of the amplification of the movement was part of the 2015 presidential campaign. And we saw the effect of the first batch of 21 that were released with the help of the Red Cross and the Swiss government. The second batch of 82 that were released with the help of the Red Cross and the Swiss government as well. But unfortunately, it seems that energy sort of dissipated because the government doesn’t feel as much pressure as they used to feel,” she said.

For this group of Nigerians, the government must match words with more action to stem the tide of mass school kidnappings in the country.

According to the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, a charity that advocates for the Chibok schoolgirls, about 90 girls still remain in captivity while dozens of the schoolgirls freed over the years are living inside a military-run rehabilitation camp with surrendered Boko Haram fighters they married in the Sambisa forest, Boko Haram’s main hideout.

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Trump trial update: Trump rebuked by judge for speaking during jury selection — and 7 jurors are seated

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2 weeks ago

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April 16, 2024

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On Tuesday, the second day of former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial, Judge Juan Merchan rebuked defense lawyers after Trump was heard muttering his disapproval of an answer given by a potential juror in the case. “I won’t tolerate that,” Merchan told Trump lawyer Todd Blanche. “I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom.” The proceedings moved swiftly, however, with seven jurors being sworn in and Merchan signaling that opening arguments could begin on Monday.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass began his questioning with a simple observation: “Let’s start with the obvious: The defendant in this case is both a former president and current candidate for that office.”

He told the jurors who had made it through a preliminary round of questioning that the trial was “not a referendum on President Trump.” “This case is about whether this man broke the law,” he continued. “Did he falsify business records to cover up an agreement to unlawfully influence the 2016 presidential election?”

Todd Blanche, one of Trump’s lawyers, began his questioning of potential jurors by saying the trial was “extraordinarily serious” and that it was important that Trump “get a fair shake.”

Blanche sought to disqualify several jurors because of their activity on social media. He questioned one woman about a video posted to Facebook on Election Day 2020 that showed people reacting to Biden’s victory. The woman said it captured what seemed like a “celebratory moment in New York City.” Merchan ruled that posting the video did not disqualify her from serving on the jury, to which Trump reacted with gestures and commentary.

That earned Trump his rebuke from the judge, who told Blanche to speak to his client.“ Yes, your honor,” Balance responded, while Trump looked on angrily.

Merchan did dismiss some jurors based on their social media activity, however. nIn all, Trump’s lawyers used six of the 10 challenges they were allowed to dismiss prospective jurors without giving a reason. Prosecutors also used six of theirs.

After he left the courtroom, Trump called Merchan a “conflicted judge” and added, “We’re having a hard time with the New York state system.” Court does not meet on Wednesdays, so jury selection continues on Thursday, with five more jurors and six alternates needing to be sworn in before opening arguments in the historic trial can get underway.

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