South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham has sent an ominous message to special counsel Jack Smith as Donald Trump was on the precipice of being announced as the winner of the 2024 election.
Early on Wednesday morning, mere moments before Trump took the stage in West Palm Beach, Florida, to give his victory speech, Graham posted a note on X “to Jack Smith and your team”.
“It is time to look forward to a new chapter in your legal careers as these politically motivated charges against President Trump hit a wall,” Graham wrote.
“The supreme court substantially rejected what you were trying to do, and after tonight, it’s clear the American people are tired of lawfare. Bring these cases to an end. The American people deserve a refund.”
The US attorney general Merrick Garland appointed Smith in November 2022 to determine whether Trump should face criminal charges stemming from investigations into the former’s president’s alleged mishandling of national security materials and his role in the 6 January attack on the US Capitol.
Smith charged Trump last year in Florida over his retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago club, and in Washington over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
With the election mere months away, Trump’s legal team tried to stall the proceedings as much as possible.
Their case was aided in July, when the supreme court conferred broad immunity on former presidents and narrowed the scope of the prosecution.
Smith and his team detailed their case against Trump in a 165-page filing that was unsealed in October, in which they argued that Trump should not be entitled to immunity from prosecution. In the filing, federal prosecutors said that Trump “resorted to crimes” in a failed bid to cling to power after losing the 2020 election and that he is not entitled to immunity from prosecution.
The charges filed by Smith and his team were not the only one vexing Trump since leaving office in 2021. When he takes office in January, Trump will be the first convicted criminal to win the White House and gain access to the nuclear codes.
In May, Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records relating to a hush-money payment to the adult film performer Stormy Daniels. Sentencing was originally scheduled on 18 September, but delayed to 26 November after a request from Trump for it to be postponed until after the election. It’s unclear if the date will stand.
Since the unsealing of Smith’s case in October, Trump has spoken publicly about how he would immediately fire Smith if he were re-elected.
In a conversation with the conservative podcast host Hugh Hewitt, who asked whether Trump would pardon himself or fire the special counsel, Trump said: “Oh, it’s so easy. It’s so easy … I would fire him within two seconds.”
وكتبت جين مالي ديلون في رسالة وجهتها لفرق الحملة اطلعت عليها وكالة فرانس برس “إنه سباق محتدم إلى أبعد الحدود” من دون أن تذكر جورجيا وكارولاينا الشمالية (جنوب شرق) مشددة على أنه ينبغي انتظار المزيد من المعلومات حول أريزونا ونيفادا (جنوب غرب).
يبقى تاليا “الجدار الأزرق” أي لون الحزب الديمقراطي، المؤلف من مشيغين وويسنكسن وبنسيلفانيا الواقعة في شمال شرق البلاد ومنطقة البحيرات الكبرى.
وأكدت: “لطالما أدركنا أن طريقنا الأوضح للحصول على أصوات 270 ناخبا كبيرا (العدد الضروري للفوز) يمر عبر ولايات الجدار الأزرق. ونحن سعداء بما نرى”.
وتابعت: “نحن نعرف أن السباق لن يتضح قبل صباح” الأربعاء.
قال الملياردير الأمريكي إيلون ماسك إن الشعب الأمريكي منح المرشح الجمهوري في انتخابات الرئاسة دونالد ترمب “تفويضًا واضحًا للتغيير”، في معرض تعليقه على ما أظهرته النتائج الأولية بتقدم الرئيس السابق على حساب كامالا هاريس.
أكد الدكتور أيمن محسب، عضو مجلس النواب، علي أهمية استضافة مصر للمنتدى الحضري العالمي باعتباره فرصة جيدة للدول الأعضاء والحكومات المحلية والقطاع الخاص والمجتمع المدني للمشاركة في مناقشات بناءة حول التحضر، وتحقيق أهداف التنمية المستدامة، مشيرا إلى أن 50% من سكان العالم يعيشون اليوم في المدن، ومن المتوقع أن ترتفع هذه النسبة إلى 70% بحلول عام 2050، وهو ما سيكون له تأثير كبير على المجتمعات والمدن والاقتصادات وتغير المناخ والسياسات.
وقال “محسب”، إن استضافة مصر لهذا الحدث خطوة مهمة كونه ثاني أكبر حدث على أجندة الأمم المتحدة، بعد مؤتمر الأمم المتحدة للتغير المناخي “cop”، وهو ما يعكس الدور الريادي والإستراتيجي لمصر على المستويين الدولي والإقليمي كمركز للتنمية والتحضر والسلام، ويعد دلالة على التطور الاستثنائي الذي قامت به الدولة المصرية خلال السنوات العشر الماضية تحت قيادة الرئيس السيسي في النهوض بملف التنمية الحضرية والعمرانية المتكاملة، كونها من أوائل الدول التي تبنت الأجندة الحضرية الجديدة، ونفذت العديد من المشروعات القومية والعمرانية الضخمة من مدن الجيل الرابع ومشروعات تحسين جودة الحياة وتطوير المرافق والبنية التحتية، والتي انعكست بشكل إيجابي على حياة المواطنين، وعززت من صورة مصر الحضرية كوجهة أساسية للسائحين ومقصد للرقي والسلام بمنطقة الشرق الأوسط.
وأضاف عضو مجلس النواب، أن المنتدى فرصة جيد لاستعراض التحديات الحضرية التي تواجهها الدول النامية بشكل خاص، فضلا عن استعراض واحد من أهم إنجازات الدولة في هذا المجال، وهي مدن الجيل الرابع التي تساهم في استيعاب الأعداد المتزايدة من المصريين، حيث ساهمت هذه المدن في تغيير النمط العمراني لمصر لمواجهة الزيادة السكانية المرتقبة، من خلال التوسع العمراني في الصحراء بعيدا عن التكدس على جانبي وادي النيل، كما تتوافر في هذه المدن شروط الاستدامة والمرونة والقدرة علي التعافي، مؤكدا أن مدن الجيل الرابع نقطة تحول مهمة في مجال العمران المصري، حيث ساهمت في خلق مراكز حضارية جديدة تحقق الاستقرار الاجتماعى والرخاء الاقتصاد، بالإضافة إلى إعادة توزيع السكان بعيداً عن الشريط الضيق لوادى النيل، وإقامة مناطق جذب مستحدثة خارج نطاق المدن والقرى القائمة، بالإضافة إلى مد محاور العمران إلى الصحراء والمناطق النائية.
وأشار “محسب”، إلى أن المنتدى يأتى في وقت حاسم يواجه فيه العالم أزمات دولية متلاحقة، وحروبا لها تداعيات مدمرة على المدن والتجمعات السكانية، وعلى كل مناحى الحياة فيها، وهو ما يستدعى حشد الجهود والإرادة السياسية لإحلال السلام ووقف النزاعات والصراعات وتركيز الجهود على مجالات التنمية وإعادة الإعمار والبنـاء، وهي الرؤية التي أكد عليها الرئيس عبدالفتاح السيسي خلال كلمته بافتتاح المنتدي العالمي، مؤكدا أنه يستحيل البدء في أي خطوات جادة لمواجهة التحديات الحضرية في مجتمعات تعانى من الحروب والاقتتال والنزوح والمجاعة والمرض، مشيرا إلى حجم الخسائر التي تكبدتها جراء إعلاء صوت الحرب والصراع على حساب السلام والاستقرار.
وشدد النائب أيمن محسب، على ضرورة وقف المعاناة اليومية التي تعيشها شعوب الشرق الأوسط والتي تتطلب استجابة فورية وفعالة لوقف نزيف الدماء والدمار والشروع في البناء والتنمية، مثمنا إعلان الرئيس إطلاق «الإستراتيجية الوطنية للمدن الذكية» و«الإستراتيجية الوطنية للتحضر الأخضر» الهادفتين إلى تعزيز الجهود الوطنية القائمة في مجالات التحضر استنادا إلى المعايير الدولية للاستدامة والشراكة.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A ballot question to enshrine Nevada’s abortion rights in the state constitution received its first nod of approval from voters. Voters must also approve the ballot question in 2026 in order to amend the state constitution. The political action committee Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom organized the ballot initiative and gathered enough signatures to put the question before voters. Although a 1990 state law makes abortion available up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, supporters in Nevada and elsewhere have been pressing to strengthen abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The Associated Press declared that the question was approved at 3:21 a.m. EST Wednesday.
وقال سيدريك ريتشموند، أحد مدراء حملة هاريس من جامعة هاورد في واشنطن أمام أنصار لها: “لن تسمعوا كلمة لنائبة الرئيس الليلة لكنكم ستسمعون الأربعاء صباحا، مبررا ذلك بأنه “ما زالت هناك أصوات يجب فرزها”.
ونشرت المرشحة الديمقراطية للانتخابات الرئاسية كامالا هاريس منشورا على منصة “إكس” بعدما بدأت أولى نتائج السباق الرئاسي المحتدم بينها والمرشح الجمهوري دونالد ترامب، بالظهور.
وقالتهاريسعبر “إكس” إن “التصويت هو الحرية الأساسية التي تفتح الباب أمام كل الحريات الأخرى”.
وأضافت: “إلى العاملين في مراكز الاقتراع ومسؤولي الانتخابات الذين يعملون بلا كلل لضمان احتساب كل صوت، شكرا لكم”.
وكانت هاريس قد قالت في منشور سابق: “إذا كنت لا تزال في الطابور عند إغلاق صناديق الاقتراع، ابق هناك لأن لديك الحق في الإدلاء بصوتك”.
وشهد السباق نحوالبيت الأبيضأحداثا غير مسبوقة، إذ تعرضترامبلمحاولتي اغتيال، وانسحب الرئيسجو بايدنفجأة لتدخل نائبته هاريس المنافسة.
After notching a string of wins in crucial swing states, Donald Trump was poised to return to the White House after a momentous presidential election in which democracy itself had been at stake and which is likely to take the United States into uncharted political waters.
The Republican nominee took North Carolina surprisingly early, the first battleground state to be called, and later he took Georgia and then Pennsylvania. He was strongly positioned in Arizona and Nevada, other key contests.
The race between Trump, a former president, and the current Democratic vice-president, Kamala Harris, had been a frenetic contest and it finally approached its conclusion amid scenes of celebration in the Trump camp.
At 1.20am, at Trump’s election watch party in Palm Beach, Florida, a prolonged, almighty roar went up as Fox News had called Pennsylvania for Trump. “It’s over!” screamed one man, amid the noise, at what felt like the point of no return. A young man in a black Trump hat shouted: “Fuck Joe Biden! Fuck her!”
The euphoric crowd chanted: “USA! USA!” They gathered near the stage, waiting for Trump to speak.
At 1.47am, Fox named Trump president-elect, though the Associated Press – which the Guardian follows – has not yet put Trump over the finish line.
The man who incited the deadly attack at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, earning (and surviving) a second impeachment; the man who was this year convicted on 34 criminal charges; the man who faces multiple other criminal counts and who has been ordered to pay millions in multiple civil lawsuits, including one over a rape claim a judge deemed “substantially true”. The man at the centre of all of that whom senior military aides called a fascist and a danger to the republic was preparing to head for the White House again.
Eventually, past 2am, Trump emerged to speak, to the strains of God Bless the USA, the Lee Greenwood country anthem plastered on Bibles that Trump hawks for sale. Trump was surrounded by his family, by close aides, and by JD Vance, the hard-right Ohio senator he made his vice-presidential pick.
“This is a movement like nobody’s ever seen before,” Trump said. “This is I believe the greatest political movement of all time. There’s never been anything like this in this country and now it’s going to reach a new level of importance, because we’re going to help our country heal.
Supporters of Donald Trump celebrate outside a restaurant in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday. Photograph: Silvio Campos/AFP/Getty Images
“We’re going to fix our borders. We’re going to fix everything about our country … I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve, this will truly be the golden age of America.”
Trump reveled in battleground state victories and said he would win them all. He claimed to have won the popular vote, which had not yet been decided. He described “a great feeling of love” and claimed “an unprecedented and powerful mandate”, celebrating Republicans retaking the Senate. He said it looked like Republicans would keep control of the House of Representatives – again, undecided at that point.
Trump saluted his wife, Melania, his family, and Vance, who he invited to the podium to speak. Vance buttered up the boss, promising “the greatest economic comeback in American history under Donald Trump’s leadership”.
Trump referred to the assassination attempts against him. “God spared me for a reason,” he said.
At Harris’s watch party, at Howard University in Washington, the mood became somber, as hopes Harris could become the first president from a Historically Black College and University began to flicker and dim. Around 1am, Cedric Richmond, a former congressman and Harris campaign co-chair, told supporters they would not hear from Harris.
“Thank you for believing in the promise of America,” Richmond said. “We still have votes to count. We still have states that have not been called yet. We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted, that every voice has spoken.”
Attendees rushed out, the mood swinging to despair. Eight years after Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in a similar fashion, few attendees seemed surprised or shocked. Many declined to comment. “What more is there to say,” one woman shrugged as she shuffled out.
Strewn water bottles and other litter were all that was left after the crowd was gone.
Before 1am, the Republicans had retaken the Senate. A West Virginia seat went red as expected but the die was cast when Sherrod Brown, a long-serving progressive Democrat, was beaten in Ohio by Bernie Moreno, a car salesperson backed by Trump. Democrats had held the chamber 51-49. Other key races went right. In Maryland, Angela Alsobrooks provided a point of light for Democrats, joining Lisa Blunt Rochester, of Delaware, as the third and fourth Black women ever elected to the Senate.
The House remained contested, Democrats seeking to retake the chamber, to erect a bastion against a Republican White House and Senate. The House can hold a president to account but the Senate controls federal judicial appointments. Further rightwing consolidation of control of the supreme court, to which Trump appointed three hardliners between 2017 and 2021, looms large.
In June 2022, that Trump court removed the federal right to abortion. Campaigns for reproductive rights fueled Democratic electoral successes after that but on Tuesday such issues seemed to fall short of fueling the wave of support from suburban, Republican-leaning women Democrats had hoped for and pundits predicted.
A measure to enshrine abortion rights in the Florida constitution, which Democrats hoped would help boost turnout, fell short of the 60% needed for approval. Nebraska, won by Trump, voted to uphold its abortion ban, which outlaws the procedure after 12 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion-related measures did pass in New York, Maryland, Colorado, Missouri, Nevada and Arizona.
A huge gender gap opened. A CNN exit poll showed Harris up by 11 points among female voters, Trump up 10 among male voters. Other polls showed dominant concerns over the economy and democracy. According to the AP Votecast survey, four in 10 voters named the economy and jobs as the most important problem facing the country, a hopeful sign for Trump. Roughly half of voters cited the fate of democracy, a focal point of Harris’s campaign.
Wednesday will bring jitters in foreign capitals. Victory for Trump’s “America first” ethos can be expected to boost rightwing populists in Europe and elsewhere – and to place support for Ukraine in jeopardy as it fights Russian invaders.
At home, America lies divided. Harris centered her campaign on Trump’s autocratic threat while he ran a campaign fuelled by grievance, both personal and the perception of an ailing America, baselessly painting Biden and Harris as far-left figures wrecking the economy with inflation and identity politics. Though he was the subject of two assassination attempts, in Pennsylvania and Florida, he stoked huge divisions and widespread fears of violence.
Trump told supporters “I am your retribution” and threatened to prosecute political foes, journalists and others. He suggested turning the US military against “the enemy from within”. He put immigration and border security at the heart of his pitch, painting a picture of the US overrun by illegal immigration, with language that veered into outright racism and fearmongering. He referred to undocumented people as “animals” with “bad genes … poisoning the blood of our country”.
He vowed to stage the biggest deportation in US history, to replace thousands of federal workers with loyalists, to impose sweeping tariffs on allies and foes alike.
On election night, he said he would govern “by a simple motto: Promises made. Promises kept. We’re going to keep our promises. Nothing will stop me.”
Additional reporting by Sam Levine in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Hugo Lowell in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Asia Alexander in Washington DC
Read more of the Guardian’s 2024 US election coverage
