As Pete Buttigieg Surges In Iowa Ahead Of Debate, Fellow Democrats Sharpen Their Attacks

President Biden and Donald Trump have accepted an invitation to a presidential debate on June 27 hosted by CNN, The Hill reports. Associated Press: “Still, the two sides appeared to be hold significant differences on key questions of how to organize the debates, including agreeing on moderators and rules — some of the very questions that prompted the formation of the Commission on Presidential Debates in 1987.” The New York Times notes the Trump campaign agreed to the June debate but also proposed a monthly debate schedule: “A debate in June, a debate in July, a debate in August, and a debate in September, in addition to the Vice Presidential debate.”

“Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) appearance at former President Trump’s criminal trial on Tuesday is dismaying the House Democrats who saved his job less than a week ago,” Axios reports. “The trip is sending ripples through the Democratic ranks and is already being raised in leadership circles.”

For the first time, a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that a majority of Americans — 52% — believe Donald Trump “falsified business records to conceal a hush money payment to a porn star” — the charge at the center of his ongoing criminal trial in Manhattan. This represents a new high — and a significant increase from previous Yahoo News/YouGov polls conducted before courtroom testimony began last month, suggesting that coverage of the trial may be shifting perceptions of Trump’s conduct.

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico is fighting for his life after he was shot multiple times following a government meeting on Wednesday, Politico reports.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) stepped outside the courthouse yesterday and slammed Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter — something that Donald Trump’s gag order specifically prohibits him from doing. Trump actually described Johnson and the other Republican lawmakers who have stood by him at the courthouse as his “surrogates.” .memberful-global-teaser-content p:last-child{ -webkit-mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0%, transparent); } Join now to continue reading. Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising.

“A day after President Biden warned Israel that a major attack on Rafah would cross a ‘red line’ for U. S. support, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went on a rant during a meeting with his security cabinet,” Axios reports. Said Netanyahu: “We are not a vassal state of the United States!” “Netanyahu’s hot reaction last Thursday reflected his combative mood at a time when Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has strained its relationship with the U.