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Welcome to DailyMail.com's U.S. politics blog, with the biggest stories from Washington and the corridors of power.

The White House is still fighting back against videos of President Joe Biden's awkward interactions they claim are 'cheap fakes.'

The Biden administration's relations with Israel has also reached a new tense juncture after Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the U.S. had blocked weapons shipments.

Both Democrats and Republicans are also waking up as primary results roll in from key states including Virginia and Georgia.

Follow all the updates from our reporters in Washington and around the country.

14:49

Fox News host asks 'next Obama' Wes Moore if he's 'ready' to replace Biden at the Democratic convention

epa11418005 Maryland Governor Wes Moore delivers a speech before he signs an executive order pardoning 175,000 cannabis-related convictions, at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland, USA, 17 June 2024. Moore called the move, which forgives misdemeanor convictions of simple possession as well as possession of marijuana paraphernalia, 'the most far-reaching and aggressive' executive action on the issue.  EPA/JIM LO SCALZO

Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade asked Maryland's Democratic Governor Wes Moore if he is 'ready' to potentially step in and replace President Joe Biden as the presidential candidate at this summer's convention 'should the wheels come off'.

The rising star of the party who has been referred to as the 'next Obama' was asked about a range of issues during his appearance on Wednesday morning.

Kilmeade then suggested that he could end up as a 'possible Biden replacement' in the 2024 race.

He said Moore's bid to rebuild the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge was a 'launching pad' for the White House and claimed Republicans have called him 'presidential material'.

'That’s why people are floating your name as a possible President Biden replacement should the wheels come off come the August convention. Your reaction?' Kilmeade asked.

'I am full-throated in my support of President Biden,' Moore responded.

He also added that he was 'looking forward' to seeing four more years of Biden in the White House.

21:25

Barack Obama hails Joe Biden's immigration policy on Dreamers

Barack Obama praised Biden's Tuesday announcement which will mean people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program qualify more easily for work visas.

21:01

Kim Jong done? CIA analyst says North Korean dictator 'doesn't look great' amid rumors he is sick

18:31

Lara Trump on how her father-in-law would accept Republican nomination from jail

Lara Trump the Republiican National Committee co-chair, said Donald Trump would accept the partys nomination from jail if he is sentenced to time behind bars.

Trump is due to be sentenced on July 11 after being convbicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records over a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

His daughter-in-law told Real Amercia's Voice:

It doesn’t matter whether Donald Trump is in Trump Tower, Mar-a-Lago, or anywhere else they may try to put him.
On the day that we, as the Republican Party, will be nominating him as our official candidate and our official nominee for president, he will accept that no matter where he is.

Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump addresses an election integrity volunteer training group, Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in Newtown, Pa. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

18:29

U.S. takes credit for killing senior ISIS leader in Syria

The Pentagon has taken credit for killing a senior Islamic State leader in an airstrike in Syria.

U.S. Central Command said Usamah Jamal Muhammad Ibrahim al-Janabi had beemn taken out on June 16.

18:25

George Santos launches an OnlyFan pages

George Santos's life after Congress has taken another shocking, yet unsurprising, turn.

The disgraced Republican has launched an OnlyFans account, a step beyond selling videos of himself on Cameo.

He was accused of using campaign donations for paying for membership of the X-rated site in a damning ethics report that led to his ouster from Congress.

FILE - Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., faces reporters at the Capitol, Nov. 30, 2023, in Washington. Santos, who was expelled from the House of Representatives in December and faces federal charges of defrauding donors to his 2022 campaign, announced on social media that he is running for Congress again. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

18:19

The Ten Commandments must be displayed in Louisiana classrooms under requirement signed into law

Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom under a bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday.

The GOP-drafted legislation mandates that a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in 'large, easily readable font' be required in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities.

Although the bill did not receive final approval from Landry, the time for gubernatorial action - to sign or veto the bill - has lapsed.

The displays, which will be paired with a four-paragraph 'context statement' describing how the Ten Commandments 'were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries,' must be in place in classrooms by the start of 2025.

18:14

Poll details reveal a fifth of Independents think Trump's conviction is important and makes them less likely to vote for him

Details inside a survey about Donald Trump's conviction in the Stormy Daniels case provide red flags for the former president among a key slice of Independent voters who are key to his bid to recapture the White House.

A majority of Independents said flat-out in a new Reuters/Ipsos survey that Trump was guilty of falsifying business records in the hush money case – the charges a jury found Trump committed.

That is the starting point for a series of assessments where independents weigh in on how much the convictions matter, and whether it will impact their vote.

The results come even as Trump is campaigning around the country calling the case against him 'rigged,' while the Joe Biden campaign has ramped up its public attacks on Trump, who Biden now regularly brands a 'convicted felon.'

18:08

Nancy Pelosi and U.S. lawmakers meet Tibet's Dalai Lama and pressure China on talks

Nancy Pelosi and a group of U.S. lawmakers who met the Dalai Lama in India on Wednesday said they would not allow China to influence the choice of his successor.

The move was expected to anger Beijing, which calls the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader a separatist.

The lawmakers also signaled that Washington would pressure Beijing to hold talks with Tibetan leaders, stalled since 2010, to resolve the Tibet issue, with a bill they said President Joe Biden would sign soon.

The bipartisan group of seven lawmakers was led by Michael McCaul, a Republican representative from Texas.

Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama exchanges greetings with former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during their meeting at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India, June 19, 2024. Tenzin Choejor/Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

17:07

Trump pushes that Biden will be 'pumped up' on cocaine at next week's CNN debate

Former President Donald Trump was already coming up with an excuse if President Joe Biden outperforms him at next week: Biden used cocaine to get through it.

Trump pushed this theory during his rally Tuesday in Racine, Wisconsin.

The former president and current president will go head-to-head at the CNN debate next Thursday, the first of two agreed-upon general election match-ups.

The presumptive Republican nominee demanded in both 2020 and 2024 that there be drug tests before debating - but his requests were ignored.

16:49

Why RFK is not being included in the CNN presidential debate

Time is running out for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to qualify for 2024's first U.S. presidential debate.

CNN, host of the June 27 debate, says only President Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump have met its conditions for taking part.

That means receiving at least 15 percent in four separate national polls, and appearing on enough state ballots to potentially win the presidency.\

Kennedy has received at least 15 percent in only three accepted polls so far, and has qualified for the ballot in six states.

His campaign argues he has collected enough signatures to be on the ballot in enough states.

The deadline for candidates to qualify for the debate is 12AM on Thursday.

FILE - Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during the Libertarian National Convention at the Washington Hilton in Washington, May 24, 2024. An Associated Press analysis of Gallup data going back to 1980 shows that it's pretty common for third-party candidates to look like they have polling momentum in the months before an election, only to come up far short at the ballot box. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

16:37

'I was wrong' when I called Trump reprehensible and compared him to Hitler, Sen. J.D. Vance says in awkward Fox News interview

Sen. J.D. Vance says he was wrong about Donald Trump when he called him 'reprehensible' and compared him to Hitler.

The Ohio senator was confronted a series of his most incendiary tweets blasting Trump when Trump was seeking the White House and J.D. Vance was a 'never Trumper.'

Many of the digs already surfaced during Vance's run for the Senate in 2022, but they are getting new attention now that he is on Trump's list of potential vice presidential running mates.

'You know, Senator, this is an evolution. And I know you've been asked about this before about past comments that you made about Donald Trump,' Fox News anchor Bret Baier asked Vance before reading aloud some of his most eviscerating comments.

16:36

Matt Gaetz accused of paying a woman for sex through Venmo

At least one woman has reportedly admitted to the House Ethics Committee that Matt Gaetz paid her for sex through Venmo.

Investigators on the committee have interviewed half a dozen women, according to ABC News, and the women have been shown Venmo payments from the Florida Republican to them and asked if they were for sex.

14:52

Biden campaign issues Juneteenth statement calling Trump a 'racist'

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in Racine, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

The Biden campaign issued a Juneteenth statement that called rival Donald Trump a 'racist.'

'Donald Trump has spent his entire life denigrating Black Americans. He spent his entire presidency harming Black communities. And he’s spent his entire campaign this cycle engaged in empty, racist gimmicks instead of meaningful outreach,' says the scathing statement.

It quoted Trump saying of the new holiday four years ago that 'nobody has ever heard of it.'

The statement, titled a 'Juneteenth History Lesson for Donald Trump,' accuses the former president of 'flagrant racism.'

14:50

Exclusive: Biden eviscerated over 'mass amnesty' plan by Republicans who say he's 'incentivizing' illegal migrants to come to the U.S.

Republicans are ripping Biden's plan to give half a million illegal immigrants citizenship as a 'feckless' election-year move that actually incentivizes illegal crossings.

On Tuesday afternoon, Biden rolled out a new policy that would allow roughly 500,000 undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens a pathway to citizenship if they've lived in the country for at least 10 years.

Biden suggested the election-year move was happening this summer to prevent some of the deportations that Trump has pledged should he be victorious in the fall.

But top GOP lawmakers are exclusively told DailyMail.com that the plan will act as a magnet to draw more people to cross into the U.S. illegally.

'Every time Biden does something like this, he invites more and more people to come here illegally,' Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., exclusively told DailyMail.com.

14:44

Rabbis slam Squad Rep. Jamaal Bowman for treating Jewish people as 'tokens'

Rep. Jamaal Bowman is under fire for a new report claiming he asked a Jewish leader to send him photos of them together to prove he has Jewish friends.

A private text between Bowman and an unidentified Jewish leader from when Bowman first ran for re-election in 2022 was published by Jewish Insider on Tuesday.

'Do you have pics of us? So I can show the world I'm friends with Jewish People,' Bowman wrote, according to the report.

The leader did have a photo with Bowman, but did not share it with the congressman.

13:53

Democrat senator calls Republicans 'bunch of jacka**es' after they mocked him for driving a Prius

12:44

House Freedom Caucus chair's tight primary moves to a recount after race too close to call

Conservative hardliner Bob Good is trying to shirk off a primary challenger who has the backing of both former President Donald Trump and Kevin McCarthy.

Their primary race was too close to call Tuesday night and is moving to a recount.

As 92% of the vote was called at 11:00 p.m. ET, challenger John McGuire was up by 300 votes in the 5th Congressional District.

He claimed victory over Good at the end of the night telling supporters 'it is an honor to be your Republican nominee.'

The contentious race laid bare the rift within the MAGA movement.

The right-wing Freedom Caucus chair lost the support of the president when he initially endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over him. He also turned off a number of House colleagues when he voted to oust Kevin McCarthy from the speakership.

12:42

Trump military adviser calls for first nuclear weapons tests since 1992

Donald Trump's last national security adviser from his first term has suggested the U.S. should carry out its first 'real world' nuclear weapons tests since 1992 as China builds up its atomic arsenal.

Robert O'Brien also said U.S. Marines should be sent to the Pacific instead of the Middle East and North Africa.

The U.S. should also move to strengthen the military capabilities of Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Writing in Foreign Affairs he said:

This morass of American weakness and failure cries out for a Trumpian restoration of peace through strength.

President Donald Trump and Robert O'Brien, just named as the new national security adviser, walk to speak to the media at Los Angeles International Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

12:25

U.S. Navy tracking Russian warships off the coast of Miami

The U.S. Navy is monitoring Russian warships making their way off the coast of Florida after exercises in the Caribbean.

The flotilla of vessels, including a nuclear submarine, docked in Havana, Cuba, last week to take part in drills.

It was the first major depoyment in the Western Hemisphere in five years.

Now the group has split, with Moscow sending its nuclear submarine north to the Atlantic and the rest of its warships south to Venezeula, the Miami Herald reported.

A U.S. Northern Command official told the outlet that the Pentagon is tracking movements of the vessels.

The nuclear-powered Russian submarine Kazan leaves the port of Havana, Cuba, Monday, June 17, 2024. A fleet of Russian warships arrived in Cuban waters last week ahead of planned military exercises in the Caribbean. (AP Photo/Ariel Ley)

12:15

The White House claims videos of Biden 'freezing' or walking away are 'deceptively edited': Watch the unedited clips and decide for yourself

The White House has claimed that a series of videos showing Joe Biden 'freezing' or walking away were deceptively edited 'cheap fakes'.

On Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made the claim after the videos were widely viewed on social media and news websites.

Republicans have responded that the videos were not edited and the White House is wrong.

Here are the videos in full so readers can watch and make up their own minds.

12:09

White House cancels meeting with Israel on Iran after Netanyahu weapons video

The White House has canceled a high-level meeting with Israel to discuss Iran after Benjamin Netanyahu accused the U.S. of blocking weapons shipments.

The Biden administration was furious with Bibi's claims and so 'enraged' they pulled the talks, Axios reported.

'This decision makes it clear that there are consequences for pulling such stunts', a U.S. official told the outlet.

TOPSHOT - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a state memorial ceremony for the victims of the 1948 Altalena affair, at Nachalat Yitzhak cemetery in Tel Aviv on June 18, 2024. (Photo by Shaul GOLAN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by SHAUL GOLAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

12:00

AOC: Benjamin Netanyahu is a 'war criminal'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a 'war criminal' who ignores U.S. law and called for him to be barred from addressing Congress.

Netanyahu is due to address lawmakers on Capitol Hill next month in a move that has sparked calls for a boycott from dozens of Democrats.

The speech with America's longtime ally is designed to show U.S. solidarity, despite rising criticism of Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza.

Ocasio-Cortez has been one of his most ardent critics, and last night said his invitation should be revoked.

11:54

Welcome to DailyMail.com's US politics blog - with the top stories from Washington and around the world

Welcome to DailyMail.com's U.S. politics blog, with the biggest stories from Washington and the corridors of power.

The White House is still fighting back against videos of President Joe Biden's awkward interactions they claim are 'cheapfakes'.

The Biden administration's relations with Israel has also reached a new tense juncture after Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the U.S. had blocked weapons shipments.

Both Democrats and Republicans are also waking up as primary results roll in from key states including Virginia and Georgia.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Andrew Thomas/NurPhoto/Shutterstock (14546354ad) President Biden is hosting an event at the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, on June 18, 2024, marking the 12th Anniversary of DACA and clearing the way for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens to apply for legal residency in the USA . President Biden Is Hosting An Event At The White House Marking The 12th Anniversary Of DACA, Washington, United States - 18 Jun 2024

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