Connect with us

World

George Clooney implores Biden to quit presidential race

Published

on

George Clooney, Hollywood actor and prominent Democratic fundraiser, has implored US President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race.

Clooney made the call in a New York Times opinion piece published on Wednesday and titled: ‘I love Joe Biden. But we need a new nominee’.

The request also comes just weeks after the producer headlined a major fundraiser for Biden’s re-election campaign.

Concerns about Biden’s re-election bid heightened after his shaky debate performance against Donald Trump, the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party.

Biden, 81, blamed a cold and jet lag for his feeble performance.

A slew of Democrats have however privately and publicly expressed fears that their party could lose the White House with Biden at the top of the ticket.

“I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him. Believe in his character. Believe in his morals,” Clooney wrote.

The actor said the Biden he saw during the June 15 fundraiser, which also included former President Barack Obama, “was not the Joe big F-ing deal Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020″.

The Hollywood star said Biden has won many battles in the last four years but “the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time”.

“He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,” Clooney opined.

“Our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw.

“This is about age. Nothing more. We are not going to win in November with this president.”

Clooney added that his concerns matched those of “every member of congress” he has spoken with.

The actor’s comments also come after Nancy Pelosi, former house speaker, said time was “running short” for Biden to decide whether to stay in the race or not.

But the president has repeatedly said he is confident of beating Trump and would remain in the race.

“I don’t walk as easily as I used to, I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to, and I don’t debate as well as I used to. But what I do know is how to tell the truth,” Biden told a cheering crowd after the debate.

The US president acknowledged that age affected his fluency during the debate but insisted that he “could do the job”.

The White House said the reasons Biden cited were not excuses but provided context for the situation.

The presidency also added that Biden is “clear-eyed” and would stay in the race.

World

Former US President Bill Clinton hospitalised with fever

Published

on

By

Bill Clinton, the former US president who has faced a series of health issues over the years, was admitted to hospital Monday in Washington after developing a fever, his office said.

“President Clinton was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center this afternoon for testing and observation after developing a fever,” the 78-year-old’s deputy chief of staff Angel Urena said on social media platform X, adding Clinton “remains in good spirits.”

Bill Clinton was previously hospitalized for five nights in October 2021 due to a blood infection.

In 2004, at age 58, he underwent a quadruple bypass operation after doctors found signs of extensive heart disease. He had stents implanted in his coronary artery six years later.

The health scare motivated him to make lifestyle changes, including adopting a vegetarian diet, and he has since spoken publicly about his efforts.

Clinton’s health last made headlines in November 2022 when he tested positive for Covid-19. He said at the time that his symptoms were “mild” and he was “grateful to be vaccinated and boosted.”

Clinton, who led the United States for two presidential terms from 1993-2001, is the second-youngest living US president, after 63-year-old Barack Obama.

He was born mere months after fellow former US president George W. Bush and President-elect Donald Trump.

Though his prosperous time in office was marred by scandals, he has enjoyed a second life in the two decades after his presidency, which has seen him venture into numerous diplomatic and humanitarian causes.

Continue Reading

World

Trump dismisses claims of handing presidency to Musk as ‘hoax’

Published

on

By

Could Elon Musk, who holds major sway in the incoming Trump administration, one day become president? On Sunday, Donald Trump answered with a resounding no, pointing to US rules about being born in the country.

“He’s not gonna be president, that I can tell you,” Trump told a Republican conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

“You know why he can’t be? He wasn’t born in this country,” Trump said of the Tesla and SpaceX boss, who was born in South Africa.

The US Constitution requires that a president be a natural-born US citizen.

Trump was responding to criticism, particularly from the Democratic camp, portraying the tech billionaire and world’s richest person as “President Musk” for the outsized role he is playing in the incoming administration.

As per ceding the presidency to Musk, Trump also assured the crowd: “No, no that’s not happening.”

The influence of Musk, who will serve as Trump’s “efficiency czar,” has become a focus point for Democratic attacks, with questions raised over how an unelected citizen can wield so much power.

And there is even growing anger among Republicans after Musk trashed a government funding proposal this week in a blizzard of posts — many of them wildly inaccurate — to his more than 200 million followers on his social media platform X.

Alongside Trump, Musk ultimately helped pressure Republicans to renege on a funding bill they had painstakingly agreed upon with Democrats, pushing the United States to the brink of budgetary paralysis that would have resulted in a government shutdown just days before Christmas.

Congress ultimately reached an agreement overnight Friday to Saturday, avoiding massive halts to government services.

Continue Reading

World

Seven confirmed dead in Western Mexico plane crash

Published

on

By

At least seven people died when a light aircraft crashed Sunday in a heavily forested area of Jalisco in western Mexico, local authorities reported.

The aircraft, a Cessna 207, was flying from La Parota in the neighbouring state of Michoacan.

Jalisco Civil Protection said via its social media that the crash site was in an area that was difficult to access.

Initial authorities on the scene “reported a preliminary count of seven people dead,” who haven’t been identified yet, according to the agency.

“A fire was extinguished and risk mitigation was carried out to prevent possible additional damage,” it added.

Authorities said they were awaiting the arrival of forensic investigators to remove the bodies and rule out the presence of additional victims.

Continue Reading

Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

Most Read...