Nikki Haley says she will only debate Donald Trump as crucial New Hampshire primary approaches

Published

4 months ago

January 17, 2024

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Nikki Haley has dropped out of a debate before the crucial New Hampshire Republican primary contest, saying she would only take part if Donald Trump did.

The former US ambassador to the United Nations finished third in the snow-covered Iowa caucuses on Monday, a couple of points behind Florida governor Ron DeSantis but well behind the former president.

Mr Trump has skipped every Republican primary debate so far, saying he would only take to the stage against a rival who was close to him in the polls in the contest to take on Democrat President Joe Biden in November’s election.

However, some recent polls put Mrs Haley just single digits behind Mr Trump – or neck and neck – in New Hampshire, giving hope to her campaign that she can mount a meaningful challenge going forward.

New Hampshire’s electorate is less religiously conservative and less rural than in Iowa – factors that helped Mr Trump in the caucuses there.

If Mr DeSantis and Mrs Haley cannot capitalise on those differences in the state, Mr Trump’s momentum could make the rest of the Republican primary calendar little more than a formality. No Republican has ever lost the party’s nomination after winning both Iowa and New Hampshire.

Mrs Haley, trying to secure the Republican nomination from a party dominated by Mr Trump’s supporters, has sought to build a wide coalition of voters.

She has put a big focus on New Hampshire and will hope it can be a springboard to the contest in her home state primary next month, in South Carolina.

Kristen Mansharamani, an independent voter from Lincoln, New Hampshire, said she has never considered backing Mr Trump in 2024 and would back Mrs Haley.

“I told my 12-year-old son that I am looking for the person who I think is going to get rid of some of the standstill and the polarisation in politics and I think she can do that better than anyone else out there right now,” the 48-year-old said.

Mrs Haley leaned directly into New Hampshire’s reputation for independence, launching a state-wide television ad on Tuesday morning that hit both Mr Trump and Joe Biden ahead of her arrival in the state.

“The two most disliked politicians in America,” the ad calls them, painting the 81-year-old president and 77-year-old former president together as being “consumed by chaos, negativity and grievance of the past”.

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Morgan Spurlock: Super Size Me documentary maker, who ate only McDonald’s for a month, dies aged 53

Published

3 hours ago

May 24, 2024

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Morgan Spurlock: Super Size Me documentary maker, who ate only McDonald's for a month, dies aged 53

Documentary maker Morgan Spurlock, who famously ate only at McDonald’s for a month in Super Size Me, has died.

Spurlock died from complications of cancer at the age of 53 in New York, his family confirmed in a statement.

Craig Spurlock, the filmmaker’s brother, said: “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity.

“The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”

Born on 7 November 1970, Spurlock started off his career as a playwright before creating I Bet You Will – an internet series where members of the public would take part in stunts for cash.

The 2002 webcasts, which saw some dared to eat a full jar of mayonnaise for $235 or take a shot of cod liver oil, were eventually bought by MTV.

Spurlock rose to fame with his 2004 documentary Super Size Me, where he exclusively ate at McDonald’s for 30 days to investigate the rise of obesity in the US.

He ate an average of 5,000 calories a day, always took a “super-size” meal if offered and exercised less to match the average American’s physical activity at the time.

By the end of his experiment, he claimed he put on 25lbs (11.3kg) and started suffering from depression and liver dysfunction.

Spurlock’s documentary grossed $22million in the global box office and was nominated for an Oscar.

It also prompted McDonald’s to stop offering its “super-size” option in 2004.

However the film’s findings were called into question as Spurlock refused to share his meal logs. He also later admitted to alcohol abuse in 2017, which other documentary makers said explained his liver issues and poor mental health.

In 2019, Spurlock released his second expose against the fast-food industry with Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!

The documentary sees him open his own restaurant and “become part of the problem” while tackling claims of healthy meals at big chain restaurants.

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Scottie Scheffler arrest officer disciplined for not having bodycam turned on

Published

7 hours ago

May 24, 2024

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Scottie Scheffler arrest officer disciplined for not having bodycam turned on

A police officer who arrested world number one golfer Scottie Scheffler has been disciplined for not having his bodycam on during the incident.

Scheffler was dramatically detained ahead of the second round of the PGA Championship last Friday in Louisville, Kentucky, after he reportedly tried to drive around a traffic jam outside Valhalla golf club caused by a fatal accident.

The 27-year-old later said he was “rattled” by the experience, which saw him charged and a police mugshot released of him wearing an orange jail-issue jumpsuit.

Louisville Detective Bryan Gillis has now been subject to “corrective action” for failing to activate his body-worn camera during the pre-dawn encounter in which he claimed he was “dragged/knocked down by the driver”.

Police have already released a video from a street camera that appears to show Scheffler’s car turning into the golf club entrance, prompting an officer to run toward the vehicle and apparently strike it as it comes to a stop.

The camera is too far away to capture the full details of the incident.

Another video released by authorities from a police vehicle dashcam shows Scheffler in handcuffs as he is taken away by officers.

Scheffler was arrested on charges that he injured Gillis and disobeyed commands, but the golfer said “he never intended to disregard any of the instructions” and that the incident was caused by a “big misunderstanding”.

Scheffler’s attorney Steve Romines has said his client was not at fault.

“Our position is the same as it was last Friday, Scottie Scheffler didn’t do anything wrong, we’re not interested in settling the case,” Mr Romines said.

“We’ll either try it or it will be dismissed.”

The city’s police chief pointed out officers are expected to maintain their body-worn cameras in a “constant state of operational readiness”.

Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, head of the Louisville Metro Police Department, said: “Detective Gillis should have turned on his body-worn camera but did not.

“His failure to do so is a violation of LMPD policy on uniforms and equipment.”

An internal investigation report said Detective Gillis should have at least had his camera on in standby mode while directing traffic before the incident with Scheffler.

Chief Gwinn-Villaroel said the officer had “received corrective action” for the breach.

He had to complete a “failure to record” form as required by policy, was “counselled by a member of his command” and a “performance observation” was completed.

Detective Gillis had said he was requested to respond to a fatal accident at Valhalla when he saw Scheffler’s vehicle “travelling in the opposing lanes coming at me.”

Gillis, who approached Scheffler’s car on foot, wrote in an arrest report that the driver “refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging” him to the ground.

He said his uniform trousers were damaged in the fall and he was taken to the hospital for his injuries.

Just hours later, after being carted off in handcuffs and a spell in jail, Scheffler returned to the golf course and eventually finished the tournament tied in eighth place on Sunday, which was enough to secure prize money of about $520,000 (£409,000).

He is due to return to Louisville on 3 June to face four charges, including second-degree felony assault of a police officer.

Louisville police’s current body camera policy was introduced following controversy in 2020 after officers shot Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who was killed during a botched drug raid.

At the time, the plain-clothes officers who served the warrant and fired at Taylor were not required to wear body cameras.

The new policy required all officers to turn on the camera “prior to engaging in all law enforcement activities and encounters.”

The police chief at the time of Taylor’s death was later fired when officers at the scene of another fatal shooting failed to turn on their body-worn cameras.

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Sean Kingston’s home raided ‘over $150,000 TV payment’ – as his mother arrested

Published

8 hours ago

May 24, 2024

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Sean Kingston's home raided 'over 0,000 TV payment' - as his mother arrested

A SWAT team has raided the rented Florida mansion of singer Sean Kingston and arrested his mother on fraud and theft linked to the installation of a gigantic TV.

Detectives detained his mother, Janice Turner, 61, at the property in a Fort Lauderdale suburb, popular with celebrities and professional athletes, including Dwayne Johnson and Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill, on Thursday.

The sheriff’s office said the investigation is ongoing and declined to release specific details about the charges against Turner or whether her 34-year-old son is also being sought.

Local media reported Kingston was out of town and was not present during the raid, in which items were removed and loaded into a van by the authorities.

The Jamaican-American performer is best known for his 2007 single Beautiful Girls, Fire Burning and his collaboration with Justin Bieber on Eenie Meenie.

Federal court records show his mother pleaded guilty in 2006 to bank fraud for stealing more than $160,000 (£126,088) and served nearly a year and a half in prison.

Kingston wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday, which was later removed: “People love negative energy!

“I am good, and so is my mother!… My lawyers are handling everything as we speak.”

Robert Rosenblatt, a lawyer representing the rapper and his mother, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel: “These are fine people, and I’d be surprised if the allegations were true.”

Florida Department of Corrections records show Kingston is on two-year probation for trafficking stolen property.

‘Promise of commercials with Justin Bieber’

Lawyer Dennis Card, who was present at the arrest, said it is partly related to a lawsuit he filed against Kingston in February, accusing him of defrauding a Florida company that installed a 232-inch television.

In the case, Ver Ver Entertainment says Kingston contacted the company in September about buying the television, sold under the brand name Colossal TV, and having it installed at his home. The system costs $150,000 (£118,000).

Kingston allegedly told the owners that if they agreed to a lower down payment and gave him credit, he and Bieber would do commercials for them.

In November, Kingston paid the company $30,000 (£23,631) and the TV was installed, according to the lawsuit, but no commercials or further payments were made.