US midterm elections 2022: How crowd’s treatment of heckler at Trump rally reveals a deeply divided America
Over the space of just a few hours and within just 50 miles of each other, I’ve seen two entirely different visions for America this weekend.
In the unseasonably warm afternoon sun in Pittsburgh, a crowd had gathered to listen to their hero Barack Obama.
The Democratic Party is in trouble, perhaps big trouble, in Tuesday’s midterm elections. They stand to lose both the Senate and the House of Representatives in Washington DC and maybe see Republican governors win power in several states.
The implications for the Democrats’ domestic policies on the economy, healthcare, abortion rights, immigration and the climate would be profound. American foreign policy would shift more inward too.
And so the orator Obama, with a sparkle that President Joe Biden lacks, was out to gee up a lacklustre Democratic Party base.
His focus was the now-familiar warnings of the threat to democracy which Democrats say is posed by the election-denying Trumpian Republicans.
Dangerous divisions
He warned about divisions which fuel a “dangerous climate”, citing the hammer attack on the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
As it is so often in American election cycles, Pennsylvania is key for both parties.
It could tip the balance in a pivotal midterm US Senate race between Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz.
“This habit we have of demonising political opponents, of saying crazy stuff. It creates a dangerous climate,” Mr Obama said.
“You’ve got politicians who work not to bring people together but to stir up division and to make us angry and afraid of one another just for their own advantage, so they can take power.”
In the crowd, there was a clear recognition of the importance of this midterm take on the country’s direction.
“This midterm is the most important midterm I think that we’ve ever had during my life for sure,” voter Alex told me.
Another said: “It feels good to hear a sane speech. Measured and balanced and says the right things and the things that people need to hear and that this country needs to hear is refreshing.”
Leeanna McKibben said: “I think it’s critical that we exercise our right to vote and that we eliminate the incivility that’s happening. We can have two-party politics, but it’s got to happen with respect and civility. And that’s not what’s happening right now.”
The key state of Pennsylvania
While Nevada and Georgia are both key senate races too, much of the focus is on Pennsylvania because of its history of swinging from the left to the right.
In the 2016 presidential election it swung to Donald Trump, delivering him the White House. Four years later it edged back to Mr Biden and the Democrats.
No wonder so much campaign money has ploughed into the campaigns here, and no wonder all the big hitters are criss-crossing the state.
A key problem for the Democrats is Mr Biden. His approval rating is just 40% according to the most recent polling. It’s another reason Mr Obama is out – a reminder that there is more to the Democrats than Mr Biden.
Trump’s red wave?
Fifty miles down the road at an airport, another former president was out too – Mr Trump, a man who hasn’t stopped campaigning since he lost the election two years ago.
“The election was rigged and stolen and we’re not going to let it happen again,” he told a huge crowd of his most faithful.
There is no evidence at all for his claim of election fraud. Audits, recounts and court cases across America have confirmed Mr Biden as the winner in 2020, yet Mr Trump has managed to sow doubt into the fabric of society.
Pic: AP
The false claim remains his core message for a 2024 presidential campaign everyone expects him to announce any day.
“I love Trump!” supporter Lory Randall told me. “Best president ever.”
“Trump’s my guy because he’s honest, he doesn’t sugar coat anything, he doesn’t put up with anything and he puts America first,” Aaron Hoffman said.
Another said: “I’m here to see Donald Trump because I believe he should be our president and Joe Biden is destroying America.”
The vibe, the energy, the branding – it’s all here for the man who seems to command near-total control of today’s Republican Party.
For all that the Democratic Party and a minority of anti-Trump Republicans have done to try to discredit him, to expose him as a liar and a crook, to try to make sure he’s history, it really doesn’t feel like he is the past at all.
He hopes that this week’s midterm elections will provide a “red wave” confirming that his appeal stretches beyond this core and that election-denying candidates across the country, who he has endorsed, will win.
Remember – if they win, many of them will be responsible for judging the validity of the 2024 presidential election.
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How do midterm elections work?
The lone heckler
As Mr Trump spoke a lone voice piped up from the crowd.
“He’s a liar,” she screamed.
Her heckling, and the reaction from around her, was a neat glimpse of the deep angry divisions, up close.
“Lock her up! Lock her up!” the crowd shouted, borrowing a chant they used for Mr Trump’s 2016 rival Hilary Clinton.
“Go home. Go to your rally and brag about your Obama and brag about the inflation,” a man shouted into her face.
With some considerable force and with her arms locked into a hold behind her, she was then carted out by police.
Beyond the perimeter they released her and we chatted briefly.
“We know full well that the election was not stolen. It was fair, it was safe, it was secure…” she said before the police returned and resumed their eviction.
She never did tell us her name, but she spoke for many millions in the other America.
It’s hard to see how these two starkly different visions for these supposedly United States can be reconciled.
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has defeated one of the greatest-ever fighters, former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson, who is more than twice his age.
Paul, 27, won the bout via a unanimous points decision at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – home of the Dallas Cowboys and the biggest NFL stadium in the US.
The fight was already controversial but then arguably failed to live up to the hype. Boos were heard from the crowd in the final two rounds, after a perceived lack of action.
Afterwards, the pair heaped praise on each other. Paul said: “This man is an icon and it’s just an honour to be able to fight him. And he’s obviously the toughest, baddest man on the planet.”
Tyson, 58, described Paul as a “good fighter” but dismissed the suggestion he was out to prove something.
“I didn’t prove nothing to anybody, only to myself,” he said.
Jake Paul defeated Mike Tyson on points. Pic: AP
Boxing careers compared
This was not Paul’s first professional fight. The American YouTube star made his debut in 2020, and his most high-profile clash was last year against Tyson Fury’s brother Tommy Fury, which he lost by a split decision.
The so-called “Problem Child” has since defeated former UFC contender Nate Diaz, professional boxer Andre August, former Gold Gloves champion Ryan Bourland and most recently MMA fighter Mike Perry.
In contrast, “Iron Mike” Tyson was ranked among the best heavyweight boxers of all time.
During his career, he knocked out 44 opponents – retiring from professional boxing in 2005 after defeat against Kevin McBride.
He returned to the ring in 2020 for a bout against fellow boxing icon Roy Jones, which ended in an unofficial draw.
Mike Tyson struggled at times against Jake Paul, 31 years his junior. Pic: AP
‘Someone’s getting put to sleep’
Earlier this week, Paul said he believed the bout would not go the distance. “No, someone’s getting put to sleep,” he said. “It’s going to be a war, and we’re both heavy hitters. It’s not going the full 16 minutes.”
Tyson said: “I’ve been through so many ups and downs since my last fight with Kevin McBride.
“I’ve been in rehab. I’ve been in prison, been locked up. Never in a million years did I believe I’d be doing this.”
Several states would not allow the bout to go ahead, and the Texas Athletic Commission only agreed to the fight if there were changes, due to Tyson’s age.
It limited the contest to eight rounds lasting a maximum of two minutes instead of three. Both boxers were also required to wear heavier gloves, designed to lessen the force of punches.
The fight was initially scheduled for 20 July, but was postponed when Tyson suffered an ulcer flareup.
Taylor defends title
Katie Taylor celebrates after defeating Amanda Serrano in Texas. Pic: AP
Meanwhile, among the undercard fights, Irish boxer Katie Taylor successfully defended her super lightweight world title against Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano.
But it was tight. Taylor claimed the rematch 95-94 for all three judges in an epic battle.
The bout came two and a half years after the pair fought at Madison Square Garden, which Taylor won on a split decision.
Bout suffered from buffering
Earlier in the evening thousands of Netflix users in the US reported problems with the coverage, with some posting on social media about buffering.
At one point, more than 98,000 people had reported issues according to Downdetector, which tracks outages.
US
Matt Gaetz: Speaker Mike Johnson will request report into Trump’s attorney general pick is kept secret
US House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he will “strongly request” a report into allegations of sex trafficking against Matt Gaetz, who is the president-elect’s choice of attorney general, should not be released.
Mr Johnson said he was against publishing the House Ethics Committee report on Mr Gaetz, 42, who if approved by the Senate will become the nation’s top prosecutor once Donald Trump is sworn in as president on 20 January.
That’s despite Mr Gaetz having previously faced a nearly three-year Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving a 17-year-old girl. He denies the allegations and has not faced criminal charges.
Mr Gaetz has also never worked as a prosecutor and has only worked in law for a few years at a local level.
He stepped down from Congress after Mr Trump announced him as his attorney general pick.
His resignation brought the investigation by the House Ethics Committee to an end – two days before it had been expected to release its report into the trafficking claims.
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Why is Matt Gaetz a controversial pick?
House Speaker Mr Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said of the probe: “I’m going to strongly request that the Ethics Committee not issue the report, because that is not the way we do things in the House.”
Politicians of both parties on the Senate Judiciary Committee have said they want to see the report on Mr Gaetz, as part of a Senate confirmation process for cabinet nominees that would start next year with public hearings.
Democrats have described the MAGA loyalist as “a gonzo agent of chaos” and his appointment a “red alert moment for our democracy”, while some Republican senators have also raised doubts about his suitability for the role.
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Mr Johnson said he planned to urge House Ethics Committee chairman Michael Guest not to provide the report to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“The rules of the House have always been that a former member is beyond the jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee,” said Mr Johnson, who returned on Friday morning from meeting Mr Trump at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
“I think it’s a terrible breach of protocol and tradition and the spirit of the rule,” he added. “I think that would be a terrible precedent to set.”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Mr Johnson had said on Wednesday that as Speaker he could not be involved in deciding whether or not to release the report.
US
Malcolm X family brings $100m lawsuit against FBI, CIA and NYPD over ‘conspiracy to assassinate’ civil rights leader
A $100m (£79m) lawsuit has been brought against the CIA, FBI and New York Police Department (NYPD) who are accused of being involved in the 1965 assassination of civil rights leader Malcolm X.
The case, which has been filed in a federal court in Manhattan, New York, alleges that the agencies were aware of the assassination, they were involved in the plot and failed to stop the killing.
The legal action has been brought by Malcolm X’s three daughters along with his estate.
The NYPD and CIA have not yet responded to the claims while the FBI said it was “standard practice” not to comment on litigation.
Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for the US Department of Justice, which is also included in the lawsuit, declined to respond.
Attorney Ben Crump with Malcolm X’s family on Friday. Pic: Reuters
Malcolm X was 39 when he was shot dead on 21 February 1965 on stage by three gunmen as he prepared to speak at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan.
At a news conference in New York on Friday, to announce the details of the lawsuit, attorney Benjamin Crump said: “The government fingerprints are all over the assassination of Malcolm X.
“We believe we have the evidence to prove it.”
For decades, questions have arisen over who was behind his murder.
Malcolm X rose to prominence as the national spokesman of the Nation of Islam, an African-American Muslim group which supported black separatism.
He broke away from the group in 1964 and moderated some of his earlier views on racial separation, which angered Nation of Islam members and resulted in death threats.
Three men were convicted of his murder but two of them were cleared in 2021 after investigators took a fresh look at the case. They concluded some evidence was shaky and authorities had held back some information.
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Malcolm X’s family speaking in February 2023 when the plans for the lawsuit were initially announced
In the lawsuit, which began its process in 2023, it is alleged the NYPD coordinated with federal law enforcement agencies to arrest the activist’s security guards days before the assassination.
It also claims police were intentionally removed from inside the ballroom where Malcolm X was killed and that federal agencies had personnel, including undercover agents, at the site but failed to protect him.
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The lawsuit goes on to allege a “corrupt, unlawful, and unconstitutional” relationship between law enforcement and “ruthless killers… which was actively concealed, condoned, protected, and facilitated by government agents”.
Referring to Malcolm X’s family, the lawsuit states: “They did not know who murdered Malcolm X, why he was murdered, the level of NYPD, FBI and CIA orchestration, the identity of the governmental agents who conspired to ensure his demise, or who fraudulently covered up their role.”
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